Contrast Estimation for Parametric Stationary Determinantal Point Processes

We study minimum contrast estimation for parametric stationary determinantal point processes. These processes form a useful class of models for repulsive (or regular, or inhibitive) point patterns and are already applied in numerous statistical applications. Our main focus is on minimum contrast methods based on the Ripley's K‐function or on the pair correlation function. Strong consistency and asymptotic normality of theses procedures are proved under general conditions that only concern the existence of the process and its regularity with respect to the parameters. A key ingredient of the proofs is the recently established Brillinger mixing property of stationary determinantal point processes. This work may be viewed as a complement to the study of Y. Guan and M. Sherman who establish the same kind of asymptotic properties for a large class of Cox processes, which in turn are models for clustering (or aggregation).     

Energy use, population and growth, 1800�C1970

In this paper, the role of energy use is incorporated into unified growth theory. The paper presents some interesting evidence about the evolution of energy in the transition from stagnation to growth, and it subsequently develops a growth model where the observed increase in conversion efficiency in the coal energy sector is explicitly modelled and calibrated to existing data over the period 1800–1970. The quantitative analysis sheds light on the impact of energy use on the transition from stagnation to growth.     

Remittances and inequality: a dynamic migration model

We develop a model to study the effects of migration and remittances on inequality in the origin communities. While wealth inequality is shown to be monotonically reduced along the time-span, the short- and the long-run impacts on income inequality may be of opposite signs, suggesting that the dynamic relationship between migration/remittances and inequality may well be characterized by an inverse U-shaped pattern. This is consistent with the findings of the empirical literature, yet offers a different interpretation from the usually assumed migration network effects. With no need to endogenize migration costs through the role of migration networks, we generate the same results via intergenerational wealth accumulation.     

Towards a critical realist epistemology?

When critical realists consider epistemology they typically start from “epistemological relativism.” We find this position necessary, but we also find it insufficient because it lacks a critique of the highly unequal social relations among observers themselves—relations that shape the very production of knowledge. While it is indeed the case that all knowledge is fallible, it is also the case that all knowledge is positioned, with a particular standpoint. What is more, the social power relations between standpoints organize the production of truth in ways that produce systematic distortions. In this paper, we propose a critical realist social epistemology. We introduce feminist standpoint theory and postcolonial theory as our suggested interventions into critical realism and we use two case studies of existing work to highlight i) the social production of truth and the real, and ii) what is at stake for radicalizing epistemology in critical realism. In so doing, our paper emphasizes the epistemic complexities that continuously shape ontology, a commitment to subaltern voices or experiences, and a thorough interrogation of the relations between positions of knowledge production.     

Reports of Wins and Risk Taking: An Investigation of the Mediating Effect of the Illusion of Control

Two experiments examined the relationships between the knowledge that another person has won in a gamble, the illusion of control and risk taking. Participants played a computer-simulated French roulette game individually. Before playing, some participants learnt that another person won a large amount of money. Results from a first experiment (n = 24) validated a causal model where the knowledge of another person’s win increased the illusion of control, measured with betting times, expectancy and self-reports on scales, which in turn encourages risk taking. In the second experiment (n = 36), some participants were told the previous player acknowledged the win to be fortuitous. The suppression of the belief that the previous winner had himself exerted control over the outcome resulted in lower rates of risk-taking behaviors. This suggests that it was not the knowledge of another person’s win in itself that increased risk taking, but rather, the belief that the other person had some control over the gamble’s outcome. Theoretical implications for the study of social mechanisms involved in gambling behavior are discussed.     

Pierre Bourdieu: Economic models against economism

The use of economic analogies by Bourdieu has often been the object of much criticism. For some scholars, it reveals an “economistic” vision of the social world too much inspired by neoclassical economics. For others, it is a kind of mechanical metaphor transposed to cultural phenomena in a determinist way, as in the holistic (Marxist) tradition. To understand this usage and to refute these contradictory criticisms, we return to and focus on the very first occurrences in the 1958–1966 period – the focus of our article – of what Bourdieu would call a “general economy of practices” in his book Esquisse d’une théorie de la pratique. Two central aspects, often forgotten by critics, are presented here: first, the close but very particular link between his work and economics as a growing scientific discipline during these years; second, the criticisms Bourdieu makes of the economic model as a general scientific tool for the social sciences. If one insists only on one of the two sides of the coin, one risks misunderstanding Bourdieu’s original scientific habitusand intellectual project. By contrast, this “double” position opens the possibility of an “integrated” vision of social and economic factors of practices, thanks to the introduction of the “cultural” and above all the “symbolic” dimensions of social life.     

Doubly robust point and variance estimation in the presence of imputed survey data

Imputation is often used in surveys to treat item nonresponse. It is well known that treating the imputed values as observed values may lead to substantial underestimation of the variance of the point estimators. To overcome the problem, a number of variance estimation methods have been proposed in the literature, including resampling methods such as the jackknife and the bootstrap. In this paper, we consider the problem of doubly robust inference in the presence of imputed survey data. In the doubly robust literature, point estimation has been the main focus. In this paper, using the reverse framework for variance estimation, we derive doubly robust linearization variance estimators in the case of deterministic and random regression imputation within imputation classes. Also, we study the properties of several jackknife variance estimators under both negligible and nonnegligible sampling fractions. A limited simulation study investigates the performance of various variance estimators in terms of relative bias and relative stability. Finally, the asymptotic normality of imputed estimators is established for stratified multistage designs under both deterministic and random regression imputation. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 40: 259–281; 2012 © 2012 Statistical Society of Canada     

Les effets des mécanismes du recrutement collégial sur la discrimination : le cas des recrutements universitaires

Do recruitment practices for positions as associate professor in French universities have an impact on any discrimination eventually experienced by women? Surveys and in-depth interviews conducted with members of hiring committees in three disciplines shed light on recruitment practices in relation to direct as well as indirect discrimination. The practices of these committees, who choose among applicants, are permeable to forms of indirect sex-based discrimination even though the use of various tools (grid for examining applications, the explanation of criteria, etc.) and various arrangements (the publicity of proceedings, diversified makeup of these committees, collective decision-making, etc.) limit the possibilities of direct discrimination.     

Formation of a Communication Network Under Perfect Foresight

We study the formation of a communication network under perfect foresight. We show the existence of a non-monotonic relationship between the cost of link formation and the total number of links created in stable networks. This result enhances a dilemma between stable and efficient networks.     

Matching Communities and Hierarchies within the Firm

This article, which draws on recent literature on organizational communities, raises the question of the coherence of the firm through the analysis of the dialectic interaction between hierarchies and Knowledge-Intensive Communities (KnICs) within the firm. Focusing on the cognitive dimension of the firm, we analyze the matching between hierarchies and KnICs and draw conclusions as to the coherence of the firm. Using two key elements (the frequency of interactions and the intensity of communication between communities), we draw a typology allowing a better understanding of the processes of coordination and knowledge creation within the firm. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.