Dealing with the Initial Observation in the LM Unit Root Test

This article proposes a linearly weighted unit root test with a new weighting scheme which reflects the trade-off in power between the ADF and LM tests regarding the initial value of a time series. Simulation results indicate that the proposed test has better power performance and works better than other available tests in the literature for a range of initial conditions.     

Pooled Panel Unit Root Tests and the Effect of Past Initialization

This paper analyzes the role of initialization when testing for a unit root in panel data, an issue that has received surprisingly little attention in the literature. In fact, most studies assume that the initial value is either zero or bounded. As a response to this, the current paper considers a model in which the initialization is in the past, which is shown to have several distinctive features that makes it attractive, even in comparison to the common time series practice of making the initial value a draw from its unconditional distribution under the stationary alternative. The results have implications not only for theory, but also for applied work. In particular, and in contrast to the time series case, in panels the effect of the initialization need not be negative but can actually lead to improved test performance.     

The Local Power of the CADF and CIPS Panel Unit Root Tests

Very little is known about the local power of second generation panel unit root tests that are robust to cross-section dependence. This article derives the local asymptotic power functions of the cross-section argumented Dickey–Fuller Cross-section Augmented Dickey-Fuller (CADF) and CIPS tests of Pesaran (2007), which are among the most popular tests around.     

信任对农民创业机会识别的影响

基于信任视角,构建农民创业者信任对创业机会识别的理论分析框架,运用链式多重中介方法,对浙江、安徽、河南和陕西4省880份农民创业者访谈数据进行实证分析,结果发现:信任能显著提高农民创业机会识别;农民创业者信任能通过外部知识获取与创业警觉性对创业机会识别产生间接影响,其作用路径有三条:外部知识获取的部分中介作用、创业警觉性的部分中介作用及外部知识获取与创业警觉性的链式中介作用。因此,政府应完善农民创业相关规章与制度;推进农村文化建设,提高信任水平;增加农民创业知识与技能的供给,培养农民创业者的机会警觉性。     

农民合作社信用合作满意度实证研究——基于内部社会资本分析视角

基于对3个省的3个县市区253家合作社的调查数据,运用因子分析法和二元Logistic分析法实证研究合作社社员满意度的影响因素。因子分析结果表明:内部社会资本由内部信任、内部规范和社会网络等3个因子构成。Logistic回归分析结果显示:内部信任、内部规范这两个测量变量与社员满意度存在显著的正相关性,而社会规范与社员满意度之间呈显著的负向相关关系。组织认同能够提高社员对合作社的满意度,且加入合作社时间越短的社员对合作社的满意度越高。此外,还通过剔除不显著变量和增加变量的方法对社员满意度进行回归分析,结果证明研究结论具有高度的稳健性。据此提出建立健全信用合作管理制度、加强合作社的社会整合功能、发挥合作社示范作用的政策建议。     

A new heavy-tailed distribution defined on the bounded interval: the logit slash distribution and its application

This paper proposes a new heavy-tailed and alternative slash type distribution on a bounded interval via a relation of a slash random variable with respect to the standard logistic function to model the real data set with skewed and high kurtosis which includes the outlier observation. Some basic statistical properties of the newly defined distribution are studied. We derive the maximum likelihood, least-square, and weighted least-square estimations of its parameters. We assess the performance of the estimators of these estimation methods by the simulation study. Moreover, an application to real data demonstrates that the proposed distribution can provide a better fit than well-known bounded distributions in the literature when the skewed data set with high kurtosis contains the outlier observations.     

Eliciting Subjective Survival Curves: Lessons from Partial Identification

When analyzing data on subjective expectations of continuous outcomes, researchers have access to a limited number of reported probabilities for each respondent from which to construct complete distribution functions. Moreover, reported probabilities may be rounded and thus not equal to true beliefs. Using survival expectations elicited from a representative sample from the Netherlands, we investigate what can be learned if we take these two sources of missing information into account and expectations are therefore only partially identified. We find novel evidence for rounding by checking whether reported expectations are consistent with a hazard of death that increases weakly with age. Only 39% of reported beliefs are consistent with this under the assumption that all probabilities are reported precisely, while 92% are if we allow for rounding. Using the available information to construct bounds on subjective life expectancy, we show that the data alone are not sufficiently informative to allow for useful inference in partially identified linear models, even in the absence of rounding. We propose to improve precision by interpolation between rounded probabilities. Interpolation in combination with a limited amount of rounding does yield informative intervals.     

Israel's military public diplomacy evolution: Historical and conceptual dimensions

This study provides an historical overview of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit (ISU) from the early years of the State of Israel until 2009. Analyzing five periods during which the ISU played a key role in Israel's public diplomacy, this research sheds light on the challenges the ISU faced in different periods and circumstances and examines how the ISU tried to modify its methods and actions in response to geopolitical changes and media development, albeit not always successfully. The study suggests better understanding the adaptation process by applying a three-layer framework for analysis: the tactical layer, the strategic layer and the perceptional layer. The findings of this work demonstrate that in adapting to new circumstances, the ISU focused mainly on the tactical response level, with the result that it did not undertake any review or debate over the need for deeper perceptional changes in ISU policies.     

The effects of perceived quality of organizationally provided meal service on employees’ job performance and mediating role of organizational identification

Contemporary managers are developing alternative ways to sustain their competitive advantages. Motivation-enhancing features such as high-quality meal service provided by organizations can be thought of as one of these methods. The effect of the perceived quality of meal service provided by organizations on the job performance of employees and the mediating role of organizational identification during this process is studied. Private security-sector employees working in Turkey (N?=?597) are being focused in this study. As a result of analyses (correlation and regression analyses, structural equation model), the authors find that the perceived quality of meal service provided by organizations improves employees’ job performance significantly and organizational identification has a partial mediating role on this association. The findings of this study will be of interest to key stakeholders such as public or private organizations, labor unions and the media.     

Dementia Special Care Units

Abstract

Despite continued interest and growth in special care units in the United States, there is no uniform agreement on characteristics for these units, specific outcomes, or satisfaction with them. This study examined family satisfaction with Dementia Special Care Units (SCUs) using a modified standardized instrument and follow-up interviews. The study included five SCUs in one state, three participating in a dementia SCU demonstration project. Family outcomes were evaluated using surveys and interviews. The only significant difference between facilities in the demonstration project and the comparison facilities was one variable noting family with residents in the demonstration project had more positive perceptions regarding resident safety. The study illustrates a need for policy makers to more clearly identify and regulate special aspects of SCUs, taking family perceptions into consideration.