Greed is Good!

[vetran]

No one has ever accused you of having a mind like a steel trap I'll wager.
If you have data points on 50 random countries your population is all countries,
and you can draw inferences on that pop, countries as a whole.

Honestly, this is not an insult, but you don't have the intellectual chops to discuss this stuff.

so you believe if the entire population is 50 and you draw such a specific conclusion regardless of other factors then its valid?

As 50 countries is ~ 25% of the number of countries in the world then you are not talking about the whole population. As the countries also vary wildly in government, cultural history, religion and justice system you are comparing Apples with tapeworms.

Try the same with all life on Earth. If study the entire population then you should have a partial exoskeleton,feelers, lay eggs and sport part of an udder

Your conclusions sound like chop suey to me!

[sasguru]

so you believe if the entire population is 50 and you draw such a specific conclusion regardless of other factors then its valid?

As 50 countries is ~ 25% of the number of countries in the world then you are not talking about the whole population. As the countries also vary wildly in government, cultural history, religion and justice system you are comparing Apples with tapeworms.

Try the same with all life on Earth. If study the entire population then you should have a partial exoskeleton,feelers, lay eggs and sport part of an udder

Your conclusions sound like chop suey to me!

There's 2 things that amuses (and amazes) me about the population of cretins:

1) their ability and will to pontificate ad nauseum about stuff they know nothing about
2) the absolute lack of self-knowledge about their limitations.

[DodgyAgent]

What exactly is envy of the rich an example of?

It is an example of how people use weasel words and cliches to manipulate others into joining their view. No one is going to say they envy the rich directly. Instead they will disguise it within a catch all manipulative word such as "equality"

[vetran]

There's 2 things that amuses (and amazes) me about the population of cretins:

1) their ability and will to pontificate ad nauseum about stuff they know nothing about
2) the absolute lack of self-knowledge about their limitations.

yawn - insult as he can't compose a sensible answer!

[doodab]

As 50 countries is ~ 25% of the number of countries in the world then you are not talking about the whole population. As the countries also vary wildly in government, cultural history, religion and justice system you are comparing Apples with tapeworms

How about if you have data on the entire population of counties in the US? How about if you consider spending on policing, racial mix, no of single mothers, absolute income levels and 20 other factors as well?

It really is obvious that you don't even know you don't know what you're talking about TBH.

[sasguru]

yawn - insult as he can't compose a sensible answer!

Not an insult, you're talking bollux.
Still you seem to be interested about how one draws inferences about populations from samples, which is better than quoting the Wail I suppose.
Take a course in mathematical statistics, that covers inference.
That should answer your questions about what you can and can't do with a sample, what sample size is valid etc etc.

Alternatively keep wallowing in your ignorance by posting Wail bollux on here.

[russell]

so you believe if the entire population is 50 and you draw such a specific conclusion regardless of other factors then its valid?

As 50 countries is ~ 25% of the number of countries in the world then you are not talking about the whole population. As the countries also vary wildly in government, cultural history, religion and justice system you are comparing Apples with tapeworms.

Try the same with all life on Earth. If study the entire population then you should have a partial exoskeleton,feelers, lay eggs and sport part of an udder

Your conclusions sound like chop suey to me!

Think you need to do some reading on sampling and statistics, your posts are embarrassingly ignorant.

[Mich the Tester]

There's 2 things that amuses (and amazes) me about the population of cretins:

1) their ability and will to pontificate ad nauseum about stuff they know nothing about
2) the absolute lack of self-knowledge about their limitations.

This is summed up quite nicely in Figure 1. I find it very noticeable when people discuss the subject of international migration, a subject on which I have read considerably more than one book and considerably more than one scientific study, given that Spatial Demography was a large part of my degree. But then it's a Poly degree, so I shouldn't pretend to know much more than your average Wail reader. In fact, it's a subject where the more you learn about it, the less certainty you have in what you think you know. That's why I prefer to ask critical questions instead of giving a very strong point of view.

Figure 1; illustrating the relation between knowledge of a subject and willingness to pontificate about it.

[vetran]

Think you need to do some reading on sampling and statistics, your posts are embarrassingly ignorant.

All I said was that

1. Correlation does not mean causation. If I wear a hat it doesn't mean its cold, it could be another reason such as fashion or I have lost my hair.
So below subsitence level poverty causing crime is justifiable. But he has more than me so I rob him probably means a poor justice system.

2. The countries were so small a population and so diverse saying look inequality increases crime sort of doesn't gel. This leading to inequality=crime conclusion is like saying x good US presidents habitually wore a hat therefore hat wearing makes a good President.

3. Why do countries vary so much?

4. More Data would make it more believable but I'm not convinced the right question is being asked.

none of those need massive statistical expertise to ask the question.

not sure why that is ignorant?

[Bunk]

All I said was that

1. Correlation does not mean causation. If I wear a hat it doesn't mean its cold, it could be another reason such as fashion or I have lost my hair.
So below subsitence level poverty causing crime is justifiable. But he has more than me so I rob him probably means a poor justice system.

2. The countries were so small a population and so diverse saying look inequality increases crime sort of doesn't gel. This leading to inequality=crime conclusion is like saying x good US presidents habitually wore a hat therefore hat wearing makes a good President.

3. Why do countries vary so much?

4. More Data would make it more believable but I'm not convinced the right question is being asked.

none of those need massive statistical expertise to ask the question.

not sure why that is ignorant?

Because the 50 countries are not a population, they're a sample. All the countries in the world is the population. I think that's what Sas was trying to tell you. Not knowing those terms indicates that maybe you actually do need a bit more statistical expertise.