A generalized framework for modelling ordinal data

In several applied disciplines, as Economics, Marketing, Business, Sociology, Psychology, Political science, Environmental research and Medicine, it is common to collect data in the form of ordered categorical observations. In this paper, we introduce a class of models based on mixtures of discrete random variables in order to specify a general framework for the statistical analysis of this kind of data. The structure of these models allows the interpretation of the final response as related to feeling, uncertainty and a possible shelter option and the expression of the relationship among these components and subjects’ covariates. Such a model may be effectively estimated by maximum likelihood methods leading to asymptotically efficient inference. We present a simulation experiment and discuss a real case study to check the consistency and the usefulness of the approach. Some final considerations conclude the paper.     

An urn model to construct an efficient test procedure for response adaptive designs

We study the statistical performance of different tests for comparing the mean effect of two treatments. Given a reference classical test \({\mathcal {T}}_0\), we determine which sample size and proportion allocation guarantee to a test \({\mathcal {T}}\), based on response-adaptive design, to be better than \({\mathcal {T}}_0\), in terms of (a) higher power and (b) fewer subjects assigned to the inferior treatment. The adoption of a response-adaptive design to implement the random allocation procedure is necessary to ensure that both (a) and (b) are satisfied. In particular, we propose to use a Modified Randomly Reinforced Urn design and we show how to perform the model parameters selection for the purpose of this paper. Then, the opportunity of relaxing some assumptions on treatment response distributions is presented. Results of simulation studies on the test performance are reported and a real case study is analyzed.     

The Meanings of Career Revisited: Implications for Theory and Practice

In everyday conversation, the term 'career' is generally understood to refer to the sequence of work-related experiences one has over the course of one's working lifetime. For many people, a career is distinct from a job, since it also conjures up images of steady, even logical, progression up organizational hierarchies. It is not simply about what one does for a living, but about what one has done, does now and might do in the future; the notion of career therefore embraces the dimension of time. In light of widespread organizational restructuring and economic uncertainty since the late 1980s, many of the taken-for-granted assumptions which have underpinned traditional notions of career, and in particular the organizational career, no longer seem valid. Both individuals and organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to conceptualize the idea of a logical, long-term sequence of work-related experiences; there is thus no longer a clear and mutual understanding of what the career means to both. This paper argues that individuals and organizations can meaningfully redefine the notion of career by reconsidering its broader, theoretical underpinnings.     

Kinship care: Two case management models

Children in the care and custody of the state are increasingly placed with kin rather than in unrelated foster homes. Current estimates suggest that 400,000 children are in kinship care arrangements, with a projected increase to over a half million by 1995 (Center for the Study of Social Policy, 1990). This article provides an overview of the trend toward increasing use of kinship care for foster children and the reasons for this development. It then presents the case management models currently used in kinship care cases by two large public child welfare agencies, and it concludes with discussion of these models and their implications.     

Kinship care: Two case management models

Children in the care and custody of the state are increasingly placed with kin rather than in unrelated foster homes. Current estimates suggest that 400,000 children are in kinship care arrangements, with a projected increase to over a half million by 1995 (Center for the Study of Social Policy, 1990). This article provides an overview of the trend toward increasing use of kinship care for foster children and the reasons for this development. It then presents the case management models currently used in kinship care cases by two large public child welfare agencies, and it concludes with discussion of these models and their implications.     

Gypsy Children and the Italian School System: a closer look

By using the method of participant observation, both in the school and in the community, we were able to gain insight into a series of aspects that characterise the everyday school life of Sinti children in Italian schools. By describing the first school day of four Sinti children I attempt to point out some of the fundamental differences that exist between the children's community environment and the school's institutional environment, differences that lead to discontinuities that the children have to find coping mechanisms for.     

‘Southern‐style’ National Health Services? Recent Reforms and Trends in Spain and Greece

This article analyses recent changes in the Greek and Spanish national health services. The aim is to assess how the period of austerity and further recovery during the 1990s and early 2000s impacted on them in terms of equity and efficiency. This is of interest because of the closeness in time between the universalizing reform laws and the arrival of the conditions for economic convergence established in the Maastricht Treaty. The analysis is also attractive because it deals with the transformation of already mature health insurance systems into national health services, a transformation that is novel in European welfare history. The article addresses the questions of whether austerity has hindered full implementation of the reform laws enacted in the early to mid‐1980s, examining reform trajectories and financing and expenditure trends. Furthermore, it considers the impact on access, understood in terms of population coverage, the array of services provided, waiting lists, and territorial inequalities. Finally, it discusses the introduction of new managerial formulas and attempts at enhancing efficiency. The concluding section states that divergent trajectories have occurred, thus rendering the definition of a ‘Southern model of health care’ difficult. It also provides explanations of the trajectories followed in both national cases and informs on prospects for the future.     

Gender Pay Differentials in Portugal: Contributions to the Employment Policy Debate in the European Union

Since the implementation of the European Employment Strategy in the 1990s, the issue of gender gaps in the European Union labour markets has been granted a high profile. The Portuguese labour market has performed well on various indicators relating to gender equality, namely, participation and employment rates. Nevertheless, a persistent pay gap remains despite the recent evolution of the labour market, especially concerning the average education level of workers. This article investigates the main factors explaining the gender pay gap across two decades and the way those factors perform along time. We also discuss the means of closing the gap in the context of the European Employment Strategy, considering the lessons from other member states. We used wage decomposition techniques to analyse the relative importance of differences in the productive characteristics of workers, differences in the way men and women are distributed among jobs and the relative importance of discrimination practices. Our findings suggest that most of the pay gap is due to discrimination practices. Individual action by economic agents is insufficient to solve the persistent pay gap. Social partners must incorporate this issue within collective bargaining in order to construct an adequate strategy for reducing the gap, which can only be done by engaging men and women, employees and employers.