Assessing the "Choosiness" of Job Seekers. An Exploratory Approach and Evidence for Italy

We use data about job search and work preferences, typically collected in a Labour Force Survey, in order to construct an indicator of .choosiness. of the supply of job-seekers. The method for obtaining the indicator, first at individual level and then at aggregate levels, is based on results from multiple correspondence analysis. We investigate the informational value of the indicator by examining its stability over time and its predictive power on labour force transitions. Empirical analyses of cross-section and panel samples of job-seekers from the Italian quarterly Labour Force Survey clarify the potentials (and limitations) of the approach.job search, multiple correspondence analysis, survey data, unemployment

New results on mixture and exponential models by Orlicz spaces

New results and improvements in the study of nonparametric exponential and mixture models are proposed. In particular, different equivalent characterizations of maximal exponential models, in terms of open exponential arcs and Orlicz spaces, are given. Our theoretical results are supported by several examples and counterexamples and provide an answer to some open questions in the literature.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.3150/15-BEJ698 in the Bernoulli (http://isi.cbs.nl/bernoulli/) by the International Statistical Institute/Bernoulli Society (http://isi.cbs.nl/BS/bshome.htm

The persistence of poverty: true state dependence or unobserved heterogeneity? Some evidence from the Italian Survey on Household Income and Wealth

Evidence from several countries is that any household experiencing poverty today is much more likely to experience it again, which may be due to both unobserved heterogeneity (UH) and true state dependence (TSD). We point out that in this context there are two sources of UH: (1) the household ability to obtain income at a specific time period and (2) the way in which this ability evolves from that time period onwards. We test for TSD using a panel from Italy. After testing for the ignorability of the massive attrition plaguing the panel and accepting it, we do not find any sign of TSD.Attrition ignorability, Discrete response panel data models, Poverty dynamics

Inconsistencies in Reported Employment Characteristics among Employed Stayers

The paper deals with measurement error, and its potentially distorting role, in information on industry and professional status collected by labour force surveys. The focus of our analyses is on inconsistent information on these employment characteristics resulting from yearly transition matrices for workers who were continuously employed over the year and who did not change job. As a case-study we use yearly panel data for the period from April 1993 to April 2003 collected by the Italian Quarterly Labour Force Survey. The analysis goes through four steps: (i) descriptive indicators of (dis)agreement; (ii) testing whether the consistency of repeated information significantly increases when the number of categories is collapsed; (iii) examination of the pattern of inconsistencies among response categories by means of Goodman's quasi-independence model; (iv) comparisons of alternative classifications. Results document sizable measurement error, which is only moderately reduced by more aggregated classifications. They suggest that even cross-section estimates of employment by industry and/or professional status are affected by non-random measurement error.industry, professional status, measurement errors, survey data

The Economic impact of Slave Trade in the Dutch Economy during the Golden Age

openThe purpose of this paper is to develop into the impact of the trade of enslaved people in Dutch economy. I will try to do so firstly by introducing the historical events leading up to the Golden Age and the context wherein trading companies could thrive. I will then describe the financial and economic balances existing behind organisations such as VOC and WIC to introduce the structure behind the slave trade. Finally, in the third chapter, I will draw conclusions on what impact the trade of enslaved people had on the Republic's economy.The purpose of this paper is to develop into the impact of the trade of enslaved people in Dutch economy. I will try to do so firstly by introducing the historical events leading up to the Golden Age and the context wherein trading companies could thrive. I will then describe the financial and economic balances existing behind organisations such as VOC and WIC to introduce the structure behind the slave trade. Finally, in the third chapter, I will draw conclusions on what impact the trade of enslaved people had on the Republic's economy

Activated Random Walks on Zd*

Some stochastic systems are particularly interesting as they exhibit critical behavior without fine-tuning of a parameter, a phenomenon called self-organized criticality. In the context of driven-dissipative steady states, one of the main models is that of Activated Random Walks. Long- range effects intrinsic to the conservative dynamics and lack of a simple algebraic structure cause standard tools and techniques to break down. This makes the mathematical study of this model remarkably challenging. Yet, some exciting progress has been made in the last ten years, with the development of a framework of tools and methods which is finally becoming more structured. In these lecture notes we present the existing results and reproduce the techniques developed so far.Fil: Trivellato Rolla, Leonardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Investigaciones Matemáticas "Luis A. Santaló". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Matemáticas "Luis A. Santaló"; Argentin

Indagini dirette e fonti amministrative: dall'alternativa all'ancora incompiuta integrazione

The focus of the paper is about the relationships between registers (an censuses) and surveys in the in the Italian official statistics. After a brief introduction on the historical background, marked by a polarization between the two strategies of data collection, the focus is on the 1980s and early '90s. Under the presidency of Guido M. Rey a new strategy is embraced, based on the integration of different data sources. The main accomplishments, and shortcomings, of this strategy are presented and discussed. The final part of the paper is devoted to a critical assessment of the still unsatisfactory state of the art today, and to broad suggestions for a reasonable way out