methodology

Generalised Linear Models Incorporating Population Level Information: An Empirical Likelihood Based Approach

Regression coefficients specify the partial effect of a regressor on the dependent variable. Sometimes the bivariate, or limited multivariate relationship of that regressor variable with the dependent variable is known from population-level data. We …

On 'Sexual contacts and epidemic thresholds,' models and inference for Sexual partnership distributions

Recent work has focused attention on statistical inference for the population distribution of the number of sexual partners based on survey data. The characteristics of these distributions are of interest as components of mathematical models for the …

Interval Estimates for Epidemic Thresholds in Two-Sex Network Models

Epidemic thresholds in network models of heterogeneous populations characterized by highly right-skewed contact distributions can be very small. When the population is above the threshold, an epidemic is inevitable and conventional control measures …

Likelihood-Based Inference for Stochastic Models of Sexual Network Formation

Sexually-Transmitted Diseases (STDs) constitute a major public health concern. Mathematical models for the transmission dynamics of STDs indicate that heterogeneity in sexual activity level allow them to persist even when the typical behavior of the …

Statistical Inference for the Relative Distribution

Social scientists are increasingly interested in techniques for comparing changes in distributional shape in addition to mean levels. One such technique is based on the relative distribution, a nonparametric summary of the information required for …

Covariance Models for Latent Structure in Longitudinal Data

We present several approaches to modeling latent structure in longitudinal studies when the covariance itself is the primary focus of the analysis. This is a departure from much of the work on longitudinal data analysis, in which attention is focused …

Combining Registration-System and Survey Data to Estimate Birth Probabilities

With the widespread availability of event-history data, demographers have increasingly eschewed registration-system data in favor of survey data. We propose instead using survey and registration-system data in combination, via a constrained …

Relative Distribution Methods

We present an outline of relative distribution methods, with an application to recent changes in the U.S. wage distribution. Relative distribution methods are a nonparametric statistical framework for analyzing data in a fully distributional …

Bridge Populations in the Spread of HIV/AIDS in Thailand

Objective: To determine the extent to which men provide a bridge population between commercial sex workers (CSW) and the general female population in Thailand. Design: Sexual network and serological data were collected from a systematic quota sample …

Economic Inequality: New Methods for New Trends

Two positions dominate the debate over the recent increases in economic inequality in the United States. The 'job-skill mismatch' thesis attributes rising inequality to growth in the number of high-skill, high-wage jobs that leaves less-skilled …