Philip Merrigan | Université du Québec à Montréal (original) (raw)

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Papers by Philip Merrigan

Research paper thumbnail of Family background, family income, maternal work and child development

Cette étude empirique présente les effets des caractéristiques familiales, du revenu familial et ... more Cette étude empirique présente les effets des caractéristiques familiales, du revenu familial et du travail des parents -en particulier celui des mères -sur le développement des jeunes enfants. Les indicateurs de développement analysés sont les scores obtenus par les enfants sur des échelles mesurant le développement cognitif (enfants âgés de 4 et 5 ans) et certains comportements sociaux négatifs et positifs (enfants âgés de 4 à 11 ans). Ces scores sont interprétés comme des indices du "stock" de capital humain des enfants au Canada ainsi que de leur bien-être. L'analyse s'appuie sur les micro-données de l'Enquête nationale longitudinale sur les enfants et les jeunes réalisée conjointement par le ministère du Développement des ressources humaines du Canada et par Statistique Canada. Les résultats indiquent que le travail des mères a des effets légèrement positifs ou nuls sur les indicateurs de développement des enfants. Ils suggèrent aussi que le revenu familial a peu d'effet pour l'enfant canadien typique. Cependant, il est vraisemblable que l'effet du revenu familial soit plus important pour les enfants vivant dans une famille à très faible revenu. Les variables qui prédisent le mieux les indicateurs mesurés de développement sont celles qui sont associées aux caractéristiques des parents et de la famille. Les implications des résultats pour la politique publique à l'égard des enfants sont discutées.

Research paper thumbnail of A'natural experiment'on the economics of storks: evidence on the impact of differential family policy on fertility rates in Canada

Research paper thumbnail of The effect of childcare and early education arrangements on developmental outcomes of young children

Canadian Public Policy/Analyse de Politiques, 2002

This study investigates the relationship between child care arrangements and developmental outcom... more This study investigates the relationship between child care arrangements and developmental outcomes of young children using data from Cycle 1 of the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Models of the determinants of Motor and Social Development (MSD) scores for children aged 0-47 months, and of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test assessment scores (PPVT-R) for children aged 4-5 years are estimated controlling for a variety of non-parental childcare and early education characteristics. The results suggest that infant-toddler non-parental care arrangements have insignificant or negligible impacts on developmental outcomes (MSD). For preschoolers, modes of care and early education do not, on average, influence cognitive development (PPVT). The results of fixed effect estimates for a sample of siblings aged 0-47 months confirm the preceding conclusion. The analysis is repeated to identify the determinants of the probability the child's MSD (PPVT) score is in the bottom part of the distribution of MSD (PPVT) scores and the conclusions are similar.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing family policy in Canada: a new deal for families and children

Research paper thumbnail of An econometric and neoclassical analysis of the timing and spacing of births in Canada from 1950 to 1990

Journal of Population Economics, 1998

. This paper estimates a reduced form neoclassical model of Canadian fertility dynamics using a... more . This paper estimates a reduced form neoclassical model of Canadian fertility dynamics using an econometric technique that integrates several features not usually found in the demographic and economic literature. We find considerable support for the neoclassical model. We also find that correlated unobservables and parity stopping effects play an important role in Canadian fertility dynamics as well as other socio-demographic features of Canadian women. However, we fail to totally characterize the important drops in the fertility rate that took place for this era.

Research paper thumbnail of Precautionary saving motives: An assessment from UK time series of cross-sections

The Economic Journal, 1994

... 1200 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [SEPTEMBER involved in (3). The previous assumption onhousehold cha... more ... 1200 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [SEPTEMBER involved in (3). The previous assumption onhousehold characteristics ensures that Xi, t+ and Ti, t+1 are in ... the heteroscedasticity (of unknown form) that can occur because the dependent variables in (5) are the proxies (Ad1 t+,)2 ...

Research paper thumbnail of Child‐care policy and the labor supply of mothers with young children: A natural experiment from Canada

Journal of Labor Economics, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of Precautionary Saving Motives: An Assessment from UK Time Series of Cross-Sections. ''Economic

... 1200 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [SEPTEMBER involved in (3). The previous assumption onhousehold cha... more ... 1200 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [SEPTEMBER involved in (3). The previous assumption onhousehold characteristics ensures that Xi, t+ and Ti, t+1 are in ... the heteroscedasticity (of unknown form) that can occur because the dependent variables in (5) are the proxies (Ad1 t+,)2 ...

Research paper thumbnail of Down and out: estimating the relationship between mental health and unemployment

Health Economics, 1997

We utilized a unique dataset of Montreal residents to estimate the relationship between employmen... more We utilized a unique dataset of Montreal residents to estimate the relationship between employment and mental health, controlling for endogeneity. We applied a maximum likelihood, simultaneous equation generalized probit model to estimate jointly the determinants of an individual's latent index of employability and their mental health as measured by the Psychiatric Symptom Index (PSI). The likelihood function was adjusted to account for the fact that individuals were sampled based on their employment status, and also for the fact that repeated observations of individuals in different periods were used in the analysis. We found tangible beneficial effects of mental health on employability. In addition, employment appears to improve mental health. The ML estimates of the endogenous relationship between employment and mental health indicate that OLS estimates are biased upwards, but the effects of unemployment on deteriorating mental health are not spurious.

Research paper thumbnail of Family background, family income, maternal work and child development

Cette étude empirique présente les effets des caractéristiques familiales, du revenu familial et ... more Cette étude empirique présente les effets des caractéristiques familiales, du revenu familial et du travail des parents -en particulier celui des mères -sur le développement des jeunes enfants. Les indicateurs de développement analysés sont les scores obtenus par les enfants sur des échelles mesurant le développement cognitif (enfants âgés de 4 et 5 ans) et certains comportements sociaux négatifs et positifs (enfants âgés de 4 à 11 ans). Ces scores sont interprétés comme des indices du "stock" de capital humain des enfants au Canada ainsi que de leur bien-être. L'analyse s'appuie sur les micro-données de l'Enquête nationale longitudinale sur les enfants et les jeunes réalisée conjointement par le ministère du Développement des ressources humaines du Canada et par Statistique Canada. Les résultats indiquent que le travail des mères a des effets légèrement positifs ou nuls sur les indicateurs de développement des enfants. Ils suggèrent aussi que le revenu familial a peu d'effet pour l'enfant canadien typique. Cependant, il est vraisemblable que l'effet du revenu familial soit plus important pour les enfants vivant dans une famille à très faible revenu. Les variables qui prédisent le mieux les indicateurs mesurés de développement sont celles qui sont associées aux caractéristiques des parents et de la famille. Les implications des résultats pour la politique publique à l'égard des enfants sont discutées.

Research paper thumbnail of A'natural experiment'on the economics of storks: evidence on the impact of differential family policy on fertility rates in Canada

Research paper thumbnail of The effect of childcare and early education arrangements on developmental outcomes of young children

Canadian Public Policy/Analyse de Politiques, 2002

This study investigates the relationship between child care arrangements and developmental outcom... more This study investigates the relationship between child care arrangements and developmental outcomes of young children using data from Cycle 1 of the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Models of the determinants of Motor and Social Development (MSD) scores for children aged 0-47 months, and of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test assessment scores (PPVT-R) for children aged 4-5 years are estimated controlling for a variety of non-parental childcare and early education characteristics. The results suggest that infant-toddler non-parental care arrangements have insignificant or negligible impacts on developmental outcomes (MSD). For preschoolers, modes of care and early education do not, on average, influence cognitive development (PPVT). The results of fixed effect estimates for a sample of siblings aged 0-47 months confirm the preceding conclusion. The analysis is repeated to identify the determinants of the probability the child's MSD (PPVT) score is in the bottom part of the distribution of MSD (PPVT) scores and the conclusions are similar.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing family policy in Canada: a new deal for families and children

Research paper thumbnail of An econometric and neoclassical analysis of the timing and spacing of births in Canada from 1950 to 1990

Journal of Population Economics, 1998

. This paper estimates a reduced form neoclassical model of Canadian fertility dynamics using a... more . This paper estimates a reduced form neoclassical model of Canadian fertility dynamics using an econometric technique that integrates several features not usually found in the demographic and economic literature. We find considerable support for the neoclassical model. We also find that correlated unobservables and parity stopping effects play an important role in Canadian fertility dynamics as well as other socio-demographic features of Canadian women. However, we fail to totally characterize the important drops in the fertility rate that took place for this era.

Research paper thumbnail of Precautionary saving motives: An assessment from UK time series of cross-sections

The Economic Journal, 1994

... 1200 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [SEPTEMBER involved in (3). The previous assumption onhousehold cha... more ... 1200 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [SEPTEMBER involved in (3). The previous assumption onhousehold characteristics ensures that Xi, t+ and Ti, t+1 are in ... the heteroscedasticity (of unknown form) that can occur because the dependent variables in (5) are the proxies (Ad1 t+,)2 ...

Research paper thumbnail of Child‐care policy and the labor supply of mothers with young children: A natural experiment from Canada

Journal of Labor Economics, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of Precautionary Saving Motives: An Assessment from UK Time Series of Cross-Sections. ''Economic

... 1200 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [SEPTEMBER involved in (3). The previous assumption onhousehold cha... more ... 1200 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL [SEPTEMBER involved in (3). The previous assumption onhousehold characteristics ensures that Xi, t+ and Ti, t+1 are in ... the heteroscedasticity (of unknown form) that can occur because the dependent variables in (5) are the proxies (Ad1 t+,)2 ...

Research paper thumbnail of Down and out: estimating the relationship between mental health and unemployment

Health Economics, 1997

We utilized a unique dataset of Montreal residents to estimate the relationship between employmen... more We utilized a unique dataset of Montreal residents to estimate the relationship between employment and mental health, controlling for endogeneity. We applied a maximum likelihood, simultaneous equation generalized probit model to estimate jointly the determinants of an individual's latent index of employability and their mental health as measured by the Psychiatric Symptom Index (PSI). The likelihood function was adjusted to account for the fact that individuals were sampled based on their employment status, and also for the fact that repeated observations of individuals in different periods were used in the analysis. We found tangible beneficial effects of mental health on employability. In addition, employment appears to improve mental health. The ML estimates of the endogenous relationship between employment and mental health indicate that OLS estimates are biased upwards, but the effects of unemployment on deteriorating mental health are not spurious.