Middle Income Class Research Articles

Interrogating the Intersection between Statutory Rent Control and Freedom to Contract in Nigeria

Galloping inflationary dynamics, population explosion and the rise in the use of property as an income tool, have not only instigated scarcity of accommodation in townships but have, over the centuries, delivered very uncomfortable financial fortunes to the middle and low income classes of persons in modern societies. That state of economic conflict has provided a justification for the state to intervene through a diverse range of housing policies. One of the first line policy options for the state has been to intervene by the control of rents on properties. This has become a veritable innovation for the management and balancing of the effects of housing shortages induced by population growth, etc. On the other hand, the freedom to contract by way of leases, tenancies, etc. has suffered a progressive neglect under the rent control regimes. The emerging conflict between the control of rent by the State and the concept of freedom to contract has thrown up a number of practical and legal issues. One of such issues is the interference in the right of property owners to receive appropriate and commercial rents from their properties. This paper argues that due to the consequences of this conflict on the property market and its owners, there is the need for the State to intervene by way of provision of property tax waivers and other accommodations.

Cost and Benefit Analysis of Solar Panels at Home

Due to the high utility costs in Cabanatuan City, the solar panel system is rapidly approaching. People in the middle and lower income classes of the country particularly feel the effects of inflation. In order to address the ongoing rise in oil prices and pollution, the government has made the development of renewable energy one of its top priorities. In order to help consumers reduce their utility costs, save money, and produce greener energy, a study on the installation of a solar panel system at home was carried out. The researchers gathered some data from consumers to be utilized as the basis for the contractors' computations, where the adoption of a 3kw on-grid solar panel system was recommended to those respondents with power bills under ₱2,400. The project costs approximately ₱150,000 in total, including installation and permits, and can save approximately ₱2,300 monthly. This investment has a 5.4-year payback period and a total savings of ₱402,000 over a 20-year period. The consumption analysis revealed a sensitive effect on savings and investment payback periods. The study proved that the project's long-term savings can be more than double the initial investment. A SWOT analysis was also performed to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of having an on-grid solar panel, as well as the benefits of clean energy and gas reduction in our environment that future generations could benefit from. The project's cost-benefit is a win-win investment for everyone who wants to save money while also enjoying cleaner air in the long run.

ТУРИСТИЧНА ГАЛУЗЬ В УМОВАХ ПАНДЕМІЇ COVID-19 ТА ЗМІН КЛІМАТУ: ВИКЛИКИ ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ

The article analyzes the factors effecting the tourism industry development in the world. It was noted that the steady growth of the tourism industry for the past 10 years to the Covid-19 pandemic is due to many factors, among which an important place is given to the growth in the number of consumers of tourism services with middle-class incomes, the weakening of the visa facilitation in many countries of the world, the transport infrastructure development, and social networks. The purpose of the article is to study the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change on the tourism, to find out the directions for adapting the tourism industry to these challenges. Closure of international borders since the beginning of the pandemic, falling international air traffic, stopping the work of hotels and entertainment establishments, restriction of catering establishments, rising unemployment, reducing incomes and savings of consumers, changes in consumption patterns, restricting the free movement of people, the risk of getting sick with coronavirus and high uncertainty led to a catastrophic drop in demand for tourism services. Climate change also has a very negative effect on tourism development. The most popular tourist destinations in the world are largely affected by climate change that we are observing in the form of an increase in fire areas, an increase the number of flood disasters, and increased erosion of coastal marine areas. On the other hand, the excessive demand for tourism services in the world has had a negative effect on climate change. All tourism travel accounts for around 5.6% of all CO2 emissions in the world, according to various estimates. They are produced by transport, accommodation, and all types of tourism activities. It should be considered that the attractiveness of tourist destinations is directly affected by the scale of the biodiversity reduction problem, the availability and price of clean fresh water, the level of air pollution, the amount of waste from hotels and catering establishments, and harmful emissions from transport. Therefore, the crisis in the tourism industry as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to its change towards sustainable tourism development, the development of the tourism ecosystem, and green infrastructure.

Education and happiness: does education expenditure undermine households’ subjective well-being? Evidence from China

ABSTRACT Education expenditure accounts for a rising proportion of household income and gradually becomes a burden on households. Few studies have analysed whether the household’s subjective well-being (SWB) decreases under these conditions. To fill the gap, we explore the nexus between education expenditure and the SWB of households, using China Household Finance Survey data. The results confirm that education expenditure significantly attenuates the SWB of Chinese households. Moreover, empirical results suggest that the ‘arms race’ in education investment, the crowding out effect on other household consumption, and the synergy effect on family liabilities are three channels for education expenditure’s adverse effects on SWB. Further analysis shows that this expenditure’s detrimental impacts are more significant in provinces with high Gaokao pressure and the middle-income class, indicating that Gaokao pressure is the main driving force for the education arms race in China and that middle-class families are the most likely to be involved and be injured in the education arms race. Our findings confirm that the ‘double reduction’ regulation is necessary, and relevant policies require improvement to promote equality in education and achieve higher life satisfaction for people across China.

Income inequality in an industrial city during the great levelling: micro level evidence from malmö, 1900–1950

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to the debate on historical income inequality, and especially on the decrease in inequality found in industrialised countries during the first half of the twentieth century. We use new archival individual – and household-level data for taxpayers in Sweden's third-largest city, Malmö, from 1900 to 1950. Previous research has established that Sweden had a distinctive downturn in income inequality during the first half of the twentieth century, and explanations have not the least focused on capital incomes and taxes. With our original data we shed light on what happened to working-class and middle-class incomes, and show the importance of job upgrading of the working-class, the decline of domestic service and women's enhanced position on the labour market, and declining market incomes for top income earners in changing Malmö’s income distribution. We compare pre-tax and post-tax distributions, and the distribution on the individual level and the household level. With the new micro data, a richer account of income growth and income distribution in twentieth century Sweden is provided.

Housing Supply Model for Affordable Homes in Malaysia

p>The provision of affordable housing for the low and middle-income class may enhance the quality of life of this social group. In addition, cooperation from stakeholders must be greater in promoting affordable houses in the market. However, the low-profit margin and other constraints reduced the supply of affordable homes by housing developers. Therefore, this research examines the factors and attributes that may affect housing developers in supplying affordable houses. Total 120 responses from housing developers were gathered via questionnaires and analysed by using Partial Least Square Modelling (PLS-SEM) for the development of an affordable housing supply model. The result displays three factors with 11 attributes that affect housing suppliers. Keywords: housing supply; affordable houses; housing mismatch; eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i22.4159

Who Belongs to the Middle Income Class in Europe? The Role of Gender-Specific Occupational Characteristics in Multi-Level Analyses for 17 European Countries

For many years scholars and politicians discuss the economic importance of the middle income class. Our article contributes to broaden the present state of research by not only examining the structure of the middle class whilst focusing on individual attributes, but by especially taking the role of gender-specific occupational characteristics and country-specific conditions into account. Based on the EU-SILC data 2020 for 17 countries, we analyze which factors affect the structure of the middle income class on the individual, on the occupational and country level. Our findings show that occupational attributes (e.g. part-time rate) prove to be highly relevant in this realm. Moreover, significant gender differences can be observed: women who work in an occupation which is mainly performed by women bear a higher risk of belonging to the lower income class as compared to men.

Middle-income residential compounds towards resilience through risk management: Experts’ point of view

The middle-income sector in the Global South faces challenges in finding appropriate housing due to high dwelling costs, loans, and maintenance. This research aims to present indicators that should be met when building middle-income compounds in three aspects: middle class housing, a resilient approach, and risk management. This research relied on a three-step approach. First, it started with scanning relevant literature to identify the factors of satisfaction for the middle-income class. Building upon these factors, the second step launched a survey among 60 experts to verify the collected factors. In the third step, confirmatory factor analysis identified the critical indicators and eliminated the irrelevant ones. The main finding established a merged model consisting of urban governance, resilient cities, municipalities, and quality of life, which consisted of 12 categories and 38 indicators. The concluded remarks demonstrate that a strong relationship between the aspects improves the quality of life for middle-income compounds.

Effectiveness of current protein recommendations in adolescent athletes on a low-carbon diet.

Adolescent athletes require adequate energy and nutrient supply to support growth, development, and the demands associated with exercise and training. However, they are susceptible to nutritional inadequacies affecting their health and physical performance. Food choices with nutrient adequacy and environmental protection is crucial for a sustainable diet. Therefore, we aimed to assess the adequacy of low-carbon diets to meet the protein requirements of adolescent athletes. Therefore, a cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 91 adolescent athletes from sports clubs in Rio de Janeiro who underwent anthropometric and food consumption assessments. To estimate the environmental impact of anthropogenic activities, the sustainability indicators carbon footprint (CF) and water footprint (WF) were used. The CF of the athlete's diet was compared with the benchmark of 1,571 g CO2eq/cap/d estimated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Protein recommendations according to the American Dietetic Association (ADA) for athletes and protein food groups according to the low-carbon EAT-Lancet reference diet were used as references. The results were stratified by sport modality, age, sex, and income range. The Mann-Whitney test was performed, followed by the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn's post-hoc test to assess the differences between groups using the statistical program GraphPad PRISM® version 8.0. CF and WF were directly associated with total energy intake, total protein intake, animal-origin protein intake, and the food groups of meat and eggs. Significant differences were observed in the environmental impact of diet based on sports groups and gender. The athletes' profile with higher environmental impact was male, middle-income class, and of any age group. The quartiles of CF of the overall diets were above the 1,571 g CO2eq/cap/d benchmark. Additionally, ADA's recommended range of daily protein consumption was met by most athletes, even in the lowest quartile of CF. Thus, a diet with a lower environmental impact can meet protein recommendations in adolescent athletes. The results found are of interest to the sports and food industries. It could help in designing a balanced diet for athletes as well as ensure less negative environmental impacts of food production and consumption.

Out-of-pocket payment and patients’ treatment choice for assisted reproductive technology by household income: a conjoint analysis using an online social research panel in Japan

BackgroundEconomic disparities affect access to assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment in many countries. At the time of this survey, Japan provided partial reimbursement for ART treatment only for those in low- or middle-income classes due to limited governmental budgets. However, the optimal level of financial support by income class remains unclear.MethodsWe conducted a conjoint analysis of ART in Japan in January 2020. We recruited 824 women with fertility problems aged 25 to 44 years via an online social research panel. They completed a questionnaire of 16 hypothetical scenarios measuring six relevant ART attributes (i.e., out-of-pocket payment, pregnancy rate, risk of adverse effects, number of visits to outpatient clinics, consultation hours and kindness of staff) and their relations to treatment choice.ResultsMixed-effect logistic regression models showed that all six attributes significantly influenced treatment preferences, with participants valuing out-of-pocket payment the most, followed by pregnancy rates and kindness of staff. Significant interactions occurred between high household income (≥ 8 million JPY) and high out-of-pocket payment (≥ 500,000 JPY). However, the average marginal probability of the highest-income patients (i.e., ≥ 10 million JPY, ineligible for the subsidy) receiving ART treatment at the average cost of 400,000 JPY was 47%, compared to 56 − 61% of other income participants, who opted to receive ART at an average cost of 100,000 JPY after a 300,000 JPY subsidy.ConclusionOur results suggest that out-of-pocket payment is the primary determinant in patients’ decision to opt for ART treatment. High-income patients were more likely to choose treatment, even at a high cost, but their income-based ineligibility for government financial support might discourage some from receiving treatment.

PERSEPSI KONSUMEN TERHADAP KUALITAS PELAYANAN DALAM PROSES PEMBELIAN BERAS HITAM ORGANIK PRODUKSI GAPOKTAN WANGUNSARI CISAYONG TASIKMALAYA

Public awareness of the importance of healthy living and increasing environmental sustainability has also encouraged some people to consume organic food, one of which is organic black rice. Gapoktan Wangunsari is one of the producers of organic black rice. The price of organic black rice produced by Gapoktan Wangunsari is relatively cheap. The organic black rice has four organic certifications, pesticide-free food and chemical fertilizer certification. It should be able to attract consumers' interest, but in fact, only a few consumers are interested in. Perceptions of good service quality will have an impact on loyalty and repeat purchases by consumers. In addition, the quality of service is difficult to imitate by other manufacturers. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of consumers and to analyze consumer perceptions of service quality in the process of purchasing organic black rice produced by Gapoktan Wangunsari. The research design uses a quantitative design with survey techniques. The results showed that the majority of consumers live in rural areas, are female, aged 56 years, have secondary education, work as farmers and belong to the lower middle income class, namely < IDR 2,600,000 per month. Consumer perceptions of service quality in the process of purchasing organic black rice are very good. Wangunsari Gapoktan should do promotions and sales online so that the number of consumers increases.

It’s Not Me, It’s You: Self-Interest, Social Affinity, and Support for Redistribution in Latin America

ABSTRACTSupport for redistribution in developing countries has been found to be weakly related to income, meaning the poor are not much likelier than the rich to support redistribution. If not economic self-interest, what explains support for redistribution? A multilevel regression analysis covering a decade of public opinion data from 18 Latin American countries finds support for explanations centered on social affinity. Specifically, people in more culturally divided countries are less supportive of redistribution. This relationship is strongest among low-income individuals, who are more likely to support redistribution than richer people in countries with low levels of diversity, but no more likely and, by some measures, less likely to support redistribution where diversity is highest. Economic distance between groups also matters. Support for redistribution increases when middle-class incomes are closer to those of the poor than the rich. Support declines as the middle class pulls ahead of the poor.

Consumer Behavior of Middle-Income Class Towards The Utilization of Medicinal Plants During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Indonesia, medicinal plants have become viral and are in great demand by the public. The application of healthy living behavior by consuming medicinal plants is one of the efforts for the community to maintain health and increase immunity. The objectives of th is research are to; 1) explain the development and role of the middle-income class in the Indonesian economy; 2) analyze middle-class behavior related to the literacy level of middle-income class society; 3) analyze the behavior of the middle-income class in consuming medicinal plants as an effort to increase immunity. The research method used in this research is a descriptive qualitative approach. The number of samples used in the study is 90 respondents. Based on the research results, it shows that the growth of the middle-income class from 2012 to 2020 has increased by 64% to 68.2 million people. A large number of middle-class people in Indonesia have played a role in supporting the domestic economy in terms of consumption expenditure. Based on this research, the highest number were middle-class people with moderate levels of literacy, which is 44 percent. Middle-class people who have a high literacy rate are as much as 25 percent. Meanwhile, the middle-class people with low literacy levels are quite a lot, namely 31 percent. The interest of the middle class in consuming medicinal plants is relatively high. There were 32 middle-class respondents who had a high interest in consuming medicinal plants during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Does Income Class Affect Life Satisfaction? New Evidence from Cross-Country Microdata

This paper analyzes the impact of income class on subjective wellbeing. Using rich data from the Gallup World Poll, we investigate whether belonging to locally (both country- and time-specific) defined income classes influences individuals’ life satisfaction. We rely on a latent class analysis estimation method, using individual income proxied by household income divided by household size, as an observable characteristic to hypothesize the income classes. We fit a model with one categorical latent variable with three unobserved groupings, here: income classes, which we interpret as lower, middle and upper classes. Our estimates suggest that individuals in the low and middle income classes are, respectively, about 30 and 17 percent of a standard deviation less likely to report a higher life satisfaction in comparison to individuals belonging to the upper income class. The effect of income classes remains robust to the inclusion of standard explanatory variables in this literature.

기업형 민간임대주택의 운영 안정성에 미치는 요인 분석

This study analyzed the factors affecting the actual residence period of tenants using limited data, based on the recognition that the supply of private rental housing can play an important role in establishing housing stability for the middle-income class. The most important result confirmed by the empirical analysis is that the larger the amount of Jeonse-Deposit, which can be understood as the size of total housing services, the longer the period of residence becomes in the private rental housing markets. From the perspective of private rental housing management, it is understood that an increase in the total rental fee (Jeonse-Deposit) will help bring stability to management because it means an increase in sales volume as far as other conditions are the same. On the other hand, among the same size of total rental fee (Jeonse-Deposit), the higher the proportion of the monthly rent is, the shorter the residence period becomes. The size of the deposit and monthly rent are both related to the creditworthiness of the lessor and the lessee, so it is very important to properly adjust the proportion of monthly rent and deposit. Results of the empirical analysis also show that corporate tenants have longer tenancy than individual tenants, and that as the size of private rental housing increases, the tenancy period decreases.

Determinants of Mobility in the Middle Income Classes for Turkiye

This paper contributes to the literature by examining mobility in the middle-income classes for Turkiye. In this context, this study’s aim is to present a profile of the middle-income class in Turkiye and identify the effects of socio-economic and demographic factors on the transition from a middle-income class to a lower income group and upper income group using a probit model. The middle class was determined using the relative income measure. The data used in the analyses are based on the Income and Living Conditions Surveys (ILCS) by the Turkish Statistical Institute (Turk Stat) over the period 2015-2018. The results of the analysis indicate that the age, gender, education level, marital status, employment status housing ownership type of the households, and income type affect the transition of middle-income classes into lower or upper income classes in different ways. Accordingly, in cases where the head of the household is male, household members are young, household members have a high education level, and where there are a small number of members in the household, all negatively affect the probability of transitioning from a middle-income class to a low-income class. In contrast, it positively affects the transition to a high income class.

Smart Bus Terminus: Sustainable Urban Public Transport Solution Through BIM and GIS Integrated Approach

Smart city / digital city is engaging in Big Data which will be utilized in monitoring and optimizing the urban systems to minimize resource consumption and maximize the quality of life. To implement the concept of “smart cities”, smart city components, design innovation and prototypes must be studied in detail which will be beneficial in understanding the features. India is moving towards becoming one of the developed nations, the source of revenue is highly dependent on public contributions, especially through the transportation sector. The population of India is majorly comprised of the middle-class income category. Their livelihood mainly depends on the regional level jobs and for commute, they prefer public transportation especially Buses. For lodging these buses that are huge in number, Bus Terminus become an integral infrastructure component. In Indian cities, the existing bus terminus appears to be poorly designed and highly congested irrespective of their sizes. Interventions of modern methodologies to improve the conditions in the existing bus terminus in various Indian cities and reconstructing them is of utmost priority for urban planners and policymakers to reach sustainable cities. The objective of adopting smart innovative solutions in Bus Terminus is to reduce pollution, congestion of traffic, improve safety, time optimization and cost reduction. Modern bus terminus must accommodate some key features such as green buildings and utilization of eco-friendly materials for construction, incorporating real-time response, installing solar panels for energy efficiency and power generation, waste segregation and recycling, the hybrid modal form of transport i.e., both traditional and electric vehicles, etc. In the present study, the attempt has been made to develop an artistic view of a “Smart Bus Terminus” prototype that can be adopted at regional and global levels. Autodesk REVIT Architecture and AutoCAD have been used to design and create 3D models; Geographical Information System tools have been adopted for the recommendation of site selection.

The Paradoxical Power of Continuous Assessment Learning Activity Nexus Industrial Development in the Context of Zimbabwean Education System 5.0

The present study aimed at exploring the power of Continuous Assessment Learning Activity in connection with industrial development in Zimbabwean education system version 5.0. The education system in Zimbabwe has undergone a transformation in a proposition to industrialise the economy through education as nodded in National Development Strategy for vision 2030 middle income class economy. Thus, the objective of this research was hinged on establishing the industrial skills imposed in learners by CALA a version of curriculum innovation. The study also set an objective of finding evidence of industrial development from CALA and establishing teacher’s attitude towards implementation of CALA. The study adopted phenomenological qualitative research study in which systematic sampling was used to select 14 respondents for interviewing over WhatsApp. The study revealed that CALA impose and sharpen research, practical, problems solving and creative skills in learners. As well learners are involved in producing products for sale and developed their entrepreneurship skills. Teacher’s attitude showed a negative attitude towards implementation of CALA in schools due to lack of support, poor remuneration and lack of training. The research recommends measure to boost teacher’s attitude towards CALA for industrial development.

Trash to Energy: A Measure for the Energy Potential of Combustible content of Domestic solid waste generated from an industrialized city of Pakistan

BackgroundThe current study was designed to calculate the approximate energy potential of combustible fraction shared in the overall domestic solid waste stream generated from Faisalabad, the 3rd largest city and an industrial hub of Pakistan through ASTM standards. MethodsCharacterization of samples were collected during the rainy season from June-August 2020 and January-March 2021 from three discrete socio-economic classes (lower income class [Rs. 15,000 (US $100)], middle-income class [Rs. 50,000 (US $350)] and high-income class [Rs. ≥1,00,000 (US $1,000)]) and segregated into 13 different physical components consisting of organic waste, yard waste, wood, cardboard, textile, plastic, paper, metal, rubber, glass, ceramic, diapers, dust, stone and miscellaneous. Significant FindingsMore than 70% of the overall generated solid waste was shared by organic waste in the study area, comprising 64.75% moisture content on average. Among all the physical elements of solid waste, combustible content was estimated at 37% in dry mass with 19.23% of ash content and 80.77% of the volatile organic compound. The results of the study approximate about 27.18 MW of energy generation from the available combustible fraction of 1,155 t of domestic solid waste generated from the city daily which can fulfil the need of almost 5,00,000 houses having an average usage of 500 W electricity on monthly basis. The study concludes the conversion of solid waste into energy is the suitable practice for solid waste generated but needed to make this solution practicable with the help of government officials with the involvement of appropriate private sector which will definitely generate new jobs for unemployed persons. The summary demands appropriate adaptation in current waste disposal practice to convert the combustible fraction of generated waste into energy to combat the shortfall of energy/electricity in the city of industries.

The Global Financial Crisis and Healthcare Inequality in Japan

The aim of this study is to clarify whether health-care inequality in Japan widens during a depression, even though Japan has a universal health-care system. To this end, we investigate the time-series fluctuations in health-care expenditure inequalities in Japan for the period 2008–2017, which includes the period during which the global financial crisis affected Japan. We construct an economy-wide inequality index comparing the actual health-care expenditure at various income levels (low, middle and high) against the estimated health-care needs. The findings of the study are as follows. First, the rich (the top 20% income class) spend far more than their estimated needs on health care, whereas the poor (bottom 20%) spend far less. Second, during the global financial crisis, health-care inequality especially among the working generation became greater in Japan, mainly because not only the low-income class but also the middle-income class (the bottom 30–60%) was unable to pay for health care.