Ranking opportunity sets in the space of functionings

We develop a ranking of compact, convex and comprehensive opportunity sets defined in the evaluative space of individual functionings. We suppose the existence of a target, that is a multi-dimensional bliss point in terms of functionings. This leads us to define concepts such as essentiality and freedomin a novel way. As a main result, we give an axiomatic characterization of the ranking obtained by minimizing the Euclidean distance between each opportunity set and the target.     

Relativism and Dissent: An Individualistic Interpretation of Terrorism

Terrorism is an incredibly dramatic problem of our times. The remedies taken so far do not seem to be able to solve the problem. This paper gives an alternative reading of the phenomenon: apart from the origin of a single terrorism and the specific means it may use, every terrorism simply represents, from an individualistic point of view, the measure of the ability of a system of rules to absorb the changes without anyone choosing a violent option.     

Selection of the neighborhood structure for space-time Markov random field models

A space-time, univariate dataset is assumed to have been sampled from a 3-dimensional Markov Random Field where the data dependence structure is modeled through pairwise interaction parameters. The likelihood function depends upon (1) an undirected, 3-dimensional graph, where edges connect observation points, and (2) the parameter dimension that captures possible space-time anisotropy of data interaction. Automatic model selection to discriminate both the graph and the model dimension is suggested on the basis of a penalized Pseudo-likelihood function. In most cases, the procedure can be implemented using standard statistical packages capable of GLM estimation. Weak consistency of the criterion is shown to hold under mild and easily verifiable sufficient conditions. Its performance in small samples is studied providing simulation results.     

Assessing Risk Factors in the Organic Control System: Evidence from Inspection Data in Italy

Certification is an essential feature in organic farming, and it is based on inspections to verify compliance with respect to European Council Regulation—EC Reg. No 834/2007. A risk‐based approach to noncompliance that alerts the control bodies to activate planning inspections would contribute to a more efficient and cost‐effective certification system. An analysis of factors that can affect the probability of noncompliance in organic farming has thus been developed. This article examines the application of zero‐inflated count data models to farm‐level panel data from inspection results and sanctions obtained from the Ethical and Environmental Certification Institute, one of the main control bodies in Italy. We tested many a priori hypotheses related to the risk of noncompliance. We find evidence of an important role for past noncompliant behavior in predicting future noncompliance, while farm size and the occurrence of livestock also have roles in an increased probability of noncompliance. We conclude the article proposing that an efficient risk‐based inspection system should be designed, weighting up the known probability of occurrence of a given noncompliance according to the severity of its impact.     

Model-based segmentation of spatial cylindrical data

ABSTRACT

A new hidden Markov random field model is proposed for the analysis of cylindrical spatial series, i.e. bivariate spatial series of intensities and angles. It allows us to segment cylindrical spatial series according to a finite number of latent classes that represent the conditional distributions of the data under specific environmental conditions. The model parsimoniously accommodates circular–linear correlation, multimodality, skewness and spatial autocorrelation. A numerically tractable expectation–maximization algorithm is provided to compute parameter estimates by exploiting a mean-field approximation of the complete-data log-likelihood function. These methods are illustrated on a case study of marine currents in the Adriatic sea.     

Classification of periodic arrivals in event time data for filtering computer network traffic

Statistics and Computing - Periodic patterns can often be observed in real-world event time data, possibly mixed with non-periodic arrival times. For modelling purposes, it is necessary to...     

Ownership and control in local public utilities: the Italian case

The paper discusses the ownership and control structures of local public utilities by showing evidence from the Italian case. In this discussion, the focus is on three main aspects: the ownership structure, the board composition and independence, and citizens’ involvement (service charters). The main results from this study reveal that there are controversial aspects, which need further investigation. The existence of a principal–principal conflict is clearly arising from an in-depth analysis of the ownership structures. In addition, the board of directors, because of the lack of actual independence, does not seem to be a useful arena to manage and solve these conflicts. Other governance mechanisms are thus needed, to increase accountability to citizens. Within this, service charters seem to be a useful tool to protect the “public interest”. However, service charters content analysis suggests that further implementation actions are due. The paper contributes to the debate on conflicts of interests and governance mechanisms in local public utilities suggesting possible developments of agency theory and discussing implications for further research.     

Exploring Networking of Third Sector Organizations: A Case Study Based on the Quartieri Spagnoli Neighborhood in Naples (Italy)

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - In the last decades, European Third Sector Organizations have been increasingly affected by marketization and the...