On the role of statistics in the palaeomagnetic proof of continental drift

Magnetized rocks provide a “tape recording” of the more recent history of the earth. It was this evidence that broke the opposition to continental drift. The nature of the data - samples of unit vectors in three dimensions - demanded new forms of statistical treatment. I hope that my personal account will enable the general statistician to see a rare example of statistics being developed to be a modest help in a major scientific revolution.     

Mean squared error of prediction approach to the analysis of a combined array

SUMMARY The combined array provides a powerful, more statistically rigorous alternative to Taguchi's crossed-array approach to robust parameter design. The combined array assumes a single linear model in the control and the noise factors. One may then find conditions for the control factors which will minimize an appropriate loss function that involves the noise factors. The most appropriate loss function is often simply the resulting process variance, recognizing that the noise factors are actually random effects in the process. Because the major focus of such an experiment is to optimize the estimated process variance, it is vital to understand the resulting prediction properties. This paper develops the mean squared error for the estimated process variance for the combined array approach, under the assumption that the model is correctly specified. Specific combined arrays are compared for robustness. A practical example outlines how this approach may be used to select appropriate combined arrays within a particular experimental situation.     

Internal markets for department chairs: Comparative advantage,life-cycle,and jury duty

We examine the internal market for department chairs in U.S. universities and pro-vide the first empirical evidence concerning the determinants of departmental chair service using data from the economics departments in eight large public universities. The results reveal the wage premium for chairs increases with length of service and continues for an extended period thereafter. The chair premium largely represents com-pensation for foregone research and the attendant atrophy of research skills. The empir-ical results also indicate that departments tend to choose productive scholars to serve as chair, but avoid putting their most productive scholars in that position unless they are past their peak productivity period in their life-cycle. We thank an anonymous referee for helpful comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this paper. We are responsible for any errors.     

SHORT REVIEWS

Books reviewed in this article: Neil J. Diamant, Revolutionizing the Family: Politics, Love, and Divorce in Urban and Rural China, 1949–1968 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, World Disasters Report 2000: Focus on Public Health Christian Joppke, Immigration and the Nation‐State: The United States, Germany, and Great Britain Peng Xizhe with Guo Zhigang (eds.), The Changing Population of China Sebastiao Salgado, Migrations: Humanity in Transition United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 2000 United Nations Population Division, The World at Six Billion United Nations Population Division, World Population Monitoring 1998. Health and Mortality: Selected Aspects World Bank, Can Africa Claim the 21st Century?     

International Parental Abduction and Its Implications for Social Work Practice: Great Britain to the United States

SUMMARY. Indications are that abduction of children by their own parents is on the rise and may increase further with the coming European Community and the relaxation of travel barriers between countries. A case example of an international parental abduction from Great Britain to the United States is used to illustrate some of the treatment issues confronting social workers who may come in contact with these families.     

Comparative Capitalism without Capitalism,and Production without Workers: The Limits and Possibilities of Contemporary Institutional Analysis

The aim of this paper is to consider the extent to which the comparative capitalism literature fully reflects the available empirical evidence in its attempts to model different versions of capitalism and, in particular, whether it adequately captures the roles of diverse stakeholders within the capitalist system. In doing so, particular attention is accorded to the varieties of capitalism literature, business systems theory and regulation theory. In addition, there is reflection in the paper on whether any strand of the literature is able to deal effectively with the recent economic crisis and systemic change. It is argued that more attention needs to be devoted to exploring the structural causes of change and the marginalization of the interests of key social groupings, most notably workers, from the process of institutional redesign.     

SHORT REVIEWS

Books reviewed in this article: American Economic Association , Papers and Proceedings of the One Hundred Eleventh Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association, New York, January 3–5 1999 Katherine Betts , The Great Divide: Immigration Politics in Australia C. Y. Cyrus Chu , Population Dynamics: A New Economic Approach Timothy J. Hatton and Jeffrey G. Williamson , The Age of Mass Migration: Causes and Economic Impact International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies , World Disasters Report 1998 Augustine J. Kposowa , The Impact of Immigration on the United States Economy B. Lindsay Lowell (ed.) , Foreign Temporary Workers in America: Policies That Benefit the U.S. Economy Christopher J. L. Murray and Alan D. Lopez (eds.) , Health Dimensions of Sex and Reproduction: The Global Burden of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, HIV, Maternal Conditions, Perinatal Disorders, and Congenital Abnormalities Jack Parsons , Human Population Competition: A Study of the Pursuit of Power Through Julian L. Simon , Economics Against the Grain World Bank , Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics 1998