On the Application of Data Mining to Official Data

Retrieving valuable knowledge and statistical patterns from official data has a great potential in supporting strategic policy making. Data Mining (DM) techniques are well-known for providing flexible and efficient analytical tools for data processing. In this paper, we provide an introduction to applications of DM to official statistics and flag the important issues and challenges. Considering recent advancements in software projects for DM, we propose intelligent data control system design and specifications as an example of DM application in official data processing.Data mining, Official data, Intelligent data control system

Corruption and Resource Allocation: Evidence from China

Exploiting a unique data set containing transactions data from a panel of 769 Chinese state-owned enterprises between 1980 and 1989, this paper tests microeconomic implications of a pervasive form of corruption --official diversion of under-priced, in-plan goods to the market. Corruption has the predicted effects on resource allocation. Official under-pricing of in-plan goods, which lowers the marginal cost of diversion, increases the procurement of output into the plan for the purpose of diversion. Market competition introduced by allowing firms to sell directly to the market appears to reduce corruption and therefore lessen its distortions.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39780/3/wp396.pd

Are objective, official measures of disability reliable?

The issue considered in this study is whether objective, official reports on disability status are reliable. While there is a rather large literature on the reliability of self-reported disability, evidence regarding objective data is scant. It seems to be a widely held view among researchers that, since individuals out of work are inclined to respond towards poor health, it would be best to have official data provided by the relevant administrative bodies. But we argue that such administrative data should be regarded with some suspicion, since the administrators also may have incentives to misreport. The empirical evidence, based on a large sample of Swedish jobseekers, suggests systematic misreporting by the Public Employment Service of objective, official disability measures due to incentives to exaggerate disability.Work disability; classification error; public employment service

How does big data affect GDP? Theory and evidence for the UK

We present an economic approach to measuring the impact of Big Data on GDP and GDP growth. We define data, information, ideas and knowledge. We present a conceptual framework to understand and measure the production of “Big Data”, which we classify as transformed data and data-based knowledge. We use this framework to understand how current official datasets and concepts used by Statistics Offices might already measure Big Data in GDP, or might miss it. We also set out how unofficial data sources might be used to measure the contribution of data to GDP and present estimates on its contributions to growth. Using new estimates of employment and investment in Big Data as set out in Chebli, Goodridge et al. (2015) and Goodridge and Haskel (2015a) and treating transformed data and data-based knowledge as capital assets, we estimate that for the UK: (a) in 2012, “Big Data” assets add £1.6bn to market sector GVA; (b) in 2005-2012, account for 0.02% of growth in market sector value-added; (c) much Big Data activity is already captured in the official data on software – 76% of investment in Big Data is already included in official software investment, and 76% of the contribution of Big Data to GDP growth is also already in the software contribution; and (d) in the coming decade, data-based assets may contribute around 0.07% to 0.23% pa of annual growth on average

The Regulation of Entry

We present new data on the regulation of entry of start-up firms in 75 countries. The data set contains information on the number of procedures, official time, and official cost that a start-up must bear before it can operate legally. The official costs of entry are extremely high in most countries. Countries with heavier regulation of entry have higher corruption and larger unofficial economies, but not better quality of public or private goods. Countries with more democratic and limited governments have fewer entry regulations. The evidence is inconsistent with Pigouvian (helping hand) theories of benevolent regulation, but support the (grabbing hand) view that entry regulation benefits politicians and bureaucrats.

Letter from a German Supporter to Geraldine Ferraro

Letter to Geraldine Ferraro from a supporter in West Germany, requests signature and photograph. Includes official data entry form.https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/vice_presidential_campaign_correspondence_1984_international/1042/thumbnail.jp

A large-scale proteogenomics study of apicomplexan pathogens-Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum

Proteomics data can supplement genome annotation efforts, for example being used to confirm gene models or correct gene annotation errors. Here, we present a large‐scale proteogenomics study of two important apicomplexan pathogens: Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum. We queried proteomics data against a panel of official and alternate gene models generated directly from RNASeq data, using several newly generated and some previously published MS datasets for this meta‐analysis. We identified a total of 201 996 and 39 953 peptide‐spectrum matches for T. gondii and N. caninum, respectively, at a 1% peptide FDR threshold. This equated to the identification of 30 494 distinct peptide sequences and 2921 proteins (matches to official gene models) for T. gondii, and 8911 peptides/1273 proteins for N. caninum following stringent protein‐level thresholding. We have also identified 289 and 140 loci for T. gondii and N. caninum, respectively, which mapped to RNA‐Seq‐derived gene models used in our analysis and apparently absent from the official annotation (release 10 from EuPathDB) of these species. We present several examples in our study where the RNA‐Seq evidence can help in correction of the current gene model and can help in discovery of potential new genes