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Abstract For some smooth special case of generalized $\varphi-$divergences as well as of new divergences (called scaled shift divergences), we derive approximations of the omnipresent (weighted) $\ell_{1}-$distance and (weighted) $\ell_{1}-$norm.
Keywords Divergence Kullback-Leibler, Divergence analysis, $\ell1-$distance/norm, Generalized $\varphi-$divergences
Abstract We propose the stepwise Cauchy combination test (StepC), a new procedure for multiple testing with dependent test statistics and sparse signals. Unlike the global version, StepC pinpoints which p-values drive rejections, while maintaining strong familywise error control. It is less conservative under dependence and more powerful than conventional multiple testing corrections. In simulations and in applications to drift burst detection and testing for nonzero alphas, StepC consistently boosts power and yields more meaningful rejections, making it a practical alternative for large-scale financial datasets.
Keywords Nonasymptotic approximation, Sequential rejection, Multiple hypothesis testing, Familywise error, Dependence
Abstract This paper revisits the question of whether fixed and mobile Internet expenditures are substitutable or complementary. We estimate a demand system using French household expenditure data to compute price elasticities for different categories of goods. The results indicate that fixed and mobile Internet expenditures are complementary in France. This complementarity effect increases with income level. We then develop a simple theoretical model showing that depending on the characteristics of fixed and mobile data tariffs, fixed and mobile Internet expenditures can exhibit non-substitutability or even complementarity.
Keywords QUAIDS demand system, Household behavior, Internet expenditure
Abstract We use an overlapping generations model with physical and human capital, and two reproductive periods to explore how fertility decisions may differ in response to economic incentives in early and late adulthood. In particular, we analyze the interplay between fertility choices—related to career opportunities—and wages, and investigate the role played by work experience and investment in both types of capital. We show that young adults postpone parenthood above a certain wage threshold and that late fertility increases with work experience. The long run trend is either to converge to a low productivity equilibrium, involving high early fertility, investment in physical capital and relatively low income, or to a high productivity equilibrium, where households postpone parenthood to invest in their human capital and work experience, with higher late fertility and higher levels of income. A convergence to the latter state would explain the postponement of parenthood and the mitigation or slight reversal of fertility decrease in some European countries in recent decades.
Keywords Fertility, Overlapping generations, Work experience, Postponement
Abstract This paper studies the dynamic relationship between economic growth, pollution, and government intervention. To do so, we develop a model that links pollution to the economy’s productive capacity, thereby capturing the feedback loops between economic activity, environmental degradation, and fiscal policy intervention. The model incorporates a pollution-sensitive damage function, taxes, and government spending while analyzing economic growth under different levels of government intervention. Therefore, the main paper’s contributions reveal that economies can achieve favorable outcomes with low or moderate government intervention, and that our results underscore the vital role of pollution mitigation policy in dynamically balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability.
Keywords Public debt, Fiscal policy, Pollution, Economic Growth
Abstract This paper tests experimentally how preferences for redistribution of members of the general public depend on how money is earned. An experiment was designed to form of “microparticipatory-democracy”where redistribution from winners to losers is decided through a sequential strategy-proof majority voting procedure. Based on five distributive justice theories, we elicit people’s preferences for redistribution when their earnings come from four factors: effort, social circumstances, brute luck, and option luck. In the aggregate, our results show that a relative majority of people agree with Dworkin’s cut, namely, to compensate for social circumstances and brute luck but not effort and option luck. Participants with bad outcomes are more likely to engage in a self-serving vote, but on average, the dominant concern in voting remains people’s fairness view. The knowledge of the distribution of earnings and petition for equality of opportunity make participants vote more in favor of redistribution.
Keywords Experiment, Responsibility, Equality of opportunity, Micro participatory-democracy, Social justice
Abstract There is a significant gap in turnout between young people and older voters. The failure to instill a voting habit at an early age may have long term consequences in terms of future political participation as well as on other civic behaviors. Using a pre-registered online experiment with 3790 subjects, we implemented behavioral interventions aiming to stimulate youth turnout in the 2022 French presidential election. We rely on an innovative incentive scheme to measure their consequences on (self-reported) actual voting behavior. We also provide evidence on the effect of one behavioral intervention on youth turnout in a less salient election, the French legislative election that took place two months after the Presidential one. The results from the two experiments show the absence of any differences in turnout between the baseline and the treatment conditions. We investigate several mechanisms that can explain our results.
Keywords Youth turnout, Behavioral nudges, Field experiment, Behavioral public policy
Abstract Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there is growing evidence that the social epidemiological context may play a crucial role in the adoption of health protective behaviours in response to emerging infectious diseases. Yet, our understanding of how and why these behaviours are influenced by the epidemiological forces remains relatively limited. This repeated, cross-sectional investigation examines the extent to which the association between the socio-epidemiological context and protective behaviour was mediated by a series of common social cognitive factors from leading models of health behaviour during the COVID-19 epidemic in France. Representative samples of the French population completed an online, self-report survey at seventeen intervals (March-November 2020), with approximately 2000 participants in each survey wave. Results indicate that both contextual and social cognitive variables largely drove the adoption of protective behaviours over time. However, social cognitive variables only partially mediated the effect of the epidemiological context on protective behaviour (physical distancing and hygiene measures), suggesting that unknown factors may be operating in addition to those commonly used in these models. These findings highlight the need for future research to consider the epidemiological context, and further possible mediating variables, when modelling determinants of social cognitions and preventive behaviour, and above all, to broaden its focus to include neglected underlying psychological mechanisms involved in the behavioural response to epidemics.
Keywords Epidemic context, France, Protective behaviours, COVID-19, Social cognitive factors, Epidemiological context
Abstract Cancer accounts for approximately one-third of deaths in developed countries. Preventing cancer, notably by detecting new cases early, is thus crucial. In the European Union (EU), screening rates have been recommended for several types of cancer; however, most EU countries are still not meeting them. Determining how we can improve people’s adherence to screening is necessary. This study aimed to explore the characteristics of women associated with being up-to-date on mammograms or Pap smears; notably, we wanted to determine the extent to which women’s attitudes towards risk play a role in their adherence to screening. The sample comprised 1411 women who responded to a telephone survey. The survey data, including sociodemographic characteristics, health information, attitudes towards the future, and attitudes towards risk, collected via the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT) scale, were supplemented by medico-administrative data. The factors associated with undergoing either a mammogram or a Pap smear in a timely manner were similar. Two favourable factors were found: the number of children and a high level of education. In contrast, being older or having a higher DOSPERT score for risk-taking appeared to be negatively associated with timely screening. The fact that women’s attitudes towards risk seem to have a strong impact on their adherence to medical recommendations is a finding that should be considered (e.g. by health professionals or in prevention campaigns) regarding increasing women’s awareness of the importance of regular cancer screening.
Keywords Mammography, Prevention, Screening test, Cancer screening, Risk-taking behavior, Vaginal smears, Telephone, Health personnel, European union, Educational status, Developed countries, Child, Attitude, Cancer
Abstract Comment les compétences psychosociales (CSP) peuvent-elles offrir un cadre pertinent pour intégrer l’empathie dans les processus pédagogiques et évaluatifs des études de santé ? Les CSP sont définies par l’Organisation mondiale de la santé et Santé publique France comme un ensemble cohérent et interrelié de capacités psychologiques. Elles permettent à une personne de maintenir un état de bien-être psychique et d’adopter des comportements adaptés et positifs. En nous appuyant sur les dispositifs évaluatifs déjà en place dans les études de santé, nous proposons des pistes pour inscrire durablement l’empathie, à la fois dans les référentiels de compétences et dans les modalités d’évaluation tout au long des cursus en santé.
Keywords Health education, Social competence, Self-evaluation, Psychological adaptation, Professional competence, Medical education, Empathy, Communication, Enseignement médical, Empathie, Éducation à la santé, Compétence sociale, Compétence professionnelle, Communication, Autoévaluation, Adaptation psychologique