RECENTERED AND RESCALED INSTRUMENTAL VARIABLE ESTIMATION OF TOBIT AND PROBIT MODELS WITH ERRORS IN VARIABLES

Since Durbin (1954) and Sargan (1958), instrumental variable (IV) method has long been one of the most popular procedures among economists and other social scientists to handle linear models with errors-in-variables. A direct application of this method to nonlinear errors-in-variables models, however, fails to yield consistent estimators.

This article restricts attention to Tobit and Probit models and shows that simple recentering and rescaling of the observed dependent variable may restore consistency of the standard IV estimator if the true dependent variable and the IV's are jointly normally distributed. Although the required condition seems rarely to be satisfied by real data, our Monte Carlo experiment suggests that the proposed estimator may be quite robust to the possible deviation from normality.     

Positive Feedback Model for City Vitalization

Abstract  In the present study, we first attempt to construct a model for the dynamics of city images, in which intra- and intercity communications promote the joint possession of city images by residents and the establishment of a city identity. It is suggested that community spirit, which emerges strongly associated with city identity, urges citizens to voluntarily take part in a city's cultural events. The voluntary participation of citizens may change various aspects of a city's functions and physical structure, and as a result the city becomes vitalized in a bottom-up way. Based on this model, we propose a new planning method to facilitate city vitalization as a substitute for hardware-oriented planning. Finally, to ascertain the effectiveness of the new planning method, we focus on Iida City, which has recently successfully established its identity as a puppet drama town.     

Health expectancies in Japan: gender differences and policy implications for women

Based on prospective observation of elderly people in the community in Japan, we compared the time-course of development and progression of physical disability between women and men. Men experienced disability at a younger age and at a faster rate than did women. The duration of time spent with disability in women was twice as long as in men. Consequently, women consume about two-thirds of the total resources of formal caregiving services in Japan. Women in Japan are increasingly educated, postponing marriage to higher ages, and less likely to care for parents in the home. Given these changes in family structure and social norms, the capacity for informal family caregiving has decreased dramatically. A recently enacted national long-term care insurance system may further change the picture of caregiving.     

A Note on Reverse Regression,Collinearity, and Employment Discrimination

This note refutes Whiteside and Narayanan's recent assertion that the conflict between direct and reverse regression for discrimination assessment (as pointed out by Conway and Roberts and others) is due to the collinearity in the data. Their mistake stems from misunderstanding of the elementary relationship between partial and multiple correlation coefficients.     

Errors-in-variables regression using estimated latent variables

This note considers a method for estimating regression parameters from the data containing measurement errors using some natural estimates of the unobserved explanatory variables. It is shown that the resulting estimator is consistent not only in the usual linear regression model but also in the probit model and regression models with censoship or truncation. However, it fails to be consistent in nonlinear regression models except for special cases.     

活跃于变革期(幕末维新)的日本儒者——楠本端山、硕水兄弟

从幕末到明治期间,虽然是朱子学的活跃时期,但是儒学却处于解体之中,"如何应对这种危局"成为日本知识分子所要面对的重要课题。作为山崎暗斋学派的朱子学者,楠本端山(1828—1883)和楠本硕水(1833—1916)兄弟几乎很少被人提及。然而,楠本端山的学问以深潜缜密、体认自得而被视为当时朱子学者中的佼佼者;楠本硕水在山崎暗斋学派的朱子学者中却以重名分而为世人所称道。楠本俩兄弟以儒学者的身份活跃在幕末维新时期的历史舞台上,那么,他们是如何应对儒学与时代的这种变局的?对此进行检讨,可以说对于认识处在剧烈振荡时期的知识分子、特别是儒学者的时代观,解读日本遭遇危机时的民族性格,以及探索变革时期日本思想文化的变化,都具有重要的意义。     

世纪之交的环境问题

大规模的环境破坏是由近代资本主义的工业文明造成的,传统的工业文明依靠化石燃料任意地把自然无机质化,任意地制造着人工化学物质,并任意地加速着农业工业化进程,毁坏了自然的物质、能源、生物系.为保全环境,需要一种新的工业化,新的开发方式.