Centre for Economic and Regional Studies Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre of Excellence

IE HAS seminar - Bíró Anikó, Szabó-Morvai Ágnes - 6 Feb 2020

02/06/2020

Bíró Anikó  Szabó-Morvai Ágnes

Mass media coverage and vaccination uptake: evidence from the demand for meningococcal vaccines in Hungary

We estimate the effect of mass media coverage of the meningococcal disease on the uptake of meningococcal vaccinations in Hungary. Our analysis is based on administrative county level data on vaccine purchases, linked to indicators of media coverage of the meningococcal disease and to administrative records of disease incidence. Using geographical and time variations in these indicators, our fixed effects estimates indicate a strong positive effect of mass media coverage of the disease on the rate of vaccination with all types of the meningococcal vaccine. At the same time, we do not find evidence that disease incidence itself would have a positive impact on vaccination. These findings are broadly in line with imperfect information and the principles of bounded rationality, and highlight the responsibility of mass media in influencing health related behaviours.

Helyszín: Hungarian Academy of Sciences - Reserarch House, 1097 Budapest, Tóth Kálmán u. 4. Ground Floor room K 11-12.

KTI seminar

02/13/2020

Digitalization against shadow economy: the introduction of online cash registers in Hungary

 

In order to reduce the shadow economy, in 2014 the Hungarian government introduced mandatory online cash registers (OCR) in retail, and accommodation and food services sectors (AFS). In this paper we use micro data to estimate the effect of OCR introduction on reported turnover. We identify a remarkable effect of OCR introduction in both sectors. For small enterprises, reported turnover increased by 23 percent and 35.1 percent in the retail and AFS sector, respectively. We also find significant but smaller effects for medium-sized enterprises in both sectors. For large companies, we only observe a significant impact in the AFS sector.

 

Helyszín: MTA HTK 1097 Budapest Tóth Kálmán u. 4. fszt. K11-12

KTI seminar

02/20/2020

Rita Pető (IE): Foreign Acquisition and the Return to Skills

 

I study the effect of foreign takeovers on the return to specific skills. Using administrative data on Hungarian workers and firms augmented with occupation level skill requirement measures, I find a positive and significant increase in the return to independent problem solving skills after a foreign acquisition, while the effect is smaller and less robust in the case of interpersonal skills, and I find no effect on the return to routine task intensity. These results are not driven by a subgroup of workers (such as managers) or by any special firm types (such as manufacturing firms), the pattern is general. I also show that the change in the valuation of independent problem solving skills can explain the increase in the white-collar wage premium. I argue that these findings are in line with the hypothesis that foreign investors decentralize the firm structure after the takeover.

Helyszín: MTA HTK 1097 Budapest Tóth Kálmán u. 4. fszt. K11-12-es előadóterem