"Prof. Nitis Mukhopadhyay and Prof. Partha Pratim Sengupta, who edited this volume with great attention and rigor, have certainly carried out noteworthy activities." - Giovanni Maria Giorgi, University of Rome (Sapienza) "This book is an important contribution to the development of indices of disparity and dissatisfaction in the age of globalization and social strife." - Shelemyahu Zacks, SUNY-Binghamton "It will not be an overstatement when I say that the famous income inequality index or wealth inequality index, which is most widely accepted across the globe is named after Corrado Gini (1984-1965). ... I take this opportunity to heartily applaud the two co-editors for spending their valuable time and energy in putting together a wonderful collection of papers written by the acclaimed researchers on selected topics of interest today. I am very impressed, and I believe so will be its readers." - K.V. Mardia, University of Leeds Gini coefficient or Gini index was originally defined as a standardized measure of statistical dispersion intended to understand an income distribution. It has evolved into quantifying inequity in all kinds of distributions of wealth, gender parity, access to education and health services, environmental policies, and numerous other attributes of importance. Gini Inequality Index: Methods and Applications features original high-quality peer-reviewed chapters prepared by internationally acclaimed researchers. They provide innovative methodologies whether quantitative or qualitative, covering welfare economics, development economics, optimization/non-optimization, econometrics, air quality, statistical learning, inference, sample size determination, big data science, and some heuristics. Never before has such a wide dimension of leading research inspired by Gini's works and their applicability been collected in one edited volume. The volume also showcases modern approaches to the research of a number of very talented and upcoming younger contributors and collaborators. This feature will give readers a window with a distinct view of what emerging research in this field may entail in the near future.

In many branches of science relevant observations are taken sequentially over time. Bayesian Analysis of Time Series discusses how to use models that explain the probabilistic characteristics of these time series and then utilizes the Bayesian approach to make inferences about their parameters. This is done by taking the prior information and via Bayes theorem implementing Bayesian inferences of estimation, testing hypotheses, and prediction. The methods are demonstrated using both R and WinBUGS. The R package is primarily used to generate observations from a given time series model, while the WinBUGS packages allows one to perform a posterior analysis that provides a way to determine the characteristic of the posterior distribution of the unknown parameters. Features Presents a comprehensive introduction to the Bayesian analysis of time series. Gives many examples over a wide variety of fields including biology, agriculture, business, economics, sociology, and astronomy. Contains numerous exercises at the end of each chapter many of which use R and WinBUGS. Can be used in graduate courses in statistics and biostatistics, but is also appropriate for researchers, practitioners and consulting statisticians. About the author Lyle D. Broemeling, Ph.D., is Director of Broemeling and Associates Inc., and is a consulting biostatistician. He has been involved with academic health science centers for about 20 years and has taught and been a consultant at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas School of Public Health. His main interest is in developing Bayesian methods for use in medical and biological problems and in authoring textbooks in statistics. His previous books for Chapman & Hall/CRC include Bayesian Biostatistics and Diagnostic Medicine, and Bayesian Methods for Agreement.

Prepares readers to analyze data and interpret statistical results using the increasingly popular R more quickly than other texts through LessR extensions which remove the need to program. By introducing R through less R, readers learn how to organize data for analysis, read the data into R, and produce output without performing numerous functions and programming first. Readers can select the necessary procedure and change the relevant variables without programming. Quick Starts introduce readers to the concepts and commands reviewed in the chapters. Margin notes define, illustrate, and cross-reference the key concepts. When readers encounter a term previously discussed, the margin notes identify the page number to the initial introduction. Scenarios highlight the use of a specific analysis followed by the corresponding R/lessR input and an interpretation of the resulting output. Numerous examples of output from psychology, business, education, and other social sciences demonstrate how to interpret results and worked problems help readers test their understanding. www.lessRstats.com website features the lessR program, the book's 2 data sets referenced in standard text and SPSS formats so readers can practice using R/lessR by working through the text examples and worked problems, PDF slides for each chapter, solutions to the book's worked problems, links to R/lessR videos to help readers better understand the program, and more. New to this edition: o upgraded functionality and data visualizations of the lessR package, which is now aesthetically equal to the ggplot 2 R standard o new features to replace and extend previous content, such as aggregating data with pivot tables with a simple lessR function call.

Dependence Modeling with Copulas covers the substantial advances that have taken place in the field during the last 15 years, including vine copula modeling of high-dimensional data. Vine copula models are constructed from a sequence of bivariate copulas. The book develops generalizations of vine copula models, including common and structured factor models that extend from the Gaussian assumption to copulas. It also discusses other multivariate constructions and parametric copula families that have different tail properties and presents extensive material on dependence and tail properties to assist in copula model selection. The author shows how numerical methods and algorithms for inference and simulation are important in high-dimensional copula applications. He presents the algorithms as pseudocode, illustrating their implementation for high-dimensional copula models. He also incorporates results to determine dependence and tail properties of multivariate distributions for future constructions of copula models.

Since the publication of the first edition over 30 years ago, the literature related to Pareto distributions has flourished to encompass computer-based inference methods. Pareto Distributions, Second Edition provides broad, up-to-date coverage of the Pareto model and its extensions. This edition expands several chapters to accommodate recent results and reflect the increased use of more computer-intensive inference procedures. New to the Second Edition New material on multivariate inequality Recent ways of handling the problems of inference for Pareto models and their generalizations and extensions New discussions of bivariate and multivariate income and survival models This book continues to provide researchers with a useful resource for understanding the statistical aspects of Pareto and Pareto-like distributions. It covers income models and properties of Pareto distributions, measures of inequality for studying income distributions, inference procedures for Pareto distributions, and various multivariate Pareto distributions existing in the literature.

Offering a unique balance between applications and calculations, Monte Carlo Methods and Models in Finance and Insurance incorporates the application background of finance and insurance with the theory and applications of Monte Carlo methods. It presents recent methods and algorithms, including the multilevel Monte Carlo method, the statistical Romberg method, and the Heath-Platen estimator, as well as recent financial and actuarial models, such as the Cheyette and dynamic mortality models. The authors separately discuss Monte Carlo techniques, stochastic process basics, and the theoretical background and intuition behind financial and actuarial mathematics, before bringing the topics together to apply the Monte Carlo methods to areas of finance and insurance. This allows for the easy identification of standard Monte Carlo tools and for a detailed focus on the main principles of financial and insurance mathematics. The book describes high-level Monte Carlo methods for standard simulation and the simulation of stochastic processes with continuous and discontinuous paths. It also covers a wide selection of popular models in finance and insurance, from Black-Scholes to stochastic volatility to interest rate to dynamic mortality. Through its many numerical and graphical illustrations and simple, insightful examples, this book provides a deep understanding of the scope of Monte Carlo methods and their use in various financial situations. The intuitive presentation encourages readers to implement and further develop the simulation methods.

The proliferation of financial derivatives over the past decades, options in particular, has underscored the increasing importance of derivative pricing literacy among students, researchers, and practitioners. Derivative Pricing: A Problem-Based Primer demystifies the essential derivative pricing theory by adopting a mathematically rigorous yet widely accessible pedagogical approach that will appeal to a wide variety of audience. Abandoning the traditional "black-box" approach or theorists' "pedantic" approach, this textbook provides readers with a solid understanding of the fundamental mechanism of derivative pricing methodologies and their underlying theory through a diversity of illustrative examples. The abundance of exercises and problems makes the book well-suited as a text for advanced undergraduates, beginning graduates as well as a reference for professionals and researchers who need a thorough understanding of not only "how," but also "why" derivative pricing works. It is especially ideal for students who need to prepare for the derivatives portion of the Society of Actuaries Investment and Financial Markets Exam. Features Lucid explanations of the theory and assumptions behind various derivative pricing models. Emphasis on intuitions, mnemonics as well as common fallacies. Interspersed with illustrative examples and end-of-chapter problems that aid a deep understanding of concepts in derivative pricing. Mathematical derivations, while not eschewed, are made maximally accessible. A solutions manual is available for qualified instructors. The Author Ambrose Lo is currently Assistant Professor of Actuarial Science at the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at the University of Iowa. He received his Ph.D. in Actuarial Science from the University of Hong Kong in 2014, with dependence structures, risk measures, and optimal reinsurance being his research interests. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA). His research papers have been published in top-tier actuarial journals, such as ASTIN Bulletin: The Journal of the International Actuarial Association, Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, and Scandinavian Actuarial Journal.

Solve the DVA/FVA Overlap Issue and Effectively Manage Portfolio Credit Risk Counterparty Risk and Funding: A Tale of Two Puzzles explains how to study risk embedded in financial transactions between the bank and its counterparty. The authors provide an analytical basis for the quantitative methodology of dynamic valuation, mitigation, and hedging of bilateral counterparty risk on over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts under funding constraints. They explore credit, debt, funding, liquidity, and rating valuation adjustment (CVA, DVA, FVA, LVA, and RVA) as well as replacement cost (RC), wrong-way risk, multiple funding curves, and collateral. The first part of the book assesses today's financial landscape, including the current multi-curve reality of financial markets. In mathematical but model-free terms, the second part describes all the basic elements of the pricing and hedging framework. Taking a more practical slant, the third part introduces a reduced-form modeling approach in which the risk of default of the two parties only shows up through their default intensities. The fourth part addresses counterparty risk on credit derivatives through dynamic copula models. In the fifth part, the authors present a credit migrations model that allows you to account for rating-dependent credit support annex (CSA) clauses. They also touch on nonlinear FVA computations in credit portfolio models. The final part covers classical tools from stochastic analysis and gives a brief introduction to the theory of Markov copulas. The credit crisis and ongoing European sovereign debt crisis have shown the importance of the proper assessment and management of counterparty risk. This book focuses on the interaction and possible overlap between DVA and FVA terms. It also explores the particularly challenging issue of counterparty risk in portfolio credit modeling. Primarily for researchers and graduate students in financial mathematics, the book is also suitable for financial quants, managers in banks, CVA desks, and members of supervisory bodies.

Introduction to Financial Mathematics: Option Valuation, Second Edition is a well-rounded primer to the mathematics and models used in the valuation of financial derivatives. The book consists of fifteen chapters, the first ten of which develop option valuation techniques in discrete time, the last five describing the theory in continuous time. The first half of the textbook develops basic finance and probability. The author then treats the binomial model as the primary example of discrete-time option valuation. The final part of the textbook examines the Black-Scholes model. The book is written to provide a straightforward account of the principles of option pricing and examines these principles in detail using standard discrete and stochastic calculus models. Additionally, the second edition has new exercises and examples, and includes many tables and graphs generated by over 30 MS Excel VBA modules available on the author's webpage https://home.gwu.edu/~hdj/.

There is no shortage of incentives to study and reduce poverty in our societies. Poverty is studied in economics and political sciences, and population surveys are an important source of information about it. The design and analysis of such surveys is principally a statistical subject matter and the computer is essential for their data compilation and processing. Focusing on The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), a program of annual national surveys which collect data related to poverty and social exclusion, Statistical Studies of Income, Poverty and Inequality in Europe: Computing and Graphics in R presents a set of statistical analyses pertinent to the general goals of EU-SILC. The contents of the volume are biased toward computing and statistics, with reduced attention to economics, political and other social sciences. The emphasis is on methods and procedures as opposed to results, because the data from annual surveys made available since publication and in the near future will degrade the novelty of the data used and the results derived in this volume. The aim of this volume is not to propose specific methods of analysis, but to open up the analytical agenda and address the aspects of the key definitions in the subject of poverty assessment that entail nontrivial elements of arbitrariness. The presented methods do not exhaust the range of analyses suitable for EU-SILC, but will stimulate the search for new methods and adaptation of established methods that cater to the identified purposes.

Quantile regression constitutes an ensemble of statistical techniques intended to estimate and draw inferences about conditional quantile functions. Median regression, as introduced in the 18th century by Boscovich and Laplace, is a special case. In contrast to conventional mean regression that minimizes sums of squared residuals, median regression minimizes sums of absolute residuals; quantile regression simply replaces symmetric absolute loss by asymmetric linear loss. Since its introduction in the 1970's by Koenker and Bassett, quantile regression has been gradually extended to a wide variety of data analytic settings including time series, survival analysis, and longitudinal data. By focusing attention on local slices of the conditional distribution of response variables it is capable of providing a more complete, more nuanced view of heterogeneous covariate effects. Applications of quantile regression can now be found throughout the sciences, including astrophysics, chemistry, ecology, economics, finance, genomics, medicine, and meteorology. Software for quantile regression is now widely available in all the major statistical computing environments. The objective of this volume is to provide a comprehensive review of recent developments of quantile regression methodology illustrating its applicability in a wide range of scientific settings. The intended audience of the volume is researchers and graduate students across a diverse set of disciplines.

This book is about learning from data using the Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS). GAMLSS extends the Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) and Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) to accommodate large complex datasets, which are increasingly prevalent. In particular, the GAMLSS statistical framework enables flexible regression and smoothing models to be fitted to the data. The GAMLSS model assumes that the response variable has any parametric (continuous, discrete or mixed) distribution which might be heavy- or light-tailed, and positively or negatively skewed. In addition, all the parameters of the distribution (location, scale, shape) can be modelled as linear or smooth functions of explanatory variables. Key Features: Provides a broad overview of flexible regression and smoothing techniques to learn from data whilst also focusing on the practical application of methodology using GAMLSS software in R. Includes a comprehensive collection of real data examples, which reflect the range of problems addressed by GAMLSS models and provide a practical illustration of the process of using flexible GAMLSS models for statistical learning. R code integrated into the text for ease of understanding and replication. Supplemented by a website with code, data and extra materials. This book aims to help readers understand how to learn from data encountered in many fields. It will be useful for practitioners and researchers who wish to understand and use the GAMLSS models to learn from data and also for students who wish to learn GAMLSS through practical examples.

Oil and gas industries apply several techniques for assessing and mitigating the risks that are inherent in its operations. In this context, the application of Bayesian Networks (BNs) to risk assessment offers a different probabilistic version of causal reasoning. Introducing probabilistic nature of hazards, conditional probability and Bayesian thinking, it discusses how cause and effect of process hazards can be modelled using BNs and development of large BNs from basic building blocks. Focus is on development of BNs for typical equipment in industry including accident case studies and its usage along with other conventional risk assessment methods. Aimed at professionals in oil and gas industry, safety engineering, risk assessment, this book Brings together basics of Bayesian theory, Bayesian Networks and applications of the same to process safety hazards and risk assessment in the oil and gas industry Presents sequence of steps for setting up the model, populating the model with data and simulating the model for practical cases in a systematic manner Includes a comprehensive list on sources of failure data and tips on modelling and simulation of large and complex networks Presents modelling and simulation of loss of containment of actual equipment in oil and gas industry such as Separator, Storage tanks, Pipeline, Compressor and risk assessments Discusses case studies to demonstrate the practicability of use of Bayesian Network in routine risk assessments

-Up-to-date with cutting edge topics -Suitable for professional quants and as library reference for students of finance and financial mathematics

Factor Analysis and Dimension Reduction in R provides coverage, with worked examples, of a large number of dimension reduction procedures along with model performance metrics to compare them. Factor analysis in the form of principal components analysis (PCA) or principal factor analysis (PFA) is familiar to most social scientists. However, what is less familiar is understanding that factor analysis is a subset of the more general statistical family of dimension reduction methods. The social scientist's toolkit for factor analysis problems can be expanded to include the range of solutions this book presents. In addition to covering FA and PCA with orthogonal and oblique rotation, this book's coverage includes higher-order factor models, bifactor models, models based on binary and ordinal data, models based on mixed data, generalized low-rank models, cluster analysis with GLRM, models involving supplemental variables or observations, Bayesian factor analysis, regularized factor analysis, testing for unidimensionality, and prediction with factor scores. The second half of the book deals with other procedures for dimension reduction. These include coverage of kernel PCA, factor analysis with multidimensional scaling, locally linear embedding models, Laplacian eigenmaps, diffusion maps, force directed methods, t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding, independent component analysis (ICA), dimensionality reduction via regression (DRR), non-negative matrix factorization (NNMF), Isomap, Autoencoder, uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) models, neural network models, and longitudinal factor analysis models. In addition, a special chapter covers metrics for comparing model performance. Features of this book include: Numerous worked examples with replicable R code Explicit comprehensive coverage of data assumptions Adaptation of factor methods to binary, ordinal, and categorical data Residual and outlier analysis Visualization of factor results Final chapters that treat integration of factor analysis with neural network and time series methods Presented in color with R code and introduction to R and RStudio, this book will be suitable for graduate-level and optional module courses for social scientists, and on quantitative methods and multivariate statistics courses.

In-depth coverage of discrete-time theory and methodology. Numerous, fully worked out examples and exercises in every chapter. Mathematically rigorous and consistent yet bridging various basic and more advanced concepts. Judicious balance of financial theory, mathematical, and computational methods. Guide to Material.

Computational finance is increasingly important in the financial industry, as a necessary instrument for applying theoretical models to real-world challenges. Indeed, many models used in practice involve complex mathematical problems, for which an exact or a closed-form solution is not available. Consequently, we need to rely on computational techniques and specific numerical algorithms. This book combines theoretical concepts with practical implementation. Furthermore, the numerical solution of models is exploited, both to enhance the understanding of some mathematical and statistical notions, and to acquire sound programming skills in MATLAB (R), which is useful for several other programming languages also. The material assumes the reader has a relatively limited knowledge of mathematics, probability, and statistics. Hence, the book contains a short description of the fundamental tools needed to address the two main fields of quantitative finance: portfolio selection and derivatives pricing. Both fields are developed here, with a particular emphasis on portfolio selection, where the author includes an overview of recent approaches. The book gradually takes the reader from a basic to medium level of expertise by using examples and exercises to simplify the understanding of complex models in finance, giving them the ability to place financial models in a computational setting. The book is ideal for courses focusing on quantitative finance, asset management, mathematical methods for economics and finance, investment banking, and corporate finance.

Praise for the first edition: [This book] reflects the extensive experience and significant contributions of the author to non-linear and non-Gaussian modeling. ... [It] is a valuable book, especially with its broad and accessible introduction of models in the state-space framework. -Statistics in Medicine What distinguishes this book from comparable introductory texts is the use of state-space modeling. Along with this come a number of valuable tools for recursive filtering and smoothing, including the Kalman filter, as well as non-Gaussian and sequential Monte Carlo filters. -MAA Reviews Introduction to Time Series Modeling with Applications in R, Second Edition covers numerous stationary and nonstationary time series models and tools for estimating and utilizing them. The goal of this book is to enable readers to build their own models to understand, predict and master time series. The second edition makes it possible for readers to reproduce examples in this book by using the freely available R package TSSS to perform computations for their own real-world time series problems. This book employs the state-space model as a generic tool for time series modeling and presents the Kalman filter, the non-Gaussian filter and the particle filter as convenient tools for recursive estimation for state-space models. Further, it also takes a unified approach based on the entropy maximization principle and employs various methods of parameter estimation and model selection, including the least squares method, the maximum likelihood method, recursive estimation for state-space models and model selection by AIC. Along with the standard stationary time series models, such as the AR and ARMA models, the book also introduces nonstationary time series models such as the locally stationary AR model, the trend model, the seasonal adjustment model, the time-varying coefficient AR model and nonlinear non-Gaussian state-space models. About the Author: Genshiro Kitagawa is a project professor at the University of Tokyo, the former Director-General of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, and the former President of the Research Organization of Information and Systems.

High-Performance Computing for Big Data: Methodologies and Applications explores emerging high-performance architectures for data-intensive applications, novel efficient analytical strategies to boost data processing, and cutting-edge applications in diverse fields, such as machine learning, life science, neural networks, and neuromorphic engineering. The book is organized into two main sections. The first section covers Big Data architectures, including cloud computing systems, and heterogeneous accelerators. It also covers emerging 3D IC design principles for memory architectures and devices. The second section of the book illustrates emerging and practical applications of Big Data across several domains, including bioinformatics, deep learning, and neuromorphic engineering. Features Covers a wide range of Big Data architectures, including distributed systems like Hadoop/Spark Includes accelerator-based approaches for big data applications such as GPU-based acceleration techniques, and hardware acceleration such as FPGA/CGRA/ASICs Presents emerging memory architectures and devices such as NVM, STT- RAM, 3D IC design principles Describes advanced algorithms for different big data application domains Illustrates novel analytics techniques for Big Data applications, scheduling, mapping, and partitioning methodologies Featuring contributions from leading experts, this book presents state-of-the-art research on the methodologies and applications of high-performance computing for big data applications. About the Editor Dr. Chao Wang is an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Science and Technology of China. He is the Associate Editor of ACM Transactions on Design Automations for Electronics Systems (TODAES), Applied Soft Computing, Microprocessors and Microsystems, IET Computers & Digital Techniques, and International Journal of Electronics. Dr. Chao Wang was the recipient of Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS, ACM China Rising Star Honorable Mention (2016), and best IP nomination of DATE 2015. He is now on the CCF Technical Committee on Computer Architecture, CCF Task Force on Formal Methods. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, Senior Member of CCF, and a Senior Member of ACM.

Model a Wide Range of Count Time Series Handbook of Discrete-Valued Time Series presents state-of-the-art methods for modeling time series of counts and incorporates frequentist and Bayesian approaches for discrete-valued spatio-temporal data and multivariate data. While the book focuses on time series of counts, some of the techniques discussed can be applied to other types of discrete-valued time series, such as binary-valued or categorical time series. Explore a Balanced Treatment of Frequentist and Bayesian Perspectives Accessible to graduate-level students who have taken an elementary class in statistical time series analysis, the book begins with the history and current methods for modeling and analyzing univariate count series. It next discusses diagnostics and applications before proceeding to binary and categorical time series. The book then provides a guide to modern methods for discrete-valued spatio-temporal data, illustrating how far modern applications have evolved from their roots. The book ends with a focus on multivariate and long-memory count series. Get Guidance from Masters in the Field Written by a cohesive group of distinguished contributors, this handbook provides a unified account of the diverse techniques available for observation- and parameter-driven models. It covers likelihood and approximate likelihood methods, estimating equations, simulation methods, and a Bayesian approach for model fitting.

This work examines theoretical issues, as well as practical developments in statistical inference related to econometric models and analysis. This work offers discussions on such areas as the function of statistics in aggregation, income inequality, poverty, health, spatial econometrics, panel and survey data, bootstrapping and time series.

This is an essential how-to guide on the application of structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques with the AMOS software, focusing on the practical applications of both simple and advanced topics. Written in an easy-to-understand conversational style, the book covers everything from data collection and screening to confirmatory factor analysis, structural model analysis, mediation, moderation, and more advanced topics such as mixture modeling, censored date, and non-recursive models. Through step-by-step instructions, screen shots, and suggested guidelines for reporting, Collier cuts through abstract definitional perspectives to give insight on how to actually run analysis. Unlike other SEM books, the examples used will often start in SPSS and then transition to AMOS so that the reader can have full confidence in running the analysis from beginning to end. Best practices are also included on topics like how to determine if your SEM model is formative or reflective, making it not just an explanation of SEM topics, but a guide for researchers on how to develop a strong methodology while studying their respective phenomenon of interest. With a focus on practical applications of both basic and advanced topics, and with detailed work-through examples throughout, this book is ideal for experienced researchers and beginners across the behavioral and social sciences.

This comprehensive book is an introduction to multilevel Bayesian models in R using brms and the Stan programming language. Featuring a series of fully worked analyses of repeated-measures data, focus is placed on active learning through the analyses of the progressively more complicated models presented throughout the book. In this book, the authors offer an introduction to statistics entirely focused on repeated measures data beginning with very simple two-group comparisons and ending with multinomial regression models with many 'random effects'. Across 13 well-structured chapters, readers are provided with all the code necessary to run all the analyses and make all the plots in the book, as well as useful examples of how to interpret and write-up their own analyses. This book provides an accessible introduction for readers in any field, with any level of statistical background. Senior undergraduate students, graduate students, and experienced researchers looking to 'translate' their skills with more traditional models to a Bayesian framework, will benefit greatly from the lessons in this text.

Features: New chapters on Barrier Options, Lookback Options, Asian Options, Optimal Stopping Theorem, and Stochastic Volatility. Contains over 235 exercises, and 16 problems with complete solutions. Added over 150 graphs and figures, for more than 250 in total, to optimize presentation. 57 R coding examples now integrated into the book for implementation of the methods. Substantially class-tested, so ideal for course use or self-study.

Since the financial crisis, the issue of the 'one percent' has become the centre of intense public debate, unavoidable even for members of the elite themselves. Moreover, inquiring into elites has taken centre-stage once again in both journalistic investigations and academic research. New Directions in Elite Studies attempts to move the social scientific study of elites beyond economic analysis, which has greatly improved our knowledge of inequality, but is restricted to income and wealth. In contrast, this book mobilizes a broad scope of research methods to uncover the social composition of the power elite - the 'field of power'. It reconstructs processes through which people gain access to positions in this particular social space, examines the various forms of capital they mobilize in the process - economic, but also cultural and social capital - and probes changes over time and variations across national contexts. Bringing together the most advanced research into elites by a European and multidisciplinary group of scholars, this book presents an agenda for the future study of elites. It will appeal to all those interested in the study of elites, inequality, class, power, and gender inequality.