Welfare Evaluation Research Articles

Experimentally Validating Welfare Evaluation of School Vouchers: Part I

In this paper, we use a unique two-stage experiment that randomized access to school vouchers across both markets and students in rural India to estimate the revealed preference value of school choice. In the first step of the research design, we develop an empirical model of school choice subject to liquidity and credit constraints that is estimated using data from only the control markets. Based on this exercise, we estimate that the voucher generated welfare gains exceeding four times the average private school's annual tuition on average to the students induced into private schooling. The second step of the research design will validate the estimated welfare impacts by comparing model predictions for a simulated voucher program in control markets with the data from the treatment group. The results in this paper are based on the first step (using only control data) and this draft serves as a pre-commitment to the model estimates and predictions before examining the experimental data.

World Bank: The Economy in the Time of Covid 19: Semiannual Report of the Latin America and Caribbean Region

No abstract available

An integrated approach for monitoring structural deformation of aquaculture net cages

The majority of present marine finfish production is conducted in flexible net cages which can deform when they are subjected to water movements generated by currents. The ability to monitor net deformation is important for performing cage operations and evaluation of fish health and welfare under changing environment. This paper presents a new method for real-time monitoring of net cage deformations that is based on an integrated approach where positioning sensor data is incorporated into a numerical model. An underwater positioning system was deployed at a full-scale fish farm site, with three acoustic sensors mounted on a cage measuring positions of the net at different depths. A novel numerical model with an adaptive current field was used to simulate net cage deformations, where the magnitude and direction of the current could be adapted by continuously assessing deviations between the simulated and the measured positions of the net. This method was found to accurately predict the pre-defined current velocity profiles in a set of simulated experiments. In the field experiment, a good agreement was also obtained between the simulated positions of the net and the acoustic sensor data. The integrated approach was shown to be well suited for in-situ real-time monitoring of net cage deformations by using a significantly reduced number of sensors.

Universal basic income and skill‑ biased technological change

In the last decades, income inequality has been on the rise in the U.S. The growing skill premium suggests the pivotal role of skill‑ biased technological change (SBTC) in promoting the observed increase in inequality levels. In this context, labor income tax structures have been central to the policy debate. We have developed an overlapping generations model to perform a welfare evaluation of Universal basic income (UBI) tax structures and verify how these interact with SBTC. I find that an UBI system would have improved social welfare in 2010 when compared to the existing tax system and determine that this result is primarily motivated by SBTC.

Continuous physiological welfare evaluation of European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) during common aquaculture practices leading up to slaughter

European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) is an aquaculture species with the potential for expanded cultivation in the fresh and brackish waters of Northern Europe. Yet, relatively little species-specific information is available regarding the stress responses and associated welfare implications for this species in captivity. We addressed this knowledge gap by using a combination of implantable heart rate bio-loggers and a range of traditional stress indicators (e.g. haematological parameters and plasma concentrations of cortisol, glucose and ions) to comprehensively evaluate the physiological responses of freely swimming whitefish in captivity, as well as when subjected to aquaculture practices and stressors that commonly occur prior to and during slaughter. Whitefish appeared to recover rapidly from surgery, as resting heart rate decreased within 36 h to stabilize at ~25 beats min−1 for the next 18 days when fish were left relatively undisturbed (i.e. personnel were only present when feeding fish). In contrast with previous studies on farmed rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon, whitefish did not exhibit a clear circadian heart rate rhythm, which may be related to species-specific differences in diurnal locomotor activity. Whitefish also appear to have a well-developed capacity for thermal acclimation of heart rate, as daily resting heart rate did not change during the undisturbed period despite an increase in body temperature from ~6.8 to 11.2 °C. Following acute stressors such as crowding and transportation, the physiological response of whitefish typically involved transient elevations in heart rate, plasma cortisol and glucose, and red blood cell swelling, while plasma [K+] decreased. In contrast, the heart rate of whitefish plummeted following the combination of brailing (i.e. to haul in fish with a brail/net) and CO2 exposure prior to slaughter, while plasma cortisol, glucose and [Ca2+] significantly increased. An unforeseen finding concerns the substantial and long-lasting physiological stress response observed in whitefish when held in close proximity (i.e. within ~10 m) to a rainbow trout net pen, as the mean heart rate of whitefish increased from ~32 to 43 beats min−1 (i.e. an increase of ~34%). This may represent an innate physiological response to the threat of predation, which consequently increases the allostatic load and energetic expenditure of whitefish when farmed alongside salmonids. To conclude, this study highlights the importance of performing long-term, species-specific evaluations of freely swimming fish in real aquaculture settings, and provides a platform for further research aiming to determine the welfare implications of simultaneously farming predatory and prey species in close proximity.

Steroids in pig hair and welfare evaluation systems: combined approaches to improve management in pig breeding?

The aim of the present pilot study was to determine the allostatic load by analysing the hair cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone‑sulphate (DHEA‑S) of commercial pigs belonging to different farms having good overall animal welfare according to the CREnBA (Centro di Referenza Nazionale per il Benessere Animale - Brescia, Italy) assessment protocol. The study was conducted on 86 pigs belonging to three farms with a grade higher than 8 on the CReNBA welfare evaluation system. Hair samples were taken by shaving on sows 1‑10 days after weaning (Farms 1 and 2) and at the age of 8‑10 months (Farm 3). The hormone concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. From the box plots, it is evident that the hair cortisol concentrations of animals were different between farms. Conversely, the variability of the hair DHEA‑S concentration was similar between the F1 and F2 farms but much lower at F3. For all the variables considered (cortisol, DHEA‑S and cortisol/DHEA‑S ratio), F2 showed a higher hair concentration level than F1 (P < 0.05). The study's results indicate that the measurement of cortisol and DHEA‑S in pig hair shows a different allostatic load between them, although the official welfare evaluation method assessed the farms as having good overall animal welfare.

The Development and Pilot Evaluation of a ‘Serious Game’ to Promote Positive Child-Animal Interactions

Abstract Animal welfare education aims to nurture compassion, respect and kindness to animals but there remains a need for more rigorous evaluations of such programmes to assess the most effective approaches. Incorporating technology into animal welfare education is a relatively novel field. This study examines the process of designing, developing, and evaluating the effectiveness of a new theoretically-driven educational computer game intervention. Pet Welfare was designed for children aged 7-12 years, to promote positive child-animal interactions. A pre-test, post-test, test-control, quasi-experimental design was used using a self-report questionnaire that children completed within class. Participants included 184 primary-school children from schools in Scotland, UK. The results indicated a positive impact on knowledge about animal welfare needs, knowledge about appropriate and safe behaviour towards pets and beliefs about pet minds. Children were also less accepting of cruelty to pets. There was no impact on self-reported compassion. This study presents the first evaluation of a digital animal welfare ‘serious game’ for children, demonstrating the benefits of incorporating technology and game-based learning into animal cruelty prevention. The results of this study will inform future education directions for those wishing to promote positive and safe relationships between children and animals.

Wild boar behaviour during live-trap capture in a corral-style trap: implications for animal welfare

BackgroundWildlife traps are used in many countries without evaluation of their effect on animal welfare. Trap-capture of wild animals should minimise negative effects on animal welfare, irrespective of whether the animals are trapped for hunting, research, or management purposes. Live-trap capture of wild boar (Sus scrofa) followed by killing inside the trap by gunshot is a recently introduced but disputed hunting method in Sweden. Approval of trap constructions is based on gross necropsy findings of 20 trapped and shot wild boars. For improved animal welfare evaluation, our aim was to study wild boar behaviour during live-trapping in a 16 m2 square corral-style trap. Behavioural assessments were conducted after filming 12 capture events of in total 38 wild boars (five adults, 20 subadults, 13 piglets). Selected behavioural traits were compared with pathological changes (trap-related lesions) found at necropsy of the 20 subadults, to determine if these variables were useful proxies of capture-induced stress in wild boar.ResultsThe wild boars spent less time resting in the evening than in the night and morning. Using Friedman’s ANOVA, there was an overall difference in the time spent foraging. However, we only found a difference between the evening and morning in the Wilcoxon matched pairs test after the Sequential Bonferroni correction, where the wild boars spent more time foraging in the evening than in the morning. Single captured individuals showed more escape behaviours and reacted more strongly to external stimuli than individuals captured in a group. It was more common for animals to charge against the mesh walls of the trap upon human approach compared to upon initial capture when the trap door closed. Trap-related pathological findings due to trauma were documented in 13 of the 20 subadults that were necropsied. Behavioural alterations indicative of capture-induced stress (e.g. charging into the trap walls) were documented in trapped wild boars with no or minor physical injuries (e.g. skin abrasions, subcutaneous haemorrhage).ConclusionsBehavioural assessment provided valuable information for determination of capture-induced stress in wild boar when evaluating live-trapping in a corral-style trap, whereas pathological evaluation through necropsy did not fully reflect the animal welfare aspects of live-trapping. We emphasize the inclusion of species-specific behavioural data assessment for evaluation of capture-related stress during live-trapping and for testing of new trap constructions before approval.

The effects of the renewable energies penetration on the surplus welfare under energy policy

There is some new challenges about the greenhouse gases, climate changing, and weather warming. The applying of the various Energy Policies (EPs) on production sections, is the prevalent solution that considers promotion of the renewable energies. The result is enhancement of penetration rate of the Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) in the power systems. However, till now, there are little papers that assessed the effects of EPs on the social welfare. The social welfare consists of the financial profits of the RES production company as well as the surplus welfare of subscribers. In this paper, the results of the implementation of a well–known EP as the Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) and its effect on the surplus welfare are assessed, based on the Generation Expansion Planning (GEP). In order to obtain the paper aims, the desired EP and the GEP are mixed, and a comprehensive model is presented from the perspective of an RES production company. The model is solved in the form of a Mixed Integer Non–Linear Problem (MINLP) in the GAMS optimization software using the BARON optimizer. Also, in order to reach complete solution, two scenarios as without and with the proposed EP are considered, and the results are compared with other EPs. For evaluation of the social welfare, a criteria as the Virtual Price Index (VPI) is introduced. With analysis of the results, it could be seen that the surplus welfare of the subscribers increases in the long term horizon, while it was lower than profit of the RES production companies at short terms.

Evaluation of Mental Health and Welfare Aspects of Workers in an Environmental Sanitation Company. Use of a Questionnaire

Aspects related to work organization can cause mental wear, mental disorders and illnesses to workers. According PAHO, an environment that respects and protects basic civil, political, socioeconomic and cultural rights is fundamental for the promotion of mental health. Brazil (2016) registered 199 thousand workers, and in 2017 mental and behavioral disorders were responsible for the leave of 178.268 workers.According to legislation, part of workers' illness is linked to the environment and work methodologies adopted by the company. In this context, there is a marked growth of methods aimed at evaluating aspects related to work organization and their repercussions on workers' health. Therefore, addressing workers' quality of life in today's world context becomes important, the assessment of the psychosocial work environment through a voluntary questionnaire is an important determinant of the mental health status of workers. To present the predominant aspects of the mental health of the employees of a sanitation company through a worker health and welfare evaluation questionnaire. Application of the Brazilian version of the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20), anonymous, volunteer, completed by employees before consultation with the occupational physician from May to December/2019 at the medical ambulatory of an environmental sanitation company in the SP Brasil. Evaluated data: Job sector, sex, function (operational and administrative positions) and the answers. Excel 2013 and SPSS were used.100 questionnaires completed. 39 women, 61 men (33 administrative and 28 operational positions). 24% of the answers presented cutoff score for psycho-emotional disorders (equal to or greater than 7). Of these, 42% (10) were men (2 administrative and 8 operational positions) and 58% (14) were women, all in administrative positions. 67% were adminstrative. Discussions about the profile were held and used to adapt preventive measures.The use of SRQ-20 contributed to the tracking of mental health in the occupational context enabling specific health actions.

Ethological and Physiological Parameters Assessment in Donkeys Used in Animal Assisted Interventions.

Simple SummaryThe study aimed to obtain scientific data useful for the development of methodologies and standardized protocols for welfare donkey monitoring during animal-assisted interventions (AAIs). For this purpose, on thirteen donkeys, ethological tests and physiological parameters (heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and root mean square of successive differences (rMMSD)) were assessed during AAI sessions. The AAI sessions determined modifications of tested parameters. These preliminary results can be considered as a starting point for the investigation of the welfare in donkeys used in AAIs.Background: Few studies have been performed to identify objective indicators for the selection of therapeutic donkeys or to assess their welfare during animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the response to the ethological test and the modifications of physiological parameters in donkeys subjected to AAI sessions. Methods: Thirteen donkeys were subjected to a behavioral evaluation during an AAI session. Heart rate, heart rate variability, and root mean square of successive difference values were detected. Results: Statistically significant changes in the tested parameters were observed during AAI sessions. Conclusions: In donkeys, there was a neurovegetative involvement during AAI sessions. Our data give a contribution to the evaluation of donkey welfare during AAIs.

Government Subsidy in the U.S. Mortgage Market: A Structural Analysis with Bunching

It is of vital importance to better understand the US housing market, a market where the global financial crisis was originated from. In this paper, we build an infinite-horizon continuous-time structural model to study the effects of the long-standing and widespread Government-Sponsored Enterprises’ (GSEs) mortgage default insurance subsidy on banks’ equilibrium lending behavior in the US. Despite the richness of the model, we obtain analytical solutions for the equilibrium loan size and interest rate. We then use truncated loan-level data to obtain the maximum likelihood estimate of the magnitude of the default insurance subsidy, despite the fact that the pre-subsidy data are unavailable. We do so by using a salient feature in the data that a large number of borrowers “bunch” at a loan size exactly equal to the subsidy eligibility cutoff. We find that the subsidy is about 25 basis points per dollar, reduces the equilibrium mortgage interest rate by the same amount (3.6% of the sample average), and increases the loan size by $15,026 (10.4% of the sample average). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to estimate the size of the GSE subsidy using a structural approach with loan-level data. The estimation of this crucial parameter, along with our modeling framework, would allow future work to conduct welfare assessment and evaluation of the housing finance system in the US.

Animal welfare evaluation at slaughterhouses for pigs at the “Eje Cafetero” region in Colombia

Within the insensitization by electronarcosis and the bleeding processes performed at the pig's slaughterhouses, there are some factors that hinder the achievement of an adequate slaughter of these animals, being this a critical phase in which animal welfare must be guaranteed; the objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the efficiency of insensitization by electronarcosis and two types of bleeding direction (horizontal and vertical). Dependent variables were measured as indicators of animal welfare (absence of the corneal reflex, absence of reflex of sensitivity to painful stimuli, attempts to reinstatement or posture recovery and vocalization), after the stunning and bleeding process, in four slaughterhouses of national category in “Eje Cafetero”, Colombia. The methodological approach included the binomial distribution, descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing and statistical significance. The results show that the efficiency of the insensitization procedures and type of bleeding direction depends on multiple aspects, including the tranquility of the animals during their handling, the correct position of the insensitization clamps, the amperage used and the time between insensitization and bleeding. In this way, the analysis of possible preventive and/or corrective measures includes: Continuous training and supervision of the personnel in charge of carrying out the procedures, the need to immobilize pigs prior to their insensitization process, the continuous monitoring of process variables and the appropriate vascular cutting that ensures animal's death prior to their entrance into the scalding machine.

Validating the use of oral swabs for telomere length assessment in dogs

The relative telomere length, a biomarker of cellular aging, can be influenced by the cumulative effects of positive and negative events experienced by an individual. For this reason, it has been used to assess the welfare of nonhuman species. Ensuring an animal's well-being also involves choosing methodologies that will cause either none or minimal disturbance to the subject; however, no studies using noninvasive sampling for measuring relative telomere length in nonhuman species were found. The present study is the first to investigate alternatives of noninvasive sampling for obtaining dogs’ DNA samples for measuring telomeres. Results showed that different tissue samples from the same individual yield comparable telomere length measurements, validating the use of buccal swabs over dried blood spot from dogs. The development of a noninvasive methodology is paramount for the animal welfare evaluation of captive and wild animals without affecting the subject, while at the same time, allowing a frequent data collection and a continuous monitoring of the well-being state.

Systems for evaluation of welfare on dairy farms

Animal welfare is an essential component of dairy production and several systems exist to evaluate the welfare of dairy cows. Here, we review and compare three well-known systems that operate at farm level from around the world (FARM, Welfare Quality®, and The Code of Welfare) and discuss their advantages and limitations. Despite having some commonalities, the programs evaluate different elements. We also briefly review an emerging system (Integrated Diagnostic Welfare System) that might address some of the shortcomings of the existing systems, especially the possibility of automating the evaluation of animal well-being and identifying any cause of poor welfare. None of the aforementioned systems has been fully validated for their ability to assess animal welfare using independent measurements. The future holds increased attention around the well-being of dairy cows and increased use of sensing technologies. There is an urgent need for dairy welfare evaluation systems that are scientifically validated, holistic, and that can take advantage of the use of sensing technologies to continuously monitor animal welfare.

Corticosterone in feathers of laying hens: an assay validation for evidence-based assessment of animal welfare

Studies indicate that the evaluation of animal welfare in birds may be carried out with the measurement of the stress-related hormone corticosterone in feathers. However a standardized procedure for corticosterone measurements in feathers is lacking, a validation needs to be carried out for each new species before implementation. The aim of the present study was to establish a valid method to measure corticosterone concentrations in feathers of laying hens in a precise and repeatable manner using an established and commercially available ELISA. Validation was performed with feather pools of tail and interscapular feathers of commercial Lohmann Brown laying hens. Assessment groups, consisting of 5 replicates, were created. All replicates of an assessment group were processed at the same time. Each replicate was run in 4 repetitions by ELISA. Intra-assay and interassay CV was 7.5 and 6.4%, respectively. The serial dilution showed linearity and parallelism. Examining the hormone extraction efficiency by using different methanol volumes resulted in no statistical differences (P > 0.05). Pulverized feathers showed higher corticosterone values than minced feathers (P > 0.05). Differences were shown between 2 feather types (tail vs. interscapular feathers; P < 0.05), as well as between vane and rachis (P < 0.05). Performance of a freeze–thaw cycle led to a decrease of corticosterone concentrations in the samples. A possible effect of UV-A radiation on the stability of corticosterone in the feathers was not found (P > 0.05). With the present study, a valid protocol, feasible for analyzing feather pools of laying hens, was developed. It may provide fundamentals for further investigations on corticosterone in feathers as a noninvasive indicator to evaluate aspects of animal welfare.

Rivalry between airport ancillary and city-center supplies

Passengers can buy souvenirs or rent a car at the airport or in the city-center. This paper develops a basic model with unit demands for airport ancillary and city-center demands to derive equilibrium pricing strategies of profit-maximizing airports and city-center companies and evaluates them from the social viewpoint. Passengers are myopic in the sense that only ticket prices matter for flight decisions or foresighted in the sense that non-aeronautical airport and city-center supplies matter for flight decisions, too. We find that the welfare evaluation of equilibrium airport pricing behavior can be independent of whether passengers are myopic or foresighted.

WELFARE AS EQUITY EQUIVALENTS

AbstractEquity (or, its counterpart, inequity) plays a fundamental role in the evaluation of social welfare in different dimensions. In this paper, we revisit the concept of inequity – in the sense of unequal distributions – across individuals, time, and states of the world using a unified framework that generalizes the standard expected discounted utilitarianism approach. We propose a general measure of welfare as equity equivalents and a corresponding inequity index. We show that allowing for different attitudes toward inequity across different dimensions covers a scope of possible inequity preferences with different interpretations. We then prove that the order of aggregation across the different dimensions matters for welfare evaluations. Finally, we show that many of the welfare‐theoretical approaches recently developed in the literature can be interpreted as special cases of this general framework.

Methodology to Prioritize Climate Adaptation Measures in Urban Areas. Barcelona and Bristol Case Studies

In the current context of fast innovation in the field of urban resilience against extreme weather events, it is becoming more challenging for decision-makers to recognize the most beneficial adaptation measures for their cities. Detailed assessment of multiple measures is resource-consuming and requires specific expertise, which is not always available. To tackle these issues, in the context of the H2020 project RESCCUE (RESilience to cope with Climate Change in Urban arEas), a methodology to effectively prioritize adaptation measures against extreme rainfall-related hazards in urban areas has been developed. It follows a multi-phase structure to progressively narrow down the list of potential measures. It begins using less resource-intensive techniques, to finally focus on the in-depth analysis on a narrower selection of measures. It involves evaluation of risks, costs, and welfare impacts, with strong focus on stakeholders’ participation through the entire process. The methodology is adaptable to different contexts and objectives and has been tested in two case studies across Europe, namely Barcelona and Bristol.

Effect of reduction and alkylation treatment in three different assays used for the measurement of oxytocin in saliva of pigs

Oxytocin is a hormone that is increasingly being used for welfare evaluation in animals. Although several types of samples have been used for oxytocin measurement, saliva can be a suitable option for pigs producing less stress than blood sampling. In this study, 3 different methods for oxytocin measurements, 2 based on alphaLISA technology (one with a monoclonal and other with a polyclonal antibody) and one commercially available kit, were compared in saliva of pigs. These methods were used in saliva samples obtained from female pigs at 3 different days during gestation and lactation, with and without a reduction/alkylation (R/A), which is a procedure for breaking the links between oxytocin and proteins of the sample. The assays showed a different behavior after the R/A procedure, with no significant changes in the oxytocin results in case of the alphaLISA monoclonal method, a significant decrease with the alphaLISA polyclonal method, and a significant increase with the commercial kit. Although all assays showed a similar tendency in detecting the changes in oxytocin during gestation and lactation, they showed changes of different magnitude and statistical signification. This report indicates that different assays can measure different forms of oxytocin present in saliva and can have a different behavior after R/A of the sample and when are used to measure oxytocin in gestation and lactation.