Miriam Marcen (p), Marina Morales

Tomasz Kossowski

In this paper, we analyze gender differences in working from home (WFH) from the time
the pandemic hardest hit onwards in the US. The first unexpected wave of the COVID-
19 caused a shift in many people's regular workplaces, facing increased demands for
housework and childcare while working remotely. After that, it is not clear how men and
women has reacted to the normality. Using data from the American Time Use Survey
(ATUS), we find that WFH is more prevalent among women than men and the gender
gap is considerably widest after the first wave of the pandemic with heterogeneous results
by age, level of education, and marital and dependence status. The dynamic analysis also
reveals changes over time. The event study points to the no existence of pre-trends.
However, we further show suggestive evidence on the fact that a longer and greater
exposure to more intense non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) during the first wave
of the pandemic positively affected the tendency of WFH for men but not for women
considerably reducing the gender gap by 18 percentage points in a typical state.
Additional results also point to more work-related issues differentially affected by gender
after the pandemic hits. We find an increase in unpredictable schedules, interrupted work,
weekly work hours, and a decrease in commuting time only for women.

Hyeji Jang, Jinhwan Oh (p)

Miriam Marcen

This study examines the determinants of international migration flows in South Korea, focusing on the impact of bilateral aid on migration. Using comprehensive panel data covering 144 migrant-sending countries listed as recipients of South Korean ODA from 2000 to 2020, this study confirms three hypothesis on the relationship between bilateral ODA and migration inflows to South Korea, and the application of the mobility transition theory and the gravity model to the panel data used in this study.
In line with the hypothesis, major findings from this study includes 1) Migration flows of South Korea well corresponds with the mobility transition theory, implying that migration flows have been skewed toward middle-income countries 2) Bilateral aid is a very significant determinants of bilateral migration flows to South Korea, together with other factors (known as the Push-pull factors 3) Immigration flows to South Korea are consistent with the gravity model's prediction 4) Thre are different effects of bilateral aid on migration by the income level of countries 5) There are underrepresented countries in terms of estimated flows, suggesting that South Korea should adopt a strategic approach to diversity the spectrum of migrants from the underrepresented countries covering both skilled and unskilled workers.

Stefano Fusaro (p), Enrique López-Bazo

Jinhwan Oh

This paper investigates the native education responses to immigration in Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain over the period 1981-2011. The empirical analysis is divided into two parts. In the first, we assess the direct and indirect effects of immigration on native schooling, as well as the overall effect that encompasses the other two. In the second part, we consider the different employment structure of the local labor markets under analysis and verify the combined effect of immigration and regional specialization in low- and high-skilled sectors on the native education responses. All in all, the presence of immigrants is associated with a lower propensity of natives to acquire human capital, and the effect is stronger in regions specialized in low-skilled sectors.

Tomasz Kossowski (p), Bartosz Wojtyra, Anna Kołodziejczak

Stefano Fusaro

Depopulation and ageing are the most significant demographic problems in Europe. As a result, social care is becoming the most costly of all the EU public expenses. In Poland, after 2015, this expenditure has been growing the fastest in history. Considering the value of family benefits, Poland takes third place in the EU. This is caused by "Family 500+" - the most extensive national social program after the systemic transformation. Initially, the benefit was paid monthly for the second and subsequent child without the income criterion. One of its main objectives was the need to increase the birth rate. The work aims to assess the demographic effects of the "Family 500+" program in Poland (started in 2016), particularly emphasising the spatial dimension and urban-rural relations. Firstly, the dynamic of demography in Poland has been analysed (since 2005). Secondly, attention has been paid to assessing changes in the population and the labour market in the regional context before and after the program's implementation. Thirdly, a possible impact of COViD-19 on demography was considered. Preliminary analyses indicate that the "Family 500+" program has not clear influence on increase in the number of births in Poland. It has not changed the late decision to have children. The work uses Statistics Poland and the Ministry of Family, Labour, and Social Policy data. The methods include spatial analysis, descriptive statistics, panel data modelling, and demographic indicators.