Political Organizations,Interest Groups and Citizens Engagement: An Integrated Model of Democracy

The paper starts with a theoretical reinterpretation of some classical topics in the public choice literature, where specific elements of contract theory and the theory of the firm are introduced. By putting into contact these completely different fields of economics, it defines a general theoretical framework for political behaviors whose implications go beyond those determined by the standard self-interest assumption. Political organizations, as suppliers of public policies, are supposed to maximize a residual quantum consisting in the public authority that can actually be exercised after all the electoral commitments, with voters and interests groups, have been fulfilled. This residual right—which can be seen also as a degree of discretion necessary for ruling parties to deal with unforeseen contingencies—is based on the reputational capital (goodwill) accumulated over time by political organizations and represents the intangible asset that secures voters’ loyalty and, consequently, the legitimacy to exercise public authority in the long run. When a deficit of goodwill occurs, a chain of “exit” strategies by voters can lead to undesirable results unless an effective “voice” option for citizens exists.     

Some measures of kurtosis and their inference on large datasets

AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis - This paper deals with the estimation of kurtosis on large datasets. It aims at overcoming two frequent limitations in applications: first, Pearson's...     

Knots and blanks: The pragmatic foundation of logical principles

Logical principles, in particular the law of noncontradiction and the law of exclusion of middle term, play different roles at different levels of discourse: valid formulae in an axiomatic calculus, methodological requirements (of consistency and completeness) for formalized systems. When postulated as formal laws, —pvp and —(p·—p), they are totally interdefinable and equivalent as well (DeMorgan's transformations are proof of this). If postulated as methodological requirements, the principles are not equivalent, although they could still be said in some sense to be interdefinable (the existence of consistent yet incomplete systems shows that the requirements are not equivalent; still, completeness of a system can be defined in terms of consistency of another system which keeps a definite relationship with the first one).There exists a third level of discourse: scientific praxis. At this level, the principles come even farther apart: they neither have the same logical value nor is one definable in terms of the other. However, they keep a family resemblance which justifies our dealing with them jointly. Let us call the principles at this level pragmatic imperatives. They deal with paradoxes, which are of two types: knots (conflicts) and blanks (gaps in the scientific pattern). The left-hand pragmatic imperative says: Be intolerant with knots, try to remove (dissolve) them. The right-hand pragmatic imperative says: Try to remove (fill) all blanks. The knot-removing and the blank-dissolving imperatives are prior to and more important than the laws of noncontradiction and excluded middle and the requirements of consistency and completeness. Logical principles are not prime categories: pragmatic imperatives are primordial.     

Polyphasic sleep strategies improve prolonged sustained performance: A field study on 99 sailors

In situations where continuous prolonged work demands exist, the habitual nocturnal monophasic (6-8h duration) sleep pattern can rarely be accomplished, and performance effectiveness may sometimes be severely compromised by accumulation of sleep debt. Several studies have shown that naps can be disproportionately effective in recovering functioning during continuous work (CW).

In this study, sleep-wake patterns and their relationship to performance were studied for 99 sailors involved in solo and double-handed ocean sailing races (a model of a highly demanding CW situation). Most sailors spontaneously adopted multiple nap sleep-wake schedules and adapted without major difficulties to such polyphasic patterns. 66.5% had mean sleep episode durations (SEDs) ranging from 20 min to 2h. Overall mean Total Sleep Time (TST) per 24h was reduced from a baseline of 7.5 to 6.3h. Race performance correlated negatively and significantly with mean SEDs and TSTs. Best performance results were obtained by those sleeping for periods of between 20 min and 1 h and for a total of 4.5 to 5.5h of sleep per day.

The results are discussed together with several chronobiological, phylogenetic and experimental studies and issues, all of which suggest that adult humans may have a damped polyphasic sleep-wake tendency. It is also proposed that polyphasic sleep schedules could become promising and feasible solutions for the management of sleep requirements under prolonged CW situations.     

New Zealand Consumption Equivalence Scales From Quasi-unit Record Data

This paper uses quasi-unit record data on expenditures and incomes of New Zealand households of different demographic profiles to estimate consumption equivalence scales which measure the relative levels of spending required by households of different composition to attain given levels of utility. The equivalence scales with respect to specific items of consumption, as well as total consumption, have been obtained from the parameters of the preference-consistent Extended Linear Expenditure System and a few alternative versions of a rank 3 complete demand system with demand shifters. Among the demographic variables included in the models, the type of housing tenure and the actual age of children have special relevance. For the sake of comparison, a few heuristic scales are also computed. The results are largely in line with those found in similar studies of Australia and New Zealand. The analysis is developed within the framework of hypothesized utility-maximizing behaviour of households.     

Attachment and adaptive skills in children of international adoption

The attachment pattern of a sample of 168 internationally adopted children was explored in this study using the semi‐structured Friends and Family Interview. The pattern was analysed in relation to the development of adaptive skills as an expression of the children's resilience. The secure attachment pattern rates were slightly lower and the insecure attachment patterns were considerably higher than those of normative samples from the previous studies. The children from Eastern Europe demonstrated a more insecure attachment pattern (odds ratio [OR]= 2.46; confidence interval [CI]= 1.23–3.94), and their scores on the adaptive skills scales were lower than the scores of children from other countries (OR = 2.62; 95% CI = 1.02–6.72). These results help to identify the groups at risk of failing to develop secure attachment patterns and appropriate adaptive skills, and should provide valuable information for designing effective interventions.     

A new rank correlation measure

A new rank correlation measure β _n is proposed, so as to develop a nonparametric test of independence for two variables. β _n is shown to be the symmetrized version of a measure earlier proposed by Borroni and Zenga (Stat Methods Appl 16:289–308, 2007). More specifically, β _n is built so that it can take the opposite sign, without changing its absolute value, when the ranking of one variable is reversed. Further, the meaning of the population equivalent of β _n is discussed. It is pointed out that this latter association measure vanishes not only at independence but, more generally, at indifference, that is when the two variables do not show any “tendency” to positive or negative dependence. The null distribution of β _n needs an independent study: hence, the finite null variance and a table of critical values are determined. Moreover, the asymptotic null distribution of β _n is derived. Finally, the performance of the test based on β _n is evaluated by simulation. β _n is shown to be a good competitor of some classical tests for the same problem.     

Large Deviation Results for Wave Governed Random Motions Driven by Semi-Markov Processes

In this article, we present large deviation results for a model {ξ₁ + … + ξ _n : n ≥ 1} which is close to a random walk. More precisely, we consider independent random variables {ξ _n : n ≥ 1} such that {ξ _n : n ≥ 2} are i.i.d. and a different distribution for ξ₁ is allowed. We prove large deviation estimates for P(N _x  ≤ xT) and P(N _x < ∞) as x → ∞, where N _x : = inf {n ≥ 1: ξ₁ + … + ξ _n  ≥ x}. Moreover, we provide an asymptotically efficient simulation law for the estimation of P(N _x  ≤ xT) and P(N _x < ∞) by Monte Carlo simulation based on the importance sampling technique. These results will be adapted to wave governed random motions driven by semi-Markov processes and we present some simulations. Finally, we study the convergence of some large deviation rates for standard wave governed random motions based on a scaling presented in the literature (see Kac, 1974 Kac , M. ( 1974 ). A stochastic model related to the telegrapher's equation . Rocky Mountain Journal of Mathematics 4 : 497 – 509 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Orsingher, 1990 Orsingher , E. ( 1990 ). Probability law, flow function, maximum distribution of wave governed random motions and their connections with Kirchoff's laws . Stochastic Processes and their Applications 34 ( 1 ): 49 – 66 . [Google Scholar]).     

Agricultural policy modelling under imperfect competition

This study evaluates the role of imperfect competition in determining the agri-food policies impact assessment outcomes. In most impact studies, the supply chain between agricultural production and final consumption is modelled in a perfectly competitive framework. However, there is a growing attention of stakeholders for the presence of imperfectly competitive markets, with the retail sector often being under investigation. This issue is empirically analysed with an application to the dairy industry. First, the degree of market power is estimated using a multi-output demand and price transmission equation system. Then, this model is used for policy simulation with the perfect competition outcome taken as a benchmark to evaluate the impact of imperfect competition. Results show a significant degree of market power in the dairy industry with implications on the projected policy scenarios. Moreover, the imperfect competition model alters the price transmission mechanisms, generating more flexible price trends.     

Restabilizing attachment to cultural objects. Aesthetics,emotions and biography

The scholarship on aesthetics and materiality has studied how objects help shape identity, social action and subjectivity. Objects, as ‘equipment[s] for living’ (Luhmann 2000), become the ‘obligatory passage points humans have to contend with in order to pursue their projects (Latour 1991). They provide patterns to which bodies can unconsciously latch onto, or help human agents work towards particular states of being (DeNora 2000, 2003). Objects are central in the long term process of taste construction, as any attachment to an object is made out of a delicate equilibrium of mediators, bodies, situations and techniques (Hennion and his collaborators (Hennion and Fouquet 2001; Hennion and Gomart 1999). In all of these accounts objects are the end result of long‐term processes of stabilization, in which the actual material object (a musical piece, a sculpture, an art installation, a glass of wine, the oeuvre of Bach as we know it) is both a result and yet a key co‐producer of its own generation. Whereas the literature has been generous and detailed in exploring the processes of assembling and sustaining object‐centered attachments, it has not sufficiently engaged with what happens when the aesthetic elements of cultural artifacts that have produced emotional resonance are transformed: what do these artifacts morph into? What explains the transition (or not) of different cultural objects? And relatedly, what happens to the key aesthetic qualities that were so central to how the objects had been defined, and to those who have emotionally attached to them? To answer these questions, this article uses as exemplars two different cases of attachment, predicated on the distinctive features of a cultural object – the transcendence of opera and the authenticity of a soccer jersey – that have undergone transformations.