Measurement of sustainable development, which can be realised in three aspects: economic, social and environmental, is a determinant of its efficient monitoring and implementation in various levels of management. The three orders create an integrated sustainable order. The phenomena in the individual spheres of development cannot be measured directly, however, their relationships being of a complex character. One of the methods used to identify the structure of those relationships is Structural Equation Modelling. The paper presents the results of research into the causal structure of the three spheres comprising the integrated sustainable development on the level of regions in Poland. To achieve this aim, Structural Equation Modelling and soft modelling (Partial Least Squares) were applied. Comparative analysis and evaluation of those methods was carried out in respect of their applicability, ways and methods of estimation, verification tools and requirements as to the minimum size of the sample. The research was based on a sample, defined both in time and space, consisting of 16 provinces in the years 1998-2005. Indicators of sustainable development within individual orders were used as variables. The results have proved the usefulness of the analysed methods to the verification of the basic hypothesis about relevance of social and environmental factors to shaping economic competitiveness of regions and their potential for sustainable development.
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Comparative social survey research is exponentially growing, more and more data being available at longitudinal and cross-national levels. When unobservable concepts are involved, the analysis of this kind of data poses the issue of measurement invariance (Are the concepts equivalent across countries and longitudinally?). The aim of this paper is to draw a clear picture of measurement invariance (MI) test via multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) using AMOS 16 software. According to the literature this is a necessary step before latent mean comparison. At first, the author discusses the concept of measurement invariance, and then he presents the most important features and issues related to the MGCFA. The main part of the paper is dedicated to presenting a step by step procedure to test for MI using AMOS VB.NET. In order to facilitate understanding, all steps are logically described; also, data and syntaxes are provided. To illustrate the procedure, the author analyzes the 'sexual permissiveness', as it measured in two large-scale surveys (EVS and WVS). He focuses on the case of those 19 former communist countries included in these surveys, for which the available measurement covers at least three points in time, during the 1990-2009. To measure the 'sexual permissiveness', four items are used: how justifiable are homosexuality, prostitution, abortion, and divorce. Scalar invariance of 'sexual permissiveness' scale is proved for most countries, so means and relationships involving this value can be meaningfully interpreted. Finally, the author discusses some alternatives for presenting the means of latent variables.
The importance of country brand image has been assessed and based on the reviews of recent developments in nation branding worldwide. To evaluate the loyalty of the visitors the impact of satisfaction and brand image has been evaluated. Quantitative data from Czech Republic have been utilized and PLS modelling was used to evaluate the relative impact of satisfaction and brand image.
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This article focuses on distribution of intra-European flows by tertiary students in 1998 - 2007. The analysis aims at geographical patterns of migration flows by countries of origin and destination. The OECD International Migration Database provides good quality data for a matrix of 20 countries of student origin and destination. The data patterns were examined via (a) correlation analysis, (b) factor analysis and (c) structural equation modelling. Major European countries (the UK, Germany and France) accounted for some two thirds for intra-European student inflows and featured major destinations in most European countries of origin. International student flows, however, also had their regional dimension. It was expressed in patterns of cultural similarity (in terms of common or similar language). The structural equation modelling suggested that factors of cultural similarity shape not only flows of trade and capital, but also flows of knowledge, represented by international cooperation in patents and education. It is argued that concept of cultural similarity depends on tacit knowledge of host country environments, where language skills play a prominent role. In summary, international flows of students follow similar underlying factors, like flows of trade and knowledge.
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