Measuring the economic impacts of recent oil price shocks on oil-dependent economy: evidence from Malaysia

This paper examines the economy-wide impacts of recent oil price shocks on the Malaysian economy. To achieve this objective, an integrated methodological framework that combines econometric and input–output models is utilized to assess the impacts of an oil price shock on tax revenues, employment, labor income and gross domestic product (GDP). Our results reveal that the recent oil price shocks significantly affects these macroeconomic variables. The decline in oil prices from 2015 to 2016 reduces tax revenues by 10.5%, lower GDP by 1.9% and increases the unemployment rate by 0.3%. As such, the sharp crunch in oil prices serves as a reminder to policymakers on the vulnerability inherent in overreliance on oil exports and the urgent need to diversify the economy.     

Generalized geometric distribution of order k: A flexible choice to randomize the response

This article focuses on the improvement of a well-celebrated randomized response technique of Kuk. A generalized randomized response technique is suggested. In particular, the generalized geometric distribution of order k is introduced as a randomization device for estimating the population proportion of a rare sensitive attribute. The proposed randomized response technique includes Singh and Grewal and Hussain et al. techniques as its special cases. Through numerical illustrations, it is established that the suggested technique is superior to the Kuk, Singh and Grewal, and Hussain et al. techniques. Flexibility of the proposed technique is also discussed.     

人物与粉丝带的隐喻——论《小伙子古德曼·布朗》的象征寓意

《小伙子古德曼·布朗》,被公认是纳撒尼尔·霍桑一部极具艺术价值的经典之作。本文试图从作家及其作品简介入手,着重分析作品中人物和粉丝带的象征意义,有助于读者更加全面,准确地解读《小伙子古德曼·布朗》中象征手法的运用。对《小伙子古德曼·布朗》中运用的象征手法的研究,对于我们全面地认识霍桑的象征主义有着重要而深远的意义。     

高职英语听力教学的几点思考

本文从学生与教师两方面入手,分别探讨了现阶段高职英语听力教学中存在的普遍问题及原因,旨在为今后的教学工作改善提出新的思路与解决方法。     

Intrahousehold Resource Allocation: Do Parents Reduce or Reinforce Child Ability Gaps?

Do parents invest more or less in their high-ability children? We provide new evidence on this question by comparing observed ability differences and observed investment differences between siblings living in the United States. To overcome endogeneity issues, we use sibling differences in handedness as an instrument for cognitive ability differences. We find that parents invest more in high-ability children, with a 1 standard deviation increase in child cognitive ability increasing parental investments by approximately one-third of a standard deviation. Consequently, differences in child cognitive ability are enhanced by differential parental investments.     

Adult obesity prevalence and state policymaking in the United States: Is problem severity associated with more policies?

This study explores the relationship between adult obesity prevalence and obesity-related state policymaking in the United States. We examine whether 2009 obesity prevalence and the change in prevalence between 2000 and 2009 are associated with obesity-related state laws and regulations introduced or enacted between 2009 and 2011. Policies that exclusively target youth are eliminated from our analysis. Adult obesity prevalence increased in all 50 states over the decade studied, with a slight decrease in Washington, DC. Increases in prevalence are significantly associated with fewer policies in the South and Midwest Census regions and the East North Central and South Atlantic Census divisions. Findings suggest the need for greater advocacy and an opportunity for obesity to rise on state policy agendas.     

The negotiation of minority ethnic identities in virtually all-white communities: research with children and their families in the South Wales valleys

This paper draws on qualitative interviews with 19 children and nine of their parents or carers in the South Wales valleys to discuss the effect on the social identities of minority ethnic children of living in virtually all-white communities. There is discussion of minority ethnic identities, local identities and Welshness, and the paper concludes with consideration of the theoretical and policy implications of the research. Interviews with the children showed them to be using a variety of creative strategies to negotiate their identities in a challenging and highly racialised context. Diverse individual histories and family relationships interact with available minority cultural identities and local and national cultural influences. The children have to construct their own identities in the context of dominant discourses of ‘Wales’ and ‘Welshness’ and also class-based notions of what it means to come from this particular region. Some maintain minority ethnic identities with pride and for others the maintenance of a minority ethnic identity is put under extreme pressure.     

A rational approach to pricing of catastrophe insurance

A methodology for rational pricing of catastrophe insurance is described. The methodology has two components: a solvency- and stability-based pricing framework, and an engine to quantify the loss variability that drives solvency and stability. Generalization to account for contagious effects of catastrophes and multiple occurrence of peril is presented in detail.     

Bayes Estimation of Shift Point in Normal Sequence and Its Application to Statistical Process Control

A sequence of independent observations X ₁, X ₂, …, X _m , X _m+1, …, X _n was observed on some measurable characteristic X in statistical process control. The shift in process mean is reflected in the sequence after X _m . The Bayes estimators of shift point m, and past and future process means, μ₁ and μ₂, are derived using various priors and loss functions. An application in statistical process control is given and a simulation study of the estimators is carried out.