This paper examines human obesity, measured as weight and body mass index (BMI), and its determinants in Russia. Obesity increased dramatically during transition from a planned to a market economy, by 38 percent. We determine the factors contributing to rising obesity using individual level data...

The paper presents evidence on the impact of individual characteristics as well as regional macroeconomic factors onchanges in fat, protein, alcohol and tobacco consumption, and on diet’s diversity during the transition period 1994 –2004 in Russia. The results from estimating first...

This study integrates theoretical and empirical models to facilitate understanding of human obesity and the factors contributing to rising obesity in Russia during the transition from a planned to a market economy. Recent individual level data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey for...

Economic and welfare program factors affect the well-being of low-income families and their labor supply decisions. This study uses data from the U.S. Survey of Income and Program Participation. A nested logit model is estimated to explain the joint decisions to participate in Temporary...

Midwestern non-metro poor participate more in the labor force and less in welfare programs than metro poor. We formalize how household composition, capital, labor market conditions, and state-specific regulations define opportunity sets, then estimate a bivariate binomial probit model of work...

The costs of shortages/rationing are not captured by standard consumer price indices. Thus the change in real GDP per capita is an over estimate of welfare losses in transition economies. In this study virtual prices are used to calculate new cost of living indices, making it possible to...

At the center of the debates on welfare reform is whether the incentives-based systems help poor families move out of poverty into jobs. Recent data from the first Survey of Program Dynamics longitudinal and the 1998 experimental data files allow evaluation of the interaction among the Food...

This paper investigates regional variations in household welfare program and labor force participation behavior in the United States. A choice-theoretic model is developed and estimated for each of the major census regions (Northeast, Midwest, South and West) using cross-section data on...