How much reliable are the integrated ‘live’ data? A validation strategy proposal for the non-parametric micro statistical matching

The integration of different data sources is a widely discussed topic among both the researchers and the Official Statistics. Integrating data helps to contain costs and time required by new data collections. The non-parametric micro Statistical Matching (SM) allows to integrate ‘live’ data resorting only to the observed information, potentially avoiding the misspecification bias and speeding the computational effort. Despite these pros, the assessment of the integration goodness when we use this method is not robust. Moreover, several applications comply with some commonly accepted practices which recommend e.g. to use the biggest data set as donor. We propose a validation strategy to assess the integration goodness. We apply it to investigate these practices and to explore how different combinations of the SM techniques and distance functions perform in terms of the reliability of the synthetic (complete) data set generated. The validation strategy takes advantage of the relation existing among the variables pre-and-post the integration. The results show that ‘the biggest, the best’ rule must not be considered mandatory anymore. Indeed, the integration goodness increases in relation to the variability of the matching variables rather than with respect to the dimensionality ratio between the recipient and the donor data set.     

Exact parametric causal mediation analysis for a binary outcome with a binary mediator

Statistical Methods & Applications - With reference to causal mediation analysis, a parametric expression for natural direct and indirect effects is derived for the setting of a binary outcome...     

Social capital,disability, and usefulness of the International Classification of Functioning,Disability and Health for the development and monitoring of policy interventions

This paper provides theoretical links between the model of health and disability based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the complex notion of ‘social capital’. In practice, social capital mechanisms could contribute to better health through their use in health-promotion actions, and, in general, through their integration in inclusive policies and systems for facilitating the biopsychosocial model of disability. The present paper shows how ICF could offer an informational platform for conceptualizing and potentially measuring the causal linkages between social capital and health and disability.