The determinacy of the regression factor score predictor based on continuous parameter estimates from categorical variables

The estimation of population parameters of the continuous common factor model from categorical observed variables is meanwhile regularly performed. It is shown that the formula for the calculation of the determinacy of the regression factor score predictor from the estimated model parameters has to be adapted under these conditions. A method for the calculation of this determinacy from the model parameters of the continuous population factor model based on categorical variables is proposed and evaluated by means of simulated population data. It turns out that using the uncorrected formula can lead to serious overestimation of determinacy for categorical variables.     

Discussing Global Issues Through Contemporary Art

Contemporary global issues can be examined through the lens of modern photographic art. In an effort to prepare global-ready graduates, this article explores the pressing problems of environmental degradation, urbanization, and homelessness through the work of three contemporary artists. Illustrative works, suggested approaches, and curriculum resources are provided.     

Thinking politics and fashion in 1960s Cuba: How not to judge a book by its cover

Theory and Society - This article presents fashion as a mechanism of domination and political legitimacy, focusing on Soviet-type state socialist regimes. In particular, it documents some dynamics...     

Corruption and the ‘Paradox of Redistribution’

The existing literature on the determinants of income redistribution has identified a ‘paradox’. Namely, that countries with a high degree of market income inequality redistribute little, which is in disagreement with the median voter theorem. In a first step, this paper outlines several mechanisms that explain why government corruption might be partially responsible for this ‘paradox’. In a second step, different corruption perception indices and an instrumental variable approach are used to provide empirical evidence that indicates a significant negative impact of corruption on redistribution levels for a sample of 148 developing and developed countries. This finding suggests that, next to political and need factors, government corruption explains to some extent the ‘paradox of redistribution’. This is especially true for many developing countries, given that they typically have relatively high degrees of corruption and low levels of redistribution.     

What is Happening with Quality of Life Among the Oldest People in Southern European Countries? An Empirical Approach Based on the SHARE Data

Population aging in developed countries has created new challenges to improve the well-being of individuals at different age cohorts. This issue is especially significant for Southern European countries, were aging societies have worse health and less socio-economic resources. The aim of this study is to contribute to this body of literature and to estimate the effect of aging on quality of life of oldest people. This paper uses the latest available data (6th wave) from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Specifically, robust ordinary least squares and multilevel regressions are employed to analyse the effects of socioeconomic, health, and community factors on quality of life among the oldest population for Southern European countries. Our findings confirm the significance of several factors on life satisfaction among the oldest population in this group of countries. Moreover, we show that the determinants which are correlated with quality of life include predisposing, health, geographic area and social isolation factors.     

Use of Poset Theory with Big Datasets: A New Proposal Applied to the Analysis of Life Satisfaction in Italy

The aim of this work is to propose a tool for measuring a complex concept, and to apply it to big sets of data measured on ordinal and/or dichotomous scales. An important field of application are subjective data, that are often based on opinions or personal evaluations. Many national and international surveys employ this kind of data, measured among thousand of individuals. Thanks to the use of the “average rank” as a synthetic measure of a complex concept, we believe that poset theory could be a very useful approach for dealing with ordinal data avoiding the use of scaling procedures. Because classic poset approaches are at their best when applied to few data at a time, our idea is based on a procedure for sampling units from a big population using a simple criterion to summarize the resulting values appropriately. Applying the central limit theorem enables a comparison of the results obtained from different groups using statistical tests on the means. We used our Height of Groups by Sampling (HOGS) method to compare the average rank among groups that are defined by one or more socio-demographic variables influencing the level of the complex concept we wish to measure. The application of the HOGS procedure to life satisfaction in Italy generated convincing results, revealing significant differences between regions, genders and levels of formal education. We compared the results given by HOGS with the non linear principal component analysis and obtain an easy readable output with convincing precision and accuracy; we are confident that the HOGS procedure can be applied to many other concepts investigated in the social sciences.     

Relationship between duration of second stage of labour and postpartum anaemia

Aim

To assess the relationship between the duration of the second stage of labour and postpartum anaemia during vaginal birth.

“Unnatural Fornication” Cases Under State-Socialism: A Hungarian–Slovenian Comparative Social-Historical Approach

This comparative social-historical study examines different versions of state-socialist body politics manifested in Hungary and Slovenia mainly during the 1950s by using archive material of “unnatural fornication” court cases. By analyzing the available Hungarian “természet elleni fajtalanság” and Slovenian “nenaravno ob?evanje” court cases, we can shed light on how the defendants were treated by the police and the judiciary. On the basis of these archive data that have never been examined before from these angles, we can construct an at least partial picture of the practices and consequences of state surveillance of same-sex-attracted men during state-socialism. The article explores the functioning of state-socialist social control mechanisms directed at nonnormative sexualities that had long-lasting consequences on the social representation of homosexuality in both countries.