Heterogeneous effects of the availability and spatial configuration of urban green spaces on their cooling effects in China

The impacts of the availability and spatial configuration of urban green spaces (UGS) on their cooling effects can vary with background climate conditions. However, large-scale studies that assess the potential heterogeneous relationships of UGS availability and spatial configuration with urban thermal environment are still lacking. In this study, we investigated the impacts of UGS availability and spatial configuration on urban land surface temperature (LST) taking 306 cities in China as a case study covering a multi-biome-scale. We first calculated the availability of surrounding UGS for urban built-up pixels in each city using a distance-weighted approach, and its spatial configuration was quantified through the Gini coefficient. Then, we employed various regression models to explore how the impacts of UGS availability and the Gini coefficient on LST varies across different LST quantiles and between day- and nighttime. The results revealed that UGS availability was negatively associated with both daytime and nighttime LST, while the Gini coefficient showed a positive impact solely on daytime LST, indicating that an adequate and equally distributed UGS contributes to lower environmental temperatures during the daytime. Furthermore, the impact of UGS availability on LST decreased during both day- and nighttime with increased background LST quantiles. Whereas the impact of the Gini coefficient increased only with daytime LST quantile levels, with its effect remaining almost insignificant during the night. Our findings provide new insights into the impacts of UGS on urban thermal environment, offering significant implications for urban green infrastructure planning aiming at lowering the urban heat island.

How has the strict lockdown during the SARS-COV-2 outbreak changed the diet of Spaniards?

Purpose

We investigate the impact of a specific macroeconomic shock that occurred as a response to the SARS-COV-2 outbreak, namely the strict lockdown imposed in Spain on the March 14, 2020.

Methods

We use fortnightly purchase data relating to over 50,000 households from a supermarket chain in Catalonia from March to June in 2019 and 2020. Using a panel data approach, we analyse the impact of the lockdown on the caloric content, sugar composition, and alcohol content in beverages and food purchases bought before and after lockdown. We corrected our results to take into account the likelihood of stockpiling.

Results

The lockdown is related to an increase in unhealthy beverage and food purchases. We find heterogeneous effects across groups of the sample based on cardholder characteristics. Families with children or babies and those in the upper two income quintiles had the unhealthiest changes. As the lockdown went through phases of relaxation, households made better food decisions but maintained unhealthy beverage choices.

Conclusions

The very restrictive lockdown negatively impacted the characteristics of food and beverage purchases made by Spaniards. However, we are unsure whether there was substitution to restaurant and bar visits. Additional work to find out whether there were permanent changes in purchasing behaviour after lockdown ended is needed in the future.

Mapping the heterogeneity of global methane footprint in China at the subnational level

Achieving the ambitious Global Methane Pledge announced in the Glasgow Climate Pact requires collaborative efforts from both the signatory countries and China which serves as the world's largest emitter. Considering the heterogeneity of economic structures within China and the relocation of emissions between regions via the global economic network, it is vital to investigate how China's methane emissions at the subnational level are linked to global final consumption. In this paper, we mapped global methane footprint in China from 2007 to2015 at the subnational level, by nesting China's interprovincial input-output tables into global multiregional input-output accounts and upscaling grid-level methane emission data of the Edgar database to the provincial level. Our results suggested that global methane footprint in China shifted westward, and the United States, European Union, Japan, and Hong Kong were the main drivers of China's local methane emissions. By illustrating the international and interprovincial trade flows of methane emissions, this study demonstrated that southeast coastal provinces were the hotspots for global methane footprint while middle inland provinces were the emission hotspots for China's domestic demands. We also showed how China's methane emissions were distributed through the nested global economic network to different economic agents. Moreover, emission trends of key exporting sectors for China's eight economic zones were detailed discussed. The outcome of this study may be fully supportive for identifying the heterogeneous effects of global methane footprint in China and implicative for interprovincial and international collaborations towards methane emission mitigation.

Obesity and labour market outcomes in Italy: a dynamic panel data evidence with correlated random effects

This paper investigates the effects of obesity, socio-economic variables, and individual-specific factors on work productivity across Italian regions. A dynamic panel data with correlated random effects is used to jointly deal with incidental parameters, endogeneity issues, and functional forms of misspecification. Methodologically, a hierarchical semiparametric Bayesian approach is involved in shrinking high dimensional model classes, and then obtaining a subset of potential predictors affecting outcomes. Monte Carlo designs are addressed to construct exact posterior distributions and then perform accurate forecasts. Cross-sectional Heterogeneity is modelled nonparametrically allowing for correlation between heterogeneous parameters and initial conditions as well as individual-specific regressors. Prevention policies and strategies to handle health and labour market prospects are also discussed.

Heterogeneous effects of spanking on child protective services involvement in early childhood: A propensity score stratification analysis

Background

Extant literature has primarily employed linear models to estimate the average effect of spanking on children. Less is known about child and parent characteristics that may predict differential risks of children's exposure to spanking (i.e., pre-treatment heterogeneity) and the effect of spanking on child outcomes that may differ by the propensity for spanking (i.e., post-treatment heterogeneity).

Objective

The present study examines pre- and post-treatment heterogeneity in the association between maternal spanking at child age 3 and subsequent household Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement that were reported by mothers between child ages 3 to 5.

Methods

The sample consisted of 2,422 families from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a birth cohort study that oversampled children born to unmarried families. A propensity score stratification analysis procedure examined pre- and post-treatment heterogeneity in the association between spanking and subsequent household CPS involvement. Children were stratified into three strata depending on their propensity for experiencing spanking. Subsequently, the association between spanking and household CPS involvement was examined for each stratum.

Results

Disadvantaged socio-economic characteristics, negative psychosocial conditions of the mother, and dysregulated temperament of the child were associated with elevated risk of spanking. The odds of subsequent household CPS involvement increased by 2.4 times (β = 0.869, p <.01) for children in the stratum with the lowest propensity for experiencing spanking.

Conclusions

Results emphasize the importance of promoting alternative disciplinary strategies to families who would be considered low-risk before they may come into contact with the child welfare system.

Do different types of carbon mitigation regulations have heterogeneous effects on innovation quality?

Carbon peak and carbon neutralization as a global mission cannot be completed without systematically designed carbon mitigation regulations. In order to achieve the carbon emission reduction as formulated in the Paris Agreement and fulfill the promises made at the United Nations General Assembly, the Chinese government has promulgated various types of regulations to curb carbon emission with the hope of realizing the Porter effect. Selecting low-carbon pilot cities and carbon emission trading schema as the research objects, this study employs a differences-in-differences (DID) model to investigate the effects of carbon mitigation regulations on innovation quality and its heterogeneity. The empirical results reveal that market-based carbon mitigation regulations can significantly achieve the Porter effect and improve innovation quality. Furthermore, the government financial situation and the technical efficiency change have important moderating and mediating effects respectively. It is recommended that a full play of the market be given in China for the Porter effect. The main scientific value of this paper is distinguished the heterogenous effect of different types of environmental regulations, which can enhance the pertinence of environmental regulation.

Can green finance promote urban green development? Evidence from green finance reform and innovation pilot zone in China

This study aims to evaluate the effect of the green finance reform and innovation pilot zone (GFPZ) policy on urban green development. Based on city-level panel data in China from 2012 to 2019, a difference-in-differences model was employed to examine the effects of China's GFPZ policy on the city's green total factor productivity (GTFP). Results show that (1) the GFPZ policy has promoted the GTFP of pilot cities, a conclusion that still holds after performing multiple robustness tests. (2) Compared to non-pilot cities, the GFPZ policy can increase urban GTFP by promoting urban green innovation and reducing urban energy intensity. (3) The GFPZ policy had a more significant impact on mega cities and resource-based cities than on medium and big-sized cities and non-resource-based cities. This study provides new empirical evidence on how green finance influences urban green development and offers China's experience to policymakers worldwide to develop green finance in top-level policy design and practice.

Heterogeneous effects of retirement on the biomedical risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases: New evidence based on the physical examination database in Shanghai, China

Retirement has a heterogeneous impact depending on gender and occupation. This study aimed to analyze and evaluate the heterogeneity and potential mechanism of retirement on the biomedical risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Physical examination data from 2017 to 2020 were extracted from a hospital database in Shanghai. The fluctuation tendency of biomedical risk factor indicators for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases was evaluated by gender and occupation shortly after retirement using fuzzy regression discontinuity design and was analyzed for internal mechanism. Retirement had a significantly negative influence on body weight (β = -3.943), body mass index (β = -2.152), and diastolic blood pressure (β = -5.180) in women working in public institutions or state-owned enterprises, but a positive influence on their blood glucose level (β = 0.696). Retirement had a significantly positive effect on high-density lipoprotein in men (β = 0.138), particularly those employed in private enterprises (β = 0.339). The internal influencing mechanism of retirement showed that the health attention effect after retirement among women in government or public institutions on diastolic blood pressure reduction was better than that before retirement. The body weight, body mass index, and diastolic blood pressure of women in public institutions or state-owned enterprises were reduced at retirement; however, they were exposed to higher risks of elevated blood glucose level. Conversely, high-density lipoprotein level, which is protective against cardiovascular disease, was increased in men at retirement. Retirement has a heterogeneous effect on cardiovascular and metabolic health among people of different genders or occupational experiences. Retirees with low health awareness should be targeted for behavioral interventions and monitored conscientiously by health providers during retirement adaptation.

The Psychological Costs of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Heterogeneous Effects in South Korea: Evidence from a Difference-in-Differences Analysis

This study estimates the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on life satisfaction and stress and examines whether these effects vary across different sociodemographic groups using a nationally representative sample in South Korea. We estimate the causal effects of COVID-19 on psychological well-being by exploiting regional variation in the spread of the pandemic in South Korea. While the number of confirmed cases was very small in other provinces in the first half of 2020, the coronavirus spread rapidly in Daegu after an outbreak in one church. We employ a difference-in-differences approach that compares changes in people's life satisfaction and stress before-and-after the initial surge of COVID-19 cases in Daegu and other provinces. Our results show that the proportion of people who are dissatisfied with life increased by 2.8-6.5 percentage points more in Daegu than in other provinces after the COVID-19 outbreak. During the same period, the proportion of people who reported feeling stressed increased more in Daegu than in other provinces by 5.8-8.9 percentage points. Our results also suggest that the negative impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on psychological well-being is significantly greater for men, young adults, middle-aged adults, self-employed workers, and middle-income individuals. On the other hand, the proportion of people who report feeling stressed among the highest-educated (a master's degree or higher) and high-income individuals decreased after the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The role of crop insurance in reducing pesticide use: Evidence from rice farmers in China

Pesticides play a significant role in increasing agricultural yields. However, the overuse of chemical pesticides on crops is a major challenge faced by China, which damages human health, threatens food security, and increases production costs. This paper provides empirical evidence on the relationship between crop insurance and pesticide use. Based on micro-survey data collected from 3410 households, we estimate a control function (CF) approach and find that farmers who purchase crop insurance use 33.30% lower pesticides than those who do not. A series of robustness tests confirm these findings. The results of the moderating effect analysis suggest that rice cultivation training, experience, schooling years, and agricultural laborers can negatively moderate the effect of crop insurance on pesticide use. Furthermore, we also find that the treatment effect of crop insurance is stronger for farmers who are most inclined to purchase crop insurance.

Innovation and green total factor productivity in China: a linear and nonlinear investigation

The empirical conclusions regarding the influence of innovation on green total factor productivity (GTFP) are relatively mixed. Based on China's provincial panel data from 1999 to 2015, this paper uses the number of patent applications to measure regional innovation capacity, and comprehensively examines the linear and nonlinear effects of innovation on GTFP. Our results show that innovation plays a leading role in promoting GTFP growth in China in general. However, two different types of patents, invention patents, and non-invention patents have heterogeneous impacts on China's green growth under the difference of innovation level. Additionally, the relationship between innovation and China's GTFP also differs significantly before and after 2009. A further nonlinear effect analysis based on a panel threshold model reveals that the impact of innovation on GTFP is higher with the rise of human capital, knowledge stock, and financial development. However, only the appropriate environmental regulation stringency is conducive to promoting the influence of innovation on China's green growth. Overall, our findings contribute to a better understanding regarding the impact of innovation on GTFP in China.

CO2 emissions and economic growth: Assessing the heterogeneous effects across climate regimes in Africa

Climate change has occasioned several Earth long-term events, including extreme temperatures. In recent years, Africa was reported as part of the world's regions that experienced extreme temperatures above pre-industrial levels. Despite lower contribution to Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and global warming, Africa remains among the world regions that suffer the most from climate change. However, the impact of climatic factors of temperature and emissions on economic production in Africa has not been broadly investigated, specifically among climate regimes. In this study, we attempt for the first time to understand the heterogeneous impacts of emissions and temperature on income in Africa using panel and time-series techniques on datasets spanning the years 1995-2016. At the global level in Africa, our empirical results reveal that a 1% increase in average temperature reduces income by 1.08%, whereas a 1% rise in CO₂ emissions spurs income by 0.23%. The emissions effect result implies that environmental policies specifically designed to reduce CO₂ emissions in Africa as a whole may significantly impact production in the long run. Also, the result suggests that a shift from optimal temperature levels to extreme patterns deter economic growth. Despite these revelations, our extended analysis based on climate regimes indicates heterogeneous effects across countries. Considering the Paris agreement on climate, this study suggests that policymakers should emphasise country-specific policies than global climatic policies for sustained CO₂ emissions reduction in Africa.

The effects of subway openings on air quality: evidence from China

This paper examines a causal relationship between the opening of a city's subway system and its air quality by exploiting daily data on prefecture-level cities in China from 2000 to 2012. Using multi-period difference in differences (DID) method, we find that air quality can be significantly improved following a subway system opening. Robustness tests support the fundamental empirical results. Heterogeneity analysis shows that cities in the eastern and western regions and cities with higher GDP or cities with larger population experience greater and more significant reduction in pollution. We further find that the air pollution continues to decrease with the extension and prolonged operating period of a subway system. Mechanism analysis shows that the resulted air pollution index (API) reduction is due to the substitution effect of taxi.

Effects of haze pollution on pesticide use by rice farmers: fresh evidence from rural areas of China

Recently, severe haze pollution has not only threatened human health and food security, but also seems to have aggravated the unscientific use of pesticides by rice farmers in rural areas of China. Using original data on haze pollution across China, combined with rural household survey data collected from 2014 to 2018, we conducted a detailed empirical study on the effects of haze pollution on pesticide use by rice farmers based on the theory of risk aversion. The empirical results revealed that haze pollution with higher levels of PM2.5 positively impacted the use of chemical pesticides in rice cultivation. More precisely, with each 100% increase in PM2.5 concentrations, the use of pesticide per mu increased by 7.9%, and the average pesticide cost per mu increased by 2.3%. The results were robust to a series of tests that addressed potential endogeneity concerns, including omitted variable bias, measurement error, and reverse causality. We then examined the heterogeneous effects of haze pollution increases on the use of chemical pesticides and found that for rice farmers without rice insurance, haze pollution has a stronger effect on pesticide use and a weaker effect on pesticide cost. However, for rice farmers with more experience in rice cultivation and small-scale rice planting, the effect of haze pollution on pesticide use and cost is relatively small. Our findings provide important policy implications for pesticide risk management in rural areas of developing countries.

Repeated measures regression mixture models

Regression mixture models are one increasingly utilized approach for developing theories about and exploring the heterogeneity of effects. In this study we aimed to extend the current use of regression mixtures to a repeated regression mixture method when repeated measures, such as diary-type and experience-sampling method, data are available. We hypothesized that additional information borrowed from the repeated measures would improve the model performance, in terms of class enumeration and accuracy of the parameter estimates. We specifically compared three types of model specifications in regression mixtures: (a) traditional single-outcome model; (b) repeated measures models with three, five, and seven measures; and (c) a single-outcome model with the average of seven repeated measures. The results showed that the repeated measures regression mixture models substantially outperformed the traditional and average single-outcome models in class enumeration, with less bias in the parameter estimates. For sample size, whereas prior recommendations have suggested that regression mixtures require samples of well over 1,000 participants, even for classes at a large distance from each other (classes with regression weights of .20 vs. .70), the present repeated measures regression mixture models allow for samples as low as 200 participants with an increased number (i.e., seven) of repeated measures. We also demonstrate an application of the proposed repeated measures approach using data from the Sleep Research Project. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Exploring crash mechanisms with microscopic traffic flow variables: A hybrid approach with latent class logit and path analysis models

Understanding the occurrence mechanisms of crashes is critical for traffic safety improvement. Efforts have been investigated to reveal the crash mechanisms and analyze the contributing factors from the aspects of vehicle, driver, and operational perspectives. In this study, special attention has been paid to the operational level analyses while bridging the research gaps of: (1) failing to identify the heterogeneous impact of microscopic traffic flow variables on crash occurrence, and (2) focusing on correlation effects without further investigations for the causal relationships. A hybrid modeling approach with latent class logit (LCL) and path analysis (PA) models was proposed to account for the heterogeneous influencing effects and reveal the causal relationships between crash occurrence and microscopic traffic flow variables. Data from Shanghai urban expressway system were utilized for the empirical analyses. First, the LCL model has concluded four latent subsets of crash occurrence influencing factors. Then, PA models were conducted to identify the concurrent relationships (direct and indirect eff ;ects) for the four sets of crash occurrence influencing factors separately. Finally, the results of the LCL model and PA models were compared and the crash-prone scenarios were inferred. And the potential safety improvement countermeasures were discussed.

Prolongation of working life and its effect on mortality and health in older adults: Propensity score matching

Many countries are raising the age of pension eligibility because of increases in life expectancy. Given the social gradient in life expectancy and health, it is important to understand the potential late-life health effects of prolonging working life and whether any effects differ by socioeconomic position. We examined the effect of prolonging working life beyond age 65 on mortality and a series of indicators of late-life physical health (the ability to climb stairs without difficulty, self-rated health, ADL limitations, and musculoskeletal pain) in a representative sample of the Swedish population. In addition to average effects, we also examined heterogeneous effects, for instance by occupational social class. To do this, we use propensity score matching, a method suitable for addressing causality in observational data. The data came from two linked Swedish longitudinal surveys based on nationally representative samples with repeated follow-ups; The Swedish Level of Living Survey and the Swedish Panel Study of Living conditions of the Oldest Old, and from national income and mortality registries. The analytical sample for the mortality outcome included 1852 people, and for late-life physical health outcomes 1461 people. We found no significant average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) of working to age 66 or above on the outcomes, measured an average of 12 years after retirement: mortality (ATT -0.039), the ability to climb stairs (ATT -0.023), self-rated health (ATT -0.009), ADL limitations (ATT -0.023), or musculoskeletal pain (ATT -0.009) in late life. Analyses of whether the results varied by occupational social class or the propensity to prolong working life were inconclusive but suggest a positive effect of prolonging working life on health outcomes. Accordingly, more detailed knowledge about the precise mechanisms underlying these results are needed. In conclusion, working to age 66 or above did not have effect on mortality or late-life physical health.

Education Gains Attributable to Fertility Decline: Patterns by Gender, Period, and Country in Latin America and Asia

We investigate the heterogeneity across countries and time in the relationship between mother's fertility and children's educational attainment-the quantity-quality (Q-Q) trade-off-by using census data from 17 countries in Asia and Latin America, with data from each country spanning multiple census years. For each country-year, we estimate micro-level instrumental variables models predicting secondary school attainment using number of siblings of the child, instrumented by the sex composition of the first two births in the family. We then analyze correlates of Q-Q trade-off patterns across countries. On average, one additional sibling in the family reduces the probability of secondary education by 6 percentage points for girls and 4 percentage points for boys. This Q-Q trade-off is significantly associated with the level of son preference, slightly decreasing over time and with fertility, but it does not significantly differ by educational level of the country.

Who responds to financial incentives for weight loss? Evidence from a randomized controlled trial

There is a paucity of evidence on the heterogeneous impacts of financial incentives on weight loss. Between March 2010 and January 2012, in a randomized controlled trial, we assigned 700 obese persons to three experimental arms. We test whether particular subgroups react differently to financial incentives for weight loss. Two treatment groups obtained a cash reward (€150 and €300 with 237 and 229 participants, respectively) for achieving an individually-assigned target weight within four months; the control group (234 participants) was not incentivized. Participants and administrators were not blinded to the intervention. We find that monetary rewards effectively induced obese individuals to reduce weight across all subgroups. However, there is no evidence for treatment-effect heterogeneity for those groups that were incentivized. Among those who were in the €300 group, statistically significant and large weight losses were observed for women, singles, and those who are not working (all above 4 kg in four months). In addition, the magnitude of the reward matters only for women and migrants. The effectiveness of financial incentives to reduce weight nevertheless raises sensitive ethical issues that should be taken into consideration by policymakers.

Does health education affect BMI? Evidence from a school-based randomised-control trial

We examine the effects of a comprehensive school-based health education programme (introducing healthy habits in the curriculum) to combat childhood obesity in the mid-size urban city of Granollers (Catalonia, Spain). The intervention was carried out between 2006 and 2008. New anthropometric measurements were obtained in 2008, 2010 and 2012. The length of the intervention evaluation constitutes a valuable contribution to the existing literature. Data refers to 509 schoolchildren aged 6 years old from 16 schools that were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or to the control group. Our results indicate that children's BMI in the treatment group was reduced by 1.13 kg/m(2) four years after the intervention, representing on average and for an average height, a loss of 1.6 kg. We examine heterogeneity and find that most effect is driven by children coming from disadvantaged backgrounds whilst no differences were obtained differentiating by gender.