infonet-economy

This research note presents an innovative dataset of Swiss MPs’ interest ties between 2000-2011. The longitudinal analysis shows that the average number of interest ties per MP has more than doubled: from 3.5 in 2000 to 7.6 in 2011. Since the mid-2000s, public interest groups have accounted for approximately one out of two ties between MPs and interest groups, showing the strongest…

This dissertation takes up a theoretical problem that prejudices justifications of multiculturalism. If we understand multiculturalism as a position holding that cultures are valuable entities that deserve respect and recognition, we must not only show that there indeed are such things as cultures, but also that culture is the right kind of entity to possess value. However, these…

This dissertation examines the reasons for the selection of roll call votes and their effects on legislators' voting behavior in democratic legislatures. First, the dissertation shows that legislators have an incentive to facilitate the use of roll call votes when they expect that their policy preferences are aligned with those of important actors outside the legislature.…

This thesis delivers a new framework for the robust parametric estimation of random fields and latent models through the use of the wavelet variance. By proposing a new M-estimation approach for the latter quantity and delivering results on the identifiability of a wide class of latent models, the thesis finally delivers a computationally efficient and statistically sound method to…

Generalized linear models (GLM) and generalized additive models (GAM) are popular statistical methods for modelling continuous and discrete data both parametrically and nonparametrically. In this general framework, we consider the problem of variable selection by studying a wide class of penalized M-estimators that are particularly well suited for high dimensional scenarios where the…

Gene selection has become a common task in most gene expression studies. The objective of such research is often to identify the smallest possible set of genes that can still achieve good predictive performance. To do so, many of the recently proposed classification methods require some form of dimension-reduction of the problem which finally provide a single model as an output and,…

This chapter surveys recent developments in agglomeration theory within a unifying framework. We highlight how locational fundamentals, agglomeration economies, the spatial sorting of heterogeneous agents, and selection effects affect the size, productivity, composition, and inequality of cities, as well as their size distribution in the urban system.

This dissertation focuses on the measurement of regional home care policy and its effects on health care utilization. It brings three main contributions. First, it provides causal evidence on the effects of home care policy generosity on hospitalizations, doctor visits, and nursing home use. Variations in generosity across the Swiss cantons and over time are used to identify the…