Imputation for missing values and corresponding variance estimation

Imputation is commonly used to compensate for missing data in surveys. We consider the general case where the responses on either the variable of interest y or the auxiliary variable x or both may be missing. We use ratio imputation for y when the associated x is observed and different imputations when x is not observed. We obtain design-consistent linearization and jackknife variance estimators under uniform response. We also report the results of a simulation study on the efficiencies of imputed estimators, and relative biases and efficiencies of associated variance estimators.     

On the transfer and advantageous reallocation paradoxes

It is well known that the transfer and advantageous reallocation paradoxes cannot occur at a Walrasian stable equilibrium in a two agent economy. In an influential recent paper Chichilnisky provided an example of the transfer paradox in the context of a globally Walrasian stable three agent economy. It is evident, though, that the paradoxes depend on the underlying data-tastes, preferences and net export positions-of the economy. This paper characterizes and generalizes the transfer and advantageous reallocation paradoxes: necessary and sufficient conditions on the underlying data of a globally Walrasian stable economy for the occurence of each of these paradoxes are established; the key role of the third agent in generating these paradoxes is clarified.I would like to thank John Donaldson, Duncan Foley and two anonymous referees of this journal for helpful comments. The usual disclaimers apply.     

南丰柑桔冻后恢复的生态经济学研究

本文从生态农业的角度出发,调查分析了1991年底至1992年初南丰县柑桔造成的严重冻害的特点及原因,同时通过对柑桔生长及防冻的生态生理分析,在生态经济理论的指导下,参照已有成功的生态农业模式,提出了具有南丰柑桔生产特色的迅速恢复柑桔生产的措施。     

Theory and social practice of agency in combining breastfeeding and employment: A qualitative study among health workers in New Delhi,India

BackgroundWomen's agency, or intentional actions, in combining breastfeeding and employment is significant for health and labour productivity. Previous research in India showed that mothers use various collaborative strategies to ensure a “good enough” combination of breastfeeding and employment. Bandura's theoretical agency constructs previously applied in various realms could facilitate the exploration of agency in an Indian context.AimTo explore manifestations of agency in combining breastfeeding and employment amongst Indian health workers using Bandura's theoretical constructs of agency and women's experiences.MethodsQualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten women employees within the governmental health sector in New Delhi, India. Both deductive and inductive qualitative content analyses were used.FindingsBandura's features and modes of agency revealed that intentionality is underpinned by knowledge, forethought means being prepared, self-reactiveness includes collaboration and that self-reflectiveness gives perspective. Women's interviews revealed four approaches to agency entitled: ‘All within my stride or the knowledgeable navigator’; ‘Much harder than expected, but ok overall’; This is a very lonely job’; and ‘Out of my control’.ConclusionsAgency features and their elements are complex, dynamic and involve family members. Bandura's theoretical agency constructs are partially useful in this context, but additional social practice constructs of family structure and relationship quality are needed for better correspondence with women's experiences of agency. The variation in individual approaches to agency has implications for supportive health and workplace services.     

Memories pierce the heart: homoeroticism, Bollywood-style

In this essay, I enjoy using Amitabh Bachchan, perennial idol of the Bollywood screen, as a point of departure for ruminations on the construction of male friendship and male love within both Indian cinema and its primarily male audience (which, in a sense, represents in turn Hindi culture at large). Using translations of songs from Amitabh's films interlaced with my own personal experiences, we see how homosexuality thrives in covert yet recognized places in Indian culture, and how subtler forms of homosexuality are actually engendered under the auspices of normative patriarchal culture. Songs were translated by the author in collaboration with Jia Das.     

Dedicated Transportation Subnetworks: Design,Analysis, and Insights

A dedicated subnetwork (DSN) refers to a subset of lanes, with associated loads, in a shipper's transportation network, for which resources—trucks, drivers, and other equipment—are exclusively assigned to accomplish shipping requirements. The resources assigned to a DSN are not shared with the rest of the shipper's network. Thus, a DSN is an autonomously operated subnetwork and, hence, can be subcontracted. We address a novel problem of extracting a DSN for outsourcing to one or more subcontractors, with the objective of maximizing the shipper's savings. In their pure form, the defining conditions of a DSN are often too restrictive to enable the extraction of a sizable subnetwork. We consider two notions—deadheading and lane‐sharing—that aid in improving the size of the DSN. We show that all the optimization problems involved are both strongly NP‐hard and APX‐hard, and demonstrate several polynomially solvable special cases arising from topological properties of the network and parametric relationships. Next, we develop a network‐flow‐based heuristic that provides near‐optimal solutions to practical instances in reasonable time. Finally, using a test bed based on data obtained from a national 3PL company, we demonstrate the substantial monetary impact of subcontracting a DSN and offer useful managerial insights.     

我国农村新型社会保障体系研究

农村社会保障建设滞后问题日益严重,已直接影响到我国农村社会稳定和经济发展。在目前统筹城乡经济和社会发展的新格局下,必须从结构转换、目标选取和机制转变等角度,研究分析农村新型社会保障建构原则、体系分类和制度定性等核心问题。     

政策层面的生活质量指标体系

研究生活质量一般从两个层面入手 ,一是微观层面即个体层面 ;一是宏观层面即社会政策层面。本文正是从社会政策层面入手 ,希望通过介绍与分析当今国际上有关生活质量社会政策指标体系 ,以期对我国生活质量指标体系的构建 ,起到一定的借鉴作用。     

Hierarchical Bayes small‐area estimation with an unknown link function

Area‐level unmatched sampling and linking models have been widely used as a model‐based method for producing reliable estimates of small‐area means. However, one practical difficulty is the specification of a link function. In this paper, we relax the assumption of a known link function by not specifying its form and estimating it from the data. A penalized‐spline method is adopted for estimating the link function, and a hierarchical Bayes method of estimating area means is developed using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method for posterior computations. Results of simulation studies comparing the proposed method with a conventional approach based on a known link function are presented. In addition, the proposed method is applied to data from the Survey of Family Income and Expenditure in Japan and poverty rates in Spanish provinces.