Impulsivity and Gambling Type Among Treatment-Seeking Disordered Gamblers: An Explorative Study

Several studies have found that certain traits of impulsivity are associated with gambling disorder, and influence its severity. Furthermore, it has been suggested that some forms of gambling, particularly electronic gambling machines, are particularly widespread among pathological gamblers. In the present, exploratory study, we aim to clarify the role played by impulsivity in influencing the choice of specific gambling activities, by examining the relation between individual dimensions of impulsivity, and the choice of specific gambling activities in a clinical population. 100 consecutively admitted pathological gamblers at the National Problem Gambling Clinic in London (UK) in 2014 were administered the UPPS-P and BIS-11 impulsivity questionnaires, the Problem Gambling Severity Index, and underwent a structured interview concerning their gambling activities in the month and year prior to assessment. The correlation between individual gambling activities and impulsivity dimensions was analyzed both at a bivariate level, and using logistic regression. We found a significant correlation between Negative Urgency, Motor impulsivity and low-stakes machine gambling on multivariate analysis. Negative urgency (i.e. the tendency to act impulsively in response to negative affect), and Motor impulsivity (a tendency to rash action and restlessness) might be mediating factors in the choice of electronic gambling machines, particularly among patients whose gambling is escape-oriented. Structural and situational characteristics of gambling machines, particularly the widespread availability of low-stakes—rather than high-stakes—gaming machines, might concur to the choice of this form of gambling among individuals who present higher negative urgency and restlessness.     

Under pressure! Team innovative climate and individual attitudes in shaping individual improvisation

By embracing a perspective grounded in the Theory of Reasoned Action, this paper investigates the mechanisms through which team climate affects individual improvisation. By relying on data from 134 individuals belonging to 25 artistic collectives, our paper shows that team innovative climate impacts individual improvisation by triggering individual proactive attitude and risk aversion attitude. Because our research spans across different levels of analysis, we developed a multilevel model for analyzing our hypotheses. Our study complements the results of previous research by asserting that improvisation is not an inherently individual phenomenon; rather, improvisation is also affected by the characteristics of the team in which individuals are embedded.     

What we can and cannot learn from the history of world population

Mankind is passing through an exceptional phase of accelerated population growth that generates anxiety about the future. How many billion people will share the limited resources of our globe a century from now? What will be the consequences of globalization for human behaviour? How will individuals react to emerging new constraints? What will be the consequences of climate change for human society? Obviously enough, history cannot offer operational answers to these crucial questions. Nevertheless, history offers some interesting insights into demographic behaviour experienced in the past that could be replicated in the future, with the variations and adaptations dictated by the changing contexts. In other words, there are constants and structures in human behaviour, and there are robust mechanisms in the functioning of demographic systems that are of some help in preparing us to deal with the future.     

Some Considerations on the Definition of Risk Based on Concepts of Systems Theory and Probability

The concept of risk has been applied in many modern science and technology fields. Despite its successes in many applicative fields, there is still not a well‐established vision and universally accepted definition of the principles and fundamental concepts of the risk assessment discipline. As emphasized recently, the risk fields suffer from a lack of clarity on their scientific bases that can define, in a unique theoretical framework, the general concepts in the different areas of application. The aim of this article is to make suggestions for another perspective of risk definition that could be applied and, in a certain sense, generalize some of the previously known definitions (at least in the fields of technical and scientific applications). By drawing on my experience of risk assessment in different applicative situations (particularly in the risk estimation for major industrial accidents, and in the health and ecological risk assessment for contaminated sites), I would like to revise some general and foundational concepts of risk analysis in as consistent a manner as possible from the axiomatic/deductive point of view. My proposal is based on the fundamental concepts of the systems theory and of the probability. In this way, I try to frame, in a single, broad, and general theoretical context some fundamental concepts and principles applicable in many different fields of risk assessment. I hope that this article will contribute to the revitalization and stimulation of useful discussions and new insights into the key issues and theoretical foundations of risk assessment disciplines.     

Revamping research on unrelated diversification strategy: perspectives,opportunities and challenges for future inquiry

With the aim of achieving an advanced understanding of current research on unrelated diversification and providing fruitful groundwork to foster active interchange between disciplinary traditions, this paper detects articles from two relevant research streams; i.e., strategic management and financial economics. We first provide a brief overview of management thinking on unrelated diversification strategy. Then, we present a conceptual map that offers a comprehensive appreciation of unrelated diversification strategy antecedents (i.e., environmental and institutional, organizational value-enhancing, and managerial drivers), implementation process (i.e., managerial complexity, misallocation of resources, and structural inertia), and consequences (i.e., diversification premiums and discounts). Finally, we unpack the major gaps in our current knowledge that may help refocus the research agenda on unrelated diversification strategy and revamp the apparent waning proclivity of this issue.     

On the cardinal utility equivalence of biseparable preferences

We establish a simple condition, based on the willingness to bet on events, under which two biseparable preferences have cardinally equivalent utilities

     

Incentivising inter-municipal collaboration: the Lombard experience

The purpose of this exploratory research is to show how incentive policies have helped to shape the scenario of inter-municipal partnerships in the Italian region of Lombardy. Do these policies really work? Have they been the driver of greater collaboration among municipalities? Overall, the impact of the financial subsidies can be seen mainly when the intended beneficiaries are involved in the stages of negotiation and commitment that precede the setting-up of the collaborative arrangements. However, the capacity of the incentives to ensure that collaborative efforts are effectively maintained and developed over time is questionable. Importantly, the incentives do not seem to make a real difference in the collaborative choices aimed at joint policy-making and regulation. This qualitative study extends the evaluation research on implementation and contributes to the partnership management debate.     

Objective and Subjective Rationality in a Multiple Prior Model

A decision maker (DM) is characterized by two binary relations. The first reflects choices that are rational in an “objective” sense: the DM can convince others that she is right in making them. The second relation models choices that are rational in a “subjective” sense: the DM cannot be convinced that she is wrong in making them. In the context of decision under uncertainty, we propose axioms that the two notions of rationality might satisfy. These axioms allow a joint representation by a single set of prior probabilities and a single utility index. It is “objectively rational” to choose f in the presence of g if and only if the expected utility of f is at least as high as that of g given each and every prior in the set. It is “subjectively rational” to choose f rather than g if and only if the minimal expected utility of f (with respect to all priors in the set) is at least as high as that of g. In other words, the objective and subjective rationality relations admit, respectively, a representation à la Bewley (2002) and à la Gilboa and Schmeidler (1989). Our results thus provide a bridge between these two classic models, as well as a novel foundation for the latter.     

Cost–Benefit Analysis and the Rates of Return of Infrastructure Projects: Evidence from International Organizations

In this paper we analyse data on the rates of return of investment projects sponsored by three international institutions: the European Union (EU), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the World Bank (WB). The focus of the paper is on the variability of ex-ante economic rate of returns (ERR), of financial rates of return (FRR, available for EU and EBRD) and ex-post or re-estimated economic rates of return (RERR, available for WB only), along with the co-financing rate (EU). We propose a framework of analysis of FRR and ERR variations across projects, sectors, financing institutions and time, of the wedge between ERR and FRR, and of the gap between ERR and RERR. Our main conclusions are that the informational content of projects’ rates of return is valuable and is needed for cost–benefit analyses, and that sectors, countries, time and funding institutions explain much of the variability of these rates. We advocate the collection of standardized and comparable data since our framework could be used for comparing rates of return variability of development projects across countries, time of approval or completion, or any other relevant sampling criterion.