Russian Social Science in Transition: Applied Political Research and Social Criticism

One means by which the Soviet state maintained hegemony was through control over the production and movement of information. This function created ambiguity, on the one hand, and contradiction on the other, as sociological inquiry progressed within the Soviet system. This circumstance extended to both the appropriate subject matter and the methodology of sociological research. While sociology practiced in the West operated more or less within broad boundaries of free inquiry, such was not the case for most of twentieth century Russia. This paper explores this history of permissible sociological research in Russia, and then turns an eye on the more recent developments in sociology in light of the new Russian state. In particular, the development of democratic processes in Russia have led to a concomitant growth in research centers, institutes, and consultancies, all of which have significant practical and applied objectives for the sociological product. A listing of Russian research centers on the web is included.     

Efficient Augmented Inverse Probability Weighted Estimation in Missing Data Problems

When analyzing data with missing data, a commonly used method is the inverse probability weighting (IPW) method, which reweights estimating equations with propensity scores. The popularity of the IPW method is due to its simplicity. However, it is often being criticized for being inefficient because most of the information from the incomplete observations is not used. Alternatively, the regression method is known to be efficient but is nonrobust to the misspecification of the regression function. In this article, we propose a novel way of optimally combining the propensity score function and the regression model. The resulting estimating equation enjoys the properties of robustness against misspecification of either the propensity score or the regression function, as well as being locally semiparametric efficient. We demonstrate analytically situations where our method leads to a more efficient estimator than some of its competitors. In a simulation study, we show the new method compares favorably with its competitors in finite samples. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.     

Effective retirement age from employment and full‐time employment,and the impact of the 2008 crisis

Estimates of effective retirement age based on labour force participation rates are commonly used for actuarial experience review and policy development. However, the transition from work to retirement and the socio‐economic environment have evolved over the years, influenced by a growing role for gradual retirement and the labour market impact of the 2008 economic crisis. Rather than focusing exclusively on retirement ages based on labour force participation rates, this article presents complementary estimates of retirement ages to better assess the effective retirement age from employment. It also introduces the concept of retirement from full‐time employment, showing that the retirement age from full‐time employment is systematically lower than the retirement age from employment. The results reveal that the trend towards an increase in the retirement age has been impacted by economic conditions when considering the effective employment of older workers. Results are presented for different Member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development over the period 2005–2015.     

Does municipal ownership affect audit fees?

This study analyses whether municipal ownership affects and determines audit fees. Our model of the determinants of audit fees was tested on data from 249 Swedish municipal and 240 private corporations within the real estate industry, thus extending the study of audit fees to hybrid organizations. The statistical analysis was followed up with interviews of five partners from five different audit firms. The result of the study shows that municipal corporations are paying significantly lower audit fees than equivalent private corporations. This finding is primarily explained by lower perceived business risk and by the fact that municipalities are able to push prices by coordinating procurements of audit services.

     

Statistical methods for clinical studies in the presence of surrogate end points

The use of surrogate end points has become increasingly common in medical and biological research. This is primarily because, in many studies, the primary end point of interest is too expensive or too difficult to obtain. There is now a large volume of statistical methods for analysing studies with surrogate end point data. However, to our knowledge, there has not been a comprehensive review of these methods to date. This paper reviews some existing methods and summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of each method. It also discusses the assumptions that are made by each method and critiques how likely these assumptions are met in practice.     

Mechanisms of Categorization in Infancy

This article presents a connectionist model of correlation‐based categorization by 10‐month‐old infants (Younger, 1985). Simple autoencoder networks were exposed to the same stimuli used to test 10‐month‐olds. The familiarization regime was kept as close as possible to that used with the infants. The performance of the model matched that of the infants. Both infants and networks used covariation information (when available) to segregate items into separate categories. The model provides a mechanistic account of category learning within a test session. It demonstrates how categorization arises as the product of an inextricable interaction between the subject (the infant) and the environment (the stimuli). The computational characteristics of both subject and environment must be considered in conjunction to understand the observed behaviors.     

Statistical inference through AFT model for biotechnical systems

The objective of this paper is to model the phenomenon of degradation-to-failure for assemblies used for lumbar arthrodesis, starting from the analysis of their structure/geometry, the load applied and the kind of failure when several occur. An AFT model is proposed to model the joint effects of the applied load and the structural dimensions of the brand (namely length and diameter of the screw, presence of a connector or not) on the failure time due to a screw failure. The estimations of S–N curves and maximum permissible load (named critical load) values are provided as functions of the structural dimensions of the product. This allows comparisons of devices in terms of key factors determining product behavior and ageing under loading stress.     

Semiparametric estimation in the normal variance-mean mixture model

In this paper we study the problem of statistical inference on the parameters of the semiparametric variance-mean mixtures. This class of mixtures has recently become rather popular in statistical and financial modelling. We design a semiparametric estimation procedure that first estimates the mean of the underlying normal distribution and then recovers non-parametrically the density of the corresponding mixing distribution. We illustrate the performance of our procedure on simulated and real data.     

Infant‐directed speech to infants at risk for dyslexia: A novel cross‐dyad design

When mothers speak to infants at risk for developmental dyslexia, they do not hyperarticulate vowels in their infant‐directed speech (IDS). Here, we used an innovative cross‐dyad design to investigate whether the absence of vowel hyperarticulation in IDS to at‐risk infants is a product of maternal infant‐directed behavior or of infants’ parent‐directed cues. Interactions between mothers and infants who were at risk or not at risk for dyslexia were recorded in three conditions: when mothers interacted with (a) their own infants, (b) infants who were not their own but of the same risk status, and (c) infants who were not their own and of the opposite risk status. This design revealed both infant and parent effects. Mothers of not‐at‐risk infants hyperarticulated vowels significantly more when speaking to not‐at‐risk than to at‐risk infants. In contrast, mothers of at‐risk infants hyperarticulated vowels significantly less than NAR mothers, and this was irrespective of infant status. Mothers of not‐at‐risk infants thus adjusted their IDS to the infant's risk status, while mothers of at‐risk infants did not. We suggest that IDS is determined reciprocally by characteristics of both partners in the dyad: Both infant and maternal factors are essential for the vowel hyperarticulation component of IDS.