June 4-5, 2019

This research examines wage differentials associated to different collective bargaining regimes in Spain and their evolution over time based on matched employer-employee microdata. The primary objective is to analyse the wage differentials associated to the presence of a firm-level agreement and how they have evolved, taking into account the changes in the economic cycle and the recent labour reform of 2012. The second objective of the study is to examine the impact on wages of an absence of a collective agreement.

We exploit a change in the public healthcare entitlement of undocumented migrants in Spain to investigate the causal link between withdrawal of healthcare and changes in help-seeking behaviour of women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). We contribute to the new literature modelling domestic violence by taking a novel look at the role of human capital in decisions to seek help when in violent relationships. We use a difference-in-differences (DiD) methodology to compare the number of foreign applicants for protection orders before and after the reform using Spanish applicants as the counterfactual.

Student performance, especially at university, is a strong determinant of individual decisions and future labour opportunities. The well-documented gender gap in labour outcomes (see Blau and Kahn, 2010 for a recent review) highlights the need to understand the potential determinants of gender differences in academic performance so as to mitigate them and to promote increased gender equality in education and, hence, in labour opportunities.

Student performance at university is a strong determinant of individual decisions and future outcomes, most notably labour opportunities. Although published studies have found gender differences in student performance in response to pressure, little is known about such differences when university students are exposed to test pressure. Based on field data, this study aims to examine gender differences in student academic performance in response to different levels of pressure when sitting multiple choice tests, a frequently employed exam format at university.

According to the most recent economic and fiscal figures (IMF and EC 2018), the developed economies are characterized by high debt levels, exceeding 100% of GDP as a whole, and where more than one third have (in 2017) a debt exceeding 85% of GDP, three times as many as in 2000. Moreover, despite the current economic recovery and a marked correction of the structural budget deficits, expectations in the medium term are for a slow
reduction (a total of 5pp up to 2023, according to the IMF 2018), thus maintaining significant risks with regard to
sustainability. At the same time, and within this framework of restriction, the developed economies must begin to face the impacts derived from population aging (pensions, sociohealth services, etc.) and social changes that demand more transparency in the public actions of those who manage the citizens’ resources.