Claudia Pigini

Bio: Claudia Pigini is an academic researcher from Marche Polytechnic University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Covariate & Logit. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 18 publications receiving 107 citations. Previous affiliations of Claudia Pigini include University of Perugia.

Firing Costs and Job Loss: The Case of the Italian Jobs Act

Abstract: A recent reform in the Italian labour market has modified the permanent contract by reducing firing costs. Using a discontinuity in the application of the reform, we evaluate its effect on the probability of being still employed about three and a half years later. In contrast with theoretical predictions, we find that the job survival probability is not smaller for the treated and even significantly larger in some cases. We investigate the composition of permanent workers hired after the reform and we find evidence of treated firms changing their recruitment strategy in favour of potentially more productive workers.

Granger causality in dynamic binary short panel data models

Abstract: Strict exogeneity of covariates other than the lagged dependent variable, and conditional on unobserved heterogeneity, is often required for consistent estimation of binary panel data models. This assumption is likely to be violated in practice because of feedback effects from the past of the outcome variable on the present value of covariates and no general solution is yet available. In this paper, we provide the conditions for a logit model formulation that takes into account feedback effects without specifying a joint parametric model for the outcome and predetermined explanatory variables. Our formulation is based on the equivalence between Granger's definition of noncausality and a modification of the Sims' strict exogeneity assumption for nonlinear panel data models, introduced by Chamberlain1982 and for which we provide a more general theorem. We further propose estimating the model parameters with a recent fixed-effects approach based on pseudo conditional inference, adapted to the present case, thereby taking care of the correlation between individual permanent unobserved heterogeneity and the model's covariates as well. Our results hold for short panels with a large number of cross-section units, a case of great interest in microeconomic applications.

A misspecification test for finite-mixture logistic models for clustered binary and ordered responses

Abstract: An alternative to using normally distributed random effects in modeling clustered binary and ordered responses is based on using a finite-mixture. This approach gives rise to a flexible class of generalized linear mixed models for item responses, multilevel data, and longitudinal data. A test of misspecification for these finite-mixture models is proposed which is based on the comparison between the Marginal and the Conditional Maximum Likelihood estimates of the fixed effects as in the Hausman’s test. The asymptotic distribution of the test statistic is derived; it is of chi-squared type with a number of degrees of freedom equal to the number of covariates that vary within the cluster. It turns out that the test is simple to perform and may also be used to select the number of components of the finite-mixture, when this number is unknown. The approach is illustrated by a series of simulations and three empirical examples covering the main fields of application.

The Effect of University Costs and Institutional Incentives on Enrolments: Empirical Evidence for Italian Regions

Abstract: We study the relationship between the enrollment decisions of Italian secondary school graduates and the cost of participating in higher education. In particular, we look into the role of incentives, such as scholarship grants, and of the supply of under-priced accommodation which are policy tools in the hands of regional institutes (Enti Regionali per il diritto allo Studio Universitario, ERSU). We provide empirical evidence by estimating a conditional logit model using the survey of 2004 secondary school graduates issued by the Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). We find that enrollment costs are determinant in students university choices: on average, the elasticity of the probability of enrollment to tuition fees is − 0. 062, the one to expected grants is 0. 028, and the one to expected rent is − 0. 022. Differences between regions are considerable: southern regions show lower elasticities, while small central and northern regions exhibit the largest ones.

Education at a Glance

Abstract: A detailed review of the education sector in Australia as in the data provided by the 2006 edition of the OECD's annual publication, 'Education at a Glance' is presented. While the data has shown that in almost all OECD countries educational attainment levels are on the rise, with countries showing impressive gains in university qualifications, it also reveals that a large of share of young people still do not complete secondary school, which remains a baseline for successful entry into the labour market.

Mental health outcomes in times of economic recession: a systematic literature review.

Abstract: Countries in recession experience high unemployment rates and a decline in living conditions, which, it has been suggested, negatively influences their populations’ health. The present review examines the recent evidence of the possible association between economic recessions and mental health outcomes. Literature review of records identified through Medline, PsycINFO, SciELO, and EBSCO Host. Only original research papers, published between 2004 and 2014, peer-reviewed, non-qualitative research, and reporting on associations between economic factors and proxies of mental health were considered. One-hundred-one papers met the inclusion criteria. The evidence was consistent that economic recessions and mediators such as unemployment, income decline, and unmanageable debts are significantly associated with poor mental wellbeing, increased rates of common mental disorders, substance-related disorders, and suicidal behaviours. On the basis of a thorough analysis of the selected investigations, we conclude that periods of economic recession are possibly associated with a higher prevalence of mental health problems, including common mental disorders, substance disorders, and ultimately suicidal behaviour. Most of the research is based on cross-sectional studies, which seriously limits causality inferences. Conclusions are summarised, taking into account international policy recommendations concerning the cost-effective measures that can possibly reduce the occurrence of negative mental health outcomes in populations during periods of economic recession.

Jackknife and analytical bias reduction for nonlinear panel models

Abstract: Fixed effects estimators of panel models can be severely biased because of the well-known incidental parameters problem We show that this bias can be reduced by using a panel jackknife or an analytical bias correction motivated by large T We give bias corrections for averages over the fixed effects, as well as model parameters We find large bias reductions from using these approaches in examples We consider asymptotics where T grows with n, as an approximation to the properties of the estimators in econometric applications We show that if T grows at the same rate as n the fixed effects estimator is asymptotically biased, so that asymptotic confidence intervals are incorrect, but that they are correct for the panel jackknife We show T growing faster than n1/3 suffices for correctness of the analytic correction, a property we also conjecture for the jackknife

The impact of a misspecified random-effects distribution on the estimation and the performance of inferential procedures in generalized linear mixed models (vol 27, pg 3125, 2008)

Abstract: [Litiere, S.; Alonso, A.; Molenberghs, G.] Univ Hasselt, Interuniv Inst Biostat & Stat Bioinformat, Diepenbeek, Belgium. [Molenberghs, G.] Katholieke Univ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

How unemployment and precarious employment affect the health of young people: A scoping study on social determinants:

Abstract: Background: The impact of unemployment and precarious employment on the health of young people is not well understood. However, according to social causation, higher socio-economic positions and th...