Groom price-female human capital: Some empirical evidence

This paper examines the effect of female human capital endowment on the groom price or dowry by using a newly available data set that was created by surveying the middle-class residents of Patna, Bihar. The estimates based on the OLS and 2SLS suggest the existence of positive association between the two variables for the sample under study. The result can be viewed as a positive; albeit, a small step towards settling the issue as to whether or not dowry is an obstacle to female human capital formation.     

Ergonomic intervention in aonla pricking operation during preserve preparation in food processing industries

Aonla is an important Indian fruit crop with great potential for processing into various quality products. Aonla preserve making is an important economic activity in our country. The pricking methods are age old, hence a hand operated aonla pricking machine was introduced in preserve making industries to speed up the pricking task. OWAS and RULA two of the most commonly used ergonomic assessment tools were evaluated for their efficacy in the assessment pricking along with Rating of perceived exertion scale. Analysis of working posture using RULA revealed that the pricking task with existing methods i.e. fork and hand tool requires immediate investigation and changes in working posture while with machine pricking investigations and changes are required soon. The results of OWAS indicated that the posture maintained while pricking with existing methods need to be changed in future planning while with machine was acceptable. The subjective assessment revealed that machine pricking was less exerting activity as compared to the existing methods. The preserve prepared from machine pricked fruit was most acceptable among consumers. Hence, in the form of machine ergonomic intervention was brought about in preservation industries which have proved beneficial for workers in terms of their safety and productivity.     

Beyond social networking: Performing global Englishes in Facebook by college youth in Nepal1

Until recently, scholarship on online social networking has mostly focused on issues of social relationship, privacy, identity and literacy. Research on the interface between multilingualism, multimodality and online social networking from a discursive perspective is relatively limited. This ethno‐graphic study draws data from Facebook pages composed and hosted over two years by three economically and educationally privileged undergraduate students in Nepal and uses conceptual constructs of mediascape, convergence culture and global Englishes. The study investigates how the advent of social networking online in Facebook by college youth has influenced their use of the English language and other semiotic resources to index both their local and cosmopolitan identities. Findings suggest that these youth are using social networking to redefine the role of English in relation to their existing social relationships, innovatively mixing English and Nepali in order to construct their bilingual identities, and embedding English with other texts to recontextualize both local and global media content. The paper concludes with a summary of major findings which suggest that online social networking practices have significantly helped to bring about a cultural change among this particular social group in Nepal.      

Measuring Inequality of Opportunity for the Backward Communities: Regional Evidence from the Indian Labour Market

The affirmative action policy for socially and economically backward communities in employment has been a debated issue in India. In this context, this paper aims to analyze the level of inequality by distinguishing between ‘circumstance’ and ‘effort’ factors in the Roemer’s framework on equality of opportunity. We measure inequality of opportunities due to two circumstances: caste and religion. Our empirical analysis, at state-level, utilizes a recent household survey data, which provides information related to efforts as well as circumstances of workers. The paper estimated inequality in the labour market and then decomposed it to know the circumstances that cause income inequality. Our estimates indicated that inequality and inequality of opportunity is substantially higher in India. Specifically, the outcome of our analysis evidently indicated that the socially backward communities do have economically disadvantageous position in some of the Indian states. However, the degree of circumstances based on inequality varies to a great extent among the states. Therefore, we suggest that the country does not need a nation-level affirmative action policy instead a state-level policy could be more appropriate as the intensity of the problem differ significantly among the Indian states.     

On some test statistics for testing homogeneity of variances: a comparative study

In this paper, we have reviewed 25 test procedures that are widely reported in the literature for testing the hypothesis of homogeneity of variances under various experimental conditions. Since a theoretical comparison was not possible, a simulation study has been conducted to compare the performance of the test statistics in terms of robustness and empirical power. Monte Carlo simulation was performed for various symmetric and skewed distributions, number of groups, sample size per group, degree of group size inequalities, and degree of variance heterogeneity. Using simulation results and based on the robustness and power of the tests, some promising test statistics are recommended for practitioners.     

Analysis of Bivariate Survival Data using Shared Inverse Gaussian Frailty Model

In this article, we consider shared frailty model with inverse Gaussian distribution as frailty distribution and log-logistic distribution (LLD) as baseline distribution for bivariate survival times. We fit this model to three real-life bivariate survival data sets. The problem of analyzing and estimating parameters of shared inverse Gaussian frailty is the interest of this article and then compare the results with shared gamma frailty model under the same baseline for considered three data sets. Data are analyzed using Bayesian approach to the analysis of clustered survival data in which there is a dependence of failure time observations within the same group. The variance component estimation provides the estimated dispersion of the random effects. We carried out a test for frailty (or heterogeneity) using Bayes factor. Model comparison is made using information criteria and Bayes factor. We observed that the shared inverse Gaussian frailty model with LLD as baseline is the better fit for all three bivariate data sets.     

A Selection Procedure for Selecting the Least Increasing Failure Rate Average Distribution

For k independent absolutely continuous increasing failure rate average (IFRA) life distributions F_i, i = 1, 2, …, k, Link (1989 Link, W.A. (1989). Testing for exponentiality against monotone failure rate average alternatives. Commun. Statist. Theor. Meth. 18(8): 3009–3017.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) considered a measure of departure of against monotone failure rate average alternatives. In this paper, we use the measure defined by Link for detection of IFRA-ness of life distribution F_i. A two-stage selection procedure to select the least IFRA distribution is proposed. This selection procedure is based on a U-statistic which is an estimator of the measure and can be implemented even when the IFRA life distributions belong to different families. The applications of this procedure are discussed for some well known distributions.     

Some Effective Rotation Patterns in Estimation of Population Mean in Two-Occasion Successive Sampling

This article is an attempt to explore some effective rotation patterns in estimation of current population mean in two occasions successive sampling. Utilizing the readily available information on an auxiliary variable on both occasions and the information on study variable from the previous occasion, some efficient estimation procedures have been suggested. Optimum replacement strategies and the efficiencies of the proposed estimators have been discussed. Empirical studies are carried out and suitable recommendations are made.     

m-Associate PBIB designs using Youden-m squares

In this paper, we have proposed a type of arrangement that we call Youden-m square and is similar to the usual Youden square but generates PBIB designs instead of BIB designs when its columns are taken as blocks. We have also discussed its construction methodologies, introduced two new m-associate class association schemes, and also constructed some series of Youden-m square type PBIB designs.     

Data Gap Analysis,Indicator Selection and Index Development: A Case for Developing Economies

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and its measurement is a key policy focus across the globe. Despite existence of several indices and reporting agencies, it is a challenging task to identify progress, specifically in the case of developing economies. These economies are predominantly in Asia and Africa and have a great bearing on global performance. These countries have diverse geographical and cultural elements with an active sub-national institutional framework. Data gap coupled with poor data quality and limited financial support does not help their case. Without appropriate indicator selection and index measurement it is not possible to judge the actual current situation or compare the SDG situation around the world. This paper attempts a practical and simpler approach to overcome the constraints, provide direction and facilitate measurement of SDG position in such countries using the case of India. This is done by identifying gaps, suggesting a tailored approach to indicator selection and measurement and further, developing a suitable index for SDG measurement at the sub-national level. The results and findings should be of great interest for policy making and implementing agencies.