Income Earners Research Articles

Assessing the influence of artisanal fishing on income and livelihood of the coastal communities in Tanzania: the case of Mkinga district, Tanga region

This study unveiled the influence of artisanal fishing on a coastal community's income and livelihood in the Mkinga District, Tanga region. Particularly, it seeks to: determine fish catch and gross margins across, investigate the influence of fish income on the households total incomes, and factors affecting income earnings in the marketing chain. The study used interviews and focus group discussions on obtaining primary data. Simultaneously, the internet, government documentation units at different levels were the sources of secondary data. It involved a total of 125 randomly selected respondents. Moreover, Gross Margin (GM), Marketing Margin (MG), and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics 25) were employed for analysis.Results show the socio-economic status of the respondents was generally poor. The majority of fishers have low education levels (44%), and they depend on fishing for livelihoods. Furthermore, compared to other groups computation of gross margins revealed that artisanal fishers earned the lowest (12.2%) with a gross margin of T.shs 443.6. Despite the lowest gross margin earning than other players, the fish income contributes highly (83.8%) to the total household incomes. Therefore, improvement in the fisheries sector results has a high impact on artisanal fishers' wellbeing. Moreover, factors affecting their income include lack of credit to purchase modern fishing and storage equipment, high cost of fishing gear, poor roads, low bargaining power, inadequate extension services, and lack of market information. Hence, the study recommends the government address observed constraining factors affecting artisanal fishers' incomes to increase their incomes

Can welfare states buffer technostress? Income and technostress in the context of various OECD countries.

Many workers are experiencing the downsides of being exposed to an overload of information and communication technology (ICT), highlighting the need for resources to cope with the resulting technostress. This article offers a novel cross-level perspective on technostress by examining how the context of the welfare state influences the relationship between income and technostress. Showing that individuals with higher income experience less technostress, this study argues that the welfare state represents an additional coping resource, in particular in the form of unemployment benefits. Since unemployment benefits insure income earners in the case of job loss, the negative effect of income on technostress should increase with higher levels of unemployment generosity. In line with these expectations, empirical results based on original survey data collected in collaboration with the OECD show that the impact of income on technostress varies across welfare state contexts. Implications for public health and policymakers are being discussed.

Revisiting the effects of state earned income tax credits on infant health: a quasi-experimental study using contiguous border counties approach

BackgroundTo examine the effects of refundable state earned income tax credits (EITC) on infant health.MethodsWe use the restricted-access U.S. birth certificate data with county codes from 1989 to 2018. Birth outcomes include birth weight, low birth weight, gestational weeks, preterm birth, and the fetal growth rate. The analytical sample includes single mothers with high school education or less. Two specifications of two-way fixed effects models are employed. The first specification accounts for shared time trends across all states/counties. The second specification estimates effects based on EITC changes within contiguous counties across state borders which accounts for contemporaneous events specific to each contiguous county pair. Models are estimated pooling and stratifying by parity subgroups.ResultsUnder the first specification, refundable state EITC is associated with improved birth outcomes. Pooling all parity, a 10%-point increase in refundable EITC is associated with an 8-gram increase in birth weight (95% CI: 2.9,14.6). The effect increases by parity. In contrast, the estimates from the second model are much smaller and statistically non-significant, both pooling and stratifying by parity.ConclusionsComparing contiguous counties across state borders, there is no evidence that refundable state EITC affects birth outcomes. However, the estimates still do not rule out moderate to large benefits for third or higher born infants.

Determinants of catastrophic costs among households affected by multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam: a prospective cohort study

Background Globally, most people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and their households experience catastrophic costs of illness, diagnosis, and care. However, the factors associated with experiencing catastrophic costs are poorly understood. This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with catastrophic costs incurrence among MDR-TB-affected households in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Viet Nam.Methods Between October 2020 and April 2022, data were collected using a locally-adapted, longitudinal WHO TB Patient Cost Survey in ten districts of HCMC. Ninety-four people with MDR-TB being treated with a nine-month TB regimen were surveyed at three time points: after two weeks of treatment initiation, completion of the intensive phase and the end of the treatment (approximately five and 10 months post-treatment initiation respectively). The catastrophic costs threshold was defined as total TB-related costs exceeding 20% of annual pre-TB household income. Logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with experiencing catastrophic costs. A sensitivity analysis examined the prevalence of catastrophic costs using alternative thresholds and cost estimation approaches.Results Most participants (81/93 [87%]) experienced catastrophic costs despite the majority 86/93 (93%) receiving economic support through existing social protection schemes. Among participant households experiencing and not experiencing catastrophic costs, median household income was similar before MDR-TB treatment. However, by the end of MDR-TB treatment, median household income was lower (258 [IQR: 0–516] USD vs. 656 [IQR: 462–989] USD; p = 0.003), and median income loss was higher (2838 [IQR: 1548–5418] USD vs. 301 [IQR: 0–824] USD; p < 0.001) amongst the participant households who experienced catastrophic costs. Being the household’s primary income earner before MDR-TB treatment (aOR = 11.2 [95% CI: 1.6–80.5]), having a lower educational level (aOR = 22.3 [95% CI: 1.5–344.1]) and becoming unemployed at the beginning of MDR-TB treatment (aOR = 35.6 [95% CI: 2.7–470.3]) were associated with experiencing catastrophic costs.ConclusionDespite good social protection coverage, most people with MDR-TB in HCMC experienced catastrophic costs. Incurrence of catastrophic costs was independently associated with being the household’s primary income earner or being unemployed. Revision and expansion of strategies to mitigate TB-related catastrophic costs, in particular avoiding unemployment and income loss, are urgently required.

Machasories Product Development as an Aesthetic Accessory Business to Improve Digital Business Literacy Capabilities in Generation Z

This research is research into the development of machasories products, namely as a contemporary, aesthetic accessory business which of course is currently very popular among teenagers and all groups. This research uses descriptive and quantitative analysis techniques. In this research, we used data collection techniques through questionnaires that we gave to customers who had already ordered accessory products, we got 86.6 quality and preferred accessories in terms of beauty and aesthetics. Of course, there are shortcomings that we found in the questionnaire that we have distributed, namely that there are products that are not neat in workmanship and the manufacturing process takes a long time. In this research, the aim is that the development of accessories business products can increase digital business literacy in generation Z, of course this will be an important thing in the future as a reference for generation Z to start a business to produce work and earn income.

Pemetaan Sebaran Rajungan yang ditangkap menggunakan Bubu Di Perairan Pesisir Barat Lampung

The Pesisir Barat of Lampung is one of the locations that has great opportunities for capture fisheries activities in Lampung. The abundant potential of these waters means that people in Pesisir Barat Regency earn income from fishing along these waters. Fishermen still catch fish using traditional tools using small boats (jukung). The vast waters with muddy and sandy water substrates make fishermen use fishing gear that is cheap, easy to operate and environmentally friendly. The trap fishing gear is a passive fishing gear operated by fishermen whose main catch is crab. The aim of this research is to map the distribution of crab catches using trap fishing gear. This research was carried out from June 2023 to September 2023. The research location was carried out in West Coastal Waters. Mapping crab fishing areas begins with identifying crab fishing areas. Identification of crab fishing areas is carried out using a survey method on three indicators, namely the location of fishing operations, catch results and environmental conditions. These results show that the distribution of crabs using trap fishing gear on the West Coast is at the Fishing Ground in Kuala Stabas Waters, Bengkunat Bay Waters and Labuhan Tapokan Waters with the number of crabs on LED trap fishing gear being 250 and the number of crabs on trap fishing gear without LEDs being 250. 119 Tails

Aflatoxin exposure and risk assessment among peri-urban low income population in Kampala Capital City, Uganda

Kampala Capital City (KCC) is home to over 3.7 million residents majority of whom are low -income earners who depend on low-cost cereals and legumes for food. These foods are mainly purchased from retail shops and open markets that expose them to mould and aflatoxin contamination. This study assessed total aflatoxin exposure arising from consumption of maize and groundnuts based products by KCC dwellers, and the associated cancer risk. The study was conducted in two divisions of KCC targeting mothers (15–49 years) and children (6–59 months). Results indicate that the majority of the household heads were engaged in low-income occupations with 35 % earning less than US $ 1 a day. Over half of the households purchased cereals and legumes once to twice a week and stored the food in polypropylene or polythene bags. The mean maize consumption rate was 128.7 and 189.9 g/person/day for children and mothers, respectively, while that for groundnuts was 71.6 (children) and 110 (women) g/person/day. Groundnut flour samples recorded the highest proportion (76 %) of samples that tested positive for aflatoxins with a mean total of 37.94 µg/kg (0.04 - 296.4 µg/kg). Only 28 % of the maize flour samples tested positive with a mean total of 27.9 µg/kg (0.04 - 345.8). The mean total aflatoxin levels in both maize (27.9 µg/kg) and groundnuts (37.94 µg/kg) were above the minimum regulatory limit of 10 µg/kg set by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. The estimated total aflatoxin intake ranged between 0.01 and 0.91 µg/kg/BW/day in both women and children while the estimated total aflatoxin exposure was above the daily intake limit of 0.017 µg/kg BW/day recommended by the European Food Safety Agency. The derived risk of developing primary liver cancer was 5.4 and 7.6 cancer cases per 100,000 individuals per year for children 6–59 months and mothers 15–49 years respectively. The study findings suggest that consumption of maize and groundnuts based foods by low income dwellers in KCC is associated with health risks as it could lead to development of primary liver cancer. Interventions such as; sensitization of all value chain actors, enforcement of existing aflatoxin standards, and boosting household income to enhance household dietary diversity need to be put in place to reduce aflatoxin exposure and its related health risks.

Compensation for the Loss of Ability to Labor and other Gainful Activities as an Alternative to Loss of Earnings (Income) Compensation for the Victim in Tort Obligations

The paper is devoted to the problem of determining compensation for the loss of the ability to labor and other gainful activities as an alternative to loss of earnings (income) compensation. The author draws attention to the legal and doctrinal conditions that ensure the recognition of the ability to gainful work as an independent property of the victim’s personality subject to economic assessment regardless of the actual decrease in the victim’s financial well-being. The paper highlights that the speculative nature of the claim of this kind is greatly exaggerated, since only the indicator of depreciation of the ability to gainful work in various forms has the property of uncertainty, and it is necessary to refer to the category of expected earnings (income) only when it is evaluated as a monetary equivalent. Based on the interpretation of the principles of reasonableness and feasibility, the the author concludes that it is critically important to use traditional calculation parameters (the degree of disability and estimated income) that allow providing an economic assessment of the totality of the lost professionally significant qualities of the victim that he could use in the field of gainful employment in different periods of life in the absence of an event of a wrongful act. The paper justifies that, with respect to certain categories of victims (minors, individual entrepreneurs, etc.), the necessary degree of reliability of such parameters can be achieved by referring to official statistical information or summary indicators prepared on its basis (average age of commencement of employment, indicators of profitability of certain types of economic activity, etc.).

INFORMAL SECTOR PROBLEMS IN SSS MEMBERSHIP AND SUSTAINABILITY

Social Security System is a state-run social insurance program in the Philippines covering all income earners including the informal sector group which aims to provide social protection to its members. The informal sector refers to those whose income is irregular or seasonal. Examples are farmers, vendors, prison detainees and other nature of work with unstable income. There is a low percentage of membership in this category. This paper tried to identify its factors and formulated recommendations beneficial for the sustainability of coverage that may help the SSS achieve its goal of reaching out to the minority. Statistical tools such as Descriptive Statistics, Frequency and Percentage Distribution, Weighted Mean and Chi-Square Test were used to analyze data gathered. The research showed that most of the informal sector are from the transport and famer group which are single and aged between 26 and 45. The study revealed that almost all the respondents believe that the SSS benefits are beneficial for them. They also believe that the amount of these benefits is based on their contributions. The problem factors that greatly contribute to the decision-making in applying membership and sustainability to SSS are time and monthly earnings. However, process and transaction as well as knowledge were not a factor of influence. It is concluded that there is a significant relationship between the profile variables and problem factors of time, income, and knowledge. While most of the variables that were correlated to the problem, factor process and transaction showed no significant relationship.

The effect of socioeconomic factors, fear of crime and social mobilization on the evaluation of judiciary decisions

Crimes related to sexual abuse and rape attract large social mobilizations, as happened following the assault on an 18-year-old woman at the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, Spain, by a group of men known as “la manada” (“the wolf pack” in English). Understanding how the aftermath of protests and socioeconomic factors influence the perceptions of fear of crime, safety and justice, measured as judiciary decisions, are the aims of this paper. A randomized sample collected in two periods was obtained (N=605), the first one (n1=454) performed after the judicial sentence of the case, the second (n2=151) four months later, after the social alarm had decreased. The perception of safety increased after the peak moments of the demonstrations. The trust in justice was low and fell after protesters had risen to the streets although its perception was greater among higher income earners. Hence, the perception of safety rises during social mobilizations but only improves for a short period of time whereas the effects on that of justice last for longer.

Could a minimalist lifestyle reduce carbon emissions and improve wellbeing? A review of minimalism and other low consumption lifestyles

AbstractEveryone must consume, but the wealthy consume more than most. Half of global household emissions come from the world's top 10% of income earners. In this review, we investigate the minimalist lifestyle to find out if minimalism could deliver the dual benefit of reduced carbon emissions and increased wellbeing. Minimalists have voluntarily chosen to have few possessions, despite economic and social structures that encourage consumption. Having fewer possessions suggests they might have a lower carbon emissions. A review of three other low‐consumption lifestyles: frugalism, tightwadism and voluntary simplicity, offers some support for this hypothesis, but the empirical evidence regarding minimalism is scant. We also review minimalist motivations, finding some support for a positive association between wellbeing and minimalism. We conclude that while minimalism might offer wellbeing benefits, research on carbon emissions is inconclusive. Furthermore, even if minimalism did result in reduced emissions, the minimalist lifestyle maybe too individualistic to create social change.This article is categorized under: Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change &gt; Behavior Change and Responses The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation &gt; Policies, Instruments, Lifestyles, Behavior Climate and Development &gt; Sustainability and Human Well‐Being

Analysis on the Development Strategy of Starbucks' Layout in Third and Fourth Tier Cities in China

Recent surveys found that the stores of Starbucks are mostly located in first and second tier cities in China and its objective customers are high income earners. However, in its 2025 expansion plan, the main objective of Starbucks is to enter low tier cities in China due to the high consumption potential in those cities. In order to help Starbucks achieve its plan, this paper will use the SWOT model to analysis internal strength and weakness, external opportunities and threats of Starbucks. The paper found that Starbucks has high user viscosity, strong monopoly power and financial capacity. Besides, the economic conditions in low tier cities are also beneficial to Starbucks such as low cost on daily life bringing out higher level of disposable income and increasing demand for coffee. In the contrast, we found that Starbucks has several problems such as inefficient chain of command, cost pressure due to large investment on digital technology and poor product differentiation. Whats worse, there is fierce battle among other brands and undeveloped consumption concept in the low tier cities. According to the analysis above, we suggest that Starbucks should adopt some strategies such as price discrimination strategy, making product differentiation, increasing investment in digitization and new retail, enhancing the brand influence, seeking for new suppliers with lower prices, shutting down underperforming stores and making improvement on quality of product, service and environment.

Unconventional Work, Conventional Problems: Gig Microtask Work, Inequality, and the Flexibility Mystique

ABSTRACT Gig work platforms often promise workers flexibility and freedom from formal constraints on their work schedules. Some scholars have questioned whether this “formal flexibility” actually helps people arrange gig work around non-work commitments, but few studies have examined this empirically. This paper examines how hours spent in microtask work – a form of gig work with high formal flexibility – influence work-to-life conflict (WLC) relative to conventional work hours, and how these relationships differ by workers’ gender and financial situation. Fixed-effects regressions using panel data from workers on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform (MTurk) suggest that microtask work hours are just as closely associated with WLC as conventional work hours. Moreover, microtask work disadvantages the same groups as conventional work (i.e. women and financially struggling workers). Only financially comfortable men seem immune from microtask hours’ association with WLC. This suggests that the benefits of gig work’s formal flexibility are often elusive. We argue that platforms like MTurk promote a flexibility mystique: the illusory promise that gig work empowers workers to set their own schedules and earn decent income without disrupting their personal/family lives. The gig economy’s expansion may thus do little to bring work-life balance to the masses or alleviate inequalities at the work-life nexus.

Pelatihan Bucket Snack Untuk Meningkatkan Kreativitas Dan Daya Saing Ibu-Ibu Rumah Tangga Di Sidoarjo

Skills training is an effective means to enhance the well-being of the community. In general, the residents of Sidoarjo, especially those who work as housewives, often lack competitiveness and creativity to empower themselves with their own abilities. This community engagement aims to boost the creativity and competitiveness of housewives in Sidoarjo. The activity is geared towards empowering housewives in Sidoarjo, particularly those who work as homemakers, to generate additional income through the production and sale of bucket snacks. The methodology employed involves participatory learning and action (PLA) characterized by socialization, direct discussions, and practical training. The outcome of this community engagement is the development of understanding and knowledge among housewives, enabling them to create bucket snacks and earn income from this skill. This initiative has resulted in the production of nine bucket snacks as a result of the training. The beneficiaries have reported an improved understanding of bucket snack production as a direct impact of this community engagement

Policies to reduce child poverty and child maltreatment: A scoping review and preliminary estimates of indirect effects

This study includes a scoping review of prior studies investigating the effects of policy changes on child poverty rates. It further conducts an empirical analysis to estimate the relationship between child poverty rates and child maltreatment report (CMR) rates, utilizing national county-level data. The study then calculates the indirect effects of policy changes on CMR rates, mediated through child poverty rates, by integrating information from previous studies with its own empirical findings. Among the policy changes explored in prior studies, those related to a child allowance and a fully refundable Child Tax Credit demonstrate the largest indirect effects but also the highest costs. The expansion of in-kinds and near-cash benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and housing vouchers, shows moderate effects with moderate costs. Tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit exhibit lower effects and costs when targeted at the lowest earners, and moderate effects and costs for broader expansion. Focused tax credits, such as the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, had lower effects and costs, even if made fully refundable. Despite certain limitations, the study's approach yields consistent estimates with a recent simulation study, indicating its potential validity. While some proposed policy changes may seem expensive, implementing them is anticipated to substantially reduce CMR rates, with the benefits outweighing the associated costs. Overall, the findings suggest that addressing child poverty to reduce CMRs is an attractive strategy with numerous potential benefits.

Factors that Influence the Farming Business of Cocoa Farmers (Theobroma Cacao L) in Negeri Sepa, Amahei District, Central Maluku Regency

Plantations in Indonesia are dominated by smallholder plantations. This is a challenge as well as an opportunity for investors and farmers to develop their businesses and achieve greater added value from cocoa agribusiness. Negeri Sepa is located in a coastal area with the scope of village communities who mostly have a livelihood as farmers. Workers working in agriculture earn income that is used to make ends meet and improve household welfare. This study aims to determine the physical and non-physical factors of cocoa in Sepa Country, Amahai District, Central Maluku Regency. The method used in this study is quantitative descriptive to explain the Factors That Affect Cocoa Farmer Farming in Sepa Country. Data analysis in this study used a Frequency Table. The results of frequency tabulation show that the factors that affect cocoa farming in Sepa Country, Amahai District, Central Maluku Regency are Physical Factors (Climate, Soil &amp; Topography) and Non-Physical Factors (Cocoa Farm Management, Capital, Number of Workers, Transportation, Marketing, Credit Facilities and Technology)

PELATIHAN PEMBUATAN BATIK JUMPUTAN DAN PEMASARAN PRODUK MELALUI MEDIA DIGITAL DESA GONILAN KECAMATAN KARTASURA

Gonilan Village, Kartasura District, Sukoharjo Regency was geographically located in the northernmost part of Sukoharjo Regency. This location was not far from Surakarta city, made it a busy area among other areas. The social differences that occur in there made the community form clusters, between the majority of investment owners and the minority, namely native residents who didn’t have excess land for investment and earn income as laborers. Training and assistance on product innovation and marketing was needed as an effort to train entrepreneurs to improve the creative economy of them. This community service aimed to provided knowledge about techniques for making jumputan and marketing products throught social media. This training was carried out in three stages, planning, namely communication with the head of the Gonilan PKK driving team. The implementation was divided into two, namely jumputan making training and digital marketing training, and the final stage was evaluation to follow-up to further activities. Overall, the training has been carried out well. Implementers carry out training and mentoring through program demos, lectures and questions and answers with training participants. Training participants have increased abilities and skills in entrepreneurship. Knowledge about digital marketing is also increasing.

The impact of monetary policy during the legal regime of martial law on the Ukrainian labor market

The purpose of this research is to conduct an in-depth analysis of the monetary policy influence during the period of martial law on the state of the labor market and welfare of the population in Ukraine. The article examines the effects of military actions on the workforce, employment sectors, and briefly outlines the key actions taken by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) to stabilize the macroeconomic situation in the country, mitigate inflationary pressure, and counter capital outflows.Based on available statistical data and expert assessments of the labor market in Ukraine following the full-scale invasion, the effectiveness of monetary mechanisms, including the temporary shift from inflation targeting to exchange rate fixing, was analyzed. The conducted analysis confirmed that despite timely adaptive changes in monetary policy by the regulator, the effectiveness of the monetary transmission mechanism during wartime remains low. The decline in real production, reduced confidence in the national currency, and the initiation of government spending financed through monetary emission resulted in an excess liquidity situation in the economy, leading to diminished effectiveness of the monetary transmission mechanism. As a result, controlling inflation levels and inflation expectations during the period of martial law cannot be fully ensured by the National Bank of Ukraine.Moreover, the analysis of forced emigration dynamics during the Russian invasion also revealed that high uncertainty levels deter refugees from returning to Ukraine and incentivize them to spend earned income in host countries. Despite the unprecedented wave of emigration, the increase in private remittances from abroad remains marginal. Thus, a priority task for the government should be to develop strategies of financial and social incentives to encourage the return of the working population and facilitate Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.&#x0D; JEL classіfіcatіon: E58, F24, G28, J21

Better bunching, nicer notching

This paper studies the bunching identification strategy for an elasticity parameter that summarizes agents’ responses to changes in slope (kink) or intercept (notch) of a schedule of incentives. We show that current bunching methods may be very sensitive to implicit assumptions in the literature about unobserved individual heterogeneity. We overcome this sensitivity concern with new non- and semi-parametric estimators. Our estimators allow researchers to show how bunching elasticities depend on different identifying assumptions and when elasticities are robust to them. We follow the literature and derive our methods in the context of the iso-elastic utility model and an income tax schedule that creates a piece-wise linear budget constraint. We demonstrate bunching behavior provides robust estimates for self-employed and not-married taxpayers in the context of the U.S. Earned Income Tax Credit. In contrast, estimates for self-employed and married taxpayers depend on specific identifying assumptions, which highlight the value of our approach. We provide the Stata package bunching to implement our procedures.

Taxation of tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages: reviewing the evidence and dispelling the myths

The article reviews the large body of evidence on how taxation affects the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). There is abundant evidence that demand for tobacco, alcohol,...