Vienna University of Economics and Business
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How many data clusters are in the Galaxy data set? Bayesian cluster analysis in action
Get PDFIn model-based clustering, the Galaxy data set is often used as a benchmark data set tostudy the performance of different modeling approaches. Aitkin (Stat Model 1:287–304) compares maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of the Galaxy data set and expresses reservations about the Bayesian approach due to the fact that the priorassumptions imposed remain rather obscure while playing a major role in the results obtained and conclusions drawn. The aim of the paper is to address Aitkin’s concerns about the Bayesian approach by shedding light on how the specified priors influence the number of estimated clusters. We perform a sensitivity analysis of different prior specifications for the mixtures of finite mixture model, i.e., the mixture model wherea prior on the number of components is included. We use an extensive set of different prior specifications in a full factorial design and assess their impact on the estimated number of clusters for the Galaxy data set. Results highlight the interaction effects of the prior specifications and provide insights into which prior specifications arerecommended to obtain a sparse clustering solution. A simulation study with artificial data provides further empirical evidence to support the recommendations. A clear understanding of the impact of the prior specifications removes restraints preventing the use of Bayesian methods due to the complexity of selecting suitable priors. Also,the regularizing properties of the priors may be intentionally exploited to obtain asuitable clustering solution meeting prior expectations and needs of the application
Management von Freiwilligennetzwerken im Naturschutzbereich
Get PDFDie vorliegende Forschungsarbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Management von Freiwilligennetzwerken im Bereich Naturschutz. Es wird untersucht, wie die Aktivität und Motivation von Freiwilligen in solchen Netzwerken gefördert werden kann. Dafür wurden sechs qualitative Experteninterviews mit ManagerInnen von aktiven Freiwilligennetzwerken geführt, die durch NPOs oder staatliche Organisationen betrieben werden, um Naturschutzmaßnahmen zu fördern oder in der Bevölkerung ein Bewusstsein dafür zu schaffen. Es konnten vier wesentliche Schlüsselelement zur Förderung der Aktivität und Motivation der Freiwilligen herausgearbeitet werden: Die Identifikation mit dem Netzwerk und der Aktivität, der Aufbau einer persönlichen Bindung zum Netzwerk, die Integration in das Netzwerk und die Wertschätzung durch die Organisation. Diese vier Elemente können durch unterschiedliche Managementmaßnahmen gestärkt werden, die in der Arbeit detailliert erläutert werden.Series: Theses / Institute for Nonprofit Managemen
Schutzschild Gemeinwesenarbeit? Über Wirkungen und Wert von Gemeinwesenprojekten in Wien angesichts der Covid-19-Krise am Beispiel des Projekts "Grätzeleltern" der Caritas Wien.
Get PDFDie vorliegende Studie untersucht den Zusammenhang von sozialem Kapital, Projekten der Gemeinwesenarbeit und der Resilienz in Krisenzeiten im Rahmen einer Wirkungsanalyse von Projekten der Stadtteilarbeit. Dabei wird der Frage nachgegangen, inwiefern durch Aktivitäten in diesem Feld eine Art „Versicherungseffekt“ für die leichtere Bewältigung einer Krise entsteht. Hierfür wurden qualitative Erhebungen zur Identifikation von Aktivitäten und Wirkungen vor und während der Covid-19-Krise im Projekt „Grätzeleltern“ der Stadtteilarbeit der Caritas Wien bei relevanten Stakeholdern durchgeführt und Ergebnisse schließlich auch mit anderen Projekten der Stadtteilarbeit verglichen. Die Erhebungen haben gezeigt, dass es vor allem Aktivitäten und Wirkungen im Bereich der Beziehungsarbeit, des Vertrauensaufbaus, aber auch Netzwerkarbeit und regelmäßiger Kontakt sind, welche als Schutzschild in Krisensituationen bezeichnet werden können. Durch sie wird es möglich, dass Unterstützung auch während einer Krise angeboten werden kann und diese auch angenommen wird. Die Wirkungen dieser Aktivitäten der Gemeinwesenarbeit, welche in „Normalzeiten“ passieren, sind vielfach nicht direkt sichtbar. Vielmehr zeigt sich deren Mehrwert erst in Krisensituationen. Dieser „Versicherungseffekt“ sollte bei der Bewertung von Wirkungen im Rahmen einer Wirkungsanalyse auch zukünftig berücksichtigt werden
Wealth Inequality: A Hybrid Approach toward Multidimensional Distributional National Accounts in Europe
Get PDFThis article proposes a practically feasible framework for compiling Multidimensional Distributional National Accounts (MDINAs) serving two functions: a comprehensive measure of (components of) net worth and their distribution, and a link to macroeconomic statistics. I break down 12 components of marketable wealth by wealth and income groups, and three functions of wealth for Austria, Finland, France, Germany, and Spain. MDINA complemented by summary indicators reveal large heterogeneity in the degree of inequality, and shed light on differences in the structure of wealth portfolios across and within countries. I combine data collected in the largely harmonized HFCS survey and adjust for remaining differences in survey modes regarding the treatment of the top tail using (Generalized) Pareto models estimated from rich lists or top wealth shares derived from tax data and leaked information on wealth held in offshore tax havens. Measured inequality increases strongest in countries where surveys refrain from appropriate top-tail corrections
Adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards in emerging economies and low-income countries: A structured literature review
Get PDFPurpose – The aim of the study is to review the extant literature on International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) adoption in emerging economies (EEs) and low-income countries (LICs) (“what do we know?”), and to propose an agenda for future research (“what do we need to know?”). Design / methodology / approach – An analytical framework that builds on diffusion theory is developed. The authors follow the “PRISMA Flow Diagram” to reduce a total of 427 articles from four databases to a final sample of 41 articles. These studies are examined, aided by the analytical framework. Findings – The authors find that IPSASs are a relevant issue for EEs/LICs. Overall, existing research is often explorative. The authors discover that the majority of articles rely on secondary data collection. While two-thirds of the studies perform a content analysis of pre-existing material, about one-fifth of the articles each collect primary data through means of interviews and questionnaires. The findings offer a holistic understanding of where and at what stages IPSAS reforms stand in EEs/LICs, and what factors influence the progression of reforms to the next stage of diffusion. Originality / value – The authors outline a number of avenues for further research after discussing the dominating trends and structuring the literature based on our analytical framework. These stem from looking at the blank spots and an identified need to contextualise IPSASs adoption in EEs/LICs
Organizational structure and CEO dominance
Get PDFWe explore the effects of chief executive officers’ (CEOs’) personal dominance—an idiosyncratic character trait strongly associated with a desire for influence and control—on two fundamental organizational design decisions: the CEO’s span of control (1) and her delegation of responsibilities as reflected in the appointment of a chief operating officer (COO) (2). Linking three original measures of CEO dominance based on quarterly earnings calls with manually collected data on span of control and COO positions for a sample of CEOs presiding over large US corporations, we demonstrate that CEOs who are high in dominance have a significantly larger personal span of control and delegate fewer decision rights than less-dominant CEOs. We discuss implications of our findings and future questions from an organizational design perspective
Exploratory Interactive Explaining (EXINTEX): Constructing Disciplinary Knowledge in Two Multilingual University Settings
Get PDFThe rise of English-medium education has led to considerable academic interest in communicative practices in multilingual university settings. However, there is still little research into disciplinary knowledge construction in higher education contexts where English is the academic lingua franca. To address this gap, we embrace the central role of explaining in education by proposing Exploratory Interactive Explaining (EXINTEX) as an analytical tool, which identifies the elements of explanatory episodes in the joint development of disciplinary knowledge. We then apply this tool at the micro-level of interaction to two comparable contexts differentiated primarily by the presence or absence of a teacher. Our findings confirm the relevance and high level of educational success of EXINTEX episodes in both quantitative and qualitative terms. They further reveal the dynamic interplay of epistemic authority and engagement in the learning process. Additionally, they show how research into educational disciplinary discourse and English as a lingua franca in academic settings can complement and supplement each other
Fueling the Covid-19 pandemic: summer school holidays and incidence rates in German districts
Get PDFBackground: The Robert-Koch-Institute reports that during the summer holiday period a foreign country is stated as the most likely place of infection for an average of 27 and a maximum of 49% of new SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany.
Methods: Cross-sectional study on observational data. In Germany, summer school holidays are coordinated between states and spread out over 13 weeks. Employing a dynamic model with district fixed effects, we analyze the association between these holidays and weekly incidence rates across 401 German districts.
Results: We find effects of the holiday period of around 45% of the average district incidence rates in Germany during their respective final week of holidays and the 2 weeks after holidays end. Western states tend to experience stronger effects than Eastern states. We also find statistically significant interaction effects of school holidays with per capita taxable income and the share of foreign residents in a district’s population.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that changed behavior during the holiday season accelerated the pandemic and made it considerably more difficult for public health authorities to contain the spread of the virus by means of contact tracing. Germany’s public health authorities did not prepare adequately for this acceleration
COVID-19 does not stop at open borders: Spatial contagion among local authority districts during England's first wave
Get PDFInfectious diseases generate spatial dependence or contagion not only between individuals but also between geographical units. New infections in one local district do not just depend on properties of the district, but also on the strength of social ties of its population with populations in other districts and their own degree of infec-tiousness. We show that SARS-CoV-2 infections during the first wave of the pandemic spread across district borders in England as a function of pre-crisis commute to work streams between districts. Crucially, the strength of this spatial contagion depends on the phase of the epidemic. In the first pre-lockdown phase, the spread of the virus across district borders is high. During the lockdown period, the cross-border spread of new infections slows down significantly. Spatial contagion increases again after the lockdown is eased but not statistically significantly so
Trajectories of local open government: An empirical investigation of managerial and political perceptions
Get PDF‘Open government’ refers to transparent, participative decision-making and platform-based citizen-government collaboration and has emerged as one paradigm at the local government level, in particular. However, substantial disparities exist in open government adoption among municipalities, and the empirical evidence on the determinants of open government adoption is sparse and mixed. This article considers open government adoption by integrating the resource- and knowledge-based views and decision-makers’ open government willingness. We argue that the positive impacts of internal capacity depend on the municipal decision-makers’ open government willingness. Using data from a survey conducted among local decision-makers, we investigate organizational ability to implement open government and decision-makers' preferences and adoption level. The findings indicate that organizational capacity is positively associated with open government. In addition, the effect of ability on adoption is partially mediated by leaders’ perceptions that open government is a meaningful opportunity for the municipality