The Loss of Efficiency Estimating Linear Functions under Restrictions

This article is motivated by the problem of estimating contrast in a one-way ANOVA model with restrictions in the parameter vector. We prove that when the restrictions are given by a tree order or a simple order the MLE of some contrast has greater MSE than the unrestricted estimator. A similar behaviour of the MLE is exhibited in a general restricted setting given by a multivariate normal distribution with mean vector constrained to belong to a circular cone. The approach we use focuses on the central direction of the cones. These directions appear to have the greater MSE when the dimension of the restricted cone is big enough.     

Maximal domains of preferences preserving strategy-proofness for generalized median voter schemes

We characterize the maximal sets of preferences under which generalized median voter schemes are strategy-proof. Those domains are defined by a qualified version of single-peakedness, which depends on the distribution of power among agents implied by each generalized median voter scheme. Received: 28 April 1997/Accepted: 30 January 1998     

"Maricón," "pájaro," and "loca": Cuban and Puerto Rican linguistic practices, and sexual minority participation, in U.S. Santería

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the United States are, to varying degrees, practitioners of the Afro-Cuban religion popularly known as Santería. Cuban and Puerto Rican forms of referencing LGBT populations are illustrated in this article, which is drawing from interviews and participant observation conducted in the United States, with close to 30 practitioners, many of whom were Cuban, Cuban American, and Puerto Rican. I discuss the ways in which Santería gatherings produce an alternative use of otherwise stigmatized language for "gay" practitioners. Through the use of distinctive language to reference all of these populations, we may rethink the relationship between identities and practices, and within that, gender presentations vis a vis identities.     

A Comparison of Alternative Models of Individual Quality of Life for Social Service Recipients

There is considerable debate in the area of individual quality of life research regarding the factor structure of the QOL construct that is focused on the number and composition of QOL factors and domains, and its hierarchical nature. The main goal of this study involve testing by means of confirmatory factor analyses five models that have been pointed out by recent scientific literature: firstly, an unidimensional model; secondly, a QOL model that consisted of eight inter-correlated domains proposed by Schalock and Verdugo (2002); thirdly, a model composed of these eight 1st-order factors and one 2nd- order factor; the forth and five are model with the eight 1st-order factors and three 2nd-order factor that has been denominated in other studies ‘Salamanca model’ and ‘Schalock model’. Data were collected from 3.029 social service recipients from Catalonia (Spain) who completed the GENCAT Scale, an objective QOL questionnaire. The best fit of the eight inter-correlated and 1st order domains was empirically demonstrated. Implications for future research are also discussed.     

Kin and Youths in the Social Networks of Youth‐Headed Households in Namibia

In settings highly affected by HIV/AIDS, households headed by children may result from strained family relations, poverty, and stigma associated with the disease. Understanding local systems and dynamics of support is essential to planning comprehensive models of care. This study measured size and composition of the support and conflict networks of 27 children and youth heads of household in northern Namibia and documented their perceptions of adequacy. Results showed a strong presence of and satisfaction with kin and peers as supporters, which challenges the assumptions that these households have few functional ties to family and that adults are the sole providers of support. Assistance to children without parental supervision should build on existing local strategies and children's resources.     

Gender Gaps in Care Work: Evidences from Argentina,Chile, Spain and Uruguay

This paper is a comparative analysis of the gender gaps in the non-paid domestic and care work (NPDCW) undertaken in homes in Argentina, Chile, Spain and Uruguay. The explanatory factors of this gap in two-income households and their magnitude and impact on the distribution of NPDCW are analyzed using data from national time use surveys. The weakness of micro-sociological approaches and the variables related to relative resources and time availability is demonstrated using the estimation of a regression model, while the importance of approximations of gender roles and analyses that incorporate macro-sociological factors is shown. Furthermore, the findings show that NPDCW is done by women in 70% of cases with women’s incomes and time availability among the individual variables that drive change within the couple. The results show that the equalizing effects of time availability and gender ideology are stronger for women in more egalitarian countries; women in less egalitarian countries benefit less from their individual-level assets. Additional comparative analysis shows that other macro-level factors (economic development, female labor-force participation, gender norms and welfare systems) may also influence the division of this work. The results suggest that changes in individual-level factors alone may not be enough to achieve an equal division of labor in the household without a parallel reduction in macro-level gender inequality.

     

Interval-censored data with misclassification: a Bayesian approach

Survival data involving silent events are often subject to interval censoring (the event is known to occur within a time interval) and classification errors if a test with no perfect sensitivity and specificity is applied. Considering the nature of this data plays an important role in estimating the time distribution until the occurrence of the event. In this context, we incorporate validation subsets into the parametric proportional hazard model, and show that this additional data, combined with Bayesian inference, compensate the lack of knowledge about test sensitivity and specificity improving the parameter estimates. The proposed model is evaluated through simulation studies, and Bayesian analysis is conducted within a Gibbs sampling procedure. The posterior estimates obtained under validation subset models present lower bias and standard deviation compared to the scenario with no validation subset or the model that assumes perfect sensitivity and specificity. Finally, we illustrate the usefulness of the new methodology with an analysis of real data about HIV acquisition in female sex workers that have been discussed in the literature.