https://hdl.handle.net/2072/478808 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:05:38 GMT 2026-04-05T22:05:38Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/228371 Concentration of income and human development: the role of the middle class Castells Quintana, David; Gradín, Carlos; Royuela Mora, Vicente In this paper, we reassess the relationship between inequality and human development, focusing on the differential role of concentration of income at different parts of the distribution. To do so, we rely on a large global panel of countries over the last decades including information on economic and human development, as well as detailed information on the distribution of income within countries. We show how the concentration of income at the bottom and top, rather than overall inequality, is negatively associated with human development. This result highlights the relevance of income shares that go to the middle part of the income distribution and seems especially important in what refers to human capital accumulation in middle- and low-income countries, and health in high-income countries. Our main results remain significant under different specifications and estimation techniques and after controlling for several country-specific characteristics, including the quality of institutions. Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:34:13 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/2445/228371 2026-03-20T12:34:13Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/227925 The multiomics blueprint of the individual with the most extreme lifespan Torrubiano, Marta; Massip Salcedo, Marta; Khidir, Kamal A.; Cao, Thong Huy; Quinn, Paulene A.; Jones, Donald J. L.; Macip, Salvador; Brigos Barril, Eva; Moldes, Mauricio; Barteri, Fabio; Ferrer, Gerardo; Muntané, Gerard; Davalos, Veronica; Laayouni, Hafid; Mereu, Elisabetta; Navarro, Arcadi; Pluvinet, Raquel; Esteller, Manel; Arribas, Carles; Torre, Carolina de la; Villavicencio Goula, Francisco; Sumoy, Lauro; Granada, Isabel; Coles, Natalie S.; Santos Pujol, Eloy; Noguera Castells, Aleix; Casado Pelaez, Marta; García Prieto, Carlos A.; Vasallo, Claudia; Campillo Marcos, Ignacio; Quero Dotor, Carlos; Crespo García, Eva; Bueno Costa, Alberto; Setién, Fernando; Acha, Pamela; Solé, Francesc; Mallo, Mar; Mata, Caterina; Peregrina, Sara; Gabaldón, Toni; Llirós, Marc; Pujolassos, Meritxell; Carrera Torres, Robert; Lluansí, Aleix; García Gil, Librado Jesús; Aldeguer, Xavier; Samino, Sara; Torné, Pol; Ribalta, Josep; Guardiola, Montse; Amigó, Núria; Yanes, Oscar; Martínez, Paula; Sánchez Vázquez, Raúl; Blasco, Maria A.; Oviedo, Jose; Lemos, Bernardo; Rius Bonet, Julia Extreme human lifespan, exemplified by supercentenarians, presents a paradox in understanding aging: despite advanced age, they maintain relatively good health. To investigate this duality, we have performed a high-throughput multiomics study of the world's oldest living person, interrogating her genome, transcriptome, metabolome, proteome, microbiome, and epigenome, comparing the results with larger matched cohorts. The emerging picture highlights different pathways attributed to each process: the record-breaking advanced age is manifested by telomere attrition, abnormal B cell population, and clonal hematopoiesis, whereas absence of typical age-associated diseases is associated with rare European-population genetic variants, low inflammation levels, a rejuvenated bacteriome, and a younger epigenome. These findings provide a fresh look at human aging biology, suggesting biomarkers for healthy aging, and potential strategies to increase life expectancy. The extrapolation of our results to the general population will require larger cohorts and longitudinal prospective studies to design potential anti-aging interventions. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:21:15 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/2445/227925 2026-03-09T10:21:15Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/227815 Road to division: Ethnic favoritism and road infrastructure in Ethiopia Perra, Elena This paper investigates the role of ethnic favoritism in the long run allocation of road infrastructure in Ethiopia. I construct a 5 km grid cell panel by merging road network data from the late 1960s to 2016 with high resolution maps of local ethnic composition. Using a quasi-experimental empirical design, the study finds that cells where the local majority shares the ethnicity with the ruling elite receive 8.7 percent additional road investments and see a 13.8 improvement in road surface quality than otherwise comparable non co-ethnic cells. Exploiting the phased rollout of the Road Sector Development Program between 1997 and 2016, I also document that new roads raise night lights intensity by 0.27 standard deviations in cells benefiting from the program and by 0.51 standard deviations in co-ethnic areas, with larger effects for earlier investments. These findings suggest that ethnic alignment and the availability of large public funds jointly shape the placement of road infrastructure, influencing local economic dynamics. Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:16:13 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/2445/227815 2026-03-03T11:16:13Z https://hdl.handle.net/2445/227728 Women’s voice at work and family-friendly firms Garcia Louzao, Jose; Perez, Ruben This paper exploits a unique and novel census of administrative records covering all firm-level collective agreements signed in Spain between 2010 and 2018 to examine whether the gender composition of worker representation aligns with the type of workplace policies negotiated with management. We compare firms that are subject to the same labour regulations but differ in terms of the presence of female representatives on employee bargaining committees. Firms with female worker representatives are more likely to include family-friendly policies in the agreement; by contrast, we find only mild positive effects for practices promoting gender equality and no differences for broader employment conditions such as wages or hours. These associations remain robust across alternative empirical specifications and matching exercises. Together, the findings suggest that the presence of women at the bargaining table can shape the content of workplace policies, particularly in ways that address work–family balance. Mon, 02 Mar 2026 12:06:13 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/2445/227728 2026-03-02T12:06:13Z