The construction and analysis of a consistent set of input–output tables for the Irish economy

Summary.  We analyse input–output tables to see what structural changes have occurred in the Irish economy over time. First we produce a consistent set of input–output tables by aligning classifications and deriving a sequence of supply tables. The resulting tables are then smoothed to make the underlying distributions symmetric. We then compare the smoothed tables by using biproportional adjustment. We identify and analyse structural change that has taken place in the Irish economy since 1975.     

Duration dependence and heterogeneity in French youth unemployment durations

This paper investigates the degree to which the individual exit rate out of unemployment for young job seekers changes as a function of the elapsed unemployment duration. We use a nonparametric estimation method for population data on outflows from different duration classes. The method also provides estimates of the amount of unobserved heterogeneity in these data. We explicitly take into account that individual exit rates are affected by the business cycle. The method is applied to population data on young French unemployed job seekers. The results are used for policy recommendations. Received: 17 October 1996/Accepted: 23 July 1998     

Breast Surgery as a Gender Technology: Analyzing Plastic Surgeons’ Discourses

This article explores the role of breast surgery as a gender technology by considering the discourse of plastic surgeons. We analyze the gender discourses that come into play when surgeons are asked to distinguish between 3 cases of breast surgery: breast implantation for transsexual women, postmastectomy breast intervention, and breast augmentation for aesthetic reasons. In the surgeons’ discourses, the 3 interventions are situated in the reconstruction/cosmetic divide. However, we can see that this boundary is profoundly influenced by cultural conceptions of gender. These gendered conceptions affect what is labeled normal/abnormal, what demands are considered legitimate, and which bodies are deemed able to possess certain attributes.     

Exploring the Needs of Socially Excluded Young Men

In recent years, social exclusion has gained the attention of governments around the world. This paper reports on a qualitative study involving 27 young men aged 14–19 years experiencing particular forms of exclusion in the context of Northern Irish society. The study used a focus group methodology to elicit their views with the aim of exploring both emotional and psychological needs and the structural factors that may contribute to their experiences of social exclusion. The findings reveal a range of unmet social and psychological needs, the impact of sectarianism and segregation, and a paucity of support systems in place. The paper concludes by making recommendations about how policy‐makers and practitioners could find more imaginative ways of engaging such vulnerable young men to reduce social exclusion.     

Profile minimization on compositions of graphs

The profile minimization problem arose from the study of sparse matrix technique. In terms of graphs, the problem is to determine the profile of a graph G which is defined as $$P(G)=\min\limits_{f}\sum\limits_{v\in V(G)}\max\limits_{x\in N[v]}(f(v)-f(x)),$$ where f runs over all bijections from V(G) to {1,2,…,|V(G)|} and N[v]={v}∪{x∈V(G):xv∈E(G)}. This is equivalent to the interval graph completion problem, which is to find a super-graph of a graph G with as few number of edges as possible. The purpose of this paper is to study the profiles of compositions of two graphs.     

Cumulative Environmental Risk and Youth Problem Behavior

Using data from Wave 1 (n = 5,070) and Wave 2 (n = 4,404) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we examined the relationship between cumulative risk exposure and youth problem behavior. Cross‐sectional analyses revealed a positive, linear association between cumulative risk and problem behaviors. The association between cumulative risk and externalizing problems was stronger for White youth than for Black youth. The association between cumulative risk and internalizing problems was stronger for girls than for boys, and stronger for White youth than for Black and Hispanic youth. Cumulative risk predicted change over time in internalizing problems. Findings support the theoretical notion that adolescents experience diminished psychological comfort when risk factors are present across several social domains.     

The identifiability of the mixed proportional hazards competing risks model

Summary. We prove identification of dependent competing risks models in which each risk has a mixed proportional hazard specification with regressors, and the risks are dependent by way of the unobserved heterogeneity, or frailty, components. We show that the conditions for identification given by Heckman and Honoré can be relaxed. We extend the results to the case in which multiple spells are observed for each subject.     

Can we plan for new technology?

This paper looks at the contribution of long-range planning to the emergence of the advanced biotechnology industry during the past 5 years and notes differences with planning for semiconductors 20 years ago. Two explanations for the differences are discussed: a steady progress thesis and a long wave thesis. Some conclusions are drawn about biotechnology on one hand and about the nature of planning on the other.