Economic integration reduces the costs of factor mobility, producing efficiency gains and contributing to equalization of net factor returns. This raises the cost of income-redistribution policy, thus threatening a basic function of the welfare state. A simple model of costly factor mobility under uncertainty shows that greater factor mobility enables factor owners to pool industry-specific, re...

Randomized response (RR) is a well-known method for measuring sensitive behavior. Yet this method is not often applied because: (i) of its lower efficiency and the resulting need for larger sample sizes which make applications of RR costly; (ii) despite its privacy-protection mechanism the RR design may not be followed by every respondent; and (iii) the incorrect belief that RR yields estimates...

* C h i e f A c t u a r y , Soc ia l S e c u r i t y A d m i n i s t r a t i o n . In the 1956 amendments to the Social Security Act, Congress continued its policy of making the old-age and survivors insurance program self-supporting. The amendments included provisions increasing the cost of the program, but the greater cost–except for the new disability insurance benefits–is roughly offset by ...

The authors propose that people in relationships become emotionally similar over time--as this similarity would help coordinate the thoughts and behaviors of the relationship partners, increase their mutual understanding, and foster their social cohesion. Using laboratory procedures to induce and assess emotional response, the authors found that dating partners (Study 1) and college roommates (...

The early 21st century is witnessing a rapid advance in social robots. From vacuum cleaning robots (like the Roomba), to entertainment robots (like the Pleo), to robot pets (like KittyCat), to robot dolls (like Baby Alive), to therapy robots (like Paro), and many others, social robots are rapidly finding applications in households and elder care settings. In 2006, the number of service robots w...

We report the results of a quasi-experimental study evaluating the effectiveness of the Mindfulness Education (ME) program. ME is a theoretically derived, teacher-taught universal preventive intervention that focuses on facilitating the development of social and emotional competence and positive emotions, and has as its cornerstone daily lessons in which students engage in mindful attention tra...

Loose parts play (LPP) interventions introduce moveable materials and equipment to children's play spaces to facilitate unstructured, child-led play. Meta-analysis of previous school-based research has shown significant benefits of LPP for physical activity. In the current paper, we review the scope and quality of the quantitative evidence relating to cognitive, social and emotional outcomes. W...

P eople with multiple sclerosis (MS) face a wide variety of physical, emotional, and social challenges. A multidisciplinary comprehensive care approach is recommended for the management of MS and its consequences, and non-traditional treatments are increasingly considered by patients and health care providers, particularly for the promotion of wellness in the context of this chronic disease. Pr...

Play is essential to the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being of children beginning in early childhood. It is a natural tool for children to develop resiliency as they learn to cooperate, overcome challenges, and negotiate with others. Play also allows children to be creative. It provides time for parents to be fully engaged with their children, to bond with their children, and...