Making sources of energy: the case of coal (1900–1936)

Recent contributions to a sociological analysis of energy and society focus mostly on its political, economic and technological organization. Yet contrary to other parts of nature, little social scientific attention has been paid to how politics, economics and technology have come to produce and stabilize the concept of energy in the first place and how different natural materials were transformed into “sources of energy.” Drawing from insights of the sociology of comparison, quantification and commensuration, “energy” in this paper is conceived as a “statistical object,” around which a public discourse develops in which comparisons between resources are drawn. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, this discourse has been more and more stabilized by the regular, public production and ever tighter net of elements of comparison, the creation of a highly abstract, potentially quantified point of comparison, and the definition of various criteria tying the compared entities together with more general models and narratives. This theoretical framework is put into practice by an explorative analysis of coal classification in the first quarter of the twentieth century. In this empirical analysis, three fields are identified where coals were “made the same”: engineering, economics and resource statistics. It is shown that the “calorific value” plays an important role for classification in all three fields and, furthermore, constitutes a measure that links coal to other fuels.     

Laughter in medical interaction: From quantification to analysis,and back

This study discusses the use of quantification in analysing interactional practices, especially in conversation analytical work. The paper concentrates on laughter in medical interaction and starts from a quantitative point of view. West (1984) found certain statistical patterns of laughter in medical interaction: the patients laugh more than the doctors and most laughter is not reciprocated, i.e. the interactants mostly laugh alone. This statistical pattern is also found in Finnish data but it is approached again from the micro‐analytical point of view and some features of it are problematised through analysing in more detail: (1) the ways in which laughter is made relevant; (2) how laughter is responded to; and (3) the interactional functions laughter can have. The paper shows that Schegloff’s (1993) critique of quantitative interactional work is indeed called for, but nevertheless also presents advantages of quantification: the distribution of laughter between the participants in medical interaction turned out to be an interesting issue, one which is revealing of their different interactional roles and footings.     

期望状态价值准则的提出与主要决策悖论的消解

自从伯努里(Daniel Bernoulli,1738)提出圣彼得堡悖论以来,传统的期望货币价值(EMV)准则遭到了颠覆,期望效用价值(EUV)准则逐步得到确立,并在风险与不确定性决策领域长期居于主导地位。然而,EUV准则并不是一个完善的准则,不能很好地对超级圣彼得堡悖论、阿莱悖论以及Ellsberg悖论进行解释,这是比较令人失望的。结合历史分析与逻辑分析,本文提出,在风险与不确定性决策问题中,人们所关心的不是货币价值,也不是效用价值,而是状态价值。在状态量化、状态-收益函数插值等方面进行论述的基础上,对主要的决策悖论问题进行了演算,结果表明,本文提出的期望状态价值(ESV)能够成功地同时消解圣彼得堡悖论、超级圣彼得堡悖论、阿莱悖论以及Ellsberg悖论,显示了相对于EMV准则以及EUV准则的ESV准则具有新鲜的生命力,为管理过程中的决策问题提供一条新思路。     

百分比量化逻辑初探

传统逻辑和标准量化逻辑在分析自然语言命题时,只使用全称和存在两种量词,把自然语言中的非全称的量化命题都当作存在命题来处理,然而在自然语言中除了全称量词和存在量词外,还有复量词、百分比量词等。自然语言中许多根据复量词和百分比量词的逻辑意义而进行的直观上正确的推理在传统逻辑和标准量化逻辑中都是无效的。显然,复量词和百分比量词不能当作存在量词来处理,它们有着不同的逻辑意义。     

论高校教师职务评审中的量化误区

我国高校教师职务评审的量化标准存在着四大误区 ,严重妨碍职务评审的透明、科学、公正 ,影响教师的工作积极性。为了更好地发挥职务评审的正向功能 ,必须走出误区 ,建立科学、全面、公正的量化体系。     

基于网络分析的评标方法研究

本文以电力行业招标采购中的评标方法为研究对象,通过分析现存各种评标方法的缺点和电力行业招标采购的特点,提出一种基于网络分析法的新的评标方法。这种方法通过筛选关键指标,在对指标进行聚类的基础上,通过定量化和无量纲化,利用网络分析法从而克服了层次分析法无法考虑各个评标指标之间相互影响的缺陷,得到各个候选方案的权重,最终确定优选方案。这种方法能够提高评标的公正性,减少争议并最终确保采购目标的顺利实现。     

针对中国反垄断立法的几点建议

为应对经济全球化的进一步来袭,中国未来的《反垄断法》应当在充分考察发达市场经济国家反垄断立法和反垄断政策的成功经验和最新动向的基础上,充分体现法的公平性和权威性,充分体现经济全球化的发展要求和反垄断法自身的发展要求.在具体的制度设计方面,应当合理界定反垄断法的适用领域,恰当选择适合于我国的行为主义的垄断控制模式,同时建立明确具体的执法标准,并兼顾经济政策之需求,使反垄断法具有一定灵活性.     

工业化进程量化划分标准与方法

工业化是现代化的基础,是一个国家或地区不可逾越的发展阶段。不同的学者依据不同的理论,构建了多种衡量工业化进程的标准和方法。在简要回顾西方工业化理论和工业化内涵的基础上,梳理、汇集了部分国内外学者关于工业化进程量化划分标准与方法。     

关于高校校资企业股权设置的几个问题

目前,高校校资企业在股权设置上出现了某些不正确的认识和做法,本文分析了股权结构、折股量化、职工入股三个方面存在的具体问题,提出了解决方案。     

非正式纠纷解决中的关系量化研究

在纠纷解决中的利益妥协——关系合作与利益竞争——关系博弈的两种模式基础上,关系程度不同会在纠纷解决过程的各种因素中基于关系和利益的比较而形成不同的量化结果,具体因素包括了规范选择、程序选择、妥协程度和关系的资源转化等,每一个因素都会量化关系程度,最终形成不同程度的关系与利益的妥协。