Estimation of a Conditional Copula and Association Measures

Abstarct. This paper is concerned with studying the dependence structure between two random variables Y ₁ and Y ₂ conditionally upon a covariate X. The dependence structure is modelled via a copula function, which depends on the given value of the covariate in a general way. Gijbels et al. (Comput. Statist. Data Anal., 55, 2011, 1919) suggested two non‐parametric estimators of the ‘conditional’ copula and investigated their numerical performances. In this paper we establish the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators as well as conditional association measures derived from them. Practical recommendations for their use are then discussed.     

The study of commission rate problem in real-time bidding

This paper studies the commission rate in real-time bidding based on the generalized first-price auction mechanism. Firstly, the equilibrium bidding strategies are provided when there are fixed commission rate and the linear commission rate, which proves that if the there is no reserve price, the expected payment of DSP is not related to the rate of commission. The commission rate affects the equilibrium bidding strategies only. Secondly, this paper shows that if there are the reserve price and the commission, the payment of DSP is increasing on the commission rate. That is, if there is reserve price, the DSP cannot control the increasing of the expected payment by adjusting the equilibrium bidding strategy, when the commission rate increases. Finally, provided that the reserve price and commission rate are exogenous respectively, this paper draws to the conclusion that the conditions of optimal commission rate and the optimal reserve price must be satisfied.     

A Note on the Growth of Research in Service Operations Management

We present an empirical assessment of the productivity of individuals and institutions in terms of service operations management (SOM) research. We reviewed five mainstream operations management journals over a 17‐year time period to generate a sample of 463 articles related to service operations. The results indicate that SOM research has been growing and key contributions are being made by an array of researchers and institutions.     

Sieve Empirical Likelihood and Extensions of the Generalized Least Squares

The empirical likelihood cannot be used directly sometimes when an infinite dimensional parameter of interest is involved. To overcome this difficulty, the sieve empirical likelihoods are introduced in this paper. Based on the sieve empirical likelihoods, a unified procedure is developed for estimation of constrained parametric or non-parametric regression models with unspecified error distributions. It shows some interesting connections with certain extensions of the generalized least squares approach. A general asymptotic theory is provided. In the parametric regression setting it is shown that under certain regularity conditions the proposed estimators are asymptotically efficient even if the restriction functions are discontinuous. In the non-parametric regression setting the convergence rate of the maximum estimator based on the sieve empirical likelihood is given. In both settings, it is shown that the estimator is adaptive for the inhomogeneity of conditional error distributions with respect to predictor, especially for heteroscedasticity.     

The Transformation of Social Relationships in a Community as a Result of Land Reform: A Case Study of a Former Large Sugar Cane Estate in Réunion*

À partir des années 60 jusqu'au début des années 80, un programme de réforme foncière a été mis en ceuvre á l'île de la Réunion, ancienne colonie française devenue département français d'outre-mer. Ce programme s'inscrit dans une mutation plus globale de société. L'étude du cas de La Renaissance démontre que, à l'échelle locale, l'activité agricole demeure un facteur essentiel de la vie sociale. Les habitants se sont intégrés à de nouvelles structures sociales, entraînant une plus grande autonomie locale comme résultat de la responsabilisation des nouveaux agriculteurs et de la création locale d'associations sociales et culturelles.
From the 1960s to the early 1980s, a land reform program was implemented on the island of Réunion, a former French colony that had become an overseas department. This was part of a much greater societal change. The case study of La Renaissance shows that, at the local level, farming activity remains a pivotal feature of social life. The inhabitants have become integrated into new social structures, leading to greater local autonomy as a result of the people becoming newly responsible for their farms and creating social and cultural associations.     

Beyond Profitability: The Dutch Transatlantic Slave Trade and its Economic Impact

Dutch research into the slave trade and its importance to the Dutch economy has often limited itself to investigating the financial success of slave trading companies, calculating the success of slaving by its profit rates. The central argument made in this article is that gross margin is a better indicator for the importance of the slave trade to the Dutch Republic. Even if a slave trading company did not make a net profit on a voyage, such a voyage led to extra activities such as shipbuilding or the production of trade goods. This article provides a reconstruction of this gross margin for the entire period that the Dutch were engaged in the trans-Atlantic slave trade by combining the most recent data on the size of the slave trade (including illicit trade) with data on both African and American price data of slaves.