Local Socioeconomic Characteristics Research Articles

Flood Risk Assessment Focusing on Exposed Social Characteristics in Central Java, Indonesia

This study analyzes Indonesia, a country marked by significant socioeconomic diversity, to inform the development of holistic flood risk management strategies. We examine the relationship between flood-exposed populations and socioeconomic factors at the regency level, particularly in Central Java, using open data encompassing flood-prone areas, topography, population distribution, and socioeconomic indicators. Key findings include population exposure to flooding varies significantly across the 33 regencies and 7 cities, ranging from 1% to 61% in exposure rate. A notable 5.8-fold difference in average income exists among regencies, with income strongly correlating with higher education rates. Similarly, poverty rates correlate with low educational attainment; there was a very large range in the balance between the size of the exposed economy and the number of exposed poor population in each administrative division. Consequently, we propose a classification system that considers social vulnerability due to poverty, low-education, and economic impacts. The map reflecting these classifications is a risk map that facilitates the understanding of the risk characteristics and the relative risk magnitude of each administrative district. Our analysis underscores the importance of adapting flood risk management strategies to local socioeconomic characteristics and suggests the importance of the use of local wisdom.

Scale’s impact in education system’s performance: Cases in Draa-Tafilalet, Morocco

<span lang="EN-US">This study aimed to apprehend the scale’s role in education planning and performance. The national scale approaches tend to neglect local specificities. The relevance of the provincial and local scales is underlined in Draa-Tafilalet region (Morocco). By comparing the provincial data and indicators to study the education system's efficiency, we argue that these are pertinent scales to further understanding the needs, causality and key parameters of education. Collected data is analyzed using the data envelopment analysis (DEA). Useful indicators to compare the spatial variability of the education system’s efficiency were produced and discussed at a provincial scale and interpreted considering the local socioeconomic characteristics in each province. The five provinces of the region (Errachidia, Ouarzazate, Tineghir, Midelt, Zagora, and Midelt) are considered as adapted decision-making unit (DMU) in the study. The results show the provincial scale is relevant to apprehend the education system’s performance. It is also important in education planning. The spatial differences in education efficiency at this scale show evidence of weak education impacts among rural populations in the recently created provinces such as Tineghir, Midelt, and Zagora. The criterion of education efficiency measured by DEA ranks Tineghir in the last position. This province needs special attention in planning and development.</span>

Commuting for Crime

Abstract People care about crime, with the spatial distribution of both actual and perceived crime affecting the local amenities from living in different areas and residential decisions. The literature finds that crime tends to happen close to the offender's residence, but does not clearly establish whether this is because the location of likely offenders and crime opportunities are close to each other, whether more local crimes are likely to be solved or whether there is a high commuting cost for criminals. We use a rich administrative dataset from one of the biggest UK police forces to disentangle these hypotheses, proposing a procedure for controlling for the selection bias induced by the fact that an offender’s location is only known when they are caught. We find that the cost of distance is very high, especially for crimes without any financial gain. For property crimes, we find a similar cost of distance to commuting for legal work. We also investigate how local socio-economic characteristics affect both the number of criminals and the number of crimes.

Do We Learn From Errors? The Economic Impact of Differentiated Policy Restrictions in Italy

This paper investigates the economic impact of the three tiers risk framework implemented in Italy against the COVID-19 pandemic during the Autumn of 2020. Exploiting a large-scale dataset encompassing daily credit card transactions mediated by a large Italian bank, we estimate a set of panel event study models to disentangle the impact of restrictions with low, medium and high stringency levels in terms of consumption reduction. We show that space-time differentiated policies tend to produce stronger welfare losses for progressively more stringent restrictions in specific sectors targeted by these policies such as Retail and Restaurants. However, when we compare provinces implementing the same level of policy stringency, we show that territories with higher income per capita and larger concentration of manufacturing and service activities experience both significantly worse economic and epidemiological performances. Overall, our results suggest that policy makers should properly account for local socio-economic characteristics when designing tailored restrictions entailing an equal and homogeneous impact across territories.

Constrained to be (im)mobile? Refugees' and Asylum seekers' practices to integrate in restrictive socio-economic urban contexts in Northern Italy.

This article comparatively examines forms of (im)mobility among refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) in coping with dispersal process, restrictive migration policies and local socio-economic characteristics in three cities of Northern Italy. Drawing on qualitative data, it sheds light on the everyday forms of (im)mobility of RAS to resist structural barriers limiting their opportunities to access jobs and welfare services. The Results show that people's capacity to overcome barriers depends upon individual characteristics and informal networks, and is shaped by particularities of local contexts. While people's regular legal status is considered an important resource in achieving goals, refugees and holders of international protection often have to adopt (im)mobility practices to access resources in contexts that do not facilitate their integration. This article highlights the inefficiency of integration and reception policies and advances the theoretical debate on the link between being (im)mobile and agency by calling authors to pay more attention to the (in)voluntary nature of spatial (im)mobility. Finally, it shows the ambivalent outcome of (im)mobilities in terms of agency, highlighting the implications for individuals before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Estimating heterogeneous treatment effects in road safety analysis using generalized random forests

Numerous evaluation studies have been conducted on a variety of road safety measures. However, the issue of treatment heterogeneity, defined as the variation in treatment effects, has rarely been investigated before. This paper contributes to the literature by introducing generalized random forests (GRF) for estimation of heterogeneous treatment effects (HTEs) in road safety analysis. GRF has high functional flexibility and is able to search for complex treatment heterogeneity. We first perform a series of simulation experiments to compare GRF with three causal methods that have been used in road safety studies, i.e., outcome regression method, propensity score method, and doubly robust estimation method. The simulation results suggest that GRF is superior to these three methods in terms of model specification, especially with the existence of nonlinearity and nonadditivity. On the other hand, a large dataset is required for accurate GRF estimation. Then we conduct a case study on the UK’s speed camera program. Our results indicate significant reductions in the number of road accidents at speed camera sites. And the heterogeneity in treatment effects is found to be statistically significant. We further consider the associations between the baseline accident records, traffic volume, local socio-economic characteristics, and the safety effects of speed cameras. In general, the effect of speed cameras is larger at the sites with more baseline accident records, higher traffic volume, and in more densely-populated and deprived areas. Several policy suggestions are provided based on these findings. The evaluation of HTEs likely offers more comprehensive information to local authorities and policy makers, and improves the performance of speed camera programs. Moreover, GRF can be a promising approach for revealing treatment effect heterogeneity in road safety analysis.

The Rise of Big-City Hockey Players and Its Implication for Diversity in the National Hockey League

Canadian-raised players in the National Hockey League are increasingly coming from large cities with rising numbers of visible minority and immigrant youth. In this paper, we compare the demographic characteristics of recent big-city NHL players with those of their hometowns. We also examine which city-level characteristics are associated with the number of NHL players from the same hometown. Our analysis of publicly available hockey player data and Canadian Census data show that the NHL players from big cities do not reflect the growing diversity in their hometowns, whether they are from established hockey hometowns (e.g., Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto) or emerging hockey hometowns (e.g., Mississauga, Oakville, Vaughan). Our city-level regression analysis also finds that the size of the male youth population and local socioeconomic characteristics are associated with the number of NHL players from a certain city. Finally, we discuss the implications of majority-minority Canadian cities in recent years for the diversity of NHL players in the near future.

A Spatial Analysis of District Participation in Public School Choice

ABSTRACT This study examines the supply-side decision to participate in interdistrict school choice by incorporating a district’s own characteristics, those of its neighbors and a strategic component based on neighboring districts’ decisions. A spatial Durbin probit model is applied to data from Massachusetts and estimates of direct, indirect, and total effects are found. Results indicate that local capacity and average test scores affect a district’s own decision to participate. Furthermore, local socioeconomic characteristics, test scores and a district’s own decision influences neighboring district participation. Policy implications include consideration of increases in interdistrict tuition and changes in state aid for economically disadvantaged choice students.

Using media analysis to scope priorities in social carrying capacity assessments: A global perspective

Bivalve aquaculture is an expanding industry and there is a strong need for the identification of ecologically and socially feasible levels of aquaculture production in order to promote sustainable growth. In this context, the concept of carrying capacity serves to determine acceptable limits for aquaculture expansion. This study compares three case studies from different parts of the world where bivalve aquaculture represents an important socio-economic activity. Through a media analysis, public perception of aquaculture is analyzed and critical aspects shaping the process of societal discussion in the different settings are discussed. Public perception of aquaculture-related activities was mainly positive for all three case studies, and local socio-economic characteristics were found to likely to drive the process of social carrying capacity estimation. This work aims to provide a basis for the advancement of the definition of sustainable practices required for an Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture. Understanding local socio-economic settings and public perceptions on aquaculture is assumed an important first step towards accessing the social dimension of carrying capacity.

Adaptive delta management: a comparison between the Netherlands and Bangladesh Delta Program

ABSTRACTIn the Netherlands, the central government, water authorities, provinces and municipalities are working together on a new Delta Program on Flood Risk Management and Fresh Water Supply (DP). Its primary goal is to protect the Netherlands against floods and ensure the availability of fresh water, now and for future generations. The DP has developed a new, adaptive management concept: the Adaptive Delta Management (ADM) approach. ADM is defined as ‘a smart and intelligent way of taking account of uncertainties and dependencies in decision-making on Delta Management with a view to reducing the risk of overspending or underinvestment’. Important features of DP are: (i) involving multiple stakeholders in a joint decision-making process to enhance ownership, legitimacy and feasibility; (ii) taking a risk-based perspective; (iii) adopting a flexible approach in possible strategies by valuing flexibility with regard to the timing of implementation and (iv) interlinking various investment agendas and looking for opportunities for mainstreaming with planned investments.Along similar lines, a Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (BDP 2100) is being devised to achieve long-term sustainable socio-economic development and provide safety in the face of disasters through adaptive water governance in Bangladesh. It embodies a holistic, integrated vision, adaptive strategies and a long-term investment agenda for the Bangladesh Delta. The Plan is scheduled to be finalized in 2017. ADM is not an approach that can be transferred easily from one country to another as it demands a fundamental change in institutional capacity at multiple levels including new knowledge and skills, relationships and policy frameworks, and, hence, depends on the local socio-economic characteristics, culture and governance. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities for successful formulation and implementation of BDP 2100.

Mediterranean Hurricanes and Associated Damage Estimates

Mediterranean hurricanes, or “medicanes”, are powerful cyclonic disturbances that cause wind, flooding, and surge damages around the Mediterranean region. Recent advancements in the natural sciences have improved historical understanding of medicane characteristics. Yet a systematic analysis of the economic impacts of medicanes has not been carried out. In this paper, we analyze 62 years of newly re-analyzed historical medicane tracks to characterize landfalls across space and time. We match historical landfalls with local socioeconomic characteristics. Using a cyclone damages function, we estimate historical medicane losses. We find that Italy suffers the highest expected damages from medicanes at $33 million dollars annually. Scaling by location size, Mediterranean islands are most at risk. We also present findings on landfall characteristics and calculate the return rate for storm damages. These findings are important for policy, especially with regard to the costs and benefits of long run adaptation.

Multiple creative talents and their determinants at the local level

Creativity is currently at the centre of a lively scientific debate in which scholars from different fields are engaged. The interest on such topic is mainly due to its potential positive impact on economic development; thus, understanding the determinants of creativity becomes important in terms of policy decisions. Although the existing literature has identified some determinants of creativity, evidence on the specific impact of such determinants on particular creative talents and on the degree of creative complexity within a local area is still scant. This work tries to fill this gap starting from the thought that the mental cross-fertilization of talents in different fields is what stimulates the best and most original ideas. By considering artistic, scientific, and economic creativities as the main modes in which creativity can show itself, the paper explores empirically the relation between local socio-economic characteristics and the concurrent presence of multiple creative talents.

The distribution of hospital nurses and associated factors.

Objectives With the increasing aging population in Japan, the demand for medical and long-term care is expected to grow. Consequently, it is important to secure sufficient nursing personnel for medical care facilities. Careful monitoring of the allocation of nurses is crucial for providing services that match the needs of the population. However, few studies have examined the distribution of nurses by the type of facility in which they work or identified any associated factors. The objectives of this study are to examine trends in the distribution of nurses working in hospitals and to identify any associated factors such as policy changes, local socioeconomic characteristics, and nurse supply-and-demand-related factors.Methods We conducted an ecological study using public survey data from 2002 to 2011. We focused on 274 secondary medical areas (SMAs) in 38 prefectures from which we could obtain continuous data over the study period. We calculated the number of hospital nurses per 100,000 of the population in each SMA as well as the Gini coefficient. The explained variable was the number of hospital nurses per 100,000 of the population. We employed the following explanatory variables: SMA population, aging population ratio, population density category, per capita income, region, number of nursing school graduates, and nurse wages offered during the previous year. We then examined the association by applying multilevel analysis.Results The number of hospital nurses per 100,000 of the population in the SMAs increased during the period. The Gini coefficient decreased as a general trend but increased in 2007 and 2008. After adjusting for the SMA population and its increase, depending on the year, the number of hospital nurses was positively correlated with higher income per capita, higher aging population ratio, regions other than Kanto, higher number of nursing school graduates, and higher previous-year wages.Conclusion Although the differences in the numbers of hospital nurses across SMAs were lower, and thus improved, the differences tended to expand for 2 years after revision of the medical payment system in 2006. The results show the possibility of the influence of policy changes such as the revision of the medical payment system. The local socioeconomic characteristics, the number of nursing school graduates, and nurse wages were also factors affecting the distribution of hospital nurses.

How Does the Stock Market Affect Investor Sentiment? -- Evidence from Antidepressant Usage

This study examines the effects of local stock returns on antidepressant usage using the Truven Health MarketScan® individual prescription drug data. There are three main findings. First, a one standard deviation decrease in local stock return increases local investor’s antidepressant usage by approximately 0.42 percent, causing 2,773 more prescriptions filled (a medical expense of approximately 2.3 million dollars) in the subsequent weeks than would have been in the absence of the decrease in stock return; in contrast, a stock price increase has no impact on antidepressant usage. Second, the effect of stock returns on antidepressant usage depends on an array of local socioeconomic characteristics. Third, local stock return fluctuations have significant effects on certain physical illnesses that are comorbidities of depression. The results are consistent across a variety of robustness checks.

Impact of population characteristics on Illinois childcare adoption of integrated pest management (IPM)

Aim Assess participation of licensed Illinois childcare facilities in integrated pesticide management (IPM) training, IPM understanding and (for trained facilities) implementation relative to local socio-economic characteristics.

Local governments' dependence on tobacco tax revenue: a deterrent to tobacco control in the Republic of Korea.

To investigate, in the Republic of Korea, whether local governments' participation in an anti-smoking programme supported by the National Health Promotion Fund in 2002-2003 was related to the percentage of local tax revenue comprised by the tobacco consumption tax (TCT). Using financial and administrative data on 163 municipalities, the authors estimated logit models of local governments' participation in the anti-smoking programme as a function of the proportion of local tax revenue that came from the TCT and a set of control variables, namely local socioeconomic characteristics and the size of the staff in the local public health centre (PHC). Local governments that derived a greater percentage of their local tax revenue from the TCT, particularly those that ranked in the upper fourth in terms of this percentage, were less likely to participate in the anti-smoking programme. Insufficient staff in the PHC was also found to be associated with lower participation in the anti-smoking programme. Local governments' dependence on revenue from the TCT may be a deterrent to tobacco control in the Republic of Korea.

GP VERSUS GLS SPATIAL INDEX MODELS TO FORECAST SINGLE-FAMILY HOME PRICES

This paper investigates use of genetic programming regression models to forecast home values. Neighborhood prices in a city are represented by a quarterly index. Index values are ratios of each local neighborhood to the global city average real price of homes sold. Relative average neighborhood home attributes, local socioeconomic characteristics, spatial measures, and real mortgage rates explain spatiotemporal variations in the index. To examine efficacy of model estimation, forecasts obtained using genetic programming are compared with those obtained using generalized least squares. Out-of-sample genetic programming predictions of home prices obtained using spatial index models deliver reasonable forecasts of home prices.

La concurrence fiscale entre communes est-elle plus intense en milieu urbain qu’en milieu rural ?

Is tax competition more intense in urban than in rural areas ? The aim of this paper is to test the hypothesis that tax competition intensity is stronger in urban area than in rural area. We use the theoretical foundations of tax competition literature where horizontal strategic interactions are due to tax base mobility between local jurisdictions belonging to the same level of government. When tax base is mobile, an action chosen by a jurisdiction affects the budget constraint of another jurisdiction, leading to strategic interactions in local fiscal choices. As a consequence, tax rates in one jurisdiction depend on tax rates in the neighbouring jurisdictions. We then build a spatial model of local tax choices which takes into account the fiscal decisions made by concurrent jurisdictions as well as the local socio-economic characteristics such as tax base and population density in the explanatory variables. More precisely, we test the existence of horizontal fiscal interactions inside some different groups of jurisdictions by estimating the slope of each reaction function. We measure the sign and the intensity of the spatial lag parameter using spatial econometrics. We then rely these estimates to the features of each group of jurisdictions and more particularly to its classification in urban areas and in rural areas. We observe that jurisdictions belonging to urban areas tend to mimic each other whereas those who belong to rural areas does not take into account the neighbouring tax choices when they set their local business tax. Rural jurisdictions set their local business tax only by looking at their own socio-economic features.

The Influence of Socioeconomic Conditions on the U.S. Internet Office Market

This paper focuses on the Internet as a resource in the fulfillment of companies' needs to lease or buy office space in the United States. A measure of this Internet use is introduced by two indexes that consider the companies' preferences and the office stock in states and cities. The results indicate that the Internet is utilized more for leasing than for selling office properties. Moreover, relationships are defined between the introduced indexes and local socioeconomic characteristics. Economic variables such as employment, Finance Insurance and Real Estate and high tech employment, firm size and income have significant effect on the Internet office leases and sales.

Rennes et l'hypothèse technopolitaine : les enjeux spatiaux de l'innovation

ABSTRACT Arguments for technopoles, based on the emphasis of modernity and innovation, favor the paradigmatic construction of local consensus but this does not always correspond to reality in the field. No other city in western France has succeeded in establishing a policy of communication as efficient as that of Rennes, giving the agglomeration an image of success, growth and high quality living. The project of agglomeration developed in the district gives a vision of inescapable development which, because it is based on the ideas of innovation, high technology and service industry, is idealistic. This project expresses a selective understanding of local socio-economic characteristics.