Course teached as: B018941 - STATISTICA SOCIALE 3-years First Cycle Degree (DM 270/04) in STATISTICS
Teaching Language
Italian
Course Content
MEASUREMENT AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL PHENOMENA
The course will be structured in three parts: (a) the model of measurement of social phenomena, (b) the complex measurement: composite indicators, (c) collection and statistical analysis of subjective data.
F. Maggino, La misurazione di fenomeni sociali attraverso indicatori statistici. Aspetti metodologici (capitoli 1 e 3). Firenze University Press, Archivio E-Prints, Firenze, 2008.
Il testo può essere scaricato gratuitamente al seguente indirizzo:
http://eprints.unifi.it/archive/00001704/
Nardo M., M. Saisana, A. Saltelli and S. Tarantola (EC/JRC), A. Hoffman and E. Giovannini (OECD) (2005a) Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators: Methodology and Userguide, OECD, Statistics Working Paper.
Il testo può essere scaricato gratuitamente da uno dei seguenti indirizzi:
- http://composite-indicators.jrc.ec.europa.eu/Handbook.htm
- http://www.oecd.org/LongAbstract/0,3425,en_2649_33715_35231682_119684_1_1_1,00.html
Maggino F., Rilevazione e analisi statistica del dato soggettivo, Firenze University Press, Archivio E-Prints, Firenze, 2007.
Il testo può essere scaricato gratuitamente al seguente indirizzo:
http://eprints.unifi.it/archive/00001517/
Learning Objectives
COMPETENCES: (a) capacity to define, read, and interpret statistical indicators, (b) capacity to construct composite indicators, in conceptual and methodological sense, (c) capacity to construct and develop subjective indicators, proceed to their statistical testing, assessment and .analysis.
Teaching Methods
Lecturing
Course program
MEASUREMENT AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL PHENOMENA
(a) THE MODEL OF MEASUREMENT OF SOCIAL PHENOMENA
- Developing measures: from statistics to indicators: (1) Defining the hierarchical design, (2) Defining the model of measurement, (3) System of measures at macro level: systems of indicators, (4) System of measures at micro level: questionnaires.
- Managing and analysis of complexity: (1) Reducing data structure, (2) Combining indicators, (3) Modelling indicators.
- In-depth: wellbeing and quality-of-life measures. New international and national perspectives and approaches.
(b) THE COMPLEX MEASUREMENT: COMPOSITE INDICATORS
- Functions of composite indicators
- Construction methodology: (1) Selection of indicators: dimensional analysis, (2) Defining weights (weighting criteria), (3) Identifying aggregation technique, (4) Verifying robustness: uncertaninty and sensitivity analysis, (5) Testing discriminant capacity.
- Criticisms and controversial issues in constructing and applying composite indicators
- Possible alternative approaches.
- In-depth: examples of composite indicators at international level (human development index, deprivation and poverty indexes, …)
(c) COLLECTION AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF SUBJECTIVE DATA
- Conceptual definitions and issues: (1) Meaning of “subjective” / “objective”, (2) “Objective” and “subjective” characteristics
- Measuring issues: (1) Observing subjective characteristics: quantitative and qualitative approaches, (2) The nature of subjective data: data theory
- Subjective data: (1) Defining the response score: the criterion (affective and cognitive), the reference (comparative and non-comparative scaling), (2) Assigning analysable value to the captured response
- From data to measures: (1) Transforming data into interpretable measures: the scaling models, (2) Selecting the correct scaling model: the selection criteria, (3) Main characteristics of scaling models: additive model, cumulative models, perceptual mapping
- In-depth: subjective wellbeing: components, determinants and interpretative models