Papers by Elena Grimaccia
We present here a technique which combines cluster analysis with the use of a
composite indicator... more We present here a technique which combines cluster analysis with the use of a
composite indicator, thus permitting to identify Countries both according to their
structural characteristics and to their overall performance.
We chose to test the analysis upon the set of indicators of the Europe 2020
strategy, a reduced set of indicators which covers very diverse qualifications of
economic growth. Set up by the European Commission Europe 2020, indicators
benefit from societal and political consensus about welfare and development
relevant dimensions. Moreover, they present all the methodological and accessibil-
ity characteristics that permit the analysis in terms of synthesis and classification.
Environmetrics, Jan 13, 2024
Giornate di Studio sulla Popolazione 2015, Nov 14, 2014
Lo studio ha lo scopo di presentare, nel centesimo anniversario dello scoppio della Grande guerra... more Lo studio ha lo scopo di presentare, nel centesimo anniversario dello scoppio della Grande guerra in Italia, un panorama degli effetti demografici del conflitto. La guerra, oltre alle perdite dirette, produce, infatti, indirettamente danni molto gravi alla popolazione civile, con la diminuzione della nuzialita e della natalita e con l’aumento della mortalita. In particolare, la Grande guerra causo una rivoluzione dal punto di vista demografico, con un crollo della popolazione colmato solo dopo anni, e con una riduzione della consistenza delle generazioni interessate dal conflitto che si e trascinato per decenni, anche per sua la eco nel lungo periodo sulle mancate nascite. La principale fonte storica utilizzata e la pubblicazione di Giorgio Mortara che, nel libro «La salute pubblica in Italia durante e dopo la grande guerra», solo 6 anni dopo la fine della guerra, traccia un bilancio lucidissimo e assai approfondito degli effetti del conflitto mondiale sulla popolazione. L’Istat non ancora istituito, l’autore utilizza dati della Direzione Generale della Statistica (Atti di stato civile, Statistiche delle cause di morte) o della Sanita Pubblica e Militare per fornirci informazioni preziose e analisi dettagliate della demografia al tempo della Grande Guerra, non solo per l’Italia ma anche per i principali Paesi europei. Da ricordare anche gli studi di Franco Savorgnan, che sara presidente dell’Istat dal 1934 al 1943, utilizzati dallo stesso Mortara.
Review of European Studies, Sep 24, 2020
In this paper, an analysis of the Europe 2020 strategy indicators has been carried out. The strat... more In this paper, an analysis of the Europe 2020 strategy indicators has been carried out. The strategy defined three priorities for European countries: Smart, Inclusive and Sustainable growth. These goals (developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation, fostering high employment levels, and promoting a more resource-efficient and greener economy) were measured by eight headline indicators, related to employment, research and innovation, renewables and energy, education and poverty. For each indicator, a target has been set, and the eight indicators are subject to regular statistical monitoring and reporting. Europe 2020 is perhaps not a complete set of indicators for measuring the progress of societies and the quality of life of their citizens, but it is a very important recognition of European institutions that GDP alone is not enough and that it must necessarily be integrated with measures that take into account equity and sustainability. The paper analyses the trends of the Europe 2020 indicators, considering the target reached or not, synthesizing the results using an Alkire-Foster method and clustering the 27 European countries, in order to highlight convergence processes among the Member States (MSs) in the ten years taken into account by the Strategy. After almost10 years, the EU has not reached most of the targets set in 2010, and many MSs are well behind schedule.
Social Indicators Research, Jul 30, 2018
Being at the core of sustainable growth, food insecurity is one of the most important issues in d... more Being at the core of sustainable growth, food insecurity is one of the most important issues in determining a country's level of development. The first aim of this paper is to compare food insecurity in different subpopulations across countries. The second goal is to assess which factors affect individual food insecurity in the world, while taking into account the level of a country's development. This has not been possible until very recently. Through the FAO Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) module of the Gallup World Poll, the same information has been collected with an identical methodology and instrument all over the world of more than 150 thousand individuals from 147 countries. Food insecurity presents marked differences depending on the level of development of the country under consideration. To take this into account, countries have been grouped together using a cluster analysis, based on the indicators from the UN Human Development Index. The model was estimated by means of an ordered logistic regression, both at the global level and for each group of countries. The model permits identification of the economic, social, and demographic characteristics related to food insecurity. Level of education, composition and number of children in the household, and location of dwellings had a significant impact on the risk of food insecurity. These results provide valuable insight into the phenomenon and can support policies aimed at ending hunger and improving the well-being of population.
Social Indicators Research, May 21, 2020
Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods... more Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire foods in socially acceptable ways. The study presents a comparison of the principal determinants of individual food insecurity in Europe and other Continents, with particular regard to gender, since the literature clearly states the importance of women in the administration of food in the household. The study of gender related differences in food insecurity is particularly important in Europe, since women experience food insecurity at a larger extent than men, but with a variability related to the geographical distribution and with complex relationships with economic and social drivers. Using a large international sample of individual level data, that allows the analysis for developed Countries for the first time, and the first experiential measure of food insecurity comparable at the global level, the paper analyses the principal determinants of gender differences in food insecurity. In order to verify if women's vulnerability in food insecurity is moderated by specific factors, the modelling approach allows gender to vary by education, poverty, place of residence. The results suggest that the driver that could most mitigate women disadvantage is education: people with a university degree present a lower probability of experiencing food insecurity, both for men and for women. On the contrary, familial characteristics, such as the number of children in the household, present a higher impact on women's food insecurity than on men's.
Springer proceedings in mathematics & statistics, 2022
Quality & Quantity, Apr 8, 2020
Food crises in 2008 raised the need for more timely and effective policy instruments to monitor a... more Food crises in 2008 raised the need for more timely and effective policy instruments to monitor and fight food insecurity. FAO developed the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), based on the individual experience in quantity and quality of food. Compared to the traditional, macro-based indicators, FIES presents important advantages: FIES makes it possible to identify the characteristics of food insecure people and allows to analyse food insecurity also in rich and developed countries. The main purpose of the paper is to validate the FIES, in order to assure policymakers that the tool is what they need to design meaningful development efforts. In this study, the methodological properties of FIES were evaluated on a sample of 150 thousand people, all over the world. The analysis of frequency distributions, the measurement of internal consistency, as well as an exploratory factor analysis and a cluster analysis were conducted. A principal component analysis-multiple linear regression allowed to rate the effect of each item on each factor. A confirmatory factor analysis was applied to test the hypothesis that a relationship exists between the observed variables and their underlying latent constructs. External validity was evaluated by a micro-econometric analysis of FIES in relation to extreme poverty and other relevant socioeconomic characteristic of the population. The results show that FIES presents a good level of reliability and internal consistency. However, two distinct latent constructs were identified and analysed: a subscale measuring 'perceived' aspects of food insecurity and a subscale related to 'actually experienced' activities.
Food insecurity is one of the most important issues in determining a country's level of developme... more Food insecurity is one of the most important issues in determining a country's level of development, being at the core of sustainable growth. It affects all countries in the world, because even in countries with high current levels of income or food availability, the stability of food access and utilization may change over time. Comparisons of food insecurity in different economic and demographic subpopulations across countries provide a better understanding of the complex phenomenon and support policies aimed at improving the well-being of populations and alleviating hunger. Even though definitions and measures of food insecurity have been widely debated, both in the political and scientific spheres, for decades, until very recently data referring to a univocal measure of food insecurity was lacking at the global level. Only beginning in 2014 was the FAO Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) used to perform a global survey, in 147 countries, with a sample of more than 150,000 individuals. This study presents an analysis of food insecurity based on information relating to individuals' own experience of their food insecurity, measured by FIES, together with other meaningful personal and household characteristics. The objective of this work is to assess which factors can determine individual food insecurity. Food insecurity presents marked differences depending on the level of development of the country under consideration. To take these factors into account, countries have been grouped together using a cluster analysis, based on the indicators forming the UN Human Development Index. The model, estimated both at the global level and for each group of countries, allows us to identify the economic, social, and demographic characteristics related to food insecurity, adding further evidence to the existing literature. Overall, the factors that have a significant impact on the risk of food insecurity include level of education, number of children in the household, and location of the household.
Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics
This book series features volumes composed of selected contributions from workshops and conferenc... more This book series features volumes composed of selected contributions from workshops and conferences in all areas of current research in mathematics and statistics, including data science, operations research and optimization. In addition to an overall evaluation of the interest, scientific quality, and timeliness of each proposal at the hands of the publisher, individual contributions are all refereed to the high quality standards of leading journals in the field. Thus, this series provides the research community with well-edited, authoritative reports on developments in the most exciting areas of mathematical and statistical research today.
Springer proceedings in mathematics & statistics, 2022
Journal of Official Statistics
In order to provide useful tools for researchers in the design of actions to promote participatio... more In order to provide useful tools for researchers in the design of actions to promote participation in web surveys, it is key to study the characteristics that define the profile of a “web respondent”, so that specific interventions can be planned. In this contribution, which draws on data collected during the 2019 housing population census in Italy, we define the set of familial and geographical characteristics that correspond to a greater probability that the interviewed household will choose to respond online, by estimating a multilevel model. The profile of a “computer-assisted web interview household” (CAWI-H) is then defined, on the basis of the structural characteristics of this population. Moreover, the geographical distribution of households is studied according to their distance from the CAWI-H profile. The results show that households that are more distant from the CAWI-H profile have characteristics that correspond to segments of the population generally affected by econo...
Springer International Publishing eBooks, 2022
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Papers by Elena Grimaccia
composite indicator, thus permitting to identify Countries both according to their
structural characteristics and to their overall performance.
We chose to test the analysis upon the set of indicators of the Europe 2020
strategy, a reduced set of indicators which covers very diverse qualifications of
economic growth. Set up by the European Commission Europe 2020, indicators
benefit from societal and political consensus about welfare and development
relevant dimensions. Moreover, they present all the methodological and accessibil-
ity characteristics that permit the analysis in terms of synthesis and classification.
composite indicator, thus permitting to identify Countries both according to their
structural characteristics and to their overall performance.
We chose to test the analysis upon the set of indicators of the Europe 2020
strategy, a reduced set of indicators which covers very diverse qualifications of
economic growth. Set up by the European Commission Europe 2020, indicators
benefit from societal and political consensus about welfare and development
relevant dimensions. Moreover, they present all the methodological and accessibil-
ity characteristics that permit the analysis in terms of synthesis and classification.