Published papers in Scientific Journals
Measuring well-being: A Buen Vivir (living well) indicator for Ecuador, Mero-Figueroa, Marina, La Piedra, Laura, Galdeano, Obaco, 2020, Social Indicators Research.
Abstract
Buen Vivir (Living Well in English) is a concept that breaks traditional paradigms. The central idea which underpins this philosophy is the balanced relationship between people and their community and natural surroundings. In other terms, it is based on enjoying human rights responsibly while respecting common goods within the context of a harmonious coexistence. The present study explores this idea to measure well-being in Ecuador, one of the countries where this concept was first introduced. The multidimensional nature of Buen Vivir involves a great deal of complexity when conducting analyses from a holistic perspective, which is the reason empirical studies on this issue are quite scarce. In the present work, an indicator is constructed by weighing different sub-indicators of well-being, such happiness and life satisfaction, trust and satisfaction with government and community, security, physical housing characteristics and environmental concern. For this purpose, individual data on the Ecuadorian population were analyzed in the period 2014-2016. The results reveal an average national indicator of 68 over 100, which could be considered relatively good. The highest levels are found in security, housing characteristics and happiness. This study also explores the heterogeneity among provinces, regions and urban/rural areas, and how Buen Vivir is related to individual characteristics. It shows that, rather than considering the well-being of people to be merely income-dependent, economic policies should take into account other aspects related to Buen Vivir, such as the protection of the environment and people’s traditional livelihoods.
On the link between material deprivation and city size: Ecuador as a case study, Obaco Moisés, Matano Alessia, Royuela Vicente, 2020, Journal of Land Use Policy.
Abstract
The association between city size and productivity has been widely investigated in the academic literature. On the contrary, less is known about the link between city size and material living conditions. Recently, a strong emphasis has been put on the process of urbanization without growth and on the burst of large cities. The creation of slums and large areas with underdeveloped housing characteristics has become a major concern for urban planners. This is especially the case for developing economies. This work analyses the association between city size and material living conditions in Ecuador, a small developing country experiencing rapid urbanization and where slums constitute a relevant part of the urban landscape. Our findings show that living in denser areas is associated with lower levels of deprivation and overcrowding. Nonetheless, we also show evidence of congestion in larger cities.
Where to go? Drivers of Venezuelan Asylum-Seekers, Juan Pablo Díaz-Sánchez, Andrea Bonilla-Bolaños, Moisés Obaco, 2020, Journal of Refugee Studies.
Abstract
This article reports an investigation of the drivers of Venezuelan asylum seekers—people who have left this country given the scarcity of food and medicines and the troubled actual socio-economic situation. To do so, we use data about the main countriesinwhichVenezuelanshaveclaimedforasylumduringtheperiod2014–17.Usinga panel-regression model, we have found that Venezuelan asylum seekers increase, on average, in countries that (i) are geographically nearby Venezuela, (ii) are less politically stable and (iii) have higher real income per capita, lower inflation rates and higher unemployment rates. Still, such a general profile of countries preferred byVenezuelan asylumseekersisnuancedby the small magnitude of the effects regarding the economic variables: it appears that Venezuelan asylum seekers hardly consider the economic situation of a country for deciding to stay. Furthermore, the empirical evidence provided by our model reflects the deterioration of Venezuela’s socio-economic aspects.
Identifying Functional Urban Areas in Ecuador Using a Varying Travel Time Approach, Obaco M., Royuela V. and Vítores X., 2019.
Abstract
Identifying integrated urban areas is an important issue for urban analysis and policy evaluation. In this paper, we extend the OECD’s methodology to identify Functional Urban Areas to countries where there is not commuting data. We do so substituting such socioeconomic flows by available information on road structure, which allow us to work with accessibility based on travel time. The main advantage of our procedure is its applicability to most countries in the world, as it only uses GIS data. In this paper we apply the procedure two border countries: Colombia, which has a recent census with commuting data, to calibrate our approach, and Ecuador, where there is not commuting census. We perform several sensitivity analysis and robustness checks to Ecuador with alternative sources of socioeconomic flows.
"An Overview of Urbanization in Ecuador under FUAs Definition", Moisés Obaco, Díaz-Sánchez Juan Pablo, 2019, Region Journal.
Abstract
This paper explores the urbanization process under Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) definition considering Ecuador as case of study. Analyzing data from 1950 to 2010, we have identified 28 FUAs that confirm that urbanization has rapidly increased in Ecuador since 1962. Then, a slum index, which is constructed using a United Nations methodology, is applied to approach individuals’ wellbeing at dwelling level into FUAs for the period 1990 - 2010. We find that the greater improvement in terms of quality of dwelling takes place during the period 1990 - 2001 compared to 2001-2010 .
"What drives the spatial wage premium in formal and informal labor markets? The case of Ecuador",
Matano Alessia, Obaco Moisés, Royuela Vicente, 2020, Journal of Regional Science.
Abstract:
This article investigates the incidence of agglomeration externalities in Ecuador, a small‐sized, middle‐income developing country. In particular, we analyze the role of the informal sector within these relations, since informal employment accounts for a significant part of total employment in the developing countries. Using individual level data and instrumental variable techniques, we investigate the impact of spatial externalities, in terms of population density, local specialization and urban size, on the wages of workers in Ecuadorian cities. The results show that spatial externalities matter also for a small developing country. Moreover, analysis of the interaction between spatial externalities and informality shows that, on average, workers employed in the informal sector do not enjoy significant benefits from agglomeration externalities. Finally, by investigating the possible channels behind spatial agglomeration gains we show that the advantages from agglomeration for formal sector workers may well be accounted for by better job‐quality matches and, to a lesser extent, by learning externalities. For informal sector workers, our findings also suggest possible gains from job changes, which offset a penalty for remaining employed in the same occupation.
Working Papers
"Material deprivation at aggregated and small-area level in Ecuador", Obaco Moisés, Dimitris Ballas, 2018.
Abstract
Deprivation indexes were introduced in the 80s and has become an important tool for identifying, analyzing and monitoring social-economic disadvantages areas. In this paper, we use an deprivation index based on material deprivation to analyze the improvement in the physical quality of life of the households in Ecuador. We evaluate the index in different levels: national, urban/rural, regional and province level for the period 2010-2017. Evidence shows in terms of material deprivation Ecuador has improved from the period 2010 to 2017. However, the Coastal regions and its provinces which accumulates a relative important proportion of the urban population present higher level of material deprivation compared with the Andean region. The Amazon region is always the region with the highest level of material deprivation. The Province of Pichincha (where is the capital) presents the lowest level of material deprivation, while the province of Guayas (where is Guayaquil, the most populated city and the economic motor of Ecuador) presents the best material deprivation compared with the rest of the Coastal provinces, while it is not the best compared with the Andean provinces. In terms of small-area material deprivation, we can observe that Guayaquil also presents a higher level of material deprivation, being worse in its composition compared with the other two main cities of Ecuador (Quito and Cuenca).
"City size and Slums: Are There Agglomeration Effects", Obaco Moisés, Royuela Vicente, Matano Alessia, 2018.
Abstract
In this paper, it is extended the size-productivity framework of agglomeration economies. We examine the nature of the relationship between city size and the minimum of material Quality of Life (QoL) that is offered by cities in the developing world. We use Ecuador as the case of study and a slum index to measure the minimum of material Quality of Life. We measure the slum index in two ways. The identification variables are the same in both indexes, but we use two approaches to quantify the weight of the indexes. The first one is adding dummy variables, the second is using PCA. We use 10 variables at the household level to measure the minimum of material Quality of Life (QoL) offer in the Ecuadorean cities for the period 2013-2016. We rely on OLS and IV estimates to identify this relationship. In addition, we control for individual characteristics of people that live in those households. We find a negative relationship between city size and the slum indexes. Thus, we verify that larger cities tend to offer better minimum material Quality of Life. We also did not find congestion in the two largest cities because when the two largest cities are removed from the estimation, the agglomeration effects are reduced in magnitude. Results suggest that cities in the developing world are working in the agglomeration economies framework in the case of study when it is measured as the minimum material Quality of Life (QoL).