April 2, 2012

Stat of the Week Competition Discussion: March 31-April 6 2012

If you’d like to comment on or debate any of this week’s Stat of the Week nominations, please do so below!

Comments

  • avatar

    Am rather well-trained in probability and
    mathematical statistics. [So much so, being an old man, that: I mainly do all my own calculations in such fields, rather than rely on
    packages. Do use Mathematica at need, though].
    Just learned about this site from The Press letter of the excellent Dr Eric Crampton, U of Canterbury.
    And ominate him for B S of the Week, for this sensible contribution.
    Will return to see what else is on offer round here.

    SWS

    12 years ago

  • avatar

    I like Nick’s nomination. Very similar issues there to the prior piece on pokies and crime, noted here a couple years ago:
    http://offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.co.nz/2010/09/reporters-do-not-understand-causality.html

    I’d need to see the original study though.

    12 years ago

  • avatar
    Nick Iversen

    I’m not saying in my nomination that there are no “truly causal alternatives.” All I’m saying is that the article implication that putting in a liquor store doubles crime rates within 900m of that store is wrong. My argument takes the teeth out of their argument.

    I do believe that putting in shops, flats, celltowers, motorways, etc changes the nature of neighbourhoods and eventually changes their population composition. Probably liquor stores do attract criminals. But the notion that a single store doubles the crime rate is absurd.

    12 years ago