Comments about the use of PLS path modeling in building a Job Quality Composite Indicator

A composite indicator is formed when elementary indicators are compiled into a single index, on the basis of an underlying model of the multidimensional concept that is being measured. The PLS path modeling allows the estimation of composite indicators and the measurement model could be expressed both as formative and re-ective. In this paper we construct a composite indicator of job quality using the PLS path modeling approach and compare results obtained by the formative and the re-ective measurement models of the general concept. We observe that the two approaches can give different results. Consequently, we give some suggestions in order to estimate stable and reliable models

Proposal of a composite indicator of job quality based on a measure of weighted distances.

In this paper, we propose a formulation of a composite indicator (CI) computed for individuals and based on elementary indicators that are measured using quantitative, ordinal and dichotomous scales. It is based on a measure of the distance from an ideal minimum. Moreover, we consider the correlation between indicators. This CI is applied to measure the job quality of young graduates. The results show that the CI has a balanced structure, both at the overall level and the level of dimensions. It is stable, but with the capacity to discriminate well between individuals and groups. The CI that we formulated is reliable and accurate

The impact of the bonus at birth on reproductive behaviour in a lowest-low fertility context: Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy) from 1989 2005

As of 1 January 2000 the government of the north-eastern Italian region of FriuliVenezia Giulia (FVG) introduced a substantial bonus at birth. The birth bonus was differentiated by marital status (only married women were eligible), citizenship (only Italians were eligible), and birth order (the bonus grew for the second and especially the third birth). Moreover, the income threshold below which one got the bonus was fairly high. As of 1 January 2004 a new government substantially reduced the bonus amount as well as the upper income limit. We evaluate if the bonuses handed out in FVG during those four years (2000-03) had a significant impact on fertility and abortion choices, verifying whether fertility changed in a different way for women more affected by the new legislation. We also test if the impact of monetary measures was higher for less educated women, because in Italy the relationship between income and education is very strong, and the bonus was practically the same irrespective of income level, hence its relative impact should be stronger in a poorer family. We use two different methods: First, we compare the trends of births and abortion ratios, separately for women affected and not affected by the monetary measures, looking at the differential changes. Second, using log-linear models, we measure if the interactions among time, parity, marital status, citizenship and education are statistically significant in the direction that follows our expectations. Our results show that for low educated (and hence also less rich) women with one or (especially) two and more children, birth trends did change after 1999, whereas the trends for childless women living in FVG and for low-educated women living in other Italian regions did not change.

Job-major match and job satisfaction in Italy.

Purpose: This paper aims at studying how graduates\u2019 jobs may be determined by their educational performances and social background. In particular, we investigate job-education mismatch and job satisfaction to evaluate whether time spent and effort exerted during university studies were compensated with a good job. Approach: Data on the occupational status of the graduates 36 months after graduation, collected by the Padua University on its graduates, are analysed by means of univariate and multivariate methodologies. In particular, the pathways from graduates\u2019 social capital to job satisfaction are investigated through a Structural Equation Modelling approach. Findings: We find that a minority of graduates can be considered as overeducated when considering the requirements of the labour market, but many graduates state that any degree would suffice for their job. Multivariate analyses show that graduates\u2019 job quality is related to their university choice and outcome, high school choice and performance, social capital. Destiny is written from the beginning of the educational pathway, but students can affect their labour market future with an appropriate choice of university programme. Originality: The qualified point of this paper lies on the complexity of the model adopted for the analysis and its ability to highlight direct and indirect effects: two job outcomes (job-major match and job satisfaction) are the variables of interest, analysed within a structural model covering all educational stages of the Italian educational pathway, from parental social background to University degree

Ranking services for students via preference elicitation at Padua university

The University of Padua conducted a survey to elicit the preferences of its students for new services that the university, the city and local authorities could offer to improve student life before, during and after graduation. In this paper, we present the statistical methodology for ranking services according to students’ preferences and discuss the resulting ranks of the services grouped in 10 thematic areas. We conclude that the preference elicitation method and the rank estimation method adopted in our research are appropriate for within-university prioritisation of student services

When money matters. The impact of the bonus at birth on reproductive behaviour in a lowest-low fertility context: Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy) from 1989 to 2005.

The aim of this paper is to analyze whether monetary policies impacts fertility choices. The case-study is the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that between 2000-2004 implemented a generous “baby bonus” at birth for women with at least one child, having low or medium income. Using difference-indifference techniques (by means of graphical and multivariate analyses), this paper compares eligible women with the ones who did not receive the “baby bonus”, because they had not children or lived in other Italian regions. Results show that the “baby bonus” impacted fertility, mainly for poor Italian women with at least two children, although the impact over the total fertility of Friuli-Venezia Giulia was limited

Construction of a frailty indicator with partially ordered sets: a multiple outcome proposal based on administrative healthcare data

Given the progressive ageing of Italian and European populations, chronic diseases attributable to ageing are rising steeply, calling for new strategies for health resources management and implementation of prevention policies. Among chronic patients, frail subjects have special and wider care needs, together with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. Thus, their identification is a fundamental goal, claimed as the first step of the Italian National Program for Chronic Diseases

Comments about the use of PLS path modeling in building a Job Quality Composite Indicator

A composite indicator is formed when elementary indicators are compiled into a single index, on the basis of an underlying model of the mul- tidimensional concept that is being measured. The PLS path modeling allows the estimation of composite indicators and the measurement model could be expressed both as formative and reflective. In this paper we construct a composite indicator of job quality using the PLS path modeling approach and compare results obtained by the formative and the reflective measurement models of the general concept. We observe that the two approaches can give different results. Consequently, we give some sugges- tions in order to estimate stable and reliable models