The local geographies of welfare in Tunisia: Does neighbourhood matter?*

Amara M, Ayadi M. The local geographies of welfare in Tunisia: Does neighbourhood matter? The aim of this article is to show that spatial analysis techniques outperform non‐spatial statistical counterparts for understanding the geographic determinants of welfare and poverty in Tunisia. First, an Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis, based on a Geographical Information System, was conducted to visualise the local spatial structure of welfare. Second, a spatial autoregressive (SAR) model and a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model, respectively, were used to deal with both spatial autocorrelations and unobserved spatial heterogeneity of households' behaviours. Spatial and non‐spatial models were compared according to their predictive performances. Results of this case study confirm that SAR and GWR spatial models are preferable to the traditional non‐spatial regression model and that they give a better approximation of the Tunisian poverty map.     

Some Correlates of Emotional Well-Being Among New England College Students

Abstract

In a questionnaire survey of New England college students, a large number of undergraduate men and women reported problems related to their personal, social, or academic adjustment. Given a list of 22 items described as “common concerns or feelings experienced by college students,” respondents were asked to rate the extent to which each item had been a problem for them in the past year. Most students (86%) reported having very much or somewhat of a problem with one or more items on the list. Pressure to do well in school, problems with weight control, anxiety, poor concentration and depression were among the most commonly reported concerns. The prevalence of these self-reported concerns and problems was found to be significantly associated with the respondents' sex, their perceptions of their health status, and academic standing.     

Outlier detection by robust principal components analysis

The robust principal components analysis (RPCA) introduced by Campbell (Applied Statistics 1980, 29, 231–237) provides in addition to robust versions of the usual output of a principal components analysis, weights for the contribution of each point to the robust estimation of each component. Low weights may thus be used to indicate outliers. The present simulation study provides critical values for testing the kth smallest weight in the RPCA of a sample of n p-dimensional vectors, under the null hypothesis of a multivariate normal distribution. The cases p=2(2)10, 15, 20 for n=20, 30, 40, 50, 75, 100 subject to n≥p/2, are examined, with k≤√n.     

MODELING THE LIFETIME OF LONGITUDINAL ELEMENTS

In the study of the stochastic behaviour of the lifetime of an element as a function of its length, it is often observed that the failure time (or lifetime) decreases as the length increases. In probabilistic terms, such an idea can be expressed as follows. Let T be the lifetime of a specimen of length x, so the survival function, which denotes the probability that an element of length x survives till time t, will be given by S_T (t, x) = P(T > t/α(x), where α(x) is a monotonically decreasing function. In particular, it is often assumed that T has a Weibull distribution. In this paper, we propose a generalization of this Weibull model by assuming that the distribution of T is Generalized gamma (GG). Since the GG model contains the Weibull, Gamma and Lognormal models as special and limiting cases, a GG regression model is an appropriate tool for describing the size effect on the lifetime and for selecting among the embedded models. Maximum likelihood estimates are obtained for the GG regression model with α(x) = cx^b . As a special case this provide an alternative to the usual approach to estimation for the GG distribution which involves reparametrization. Related parametric inference issues are addressed and illustrated using two experimental data sets. Some discussion of censored data is also provided.     

Is categorization of random data necessary for parallel analysis on Likert-type data?

Random eigenvalues are the key elements in parallel analysis. When analyzing Likert-type data, is it necessary to convert the continuous random data to discrete type before estimating eigenvalues? The study compared the random eigenvalues obtained from continuous and categorized random data from two popular computer programs to be used as the basis for comparison in conducting parallel analysis on Likert-type data. Results indicated that categorized random data gave eigenvalues and number of factors similar to those obtained from continuous random data. It is suggested that when conducting parallel analysis on Likert-type data by the two programs, the conversion is unnecessary.     

Regression for non-Euclidean data using distance matrices

Regression methods for common data types such as measured, count and categorical variables are well understood but increasingly statisticians need ways to model relationships between variable types such as shapes, curves, trees, correlation matrices and images that do not fit into the standard framework. Data types that lie in metric spaces but not in vector spaces are difficult to use within the usual regression setting, either as the response and/or a predictor. We represent the information in these variables using distance matrices which requires only the specification of a distance function. A low-dimensional representation of such distance matrices can be obtained using methods such as multidimensional scaling. Once these variables have been represented as scores, an internal model linking the predictors and the responses can be developed using standard methods. We call scoring as the transformation from a new observation to a score, whereas backscoring is a method to represent a score as an observation in the data space. Both methods are essential for prediction and explanation. We illustrate the methodology for shape data, unregistered curve data and correlation matrices using motion capture data from an experiment to study the motion of children with cleft lip.     

Women,Poverty, and the Microenterprise: Context and Discourse

The article discusses the claims of success of microenterprise development programmes (MDPs) in poverty reduction and gender equality. It also deals with the broader theoretical and methodological issues related to the ways in which context and discourse interact in the assessment of anti‐poverty and gender equity strategies. MDPs are considered among the most viable strategies for helping women overcome poverty and promoting gender equity. However, there has been significant debate over these claims. The relationship between business ownership, poverty reduction and gender empowerment is still to be proved. The article presents the voices of women engaged in a microenterprise (ME) from a context‐informed and discourse analysis perspective, and considers the women's insights about ME as an anti‐poverty and gender empowerment strategy. The findings show a complex picture. On one hand, the new occupational status promises a tangible alternative to multiple personal, social and gender constraints. Additionally, women in the study perceived the ME as a space for self‐definition and as an outlet for expressing their oppressed identities. On the other hand, the findings seriously challenge the capacity of the MDP strategy to promote gender equity and combat poverty among low‐income women. Implications for research and policy are discussed.     

A Risk Analysis Model in Concurrent Engineering Product Development

Concurrent engineering has been widely accepted as a viable strategy for companies to reduce time to market and achieve overall cost savings. This article analyzes various risks and challenges in product development under the concurrent engineering environment. A three‐dimensional early warning approach for product development risk management is proposed by integrating graphical evaluation and review technique (GERT) and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA). Simulation models are created to solve our proposed concurrent engineering product development risk management model. Solutions lead to identification of key risk controlling points. This article demonstrates the value of our approach to risk analysis as a means to monitor various risks typical in the manufacturing sector. This article has three main contributions. First, we establish a conceptual framework to classify various risks in concurrent engineering (CE) product development (PD). Second, we propose use of existing quantitative approaches for PD risk analysis purposes: GERT, FMEA, and product database management (PDM). Based on quantitative tools, we create our approach for risk management of CE PD and discuss solutions of the models. Third, we demonstrate the value of applying our approach using data from a typical Chinese motor company.     

The eigenstructure of block-structured correlation matrices and its implications for principal component analysis

Block-structured correlation matrices are correlation matrices in which the p variables are subdivided into homogeneous groups, with equal correlations for variables within each group, and equal correlations between any given pair of variables from different groups. Block-structured correlation matrices arise as approximations for certain data sets’ true correlation matrices. A block structure in a correlation matrix entails a certain number of properties regarding its eigendecomposition and, therefore, a principal component analysis of the underlying data. This paper explores these properties, both from an algebraic and a geometric perspective, and discusses their robustness. Suggestions are also made regarding the choice of variables to be subjected to a principal component analysis, when in the presence of (approximately) block-structured variables.     

Influence in covariance structure analysis: with an application to confirmatory factor analysis

Influence functions are derived for the parameters in covariance structure analysis, where the parameters are estimated by minimizing a discrepancy function between the assumed covariance matrix and the sample covariance matrix. The case of confirmatory factor analysis is studied precisely with a numerical example. Comparing with a general procedure called one-step estimation, the proposed procedure has two advantages:1) computing cost is cheaper, 2) the property that arbitrary influence can be decomposed into a fi-nite number of components discussed by Tanaka and Castano-Tostado(1990) can be used for efficient computing and the characterization of a covariance structure model from the sensitivity perspective. A numerical comparison is made among the confirmatory factor analysis and some procedures of ex-ploratory factor analysis by using the decomposition mentioned above.