The Deviance Information Criterion in Comparison of Normal Mixing Models

Model selection from several non‐nested models by using the deviance information criterion within Bayesian inference Using Gibbs Sampling (BUGS) software needs to be treated with caution. This is particularly important if one can specify a model in various mixing representations, as for the normal variance‐mean mixing distribution occurring in financial contexts. We propose a procedure to compare goodness of fit of several non‐nested models, which uses BUGS software in part.     

Application of Baumol’s Cost Disease to Public Sector Services: Conceptual,theoretical and empirical falsities

This paper argues that justifying lack of productivity improvements in public services by referring to Baumol’s Cost Disease (BCD) is conceptually confused, theoretically misspecified and empirically blind. BCD misconceptualizes public services as categorically distinct from manufactured goods and is based on a theory of productivity not directly applicable to many public services, therefore failing to recognize evidence of substantial scope for improving public services’ productivity. Analysis of the structural and behavioural unbundling of value creation and decomposition of professional skills in service provision leads this paper to conclude that public services are not as technologically non-progressive as BCD asserts.     

Volatility swaps and volatility options on discretely sampled realized variance

Volatility swaps and volatility options are financial products written on discretely sampled realized variance. Actively traded in over-the-counter markets, these products are often priced by continuously sampled approximations to simplify the computations. This paper presents an analytical approach to efficiently and accurately price discretely sampled volatility derivatives, under a general stochastic volatility model. We first obtain an accurate approximation for the characteristic function of the discretely sampled realized variance. This characteristic function is then applied to price discrete volatility derivatives through either semi-analytical pricing formulae (up to an inverse Fourier transform) or an efficient Fourier-cosine series method. Numerical experiments show that our approximation is more accurate in comparison to the approximations in the literature. We remark that although discretely sampled variance swaps and options are usually more expensive than their continuously sampled counterparts, discretely sampled volatility swaps are more prone to be cheaper than the continuously sampled counterparts. An analysis is then provided to explain why this is the case in general for realistic contract specifications and reasonable model parameters.     

Alternative to beta coefficients in the context of diffusions

We develop an alternative to the beta coefficient of the CAPM theory. We show the link between this notion and the Wiener chaos expansion of the underlying processes. In the setting of Markov diffusions, we define the drift-neutral beta, which is the quantity of benchmark such that the resulting portfolio is immune to an infinitesimal change of drift on the Brownian motion driving the benchmark. Our approach yields a coefficient which in many practical cases depends on the initial values of both the portfolio and its benchmark. It can also be used to take into account extreme risks and not only the variance. We study several classical diffusion processes and give a full analysis in the case of Jacobi processes. Examples with credit indices show the efficiency of the method in hedging a portfolio.     

城市家庭住房不平等:户籍、禀赋还是城市特征？——基于广义有序模型与Oaxaca-Blinder分解

基于中国劳动力动态调查（CLDS）数据，运用广义有序Logit模型实证分析户籍、家庭禀赋和城市特征三类因素对城市家庭住房不平等的影响；运用夏普利值分解、Oaxaca-Blinder分解区分"努力"和"环境"因素、户籍歧视和禀赋效应的贡献。研究发现：户籍可解释住房等级不平等的54.2%；"努力"因素对住房水平起正向作用；在户籍间住房等级不平等中户籍歧视效应占主导，在住房面积不平等中禀赋效应占主导，外地户口居民住房水平低源于"环境"因素趋弱，农业户口居民则源于"努力"和"环境"因素叠加趋弱；由于生活成本效应占主导，城市规模和流动人口占比越大，居民住房等级趋低，而城市土地供给增长有助于提升住房水平。     

Gender earnings gap among the youth in Malawi

While young women's engagement in economic activities is an essential component of development, gender gaps are still commonly observed worldwide and especially in developing countries like Malawi. This study introduces recent data to provide new evidence for a sub‐Saharan country that has yet been closely examined. Using the International Labour Organization's School‐to‐Work Transition Survey (ILO SWTS) individual‐level data, I examine the gender earnings gap among the youth in Malawi by conducting Mincer earnings regressions with Heckman selection correction and applying Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition methods. I find that young women in Malawi earn significantly less than young men and that women are significantly less likely to engage in income‐generating work activities. Also, substantial unadjusted gender earnings difference in Malawi is overwhelmingly due to differences in returns. Moreover, detailed decomposition results show that gender differences in work‐related individual characteristics and firm characteristics also contribute to the gender earnings gap. The results suggest that any effort to reduce the gender earnings gap should involve improved access to education as well as better workplaces for women.     

Store brand introduction in a two-echelon logistics system with a risk-averse retailer

We study a risk-averse retailer’s optimal decision of introducing her store brand product by using the mean–variance formulation. The effects of the substitution factor, the capital constraint, and the development cost are examined. Taking the product quantities as the decision variables, the risk deducted surplus of the store brand product and the substitution factor play a vital role in the retailer’s optimal policies. Both the capital constraint and the development cost reduce the mean–variance efficient solution set of the retailer and hence distort the risk management of the retailer. Some meaningful insights are generated.     

Are children driving the gender wage gap?

We examine how much children and the responsibilities related to them contribute to the divergence of men's and women's wages, and consequently, to the formation of the gender wage gap. To derive the relative contribution of gender‐specific parent gaps to the overall gender wage gap, we provide a modification of the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition and include simultaneous corrections for selection into employment and parenthood. The results show that the fatherhood wage premium contributes most significantly to the gender wage gap, especially in Poland. The motherhood penalty is also significant, while the role of the gender gap among childless individuals is small.     

How Much Does Ownership Form Matter?

Research summary : Previous studies have emphasized firm and industry effects on variation in firm performance, but the relationship between forms of ownership and firm performance has been the focus of limited research. This article examines the extent to which ownership form (i.e., public or private ownership) and ownership structure (including diffused ownership and blockholding) affect firm performance. The results of an analysis of 30,525 European Union (EU) firms indicate that form of ownership is an important explanatory factor in the difference in performance among firms. These results underscore the need to study firms characterized by different ownership arrangements and to provide empirical evidence for the study of firm ownership in strategic management. Managerial summary : Motivated by growing evidence on the involvement of different types of owners in the strategies of firms, we studied the extent to which a firm's ownership form (type of legal incorporation, such as public and private ownership forms) and ownership structure (diffused ownership and blockholding) affect its performance. Our study of more than 30,000 firms from the European Union shows that ownership form differences explain some of the performance differences between firms. Our results also indicate that firms with different ownership forms are differently affected by their competitive environment. Overall, the study suggests that choosing the right ownership form can have important strategic consequences. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.