Data Gap Analysis,Indicator Selection and Index Development: A Case for Developing Economies

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and its measurement is a key policy focus across the globe. Despite existence of several indices and reporting agencies, it is a challenging task to identify progress, specifically in the case of developing economies. These economies are predominantly in Asia and Africa and have a great bearing on global performance. These countries have diverse geographical and cultural elements with an active sub-national institutional framework. Data gap coupled with poor data quality and limited financial support does not help their case. Without appropriate indicator selection and index measurement it is not possible to judge the actual current situation or compare the SDG situation around the world. This paper attempts a practical and simpler approach to overcome the constraints, provide direction and facilitate measurement of SDG position in such countries using the case of India. This is done by identifying gaps, suggesting a tailored approach to indicator selection and measurement and further, developing a suitable index for SDG measurement at the sub-national level. The results and findings should be of great interest for policy making and implementing agencies.

     

A Selection Procedure for Selecting the Least Increasing Failure Rate Average Distribution

For k independent absolutely continuous increasing failure rate average (IFRA) life distributions F_i, i = 1, 2, …, k, Link (1989 Link, W.A. (1989). Testing for exponentiality against monotone failure rate average alternatives. Commun. Statist. Theor. Meth. 18(8): 3009–3017.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) considered a measure of departure of against monotone failure rate average alternatives. In this paper, we use the measure defined by Link for detection of IFRA-ness of life distribution F_i. A two-stage selection procedure to select the least IFRA distribution is proposed. This selection procedure is based on a U-statistic which is an estimator of the measure and can be implemented even when the IFRA life distributions belong to different families. The applications of this procedure are discussed for some well known distributions.     

Analysis of Bivariate Survival Data using Shared Inverse Gaussian Frailty Model

In this article, we consider shared frailty model with inverse Gaussian distribution as frailty distribution and log-logistic distribution (LLD) as baseline distribution for bivariate survival times. We fit this model to three real-life bivariate survival data sets. The problem of analyzing and estimating parameters of shared inverse Gaussian frailty is the interest of this article and then compare the results with shared gamma frailty model under the same baseline for considered three data sets. Data are analyzed using Bayesian approach to the analysis of clustered survival data in which there is a dependence of failure time observations within the same group. The variance component estimation provides the estimated dispersion of the random effects. We carried out a test for frailty (or heterogeneity) using Bayes factor. Model comparison is made using information criteria and Bayes factor. We observed that the shared inverse Gaussian frailty model with LLD as baseline is the better fit for all three bivariate data sets.     

Some Effective Rotation Patterns in Estimation of Population Mean in Two-Occasion Successive Sampling

This article is an attempt to explore some effective rotation patterns in estimation of current population mean in two occasions successive sampling. Utilizing the readily available information on an auxiliary variable on both occasions and the information on study variable from the previous occasion, some efficient estimation procedures have been suggested. Optimum replacement strategies and the efficiencies of the proposed estimators have been discussed. Empirical studies are carried out and suitable recommendations are made.     

Variance estimation for tree-order restricted models

In this article, we discuss the estimation of the common variance of several normal populations with tree-order restricted means. We discuss the asymptotic properties of the maximum-likelihood estimator (MLE) of the variance as the number of populations tends to infinity. We consider several cases of various orders of the sample sizes and show that the MLE of the variance may or may not be consistent or be asymptotically normal.     

Global Development Goals: The Folly of Technocratic Pretensions

This article argues that, although effective strategic choices for achieving global development goals need to be based on assessments of the costs and benefits of alternative approaches, existing methods of arriving at such assessments are highly unreliable, in particular deriving from implausible and restrictive assumptions and often depending on data of poor quality, and on the pretence that the future can be adequately known. Such weaknesses can be mitigated, but not easily overcome, without abandoning deeply held technocratic presumptions.     

Dialect stabilization and speaker awareness in non‐native varieties of English1

Research on indigenized non‐native varieties of English has aimed to distinguish these varieties from individual second language learning in structural and social terms ( B. Kachru 1983 ; Platt, Weber and Ho 1984 ; Cheshire 1991 ) ; however, quantitative evidence of this divergence remains scarce. Through an analysis of a range of Indian English speakers in a contact situation in the United States, this study distinguishes developing dialect features from second language learning features and explores the concomitant emergence of dialect consciousness. First, an implicational analysis shows that some non‐standard variables (past marking, copula use, agreement) exhibit a second language learning cline while others (articles) form a more stable, incipient non‐standard system shared to some extent by all speakers; a multivariate analysis suggests that both sets of variables are governed by proficiency levels. Next, the explanatory scope of proficiency is assessed by examining the use of selected phonological variants (rhoticity, l‐velarization, aspiration). The use of these features resembles native‐like style‐shifting, as it appears to be more sensitive to speakers’ attitudinal stances than to proficiency levels. This points to the importance of understanding emerging speaker awareness and perceptions of stigma, risk, and value in new varieties of English.     

Robustness of complete diallel crossing plans against exchange of one cross

The robustness aspects of block designs for complete diallel crossing plans against the exchange of one cross using connectedness and efficiency criteria have been investigated. The exchanged cross may have either no line in common or one line in common with the original cross. It has been found that randomized complete block (RCB) designs for complete diallel crosses and binary balanced block designs for complete diallel crosses are robust against the exchange of one cross in one observation. The RCB designs for diallel crosses have been shown to be robust against the exchange of one cross with another cross in all the blocks. The non-binary balanced block designs obtainable from Family 5 of Das et al. (1998) have also been found to be robust against the exchange of one cross.