INFORMATION GATHERING IN ORGANIZATIONS: EQUILIBRIUM,WELFARE, AND OPTIMAL NETWORK STRUCTURE

We model an organization as a game in which all agents share a common decision problem and some level of coordination is necessary between individual actions. Agents have individual private information concerning the task they have to perform, and they share this private information through pairwise channels of communication. We analyze how this communication pattern, modeled by means of a network structure, affects individual behavior and aggregate welfare. In the unique equilibrium of this Bayesian game, each agent's optimal action depends on a properly defined knowledge index that measures how the aggregation of information helps him to infer higher‐order beliefs about other's information after communication. Adding communication channels is not always beneficial for the organization because it can lead to mis‐coordination. We single out the geometry of interagent communication links that the manager could implement in order to improve the organization's performance.     

LIMIT THEOREMS FOR PROPORTIONS OF OBSERVATIONS FALLING INTO RANDOM REGIONS DETERMINED BY ORDER STATISTICS

In this paper, we study asymptotic behavior of proportions of sample observations that fall into random regions determined by a given Borel set and an order statistic. We show that these proportions converge almost surely to some population quantities as the sample size increases to infinity. We derive our results for independent and identically distributed observations from an arbitrary cumulative distribution function, in particular, we allow samples drawn from discontinuous laws. We also give extensions of these results to the case of randomly indexed samples with some dependence between observations.     

Social work programmes in the social democratic welfare regime

In this article we examine the emergence of social worker training in the Nordic countries and discuss the possible effects that the social democratic welfare regime has had on such training. We also discuss the development in recent decades of the academisation of the training and the establishment of social work as a subject of research and teaching. The early history of social worker education is based on archival material, national inquiries and secondary sources. Our presentation of the recent history of social work education is based on the responses to a questionnaire sent to teachers of social work in 33 Nordic social work programmes, and on a survey of course syllabi and prospectuses. It is also based on the reading lists for the social work courses in these programmes.     

Kernel estimators for the second order parameter in extreme value statistics

We develop and study in the framework of Pareto-type distributions a general class of kernel estimators for the second order parameter ρ$\rho$, a parameter related to the rate of convergence of a sequence of linearly normalized maximum values towards its limit. Inspired by the kernel goodness-of-fit statistics introduced in Goegebeur et al. (2008), for which the mean of the normal limiting distribution is a function of ρ$\rho$, we construct estimators for ρ$\rho$ using ratios of ratios of differences of such goodness-of-fit statistics, involving different kernel functions as well as power transformations. The consistency of this class of ρ$\rho$ estimators is established under some mild regularity conditions on the kernel function, a second order condition on the tail function 1−F of the underlying model, and for suitably chosen intermediate order statistics. Asymptotic normality is achieved under a further condition on the tail function, the so-called third order condition. Two specific examples of kernel statistics are studied in greater depth, and their asymptotic behavior illustrated numerically. The finite sample properties are examined by means of a simulation study.     

A geostatistical approach to define guidelines for radon prone area identification

Radon is a natural radioactive gas known to be the main contributor to natural background radiation exposure and the major leading cause of lung cancer second to smoking. Indoor radon concentration levels of 200 and 400 Bq/m³ are reference values suggested by the 90/143/Euratom recommendation, above which mitigation measures should be taken in new and old buildings, respectively, to reduce exposure to radon. Despite this international recommendation, Italy still does not have mandatory regulations or guidelines to deal with radon in dwellings. Monitoring surveys have been undertaken in a number of western European countries in order to assess the exposure of people to this radioactive gas and to identify radon prone areas. However, such campaigns provide concentration values in each single dwelling included in the sample, while it is often necessary to provide measures of the pollutant concentration which refer to sub-areas of the region under study. This requires a realignment of the spatial data from the level at which they are collected (points) to the level at which they are necessary (areas). This is known as change of support problem.In this paper, we propose a methodology based on geostatistical simulations in order to solve this problem and to identify radon prone areas which may be suggested for national guidelines.     

Individual and couple decision behavior under risk: evidence on the dynamics of power balance

This article reports results of an experiment designed to analyze the link between risky decisions made by couples and risky decisions made separately by each spouse. We estimate both the spouses and the couples’ degrees of risk aversion, we assess how the risk preferences of the two spouses aggregate when they make risky decisions, and we shed light on the dynamics of the decision process that takes place when couples make risky decisions. We find that, far from being fixed, the balance of power within the household is malleable. In most couples, men have, initially, more decision-making power than women but women who ultimately implement the joint decisions gain more and more power over the course of decision making.     

Working life and retirement pensions in Spain: The simulated impact of a parametric reform

This article aims to offer an ex ante evaluation of the impact of a parametric reform of the Spanish pension system that would involve increasing the reference period used to calculate benefits, an approach proposed many times by various actors in the socio‐economic field. Such gradual change may be categorized as a non‐structural reform of the pension system. This contrasts with reforms of a structural nature that have been very popular in Latin America and elsewhere, involving the creation of defined contribution individual account schemes. As regards the parametric reform proposed in this article, the main findings indicate that it would have a small but negative impact on pension income for pensioners and would reduce income distribution.     

Choosing Whether to Buy or Make: The Contracting Out of Employment Reintegration Services by Dutch Municipalities

The Western welfare states are under reform. An important part of these reforms is the introduction of market type mechanisms for the deliverance of public services. Over the years, many countries have chosen to contract out employment reintegration services. The underlying notion of contracting out is the belief that the introduction of market elements in the production of public services increases effectiveness and efficiency. In addition to the cost benefit argument for contracting out public services, ideology is often brought forward as an important factor explaining why public services are provided in‐house. In this article, we analyze to what extent cost benefit arguments and ideology affect the make or buy decision of Dutch municipalities. The Dutch employment reintegration market poses an interesting case in point since Dutch municipalities have the option to either provide employment reintegration services themselves or to buy services on the market. Our analysis shows that cost benefit arguments do not play a role in the make or buy decision of Dutch municipalities. Ideology, however, does. Municipalities that adhere to the principles of New Public Management more often opt to buy employment reintegration services on the market. Also the outcomes of municipal elections have been found to be of importance – left‐wing municipalities more often choose in‐house service provision.