Correlated data modelling 2004. Scientific Meeting in Honour of Diego de Castro

Models for correlated data are appearing as one of the most vital and exciting fields of the statistical methodology. Random effects models and estimatine equations are only two of the major schemes used for dealing with the impressive mass of potential relevant applications. These are ranging from spatial analysis up to designs using repeated measures on the same subjects, with applications in classical bio-medical fields as in public health and economics, up to political sciences and sociology.
In the second edition of the workshop (the first was organized in Trieste in 1999), organized in Torino in January 2004, we proposed to investigate the relationships among the various approaches and models as proposed in the various fields of application, and in particular in biometrics and econometrics.
The final goal of this edition of the workshop was to improve contacts between application and methodology, as developed in the applied contexts where the models have been proposed.
According to the contributions listed in this volume, we can affirm that the workshop was quite successful. We have important contributions from various field of application, like econometrics, education and behavioral sciences, law, biomedicine, jointly to excellent papers on more methodological aspects.
All the Editors feel oblige to thank all authors for having contributed to this workshop and to this volume. A special thanks for Alessandra Durio, Ennio Isaia, Eugenio Novelli, Aldo Goia, Rosalba Rosato for the great help in organizing the workshop. A particular appreciation is deserved to Silvia Snidero, who cared for the collection and the editing of the papers.