Income vulnerability of rural households in Bangladesh: a comparison between Bayesian and classical methods

The geographical location and the monsoon climate render Bangladesh highly vulnerable to natural hazards, deteriorating the country's socio-economic stability. This study is based on 500 randomly chosen rural households from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey [Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Planning Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Dhaka, 2006]. The objectives are to estimate the income vulnerability of rural households and to check whether the Bayesian approaches (natural conjugate prior and non-informative prior estimates) have any superiority over the classical (feasible generalized least square (FGLS)) method. The poverty level, measured from the data, is 24%; whereas the vulnerability estimates, using FGLS, natural conjugate prior and non-informative prior are 31%, 69% and 82%, respectively. Vulnerability estimates by the Bayesian natural conjugate prior approach is found to have greater efficiency compared with FGLS and non-informative prior approaches.     

数字经济对我国市域农业经济韧性的影响效应与机理分析——基于系统GMM模型与动态门槛模型的检验

基于2011—2019年我国277个市域农业的面板数据,运用反事实方法科学测度了其经济韧性水平,并借助系统GMM模型、中介模型和动态门槛模型等方法,实证检验了数字经济对市域农业经济韧性的影响效应及作用机理。研究发现：数字经济显著增强了市域农业经济韧性,这一结论经一系列稳健性检验后仍能成立;机制分析结果表明,农业资本深化是数字经济提升市域农业经济韧性的重要路径。异质性分析表明,在东部、中部、西部地区和人力资本水平较高的地区,数字经济对市域农业经济韧性的影响效应更为显著,而对东北部地区的提升效应则不显著。动态门槛检验进一步揭示,数字经济对市域农业经济韧性的影响呈现边际递增的非线性特征,当数字经济发展水平越过特定门槛值（0147）时,数字经济对市域农业经济韧性的促进作用显著增强。     

Online Control Charts for Process Averages Based on Repeated Median Filters

Two types of estimates of process level, namely repeated median estimates (Siegel, 1982 Siegel , A. F. ( 1982 ). Robust regression using repeated medians . Biometrika 69 : 242 – 244 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and full online estimates (Gather et al., 2006 Gather , U. , Schettlinger , K. , Fried , R. ( 2006 ). Online signal extraction by robust linear regression . Computational Statistics 21 : 33 – 51 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) based on repeated median filters, are used to develop control charts. The distributional properties of the estimates are studied using simulation and these are found to closely follow normal distribution. The repeated median being robust against outliers with asymptotically 50% breakdown value and having small standard deviation is found to be useful as a basis for monitoring process averages. The control charts using repeated median estimates have been recommended for general use.     

Oracle GMM estimation for misspecified models via thresholding

We propose a thresholding generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator for misspecified time series moment condition models. This estimator has the following oracle property: its asymptotic behavior is the same as of any efficient GMM estimator obtained under the a priori information that the true model were known. We propose data adaptive selection methods for thresholding parameter using multiple testing procedures. We determine the limiting null distributions of classical parameter tests and show the consistency of the corresponding block-bootstrap tests used in conjunction with thresholding GMM inference. We present the results of a simulation study for a misspecified instrumental variable regression model and for a vector autoregressive model with measurement error. We illustrate an application of the proposed methodology to data analysis of a real-world dataset.     

高校教师职务评聘工作的探索与实践

高校教师职务的评聘 ,关系到教师积极性的调动和教学、科研水平的提高 ,对师资队伍的建设举足轻重。要做好这一工作 ,必须抓好岗位设置、材料审核、考核评审、监督仲裁等环节     

Modelling Variability in the Branching Structure of Strawberry Inflorescences

The branching structure of inflorescences of the cultivated strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is very variable. This paper demonstrates that some aspects of this variability are well described by a simple stochastic model of branching that has two adjustable parameters. The model is shown to provide a good fit to data from a set of almost 700 inflorescences of the cultivar Elsanta, collected over two successive years. For one parameter the maximum likelihood estimator is a moment estimator which is fully efficient even if the detailed branching structure of the inflorescences is not recorded. This parameter provides a convenient summary of branching vigour. The maximum likelihood estimator of the second parameter must be determined iteratively and can be quite inefficient unless the full branching structure is recorded. The model demonstrates that branching structure is affected by the order in which inflorescences emerge on the plant.     

Multiple roots of estimating functions

Estimating functions can have multiple roots. In such cases, the statistician must choose among the roots to estimate the parameter. Standard asymptotic theory shows that in a wide variety of cases, there exists a unique consistent root, and that this root will lie asymptotically close to other consistent (possibly inefficient) estimators for the parameter. For this reason, attention has largely focused on the problem of selecting this root and determining its approximate asymptotic distribution. In this paper, however, we concentrate on the exact distribution of the roots as a random set. In particular, we propose the use of higher-order root intensity functions as a tool for examining the properties of the roots and determining their most problematic features. The use of root intensity functions of first and second order is illustrated by application to the score function for the Cauchy location model.     

Robust inference for generalized partially linear mixed models that account for censored responses and missing covariates – an application to Arctic data analysis

In this article, we propose a family of bounded influence robust estimates for the parametric and non-parametric components of a generalized partially linear mixed model that are subject to censored responses and missing covariates. The asymptotic properties of the proposed estimates have been looked into. The estimates are obtained by using Monte Carlo expectation–maximization algorithm. An approximate method which reduces the computational time to a great extent is also proposed. A simulation study shows that performances of the two approaches are similar in terms of bias and mean square error. The analysis is illustrated through a study on the effect of environmental factors on the phytoplankton cell count.     

政府债务、经济增长与非线性效应

本文基于61个国家1980-2009年的面板数据,采用系统GMM方法对政府债务与经济增长之间的非线性关系进行了实证检验,较好的克服了变量内生性问题。研究表明,政府债务与经济增长之间存在着非线性(倒U型)关系,这种关系普遍存在于发达国家和发展中国家;证明了债务阈值的存在性,且两组国家中政府债务阈值的大小存在差异。但是,政府债务阈值并不具有唯一性和确定性,它随利率、通货膨胀、经常账户和金融发展的变化而显示出动态性特征,且上述变量对两组国家的影响存在显著的区别。     

Does the Internet increase labor productivity? Evidence from a cross-country dynamic panel

The Internet has various economic functions and is a fundamental part of most economic activities and transactions. In this paper we apply a Dynamic Panel Data approach to study the impact of the Internet on labor productivity using data from 108 countries for the period 1995–2010. The results of the study show that the Internet has positive and statistically significant effects on labor productivity. Assuming other factors stay constant, increasing the number of Internet users by one percent increases GDP per employed person by $8.16–14.6. Educational expenditures as a percentage of GNI, per capita health expenditures, trade and gross capital formation as a percentage of GDP also have positive and statistically significant effects on labor productivity.