We decompose the generalized Lorenz order into a size and a distribution component. The former is represented by stochastic dominance, the latter by the standard Lorenz order. We show that it is always possible, given generalized Lorenz dominance between two distributions F and G, to find...

We consider 1927 borrowers from 54 countries who had a credit rating by both Moody's and S&P at the end of 1998, and their subsequent default history up to the end of 2002. Viewing bond ratings as predicted probabilities of default, we consider partial orderings among competing probability...

For decades, there has been a heated debate about whether or not nuclear power plants contribute to childhood cancer in their respective neighbourhoods, with statisticians testifying on both sides. The present paper points to some flaws in the pro-arguments, taking a recent study prepared for...

We show that a recent appendix to the Gini-coefficient to make the latter more sensitive to asymmetric income distributions can be viewed as an abstract measure of skewness. We develop some of its properties and apply it to the US-income distribution in 1974 and 2010.

Dieser Beitrag dokumentiert eine Tendenz totalitärer Gesellschaftssysteme, die Statistik und insbesondere Daten der Amtsstatistik als Stütze von Ideologien zu missbrauchen. Dieser Missbrauch wird oft durch westliche Medien unterstützt, die allzu blauäugig auf dergleichen Lügen hereinfallen....

This article takes issue with a recent book by Ziliak and McCloskey (2008) of the same title. Ziliak and McCloskey argue that statistical significance testing is a barrier rather than a booster for empirical research in economics and should therefore be abandoned altogether. The present article...

The paper explores the relationship between various orderings among probability forecasts that have been suggested in the literature. It is shown that well calibrated forecasters are in general not comparable according to the domination ordering suggested by Vardeman and Meeden (1983), that the...

In den Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften wird die Statistik einmal als Datenlieferant und einmal als Dateninterpretierer wahrgenommen. Während die erste Rolle in Zukunft an Bedeutung eher zunehmen wird, scheint sich die Statistik als Dateninterpretierer von den Bedürfnissen der...