Marco Marozzi

Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

University of Ferrara, Italy

Location: Institute of Computer Science, Pod Vodárenskou věží 2, 180 00 Prague, Czechia

   Room 318

Date:   Tuesday 22 July 2025

Time: 13:00 CET

ZOOM: https://cesnet.zoom.us/j/99450913510?pwd=lp0Kxz2Pwcm9mLP9JVr2yUNUwfaXTl.1

  Meeting ID: 994 5091 3510

  Passcode: 971799

Abstract:

Assessment of justifiability towards morally debatable behaviors across nations has garnered significant scientific interest in social sciences, yet the statistical methods employed in such studies often lack rigor. Conventional approaches frequently calculate composite indicators of justifiability as unweighted averages of perceived justifiability, disregarding the potential need for item weighting or variability normalization, such as z-score transformation. Additionally, the robustness of these indicators is rarely examined, undermining the credibility of the results.

This seminar will present a framework for designing comprehensive composite indicators of justifiability, addressing the limitations of previous methods. Specifically, these indicators will assess attitudes towards dishonest-illegal and personal-sexual behaviors using data from the European Values Study, encompassing 47 countries and regions. The results reveal interesting patterns: Sweden, the Netherlands, and Finland emerge as the most permissive countries towards personal-sexual behaviors, while Kosovo and Turkey are the most restrictive. In contrast, ex-communist nations, led by Belarus and the Slovak Republic, demonstrate the highest permissiveness towards dishonest-illegal behaviors, with Northern Cyprus and Turkey being the most stringent.

In addition to these applications, we will discuss some composite indicators commonly used in clinical biostatistics.

Attendees will gain insights into designing and validating composite indicators that enhance cross-disciplinary research and practice.

Keywords: Composite indicators, social statistics, biostatistics, cross-country analysis.

References: 

1. OECD. (2008). Handbook on constructing composite indicators. Paris: OECD.

2. Marozzi M. (2021), Perceived justifiability towards morally debatable behaviors across Europe, Social Indicators Research, 153, 759-778.