Some problems of liberation

Abstract

The increasing complexification of society has challenged the established practice of government by exposing its deficiency of requisite variety. Governments have responded in two ways to amplify their variety: co-optation of elite actors from the private sector and from civil society on the one hand and devolution of state power to local actors on the other. These breaches in the traditional edifices of state governance have been hailed as real utopias in that they portend even greater possibilities for self-management in society. It is proposed that Stafford Beer's Viable System Model (VSM) holds the key not only to comprehending these developments but of dealing with many of the so-called problems of liberation     

Urbanization problems in China

Problems related to urbanization in China are discussed. The author first reviews trends in urbanization over the past 30 years, and then considers the relationship between urbanization and the country's economic growth. Probable future trends in urbanization up to the year 2000 are next described, with a final note on regional differences in urbanization patterns.     

Choice in ordered-tree-based decision problems

Decision makers often have to choose alternatives which appear in an exogenous structure. For example, consider choosing a dish in a restaurant after going through different menu cards (a menu card for buffet, another for combo offers etc.). The decision maker observes the items displayed (as a list) on a menu card and she switches to another menu card to see the items displayed on it (again in the form of another list). Thus the set of all items appears as an “ordered-tree” to the decision maker. There are other examples of decision making where alternatives appear in the form of an ordered-tree. In this paper we consider the cases of choice from ordered-trees (in particular, “lists of lists”) and characterize the choice functions. We impose the axioms of Backward Consistency and Replacement Indifference on choice functions and obtain characterization results for \(k\) -ary ordered-trees and more general ordered-trees. We show that the results for \(k=2\) are similar to those of (Rubinstein and Salant 2006), in which the cases of choice from lists are considered. However the results for \(k \ge 3\) and general ordered-trees are different and allow for instance, a richer class of tie-breaking rules in special cases.     

Consistency in one-sided assignment problems

One-sided assignment problems combine important features of two well-known matching models. First, as in roommate problems, any two agents can be matched and second, as in two-sided assignment problems, the division of payoffs to agents is flexible as part of the solution. We take a similar approach to one-sided assignment problems as Sasaki (Int J Game Theory 24:373–397, 1995) for two-sided assignment problems, and we analyze various desirable properties of solutions including consistency and weak pairwise-monotonicity. We show that for the class of solvable one-sided assignment problems (i.e., the subset of one-sided assignment problems with a non-empty core), if a subsolution of the core satisfies [Pareto indifference and consistency] or [invariance with respect to unmatching dummy pairs, continuity, and consistency], then it coincides with the core (Theorems 1 and 2). However, we also prove that on the class of all one-sided assignment problems (solvable or not), no solution satisfies consistency and coincides with the core whenever the core is non-empty (Theorem 4). Finally, we comment on the difficulty in obtaining further positive results for the class of solvable one-sided assignment problems in line with Sasaki’s (1995) characterizations of the core for two-sided assignment problems.     

Moral problems in birth control

A review of the children who soil and whose parents were referred over the past seven years to the writer for social casework assistance with the management of these children revealed a wide range of parent-child relationships, varying from simple situations to some which were very complex. It is felt now that some of these children need not have been referred for psychiatric assessment and that social workers in medical social work departments could have given the parents all the help that was necessary, working in conjunction with the pædiatricians concerned. A review of the literature lent support to these conclusions.     

Insurance problems and pathological gambling

A survey of 241 members of Gamblers Anonymous was conducted in order to find out the impact of pathological gambling on the insurance industry and whether Gamblers Anonymous reverses that impact. Fifty-two percent of the respondents cashed in, surrendered, lapsed or had policies revoked for non-payment. Forty-six percent borrowed on or used the cash value of their life insurance policies while gambling. Forty-seven percent admitted to some form of insurance related fraud, embezzlement or arson in connection with their gambling. The cost to the insurance industry was estimated at 66 billion dollars in surrendered policies and 33 billion dollars in fraud. Attendance at Gamblers Anonymous reversed much of this loss as members picked up new policies and engaged in programs of restitution after attendance. A discussion is made of the insurance related activities in terms of the usage of options up to and including suicide. Possible insurance industry responses are presented.     

Gambling problems seldom come alone: prevalence and temporal relationships of mental health problems in casino excluders

ABSTRACT

To estimate the effectiveness of gambling exclusion programmes, previous research focused on changes in gambling behaviour post-exclusion. Although other mental health problems, especially co-morbid mental disorders, may be crucial for relapse and recovery of gambling-related problems, these factors have rarely been studied in excluders. Therefore, this study aimed to assess a comprehensive mental health status of excluders using well-validated diagnostic instruments. Fifty-eight casino excluders participated in face-to-face diagnostic interviews and completed several validated questionnaires (e.g. Stinchfield Questionnaire, Brief Symptom Inventory). Retrospective temporal sequences of diagnosed mental disorders, help-seeking behaviour and exclusion were examined. The majority of excluders reported impairments in mental health aspects. About three-quarters met criteria of lifetime gambling disorder, more than half in the last 12 months whereby screening and diagnostic measures correlated moderately. Other mental disorders were frequent, especially affective and substance-related disorders and typically preceded the onset of gambling disorder. Six years passed between self-awareness of gambling problems and help-seeking. Two more years passed until exclusion. Frequent mental health problems suggest the need for individually tailored support beyond exclusion programmes (e.g. psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, counselling services). Late help-seeking and exclusion entry claim for improved early detection and intervention concepts that consider underlying mental disorders.     

关于小城镇与城镇化的若干问题

一、关于城镇化 中国约有9亿农民生活在村镇,面临着不断改善居住环境、提高生活质量,并最终实现农村现代化的现实问题.而引导农民进入各级各类城镇、走城镇化道路,则是提高农业生产效率、增加农民收入、扩大内需、彻底解决"三农"问题的根本途径.因此,城镇化问题自"十五"计划起便被列入国家议事日程,成为国家层面的大战略,受到了上至中央下至庶民的广泛关注.但是我国在城镇化的认识问题上仍然存在着种种误区.     

王之涣相关问题再探

王之涣的诗现仅存六首,确都堪称经典之作。唯《凉州词》一诗历来争议颇多,本文在查阅王之涣相关的文献资料进行梳理与考证的基础上,得出如下结论:王之涣的"行第"排"王七";《凉州词》中的"黄河"即当时昆仑山塔里木河。     

The sociology of social problems in Japan

The sociology of social problems in Japan has different characteristics from its counterpart in the United States. These differences are the circumstances surrounding an individual’s knowledge of social science prior to World War II, and the two main streams of social science after the rush of American sociology into Japan following that war. A few legends in some of the main fields of study are reviewed. Additionally, one of the most urgent social problems facing sociologists in Japan, the decline and survival of departments of sociology, is described and discussed.