De gustibus non est disputandum? A new approach to the estimation of equivalence scales

We argue that when the household composition changes, consumption patterns vary not only because of the cost effect that equivalence scales try to measure, but also because of a “taste” or “style” effect. This effect can be identified and measured, under a few assumptions, with the use of a new methodology, calledDM ² (Decomposition Model of the effects of Demographic Metamorphosis), that can be viewed as a generalisation of Ray's (1983) price-scaling approach to the construction of equivalent scales. An empirical application to data drawn from the Istat 1995 Italian Household Budget Survey suggests that the proposed method improves our understanding of households' consumption patterns and the reliability of the equivalence scales that we derive. We gratefully acknowledge helpful comments from Giorgio Calzolari, Franco Polverini, Ugo Trivellato and an anonymous referee, but retain full responsibility for all errors, and for the processing of Istat (Italian Institute of Statistics) microdata on Household Budgets. Financial support for this research was provided by the italian MURST (Research project on “Equivalence scales” directed by Prof. Guido Ferrari, University of Firenze, Ref. No. 9913105354; and Research project on “Low fertility in Italy: between economic constraints and value changes”, directed by Prof. Massimo Livi Bacci, University of Firenze, Ref. No. MM13107238). Preliminary findings on this research topic have been presented in a few seminars and conferences: cf., e.g., De Santis and Maltagliati (2000 and 2001).     

CDT-optimum designs for model discrimination, parameter estimation and estimation of a parametric function

After initiating the theory of optimal design by Smith (1918), many optimality criteria were introduced. Atkinson et al. (2007) used the definition of compound design criteria to combine two optimality criteria and introduced the DT- and CD-optimalities criteria. This paper introduces the CDT-optimum design that provides a specified balance between model discrimination, parameter estimation and estimation of a parametric function such as the area under curve in models for drug absorbance. An equivalence theorem is presented for the case of two models.     

Household decisions and equivalence scales

Considering an economy with a private good and a household good with a variable degree of publicness, we examine the consequences of two extreme decision rules: (1) the cooperative model, where households maximize the welfare of their members, and (2) the noncooperative model, where each household’s member maximizes her own utility. While publicness of the household good is necessary and sufficient for economies of size to exist and to increase with family size under cooperation, it is shown that this no longer holds in the absence of cooperation. On the other hand, the cooperative rule leads to less generous scales than the noncooperative one.      

人力资本定价的等价原理模式研究

人力资本定价问题是人力资本理论亟需解决的难点问题。以等价原理为基础进行人力资本定价后建立的完全股份制,能保证人力资本投资者公平地获得和物力投资者一样的剩余索取权,实现等量资本(等量付出)获得等量利润(等量回报),实现投资者的权责统一,保证生产的高效率,促进收入分配的均等化,并进而平抑经济周期,实现经济的稳定上升和发展。     

Bayesian D-optimal Accelerated Life Test plans for series systems with competing exponential causes of failure

This paper provides methods of obtaining Bayesian D-optimal Accelerated Life Test (ALT) plans for series systems with independent exponential component lives under the Type-I censoring scheme. Two different Bayesian D-optimality design criteria are considered. For both the criteria, first optimal designs for a given number of experimental points are found by solving a finite-dimensional constrained optimization problem. Next, the global optimality of such an ALT plan is ensured by applying the General Equivalence Theorem. A detailed sensitivity analysis is also carried out to investigate the effect of different planning inputs on the resulting optimal ALT plans. Furthermore, these Bayesian optimal plans are also compared with the corresponding (frequentist) locally D-optimal ALT plans.     

谈德汉翻译中的等值

翻译标准是衡量翻译质量好坏的尺度,又是翻译实践所必须遵循的准则。翻译等值,即内容等值,文体学等值和篇章类型等值,是德汉翻译的基本准则。随着德中文化、教育、经济和科学技术交流的不断深入发展,它应该是在实践中不断得到解决的几个重要问题。     

汉英词典释义的词性对等问题

双语词典释义是动态的言语等值向静态的语言等值转换的过程，释义必须以言语为基础，从多样的言语中抽象出来。汉英词汇的词性不完全对等是由于两种语言系统的差异造成的，是客观存在。我们对语料库的考察结果证明，汉英词典释义不应该追求词性的完全对等。     

Twelve Years After: The Berlin Wall as Will and Idea

The Berlin Wall at different times in its ignominious history has been demonized by Western opinion less because of its real paltry role in the Cold War tension in Europe than because of the fears and frustrations it generated within Europe. This is the central theme and claim of this paper. We attempt to show through an excursion of personal and institutional events how the perceptions of Soviet communist realities were refracted through the icon of the Wall as a Cold War symbol.     

Conference Report Making Statistics More Effective in Schools of Business

We propose semiparametric procedures for estimation and testing of base-independent equivalence scales. The partial linear index specification permits simultaneous estimation across multiple household types and multiple goods and also the incorporation of continuous and discrete household attributes. Furthermore, asymptotic properties of estimated equivalence scales and tests of base independence are readily obtained. The efficiency gains from the proposed models and estimators are particularly helpful for developing country data where there is often much greater variation in household size and composition. We apply the techniques to South African data and find the results to be broadly consistent with base independence.     

翻译的对等原则探微

对等问题一直是现代翻译理论的核心问题。但是 ,译界有关翻译对等概念本身的认定及其价值和作用的论争却是公婆之争 ,谁也说服不了谁。论争本身是好的 ,但因留下的问题太多而造成理论的相对不足。而这种不足 ,导致有的学者对翻译学的建设失去信心 ,也从一定意义上影响了翻译学本身的建设和发展