Economics and Finance

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Browsing Economics and Finance by Author "Booysen, Frederik"

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    Gender differences in intra‐household financial decision‐making: an application of coarsened exact matching
    (MDPI, 2021-10) Booysen, Frederik; Guvuriro, Sevias
    Most studies that explore collective models of intra‐household decision‐making use economic outcomes such as human capital, earnings, assets, and relative income shares as proxies of the relative distribution of bargaining power. These studies, however, fail to incorporate important measures of control over and management of the economic resources within households. In the current study, a direct measure of financial decision‐making power within the household is used to directly assess the distribution of bargaining power. Coarsened exact matching, an identification strategy not yet applied in studies of this nature, is applied to couple‐level observational data from South Africa’s longitudinal National Income Dynamics Study. The influence of gender differences in intra‐household decision‐making on resource allocations to per capita household expenditure is assessed. In the case of greater financial decision‐making power in couples being assigned to wives rather than husbands, per capita household expenditure on education increases significantly. The empowerment of women with financial decision‐making power therefore holds the promise of realizing the benefits of investments in human capital.
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    Intra-household decision-making and family public goods: survey and experimental evidence from South Africa
    (University of the Free State, Jan-17) Guvuriro, Sevias; Booysen, Frederik
    Afrikaans: Besluitneming binne huishoudings is belangrik ten einde verskeie ontwikkelingsdoelwitte te bereik, ingesluit investering in familie openbare goedere en die gepaardgaande ontwikkelings uitkomste, soos die verkryging van opleiding, beter gesondheid en algehele welsyn van families. Die verwesenliking van hierdie ontwikkelingsimpakte van investering in familie openbare goedere vereis ‘n behoorlike begrip van gender dinamika, ekonomiese bemagtiging en samewerking tussen generasies in die neem van besluite binne huishoudings. Hierdie tesis stel ten doel om die rol van intra-huishoudingsbesluitneming in investering in familie openbare goedere in Suid-Afrika vas te stel. Die studie gebruik data van ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse opname en voer ‘n veldeksperiment in twee arm gemeenskappe uit. Beskrywende statistiese ontledings is aangewend om verwantskappe tussen sleutelveranderlikes te bestudeer. Regressie analise is gebruik vir verdere in-diepte ontledings. Die eerste sleutelbevinding van hierdie studie dui spesifiek op die nodigheid van geslagsgebaseerde ekonomiese bemagtigingsbeleid. Die studie bevind dat geslagsongelykheid binne pare (heterogamie) en die breër bevolking van volwassenes steeds ‘n realiteit is. Alhoewel die finansiële en ekonomiese besluitnemersrol deur vroue oorheers word, bly hul rol hoofsaaklik ondergeskik, ‘n verdere teken van geslagsongelykheid. Wanneer vroue egter ekonomies bemagtig word, neem hul besluitnemingsgesag toe en gelyktydig soook uitgawes op familie openbare goedere. Selfs wanneer vroue slegs bemagtig word met besluitnemingsgesag, maar nie ook ekonomies nie, word steeds meer op familie openbare goedere spandeer. ‘n Tweede bevinding daarteenoor staan ook in die algemeen ekonomiese ontwikkelingsbeleid voor. Die studie bevind dat ekonomies bemagtigde mans meer spandeer op familie openbare goedere en dat hul verantwoordelikheid vir ekonomiese besluitneming aan hul vrouens delegeer, wie ook meer op familie openbare goedere spandeer. Die derde resultaat wat in hierdie studie waargeneem is, die skenkingseffek, is belangrik vir beleid gegewe dat die voordeel van ‘n ekonomiese geleentheid vir een familielid, hetsy in die vorm van ‘n werksgeleentheid of ontvangs van ‘n maatskaplike toelaag, na ander familielede kan afwentel. Laastens, bepaal die studie dat kommunikasie ‘n positiewe impak op samewerking tussen generasies binne uitgebreide families het, en dat gesamentlike besluitneming, wat geassosieer word met groter uitgawes op voedsel, kommunikasie vereis ten einde samewerking te weeg te bring. Beleidsgewys, plaas hierdie bevinding die fokus op voorkomende en ontwikkelingsgebaseerde maatskaplike werkprogramme wat kommunikasie binne families kan bevorder, insluitend opleiding in ouerskaps- en huweliksvaardighede.
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    The social discounting task in economic experiments: a validation in the field and in the lab
    (University of the Free State, 2016) Moloi, Tshepo Godfrey; Booysen, Frederik
    Altruism is one of the single most important social preferences driving human behaviour. In Psychology experiments, the Social Discounting Task is employed as a measure of directed altruism. A conventional laboratory experiment was conducted with 117 undergraduate students at the University of the Free State, with students randomly assigned to complete the un-incentivized and incentivized Social Discounting Task. The aggregated results exhibit an inverse relationship between social distance and altruism in accordance with the 1/d law of giving. Multiple regression results show that incentivising of the Social Discounting Task does not matter. Results in this dissertation also suggest that family members are more altruistic towards each other as are those exhibiting greater intergenerational solidarity. Social development programmes that can strengthen families and foster intergenerational solidarity may therefore enhance altruism within the family, thus contributing to greater wellbeing.