On the Dirichlet distributions on symmetric matrices

In this paper, we introduce a generalization of the Dirichlet distribution on symmetric matrices which represents the multivariate version of the Connor and Mosimann generalized real Dirichlet distribution. We establish some properties concerning this generalized distribution. We also extend to the matrix Dirichlet distribution a remarkable characterization established in the real case by Darroch and Ratcliff.     

Unmeasured skills in inter-industry wage differentials: Evidence from the apparel industry

Several recent studies have used first-differenced models to test the unmeasured-skills hypothesis with mixed results. I use matched-panel data from the CPSfrom 1983–1995 and retrospective data from the DWS from 1984–1992 to test for the possible effect of unmeasured skill on apparel workers’wages. The apparel industry provides a better test of the unmeasured-skills hypothesis than the overall economy because the likelihood of noncompetitive distortions to the wage is small. My results indicate that between 64 and 80 percent of the apparel industry differential is caused by skills unmeasured in standard OLS regressions, suggesting competitive wages for workers moving between apparels and other industries. The author appreciates the helpful suggestions from Barry Hirsch and William Stewart Mounts, Jr. The CPS and DWS data sets used in this paper were provided by Barry Hirsch and David Macpherson.     

让你的谈话发挥效力

让我们想象这样一幅场景：一位人类学家来到你的办公室，他用了一整天时间跟在你身边，寸步不离地观察你的一言一行。当你一天工作结束之后，他告诉你，在这一整天当中，他只看到了一件事情——人们在不停地进行沟通。这位人类学家告诉你，在这一天的时间里，他参加了一些正式的会议，看到人们在进行面对面的交流，进行随机的讨论，或者是通过电子邮件进行沟通。“没错，确实如此，”你说道，“可那叉怎样呢？”人类学家告诉你，你在这一天当中所说的话大多数都是重复的。“这很好，”你告诉自己，     

Further evidence of automatic reinforcement effects on verbal form

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior - The form of a verbal response allows for reinforcement mediation and language transmission across cultures. Reinforcement, in turn, plays a decisive role in...     

Environmental Perceptions,Happiness and Pro-environmental Actions in China

We use the 2010 and 2013 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data to examine the relationships between perceived severity of environmental issues, individual happiness and pro-environmental actions. We find that perceived severity of environmental issues has little, if not insignificant, correlation with happiness, but it has significant correlation with pro-environmental actions. We also find that the perceptions of both central and provincial governments’ efforts in addressing environmental issues are associated with individual happiness, willingness to pay for environment-friendly products and pro-environmental actions, no matter whether objective measures of provincial environmental issues and efforts are controlled for. And these correlations are robust across the two waves of CGSS. The findings imply that governments should not only allocate resources to addressing environmental issues but also improve communication in order to help citizens better understand governments’ efforts.     

Dynamic Simulation as an Approach to Understanding Hurricane Risk Response: Insights from the Stormview Lab

This article investigates the use of dynamic laboratory simulations as a tool for studying decisions to prepare for hurricane threats. A prototype web‐based simulation named Stormview is described that allows individuals to experience the approach of a hurricane in a computer‐based environment. In Stormview participants can gather storm information through various media, hear the opinions of neighbors, and indicate intentions to take protective action. We illustrate how the ability to exert experimental control over the information viewed by participants can be used to provide insights into decision making that would be difficult to gain from field studies, such as how preparedness decisions are affected by the nature of news coverage of prior storms, how a storm's movement is depicted in graphics, and the content of word‐of‐mouth communications. Data from an initial application involving a sample of Florida residents reveal a number of unexpected findings about hurricane risk response. Participants who viewed forecast graphics, which contained track lines depicting the most likely path of the storm, for example, had higher levels of preparation than those who saw graphics that showed only uncertainty cones—even among those living far from the predicted center path. Similarly, the participants who were most likely to express worry about an approaching storm and fastest to undertake preparatory action were those who, ironically, had never experienced one. Finally, external validity is evidenced by a close rank‐order correspondence between patterns of information use revealed in the lab and that found in previous cross‐sectional field studies.     

Social Networks and Employment: Outcomes (Part 2)

In this second article, we continue to survey research that addresses work and employment from a social network perspective. Building on a companion article in this volume, which explores in‐depth the main network mechanisms presented in the literature, this article reviews studies addressing how social networks may shape key employment outcomes for both individuals and organizations. Network access and activation may shape individuals' selection into employment opportunities in addition to a variety of post‐hire outcomes including employee performance, promotion, rewards, job satisfaction, and termination. Organizations too may be influenced by their network position and by the activation of certain ties, ultimately affecting key outcomes such as firm performance, innovation, and learning measures. We conclude by discussing promising areas for future research on how social networks interact with employment.     

Backward Induction Foundations of the Shapley Value

We present a noncooperative game model of coalitional bargaining, closely based on that of Gul (1989) but solvable by backward induction. In this game, Gul's condition of “value additivity” does not suffice to ensure the existence of a subgame perfect Nash equilibrium that supports the Shapley value, but a related condition—“no positive value‐externalities”—does. Multiple equilibria can arise only in the event of ties, and with a mild restriction on tie‐break rules these equilibria all support the Shapley value.     

It is not easy being green: increasing sustainable public procurement behaviour

To achieve greater sustainability, governments need to continuously adapt their purchasing activities to innovations in the market. Sustainable procurement is a decision-making process in which the decisions of procurers determine if the full potential of sustainable procurement is used. The decisions and thus behaviour of procurers are therefore crucial for the successfulness of sustainable procurement. According to organizational theory, commitment to change could influence this behaviour. Hence, in the study, we examined if commitment to implement sustainable procurement increases sustainable procurement behaviour by Dutch public procurers and what determines this commitment to implement sustainable procurement are. Our study shows first that both affective commitment to implement sustainable procurement and procedural justice increase sustainable procurement behaviour. In addition, the results show that commitment to change acts as a mechanism between fit with vision, ecological sustainability attitude, procedural justice and sustainable procurement behaviour.