Calendrier du 11 octobre 2022
PSI-PSE (Petit Séminaire Informel de la Paris School of Economics) Seminar
Du 11/10/2022 de 17:00 à 18:00
R1.13
STRICOT Maëlle (PSE)
Understanding the determinants of sexual violence (under)reporting: Evidence from France
Sexual violence and its underreporting are major social problems. Encouraging victims to report to formal authorities is key to preventing and combating this violence. This paper explores the determinants of reporting sexual violence to the police using data from the French victimization survey. I show that the reporting propensity is higher for victims with low socioeconomic status, living in urban areas, or having suffered an assault involving physical injuries. I also analyze rare information on the reasons for not reporting to unveil the mechanisms behind these findings, which allows me to discard some frequently advanced explanations. First, I provide suggestive evidence that victims of higher socioeconomic status report less not because they fear social recrimination but due to better knowledge of the criminal justice system and the material and psychological costs associated with reporting. Second, the sizable impact of physical injury occurrence is unlikely to be explained by better prospects of winning the case thanks to this solid evidence. Instead, it seems driven by better alignment with the cultural norms stemming from the "classic rape" stereotype. Overall, the results suggest that the low reporting of sexual violence stems more from distrust in the criminal justice response than fear of inadequate police intake.
Applied Economics Lunch Seminar
Du 11/10/2022 de 12:30 à 13:30
Salle R2.21, Campus Jourdan
IGNACIO MERCATANTE Juan (PSE)
Food access or energy security? The case of biofuels in Argentina
Biofuels are an alternative source of energy that is renewable and less polluting than traditional fuels. However, their production is strongly linked to food access conditions since it requires the use of primary inputs that could be alternatively used for food production. The most widely applied policy around the world regarding biofuels is the mandatory blend of fuels and biofuels in a fixed proportion set by the law. This work proposes the application of a new biofuel policy: the flexible blend. The idea behind this proposal is to exploit the substitutability between fossil fuels and biofuels to improve the productive, distributive, and environmental performance of the economy. It is also addressed the impact of this flexible blend in terms of energy security and food access. The first research question is: how does the flexible blend performs compared to other biofuel mandates under a business-as-usual scenario? The second one is: how do these types of blends react under different contexts? I evaluate four scenarios: (i) an increase in the international price of oil, (ii) an increase in the international price of agricultural commodities, (iii) a carbon tax, and (iv) a fall in the productivity of the agricultural sector (i.e., drought or floods). For that purpose, I have developed a Computable General Equilibrium model calibrated with an own elaborated Social Accounting Matrix of Argentina in 2018. The main results suggest that a flexible blend has positive impact on the economic activity and the national welfare. Moreover, it improves energy and food access conditions to households. Finally, this flexible energy policy allows cushioning the unwanted effects of different external socks and other domestic policies.