Center–periphery relations,local governance and conflicts in Ethiopia: the experience of Metekel province

In Ethiopia, the study and issue of center–periphery relations is not an easy task. It has remained complex and dynamics as it has been dictated and shaped by ever changing socio-economic relations, state ideology and structure. A case in point is Metekel region, which had been characterized by under development, lowland, hot climate and traditional way of life. Until post-1991developments, Metekel was peripheral in relation to the central state. It was an area of confrontation and conflict. Owing to the structural weakness of the centre, successive rulers of the area did not command effective control over it. Focusing on Gumuz, a Nilo-Saharan family, on one hand, and highlanders and new settlers, on the other, this essay examined the main features and dynamics of center–periphery relations, governance and conflicts in Metekel area. The sources, both primary and secondary, have been carefully examined based on the objectives of the study.     

Evaluation of Linear Mixed Model Case Deletion Diagnostic Tools by Monte Carlo Simulation

A large number of statistics have been proposed to study the influence of individual observations in the linear mixed model. An extensive Monte Carlo simulation study is used to evaluate the appropriateness of these influence diagnostic measures. The sensitivity of the diagnostic measures to outliers and leverages is examined, and helpful results are obtained.     

THE MICROECONOMIC FOUNDATIONS OF MEASURING BRACKET CREEP and OTHER TAX CHANGES

We derive a measure of the bracket-creep-induced inflation tax based on an income-compensation function that recognizes that consumers substitute among deductible and nondeductible goods as the incentives to consume the goods change over time. The measure of the inflation tax is decomposed into a convenient function of marginal tax rates and the change in expenditures on tax deductible goods relative to nondeductible goods that are required to maintain a fixed level of utility. Tentative estimates suggest that the inflation tax as a percentage of constant utility income during the 1970s averaged about 1 percent per year.     

Childhood mortality spatial distribution in Ethiopia

The risk of a child dying before completing five years of age is highest in Sub-Saharan African countries. But Child mortality rates have shown substantial decline in Ethiopia. For this study, the 2000, 2005 and 2011 Ethiopian Demographic Survey (EDHS) was used. Generalized linear mixed model with spatial covariance structure was adapted. The model allowed for spatial correlation, and leads to the more realistic estimate for under-five mortality risk factors. The analysis showed that the risk of under-five mortality shows decline in years. But, some regions showed increase in years. The study highlights the need to implement better education for family planning and child care to improve the under-five mortality situation in some administrative areas.     

The effect of immigration on the earnings of native-born workers: Evidence from Australia

No consensus has been reached by previous studies on the impact of immigration on the earnings of natives. Using data from the Australia's 2001 Census of Population and Housing an individual-level earnings function is estimated by including the fraction of immigrants in a given skill group relative to total employment in that skill group as one of the independent variables. Using employees’ occupation and level of education as proxies for skill, the results indicate that generally immigrants have a significant positive effect on earnings of natives. The overall findings suggest that the increase in supply of labour due to immigration is offset by higher demand for labour and hence positive effect on native earnings.     

Combining ridge and principal component regression:a money demand illustration

In this paper we examine a class of estimators which includes ordinary least squares, ordinary ridge regression, and principal components regression. It is demonstrated that gains exist from jointly utilizing the PCR and ORR techniques.A money demand example is utilized to illustrate alternative estimators.     

The effect of the mechanism and amount of missingness on subset correspondence analysis

The application of subset correspondence analysis is a relatively new technique to deal with the analysis of categorical data with missingness. A simulation study is used to test the effects of Little and Rubin's missingness mechanisms, as well as missingness up to 50% on subset correspondence analysis. Missingness was simulated across 18 different scenarios and each scenario was repeated 10 times, with outcomes averaged across the 10 simulations. In this application, it was found that while missingness in excess of 30% has some effect on certain outcomes, there is no evidence to suggest that the missingness mechanism significantly affects results.