MULTIPLE ECONOMIES AND YOUTH LIVELIHOOD

In this paper we present a model of multiple economic spheres in order to understand and explain the income-generating activities of young people. These spheres include the formal sector, the informal waged sector, the informal non-waged sector, the welfare sector and the criminal sector. We conclude that, due to changes in the labour market that affect them in particular ways, young people are engaged in a diverse range of activities within and across each economic sphere.     

On directional Metropolis–Hastings algorithms

New Metropolis–Hastings algorithms using directional updates are introduced in this paper. Each iteration of a directional Metropolis–Hastings algorithm consists of three steps (i) generate a line by sampling an auxiliary variable, (ii) propose a new state along the line, and (iii) accept/reject according to the Metropolis–Hastings acceptance probability. We consider two classes of directional updates. The first uses a point in ⁿ as auxiliary variable, the second an auxiliary direction vector. The proposed algorithms generalize previous directional updating schemes since we allow the distribution of the auxiliary variable to depend on properties of the target at the current state. By letting the proposal distribution along the line depend on the density of the auxiliary variable, we identify proposal mechanisms that give unit acceptance rate. When we use direction vector as auxiliary variable, we get the advantageous effect of large moves in the Markov chain and hence the autocorrelation length of the samples is small. We apply the directional Metropolis–Hastings algorithms to a Gaussian example, a mixture of Gaussian densities, and a Bayesian model for seismic data.     

Participatory Governance in Social Enterprise

This paper emphasizes the importance of participative governance in the study of social enterprise. Furthermore, it argues that social enterprise must be analyzed through a multi-dimensional perspective. The EMES approach is based on three dimensions emphasizing the social, economic, and political dimension, while many Anglo-American definitions tend to use a one-dimensional spectrum framework. The latter often see social enterprise as a simple phenomenon that can be arranged along a continuum, ranging from economic to social, where more of one means less of the other. However, this fails to acknowledge the multi-disciplinary nature of social enterprise. Scholars inspired by the EMES approach should devote greater attention to exploring the interactive and interrelated nature of the three dimensions of social enterprise, especially the governance dimension.     

‘He is Quirky; He is the World's Greatest Psychologist’: On the Community of Those Who Have Nothing in Common

In this article, we challenge the concept of the therapeutic relationship as an operationalisable entity. In contrast to this idea, we introduce Alphonso Lingis’ concept of community, and his distinction between the rational community and the community of those who have nothing in common. This is done through speculative analysis of a transcribed sequence from a research interview with a boy who speaks about his experiences of receiving mental health care. This boy and his family were helped through a network‐oriented, dialogical approach. In the sequence highlighted here, the boy speaks of the significance of a particular mental health practitioner. The boy expresses appreciation for the help he has received, yet it is difficult to translate the boy's utterances into meaningful professional jargon. Although the paper makes use of an actual sequence from a research interview, the argument is not empirical in nature. The purpose of the paper is to elaborate on theory, and to examine some possible consequences for future practice.     

Some ridge regression estimators for the zero-inflated Poisson model

The zero-inflated Poisson regression model is commonly used when analyzing economic data that come in the form of non-negative integers since it accounts for excess zeros and overdispersion of the dependent variable. However, a problem often encountered when analyzing economic data that has not been addressed for this model is multicollinearity. This paper proposes ridge regression (RR) estimators and some methods for estimating the ridge parameter k for a non-negative model. A simulation study has been conducted to compare the performance of the estimators. Both mean squared error and mean absolute error are considered as the performance criteria. The simulation study shows that some estimators are better than the commonly used maximum-likelihood estimator and some other RR estimators. Based on the simulation study and an empirical application, some useful estimators are recommended for practitioners.     

Midwifery students’ conceptions of worst imaginable pain

BackgroundThe Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) is one of the most widely used pain assessment scales in clinical practice and research. However, the VAS is used less frequently in midwifery than in other clinical contexts. The issue of how people interpret the meaning of the VAS endpoints (i.e. no pain and worst imaginable pain) has been discussed. The aim of this study was to explore midwifery students’ conceptions of ‘worst imaginable pain’.MethodsA sample of 230 midwifery students at seven universities in Sweden responded to an open-ended question: ‘What is the worst imaginable pain for you?’ This open-ended question is a part of a larger study. Their responses underwent manifest content analysis.ResultsAnalysis of the midwifery students’ responses to the open-ended question revealed five categories with 24 sub-categories. The categories were Overwhelming pain, Condition-related pain, Accidents, Inflicted pain and Psychological suffering.ConclusionsThe midwifery students’ conceptions of ‘worst imaginable pain’ are complex, elusive and diverse.     

Societal innovation at the interface of the state and civil society

The need to adapt to economic globalization and “wicked” problems such as climate change and poverty presents enormous challenges to modern developed societies. These challenges call for new solutions, not only in the form of technological or business innovations, but also through society-wide reform and renewal. In this paper, we outline a societal innovation framework to better understand the stage on which these societal challenges are being played out. Our approach builds on the classical view that considers innovation, an (radical or incremental) improvement that is both novel in its context and deployed by people. These societal innovations change the interface of the state and civil society for stakeholder benefit.     

A Tobit Ridge Regression Estimator

This article analyzes the effects of multicollienarity on the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator for the Tobit regression model. Furthermore, a ridge regression (RR) estimator is proposed since the mean squared error (MSE) of ML becomes inflated when the regressors are collinear. To investigate the performance of the traditional ML and the RR approaches we use Monte Carlo simulations where the MSE is used as performance criteria. The simulated results indicate that the RR approach should always be preferred to the ML estimation method.     

The Effectiveness of Management‐By‐Walking‐Around: A Randomized Field Study

Management‐by‐walking‐around (MBWA) is a widely adopted technique in hospitals that involves senior managers directly observing frontline work. However, few studies have rigorously examined its impact on organizational outcomes. This study examines an improvement program based on MBWA in which senior managers observe frontline employees, solicit ideas about improvement opportunities, and work with staff to resolve the issues. We randomly selected hospitals to implement the 18‐month‐long, MBWA‐based improvement program; 56 work areas participated. We find that the program, on average, had a negative impact on performance. To explain this surprising finding, we use mixed methods to examine the impact of the work area's problem‐solving approach. Results suggest that prioritizing easy‐to‐solve problems was associated with improved performance. We believe this was because it resulted in greater action‐taking. A different approach was characterized by prioritizing high‐value problems, which was not successful in our study. We also find that assigning to senior managers responsibility for ensuring that identified problems get resolved resulted in better performance. Overall, our study suggests that senior managers' physical presence in their organizations' front lines was not helpful unless it enabled active problem solving.