Gaurav
Reducing Errors in Survey Analysis
Analysis of survey data is hard to automate because of the immense variability across survey instruments—different variables, differently coded, and named in ways that often defy even the most fecund imagination. What often replaces complete automation is ad-hoc automation—quickly coded functions, e.g., recoding a variable to lie
Sort of Sorted but Definitely Cold
By now, students of American Politics have all become accustomed to seeing graphs of DW-NOMINATE scores showing ideological polarization in Congress. Here are the equivalent graphs (we assume two dimensions) at the mass level.
Data are from the 2004 ANES. Social and Cultural Preferences are from Confirmatory Factor Analysis over
Cricket: An Unfairly Random Game?
In many cricket matches, it is claimed that there is a clear advantage to bowling (batting) first. The advantage is pointed to by commentators, and by captains of the competing teams in the pre-toss interview. And sometimes in the post-match interview.
The opportunity to bowl or bat first is decided
Nudging
Nudging the mood?
Important consequential decisions in life are hostage to our mood. What we intend to do (and actually do) often varies by mood. Mood, in turn, can vary due to a variety of exogenous reasons – negative swings can be caused by ill-health (a headache, or allergies) and
On (Modest) Differences In Racial Distribution of Voting Eligible Population and Registered Voters in California
Each election cycle brings renewed concern about differential voter registration rates across demographic groups. In California, for instance, only 62.8% of eligible Latinos are registered to vote, compared to 72.9% of eligible Whites—a gap of over 10 percentage points. Such disparities rightfully worry those committed to democratic
Creating A Leaky Internet
The recent Wikileaks episode has highlighted the immense control national governments and private companies have on what content can be hosted. Within days of being identified by the U.S. government as a problem, private companies in charge of hosting and providing banking services to Wikileaks withdrew support, largely neutering
Measuring Partisan Affect Coldly
Outside of the variety of ways of explicitly asking people how they feel about another group — feeling thermometers, like/dislike scales, favorability ratings — explicit measures asked using mechanisms designed to overcome or attenuate social desirability concerns — bogus pipeline, ACASI — and a plethora of implicit measures — affect misattribution, IAT — there exist
Fairly Random
The lottery is a way to assign disproportionate rewards (or punishments) fairly. Procedural fairness—equal chance of selection—provides legitimacy to this system of disproportionate allocation.
Given the purpose of a lottery is unequal allocation, it is essential that we seek informed consent from the participants, and that we only