Janet M. Rives

Poverty and Other Determinants of Child Labor in Bangladesh

In this research we examine poverty and other determinants of child labor in Bangladesh. We define income quintiles as a means of measuring family poverty and add child and family characteristics to our model. We estimate the likelihood that a child will work, using separate logistic regression models for younger and older boys and girls in urban and rural areas. Our results support the notion that a familys poverty affects the probability that a child will work; keeping children away from work is a luxury these families cannot afford. Moreover, it is important to examine separate demographic groups in order to fully understand the determinants of child labor in Bangladesh since the effects of child and family variables on the probability that a child will work differ among these groups.

A DEA study of gender equity in executive compensation

This study assesses whether annual and long-term compensation for senior executive women is equal to annual and long-term compensation for senior executive men. The group of executive women includes those women reported in the compensation tables of proxy statements for the companies in the Standard and Poors (S&P) 500 for 1997. Their compensation was compared to the compensation for two samples of executive men from S&P 500 firms using data envelopment analysis. The results indicate that the compensation paid to executive women is equitable to the compensation paid to executive men.

Wife's employment and worker relocation behavior

Abstract A survey of workers involved in a recent job relocation provided data which permitted an analysis of the effect of wifes labor force attachment on family location choice. Studies have shown that family migration may be inhibited by a wifes employment and by the strength of her labor force attachment. Researchers have contended that such influences may be absent in cases of employee transfers and job relocations. In this case study, migration was deterred by wifes labor force attachment and was also affected by a workers eligibility for a company buyout, tenure with the company, community attachment and family size.

The Aggregate Demand Curve and Its Proper Interpretation

Textbook authors, in their presentations of aggregate demand–aggregate supply, are admonished to set their houses in order. The writers suggest the continued usefulness of the traditional “Keynesian cross” model as a pedagogical device and present a version that they allege to be superior to the popular AD–AS models found in many contemporary texts.

Occupational choices of working children in Bangladesh

The article looks into the determinants of occupational choices of working children in Bangladesh. Using data from 6668 Bangladeshi working children aged 5 through 14, the article estimates several binary and multinomial logit regressions, separately for boys and girls. The article confirms that most children work in the informal sector where formal sector’s jurisdiction and regulations are absent. Specifically, the article finds that children are least likely to work in the service occupation and are more likely to work in the textile sector. The findings highlight the diversity in the occupational distribution of child workers by gender and show how their individual and family characteristics influence occupational choices. The service sector, which comprises of mostly maids, is a hidden sector. This sector makes children vulnerable to abuse. Thus, it is suggested that policy makers need to come up with effective legislations that would protect the children who work in the ‘hidden informal’ sector.

Aggregate Demand in Principles Textbooks

In 1985 we wrote an article critical of the aggregate demand curve as presented in most principles textbooks (Hansen, McCormick and Rives, 1985). The essence of our argument was that the reasons given for the negative slope of the aggregate demand curve in price level/real GDP space were not convincing. Writing in 1997, we note that, with one minor exception, very little has changed.1

Teaching Managerial Economics with a Computer Simulation Model.

A number of fundamental concepts in managerial economics can be introduced to students through the use of a computer simulation model. The model described here emphasizes such basic microeconomic ideas as the formulation of demand and cost functions, determination of profit-maximizing price and output levels, and calculation of various demand elasticity measures. The model also introduces the student to problems of uncertainty, forecasting, inventory and production planning, and budgeting. The computer program consists of two parts. Both parts relate to a single firm producing one product. Part A, the General Program, generates data for as many periods as the user may specify. Part B, the Student Program, allows the student to make production, inventory, advertising, and pricing decisions on a period-to-period basis. What exactly can a student learn by using this computer program? In order to answer this question, we will first examine the Student Program in terms of the economic concepts that are developed therein.

The Aggregate Demand Curve: A Reply

In an article in this journal (fall 1985), Hansen, McCormick, and Rives argued that the derivation of the aggregate demand curve rested on a flimsey foundation. Barron and Lynch defend the commonly used analysis, and Hansen et al. offer a rebuttal.