Perceptions of Migration and Diversity by Local Public Administrators

This article contributes to the recent debate on the perception of migration and diversity; it empirically examines whether public decision-makers and public administrators perceive migration and diversity as related or if they distinguish between them. It also seeks to identify the most important characteristics of respondents with positive attitudes to migration and diversity. The sample of the respondents covers Turkey, Greece, Hungary and Slovakia; those located on the “Balkan migration route” into Europe. Due to different experiences, respondents from countries with large-scale migration perceive migration and diversity differently from those in countries directly threatened by migration or countries without any direct impact of migration. Gender appears to be a statistically significant predictor in the need for high managerial skills to manage migration and diversity. Some size categories of municipalities where a respondent works appear to be statistically significant when ranking the local impacts and local economic benefits of migration.     

Visualization and Bandwidth Matrix Choice

In this study we compare three estimators of the extreme value index: Pickands estimator, the moment estimator and a maximum likelihood estimator. The estimators are explored both theoretically and by Monte Carlo simulation. We obtain two estimators for large quantiles using Pickands and the maximum likelihood estimators. The latter and one based on the moment estimator are then compared through simulation.     

Two step estimation for Neyman-Scott point process with inhomogeneous cluster centers

This paper is concerned with parameter estimation for the Neyman-Scott point process with inhomogeneous cluster centers. Inhomogeneity depends on spatial covariates. The regression parameters are estimated at the first step using a Poisson likelihood score function. Three estimation procedures (minimum contrast method based on a modified K function, composite likelihood and Bayesian methods) are introduced for estimation of clustering parameters at the second step. The performance of the estimation methods are studied and compared via a simulation study. This work has been motivated and illustrated by ecological studies of fish spatial distribution in an inland reservoir.     

Analytical and numerical studies on the second-order asymptotic expansion method for European option pricing under two-factor stochastic volatilities

The celebrated Black–Scholes model made the assumption of constant volatility but empirical studies on implied volatility and asset dynamics motivated the use of stochastic volatilities. Christoffersen in 2009 showed that multi-factor stochastic volatilities models capture the asset dynamics more realistically. Fouque in 2012 used it to price European options. In 2013, Chiarella and Ziveyi considered Christoffersen’s ideas and introduced an asset dynamics where the two volatilities of the Heston type act separately and independently on the asset price, and using Fourier transform for the asset price process and double Laplace transform for the two volatilities processes, solved a pricing problem for American options. This paper considers the Chiarella and Ziveyi model and parameterizes it so that the volatilities revert to the long-run-mean with reversion rates that mimic fast (for example daily) and slow (for example seasonal) random effects. Applying asymptotic expansion method presented by Fouque in 2012, we make an extensive and detailed derivation of the approximation prices for European options. We also present numerical studies on the behavior and accuracy of our first- and second-order asymptotic expansion formulas.     

Roma pupils’ attitudes towards education – a case study

When analysing the reasons behind the academic underachievement of Roma pupils, some teachers suggest that Roma people do not value education and that Roma children have negative attitudes towards school. With increasing frequency, Roma pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds are being researched and the research primarily adopts the perspectives of teachers and schools’ professional staff. The present study analyses attitudes towards education held by Roma pupils whose socio-economic status is comparable to the majority population and considers their perspective. The research was conducted with Roma pupils attending primary school in Maribor, Slovenia. To collect data, interviews were conducted. The study results suggest that the majority of Roma pupils from Maribor like attending school and value formal education; the majority indicated that they want to complete primary school and continue their education. The results also show that Roma pupils can be highly academically motivated if improved life conditions and improved education opportunities are provided to the Roma population.     

Religiosity as a predictor of students' political attitudes

This paper analyzes the relationship between students' level of actual religiosity and their sociodemographic characteristics, political orientation, and political attitudes. The paper is based on an online survey conducted at the University of Rijeka (N = 624) in 2021. The vast majority of our respondents (90%) received the three holy sacraments of initiation in their early childhood and attended Catholic religious education at school. The explanation of the significantly less actual religiosity of students is approached from the position of Pickel's contextualized theory of secularization. Relying on Voas and Day, a composite variable distinguishes highly religious students, moderately religious students, weakly religious students, and non-religious students on the basis of the respondents' positioning toward religious self-identification, beliefs, Church attendance, and the importance of religion in one's life. Statistically significant correlations between actual religiosity and political orientation were established. Very religious Catholic students, who are the least numerous and the least homogenous category, are more inclined to right-wing political orientation and reject ethno-nationalism/anti-multiculturalism less and accept clericalism more than other categories of students. In a broader sense, this study reveals that a large number of respondents distance themselves from religion and the Church at student age despite their experience of formal religious socialization at school age. Furthermore, the results suggest that the synergy of the liberalizing effect of education and the tolerant sociocultural atmosphere of an area reduces the influence of religiosity on the political attitudes and orientation of students.     

Putting experts in their place: Achieving policy impact as an outsider-academic in civil service reforms in Slovakia

This paper studies two processes of civil service reform in Slovakia during the period of 2014–2015 in order to reflect on the involvement of an ‘outsider-academic’ and her strategies to achieve policy impact. The context of such involvement are multi-level processes permeated by political interests and poor on evidence, which favour strategic interests, bargaining and political pressure and contestation (the mode of ‘powering’) and a mode of legal-based ‘puzzling’ as opposed to a conceptual, intellectual search for solutions friendly towards outside academics—and achieving only incremental results. We theorise on the success of these strategies (including helping serendipity, throwing ideas to see what sticks, mobilising allies, anchoring a non-binding concept, and finding and developing long-term connections) and sketch analogies and differences between the position of an outsider-academic and a policy entrepreneur. We rely on auto-ethnographic data and documentation of the work of the committees involved and their outputs.