Post‐Migratory Employment Prospects: Evidence from Finland

This paper analyses the role which migration plays in improving post‐migratory employment prospects of migrants (long‐distance) within Finland, by examining the employment status of migrants and non‐migrants at the end of the migration interval. The analysis is based on micro data from the period 1985–90. The results from multivariate analyses suggest that migration by itself has not augmented the likelihood of getting a job, even though tabular comparisons of re‐employment rates between migrants and non‐migrants suggest this to be the case. Migration, however, has an indirect role in enhancing job search outcomes as it moves workers to labour markets characterized by more favourable employment opportunities.     

Generalized Mann–Whitney Type Tests for Microarray Experiments

New statistical procedures are introduced to analyse typical microRNA expression data sets. For each separate microRNA expression, the null hypothesis to be tested is that there is no difference between the distributions of the expression in different groups. The test statistics are then constructed having certain type of alternatives in mind. To avoid strong (parametric) distributional assumptions, the alternatives are formulated using probabilities of different orders of pairs or triples of observations coming from different groups, and the test statistics are then constructed using corresponding several‐sample U‐statistics, natural estimates of these probabilities. Classical several‐sample rank test statistics, such as the Kruskal–Wallis and Jonckheere–Terpstra tests, are special cases in our approach. Also, as the number of variables (microRNAs) is huge, we confront a serious simultaneous testing problem. Different approaches to control the family‐wise error rate or the false discovery rate are shortly discussed, and it is shown how the Chen–Stein theorem can be used to show that family‐wise error rate can be controlled for cluster‐dependent microRNAs under weak assumptions. The theory is illustrated with an analysis of real data, a microRNA expression data set on Finnish (aggressive and non‐aggressive) prostate cancer patients and their controls.     

AUCTION DESIGN WITHOUT COMMITMENT

In anonymous platforms like the Internet, committing to honor the outcome of an auction is difficult since the seller can benefit by reauctioning the good. We argue that how information is processed within the auction mechanism is crucially important in such circumstances. In our model, the seller uses an intermediary to extract information from the buyers but is not tied to sell the good with terms that the mechanism proposes. Instead, she may reauction the good again via some other intermediary. There are no restrictions on how many times and through which mechanisms the good can be reauctioned. The buyers may also choose their outside option at any stage of the game. We argue that a sequentially rational seller can only implement a version of the English auction, in particular the popular version where bidders employ proxy bids. This is a consequence of the informational properties of the English action: it reveals just the right information for the seller to be able to commit to the mechanism.     

On the multivariate spatial median for clustered data

The authors consider the multivariate one-sample location problem with clustered data from a nonparametric viewpoint. They propose the spatial median and its affine equivariant version as companion estimators to the affine invariant sign test of Larocque (2003). They extend the asymptotics of the proposed estimators to cluster dependent data and explore the limiting as well as finite-sample efficiencies for multivariate Student distributions. They demonstrate that the efficiency of the spatial median suffers less from intracluster correlation than the mean vector. They use data on the well-being of pupils in Finnish schools to illustrate their work.     

On Permutation Tests in Multiple Regression and Analysis of Covariance Problems

We introduce distribution-free permutation tests and corresponding estimates for studying the effect of a treatment variable x on a response y. The methods apply in the presence of a multivariate covariate z. They are based on the assumption that the treatment values are assigned randomly to the subjects.     

Explaining the Desire for Local Bargaining: Evidence from a Finnish Survey of Employers and Employees

Abstract. This paper describes divergences in employers’ and employees’ opinions on the proper share of local bargaining in contract wage gains in Finland. Employers want the locally bargained wage share to be approximately half of the total wage rise, while the majority of employees would prefer this share to be in the region of 1–24 per cent. Employers in firms that are large, foreign owned or operate in the financial services industry desire the largest locally bargained share of contract wages. Employees in large firms, on the other hand, resist local bargaining. When the firm uses performance‐related pay, employees would prefer a large role for local bargaining in contract wage gains.     

Gender diverse boards and goodwill changes: association between accounting conservatism,gender and governance

Journal of Management and Governance - We study the relation between board gender diversity and goodwill (GW). GW on the balance sheet is connected to both the firm’s risk-taking and its...