Assessment of the Cost of the Mediterranean Diet in a Low-Income Region: Adherence and Relationship with Available Incomes

Background The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is recognized as heart-healthy, but the economic cost associated with this type of diet has scarcely been studied. The objective of the present study is to explore the cost and adherence of a low-income region population to the MD and its relationship with income. Methods A population-based study was carried out on 2,833 subjects between 25 and 79 years of age, 54% women, selected at random from the municipalities of Vegas Altas, La Siberia and La Serena in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura (Spain). Average monthly cost of each product included in the MD was computed and related to adherence to the MD using the Panagiotakos Index and average disposable income. Results The monthly median cost was 203.6€ (IQR: 154.04-265.37). Food-related expenditure was higher for men (p<0.001), age cohort between 45 and 54 years (p<0.013) and those living in urban areas (p<0.001). A positive correlation between food-related expenditure and the MD adherence was found. Monthly median cost represents 15% of average disposable income, ranging between 11% for the group with low MD adherence and 17% for the group with high MD adherence. Conclusions The monthly cost of the MD was positively correlated with the degree of adherence to this dietary pattern. Given that the estimated monthly cost is similar to that of other Spanish regions with a higher income level, the economic effort required to be able to afford the Mediterranean diet is higher. This may represent a barrier to access, which should be analyzed in detail by public decision-makers.

A Study on Rural Consumption in Sichuan Province Under the Influence of COVID-19

Research on rural consumption is an important prerequisite for analyzing rural consumption market. The research on rural consumption in Sichuan province shows that the trend of rural consumption is good, the demand is huge, the will is strong, the structure is optimized and the environment is improved, but it is influenced by Covid-19. It also reflects farmers limited disposable income, lack of social security, lack of financial support and new consumption ecological weakness.

Wage Dynamics and Economic Growth: Russian Realities

The article deals with the relationship between the economic growth of Russia and the dynamics of average wages. A joint analysis of wages, GDP, salary output and labor productivity in the Russian Federation for the period 2000–2019 was carried out. The type and parameters of the regression equations connecting these indicators are determined. The analysis allows us to conclude that it is advisable to increase real wages, despite the accompanying slow growth of labor productivity and a decrease in salary. The main argument in favor of this statement is the multiplicative effect that occurs when the average salary in the economy increases. The paper shows that the increase in wages, in addition to the usually taken into account direct multiplicative effect, determined by an increase in the disposable income of the population, there is an additional induced multiplicative effect. The induced effect is explained by the increase in economic activity of the population proved on the Russian statistics with the growth of wages, which leads to an increase in the number of employees, and hence the wage fund and, accordingly, personal disposable income. Thus, by increasing wages, it is possible to improve the financial situation of the employed population, attract additional labor resources to the economy, and achieve GDP growth. The article presents calculations that allow us to estimate the contribution of the direct and induced multiplicative effect to the GDP of Russia for the period of 2000–2017. Based on these calculations, it can be argued that in the Russian Federation at the beginning of the XXI century, the gross domestic product, due to the multiplicative effect of changes in average wages in the first year after such a change, increased or decreased in some years by 6–7%. Although the induced multiplicative effect, as it turned out, is relatively small, there is no reason to neglect it. At the current very low rate of GDP growth, one has to take into account every tenth of a percent of such growth, and calculations have shown that the induced effect calculated for the first year after the change in wages in the period under review reached 0,6% of GDP. The calculations also showed that due to the increase in labor activity associated with an increase in the average salary, the number of people employed in the “white” labor market in Russia in some years increased by about 1%.

Spending Response to a Predictable Increase in Mortgage Repayments: Evidence from Expiring Interest-Only Loans

We study how homeowners' consumption responds to a negative and anticipated disposable income shock: the beginning of the amortization period on interest-only mortgages. We identify spending behavior through an event study approach, by matching loan-level data that covers the universe of Danish mortgages to detailed administrative registries on borrowers. In response to an average increase in installments worth 9 percent of income, consumption drops by 3 percent of income, when amortization begins. The reduction in expenditure is persistent. Borrowers who fail to smooth consumption are highly leveraged and likely to be denied a new interest-only loan, upon expiration.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Safari Lodges in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

This investigation explores the impacts of COVID-19 on safari lodge operators in the northern districts of Zululand and uMkhanyakude in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The area in which these lodges are located is a renowned leading safari lodge destination. This investigation is structured into four core sections. Firstly, brief insights into current debates concerning the influence of COVID-19 on tourism generally are provided. Secondly, the impact of COVID-19 on visitor profiles of safari lodges is analysed. Thirdly, the impact of COVID-19 on the functioning and operations of these safari lodges is examined. Fourthly and finally, the coping mechanisms implemented by the safari lodges are presented. The research deployed snowball sampling and conducted in-person interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. The study reveals that this tourism subsector, like other tourism subsectors globally, suffered greatly as a result of COVID-19. Various adjustments to its operations had to be implemented in order to survive. These adjustments included scaling back operations, cutting costs wherever possible and drastically reducing staff. Additionally, many lodges tried to compensate for a lack of incoming international tourists by attracting local tourists by offering deep discounts. However, low levels of disposable income among South Africans means that this is not a long-term sustainable strategy. Future uncertainty was a key concern for safari lodge operations.

The Shared Economy

The theory of marginal utility describes how consumers choose between goods. However, marginal utility has also found application in a wide range of weightier subjects. For example, marginal utility can be used in the allocation of resources in healthcare programmes. This paper posits that marginal utility is also applicable in the allocation of the national income among corporations, government, and households. Using data from the UK Office for National Statistics, this paper finds that for the most part of the decade, from 2009 to 2018, household disposable income fell short of what might be considered an optimal share of the national income.

Monthly Disposable Income Is a Crucial Factor Affecting the Quality of Life in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) affects the quality of life (QOL) of elderly people; this study examines the demographic characteristics and QOL of patients with knee OA and identifies demographic characteristics that affect the QOL of these patients. In this cross-sectional study, 30 healthy controls and 60 patients with mild-to-moderate bilateral knee OA aged between 55 and 75 years were enrolled. All participants completed a questionnaire containing questions on 10 demographic characteristics and the Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and their QOL scores in the eight dimensions of the SF-36 were evaluated. In the OA group, significant correlations were observed between monthly disposable income and physical and mental health components. Monthly disposable income was found to considerably affect the QOL of patients with bilateral knee OA (i.e., it is a crucial factor affecting these patients). The findings of this study may provide a reference for formulating preventive strategies for healthy individuals and for future confirmatory research.

Tax, transfers, and income inequality in New Zealand during 1988-2013

<p>This dissertation investigates the role tax and transfer policy changes played in the evolution of New Zealand disposable income inequality between 1988 and 2013. Across five papers, the key changes in tax and transfer policies are identified, the labour supply response of individuals to the changes are estimated, and the impact of these changes on the income distribution is quantified. Overall, nearly 40% of the increase in income inequality during this period is attributable to changes in the tax-transfer system. The tax and transfer payment changes investigated in this dissertation cover the gradual flattening of the tax scale over the 1980/90s, the reduction in benefit payments following the 1991 Mother of All Budgets, the introduction of Working for Families in 2005, and the erosion of transfer payments relative to the average wage throughout the period. Given these changes, the efficacy of the tax transfer system for meeting vertical and horizontal equity goals is evaluated using data from the Household Economic Survey (HES). The redistributive effect of tax-transfer policy fell from 22.6 Gini points to 18.2 Gini points between 1988/91 and 2011/13, with a corresponding decline in the amount of vertical equity in the tax-transfer system. Between the same periods the degree of horizontal inequity rose,although this was predominantly the result of greater targeting in the tax-transfer system. The adjustment in the structure of the tax-transfer system not only leads to a change in tax liabilities and transfer payments, but also generates a behavioural change by individuals with regards to the number of hours they would be willing to work. Preference parameter estimates over hours of work and income are generated for individuals in the sample, with imputed wages estimated for those who are out of work. A tax-transfer microsimulation model, that utilises wage and preference parameter estimates, is then used to construct counterfactual scenarios where the tax-transfer system of a given year is applied to the population of other years. For example, the tax-transfer system of 1988-1991 is applied to the population in 2010-2013 in order to create a scenario representing what the disposable income distribution in 2010-2013 would look like with the 1988-1991 tax-transfer system. Estimates from this process suggest that nearly 40% of the increase in disposable income inequality between the 1988/91 and 2010/13 periods was due to the change in payments and labour supply behaviour associated with tax-transfer policy adjustments. Other potential drivers of income inequality change were investigated by reweighting the HES data of one period to more closely represent the population of another period. Although shifts in the share of individuals in part time work also generated an increase in income inequality, the lift in higher educational attainment over this period is estimated to have reduced income inequality more sharply (by nearly 22%). The shift in the age distribution towards prime-aged work was not associated with any change in the aggregate income inequality measure.</p>

Tax, transfers, and income inequality in New Zealand during 1988-2013

<p>This dissertation investigates the role tax and transfer policy changes played in the evolution of New Zealand disposable income inequality between 1988 and 2013. Across five papers, the key changes in tax and transfer policies are identified, the labour supply response of individuals to the changes are estimated, and the impact of these changes on the income distribution is quantified. Overall, nearly 40% of the increase in income inequality during this period is attributable to changes in the tax-transfer system. The tax and transfer payment changes investigated in this dissertation cover the gradual flattening of the tax scale over the 1980/90s, the reduction in benefit payments following the 1991 Mother of All Budgets, the introduction of Working for Families in 2005, and the erosion of transfer payments relative to the average wage throughout the period. Given these changes, the efficacy of the tax transfer system for meeting vertical and horizontal equity goals is evaluated using data from the Household Economic Survey (HES). The redistributive effect of tax-transfer policy fell from 22.6 Gini points to 18.2 Gini points between 1988/91 and 2011/13, with a corresponding decline in the amount of vertical equity in the tax-transfer system. Between the same periods the degree of horizontal inequity rose,although this was predominantly the result of greater targeting in the tax-transfer system. The adjustment in the structure of the tax-transfer system not only leads to a change in tax liabilities and transfer payments, but also generates a behavioural change by individuals with regards to the number of hours they would be willing to work. Preference parameter estimates over hours of work and income are generated for individuals in the sample, with imputed wages estimated for those who are out of work. A tax-transfer microsimulation model, that utilises wage and preference parameter estimates, is then used to construct counterfactual scenarios where the tax-transfer system of a given year is applied to the population of other years. For example, the tax-transfer system of 1988-1991 is applied to the population in 2010-2013 in order to create a scenario representing what the disposable income distribution in 2010-2013 would look like with the 1988-1991 tax-transfer system. Estimates from this process suggest that nearly 40% of the increase in disposable income inequality between the 1988/91 and 2010/13 periods was due to the change in payments and labour supply behaviour associated with tax-transfer policy adjustments. Other potential drivers of income inequality change were investigated by reweighting the HES data of one period to more closely represent the population of another period. Although shifts in the share of individuals in part time work also generated an increase in income inequality, the lift in higher educational attainment over this period is estimated to have reduced income inequality more sharply (by nearly 22%). The shift in the age distribution towards prime-aged work was not associated with any change in the aggregate income inequality measure.</p>

Estimation of labor migration impact on the economy of sending country

This paper provides a theoretical framework for estimating the labor migration impact on the economy of sending country. The overall emigration impact includes two effects, which can be calculated separately, i.e., a departure effect and a remittances effect. The departure effect causes a negative impact on the economy by decreasing autonomous consumption. The remittances effect causes a positive impact by increasing disposable income and thus internal consumption and savings and imports. Calculations include the multiplier effect. The labor emigration impact on GDP is calculated as a difference between a positive remittances effect and a negative departure effect. The analysis is conducted for countries that are not at full employment.