Statistical Problems and Solutions in Onomastic Research: Exemplified by a Comparison of Given Name Distributions in Germany throughout the 20th Century

The German Socio Economic Panel Study (SOEP) offers the rare opportunity to look at patterns of given names amongst a representative sample of more than 50,000 people born since 1900. This article develops an exemplary picture of typical frequency distributions for given names and their developments over time. In this paper, we first discuss the advantages and limitations of various data bases which have been widely used to study the distribution of given names. Second, we address the problem that name distributions are typically characterized by a "Large Number of Rare Events" (LNRE) zone. With regard to this, we focus our attention on the difficulties associated with comparing name distributions. Third, we apply some measures of the concentration of distributions from other lines of research (economics and computational linguistics). Finally, we stress the problem of the statistical significance of differences in name distributions based on samples.Given names, large number of rare events (LNRE), concentration of distributions, SOEP

Is the Regional Perspective Useful?: Rural and Urban Quality of Life ; an Assessment

In Germany, processes can be observed that have long been out of keeping with the principle of equality of opportunity. Unemployment is concentrated in the structurally weak peripheral areas, in Eastern Germany in particular; emigration of young and better-educated people to the West is not diminishing, but contrary to expectation is again on the increase; aging pro-cesses have set in already, and when it comes to the provision of infrastructure, e.g. in the field of professional training, some regions are already suffering from considerable problems. These difficulties are frequently interpreted as differences between East and West and are explained away as problems resulting from reunification, such as the deindustrialization and restructuring of the economy and the enormous decline in the birth rate in Eastern Germany. Although these problems cannot just be attributed to social transformation and the birth rate crisis alone, being subject to more general processes of intensified globalization and the aging of society, the increasing regional disparities are rarely considered in the overall context of regional development patterns throughout Germany. Moreover, the difficulty of even obtaining data for purposes of comparison generally means that an international yardstick is lacking when regional developments are analyzed. The present study investigates regional disparities over a period of time in the light of subjective and objective indicators of the quality of life for individuals. To this end, we make use of data from the Wohlfahrtssurvey [Welfare Survey] from 1978 to 2001, among other sources. On the basis of the Euromodule that has been established at the WZB, we compare current regional patterns in Germany with those in other European countries. This approach makes it possible to provide information on the scale of regional disparities in various different countries, and to identify privileged and handicapped regions with reference to standards of living and the sense of wellbeing. The study's findings show that, in the past twenty-five years, welfare in Western Germany has evened out at a higher level, but currently a trend towards increasing economic disparity is discernible. In comparison with other European countries, on the other hand, the differences (regional differences) within Germany are comparatively slight.

Monitoring Inventory Accuracy With Statistical Process Control

Inventory accuracy is critical in most industrial environments such as distribution, warehousing, and retail. Many companies use a technique called cycle counting and have realized outstanding results in monitoring and improving inventory accuracy. The time and resources to complete cycle counting are sometimes limited or not available. In this work, we promote statistical process control (SPC) to monitor inventory accuracy. Specifically, we model the complex underlying environments with mixture distributions to demonstrate sampling from a mixed but stationary process. For our particular application, we concern ourselves with data that result from inventory adjustments at the stock keeping unit (SKU) level when a given SKU is found to be inaccurate. We provide estimates of both the Type I and Type II errors when a classic C chart is used. In these estimations, we use both analytical as well as simulation results, and the findings demonstrate the environments that might be conducive for SPC approach

Why should we share our data, how can it be organized, and what are the challenges ahead?

"The paper is based on a keynote talk held at the international conference “Opening data services in the social sciences”, Belgrade, Serbia, 20/21 March 2013. The author wishes to thank the SERSCIDA project1. Empirical social sciences strongly contribute towards a better understanding of societies, especially of those societies that undergo rapid social changes. Empirical analyses are fed into the steering processes that are shaping a Europe of Nations. But data are also essential for the support of social and economic developments in national contexts. I was asked to reflect on three questions in my talk, namely:Why should we share our data? How can data sharing be organized? And what are the challenges ahead?" [author's abstract

Entwicklungen der deutschen Lebensqualität - die Bundesländer im Vergleich

Gleichwertige Lebensumstände sind das erklärte Ziel föderaler Politik in Deutschland. Dennoch gibt es Differenzen in den Lebensbedingungen und den darauf bezogenen Einschätzungen der Menschen. Seit 1990 wurde dies besonders durch den gern benutzten Ost-West Vergleich sichtbar. Doch nicht nur hier gibt es deutliche Unterschiede, sondern auch zwischen den einzelnen Bundesländern. Mit 25 Indikatoren aus vier Lebensbereichen wird ein systematisches Bild der Lebensqualität in Deutschland gezeichnet. Das Ergebnis ist ein “Atlas der differenten Lebensbedingungen und darauf bezogener Perzeptionen. Eine Betrachtung über die Zeit bescheinigt sogar eine wachsende Unterschiedlichkeit der Bundesländer in einigen gesellschaftlichen, wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Aspekten. Allerdings wird in einem europäischen Vergleich deutlich, daß sich innerdeutsche Differenzen auf tolerablem Niveau befinden und sich kein bedeutendes Stadt-Land-Gefälle, wie es für andere Länder typisch ist, ausmachen läßt. -- Equitable living circumstances are a main goal of German policy. Yet there are differences in living conditions and perceptions. After unification comparisons between East and West highlighted such differences. But there are also differences among the federal states of Germany. In this paper 25 social indicators covering four life domains are analysed to draw a systematic picture of living conditions and perceptions of living conditions. The result is an ‘atlas’ of differential quality of life in Germany. Observations of trends over time show up emergent differences in several aspects of societal, economic, and social life. Nevertheless, within-country difference in Germany do not exceed levels found in other parts of Europe. Moreover, unlike in other countries, rural-urban differences are minimal. The paper is a revised and abridged version of my master thesis with the same title.

Die Macht der Zahlen

Am 20. Oktober 2010 wird erstmalig der Welt-Statistik-Tag gefeiert. Ins Leben gerufen von der UNO, soll damit die Wichtigkeit statistischer Daten für die Gestaltung des gesellschaftlichen Fortschritts gewürdigt werden. Statistische Zahlen erfreuen sich im Alltag einer gewissen Popularität. Doch rufen mehrere Beispiele zur Vorsicht im Umgang mit statistischen Angaben auf. Gewiss spricht nichts dagegen, sich mit Hilfe empirischer Daten und Statistiken einen Überblick über Zusammenhänge und Entwicklungen zu verschaffen. Nicht nur in Bezug auf die politische Entscheidungsfindung sind umfassende statistische Zahlen unabdingbar. Doch reicht es weder aus, einfache statistische Eckdaten zu errechnen, noch Zahlen ohne einen angemessenen sowie theoretisch fundierten Rahmen für sich sprechen zu lassen. Denn Zahlen spiegeln nicht nur Realitäten wieder – sie schaffen sie auch. Eine kurze Version dieses Artikels erschien am 17. Oktober 2010 in der Welt am Sonntag.

Aspects of quality of life: social anomie in South Africa

"The concept of anomie is one of the classics of sociological theory. Developed and evolved by scholars such as Emile Durkheim and Robert K. Merton, the concept refers to the absence of clear social norms and values and to a lack of sense of social regulation. However, whereas Merton focused on features of relative deprivation that cause anomie, Durkheim was primarily interested in the link between rapid social change and social anomie. According to the latter, normative regulation is threatened with being undermined and people are likely to lack the social and psychological means for adjustment in times of rapid social change. Empirically, it has been shown that citizens of changing societies are more likely to report feelings of powerlessness, loneliness and pessimism. Drawing on survey data from the South African General Household Survey polled in 2002, this paper examines the extent of social anomie in South Africa. The results will be placed in a comparative context using data from the EUROMODULE project. The key emphasis of the paper, however, lies in determining the sub-groups in South African society most affected by social anomie and the relation between syndromes of anomie, on the one hand, and socio-demographic factors that account for its variance on the other. We are especially interested in racial differences in the level of anomie. Using descriptive and multivariate statistics, the paper sets out to examine the ethnic and socioeconomic determinants that affect social anomie. Overall, the paper aims to explore the validity and suitability of Durkheim's and Merton's explanatory frameworks for understanding the phenomenon and the structure of social anomie in South Africa." (author's abstract