Westmeath Community Development

Combat Poverty Agency

Research Seminar Series 2009

Research Seminar:

Revisiting the Cost of Children: Theory and Evidence from Ireland

Researchers:

Dr Olivier Bargain, Geary Institute, UCD and IZA

Olivier Donni, University of Cergy-Pontoise (France) and IZA

Monnet Gbakou, Geary Institute, UCD

Venue:

Boardroom, Combat Poverty Agency

Date:

Tuesday, 3 March, 2009

Time:

12.30 – 2pm

Abstract:

In this seminar, the researchers suggest a collective model with parents and (young) children. They identify and estimate scale economies in households and the sharing rule between husband, wife and children. While adult shares and economies of scale are identified thanks to the estimation of individual Engel curves on single individuals, the identification of the resource share accruing to children (the cost of children) requires observation of adult-specific goods as in the traditional Rothbarth method. The useful aspect of the present approach is that it requires only the estimation of Engel curves on cross-sectional data, i.e. price variation is not required. This is an advantage for many countries where price variations is indeed limited, as in their application on Irish data.

Directions:

Combat Poverty is located in the Bridgewater Centre, Conyngham Road, Islandbridge, Dublin 8 (just before the intersection with the South Circular Road).  There is off-street parking only in the bottom car park at the rear of the building.  It is located down the ramp immediately on your left hand side as you pass the front entrance of the Bridgewater Centre.  There are frequent buses from the city centre (Pearse Street / College Green:  25, 25A, 26, 66, 67, 67A).  The luas can be taken to Heuston or Museum stations – it is a 15 minute walk up Parkgate Street / Conyngham Road.

An archive of presentations given from 2004 to date is available at http://www.combatpoverty.ie/research/seminarpresentations.html.