试论道德的社会行为机制

传统的道德实现机制体系的缺陷,就是忽视了“人的行为”的双重职能,只看到其被制约、被调节的对象性,忽视了其强力制约和调节的工具(机制)性。而要充分有效地发挥道德的调控作用,就离不开由“主体行为”、“习俗行为”和“职能行为”所构成的“社会行为机制”。     

客观主动性和主观被动性--关于自由的几点新思考

自由应当包括三层含义自由是人类对必然(即规律)的认识;自由是人类对认识了的必然即规律的遵循和顺应;自由是人类根据已经认识了的必然即规律,在实践过程中对自然现象、生命现象和社会现象的复制和再现.人类认识和实践过程中,存在着主观能动性和客观被动性、客观主动性和主观被动性的现象,值得很好研究.     

西部大开发的主体定位

正确的主体定位是西部大开发成功的前提。从现实条件、历史实证和国际比较的多重角度分析,西部大开发正确的主体定位应该是:开发主体是企业而不是政府、资本主体是民本经济而不是官本经济、服务主体是公务员服务企业家而不是企业家从属于公务员、规模主体是中小企业而不是大型企业、产业主体应该是自主选择而不是人为调整、战略主体应该是以人为本而不是以资源为本。     

A foundation of Bayesian statistics (How to deal with fears)

A rational statistical decision maker whose preferences satisfy Savage's axioms will minimize a Bayesian risk function: the expectation with respect to a revealed (or subjective) probability distribution of a loss (or negative utility) function over the consequences of the statistical decision problem. However, the nice expected utility form of the Bayesian risk criterion is nothing but a representation of special preferences. The subjective probability is defined together with the utility (or loss) function and it is not possible, in general, to use a given loss function - say a quadratic loss - and to elicit independently a subjective distribution.I construct the Bayesian risk criterion with a set of five axioms, each with a simple mathematical implication. This construction clearly shows that the subjective probability that is revealed by a decider's preferences is nothing but a (Radon) measure equivalent to a linear functional (the criterion). The functions on which the criterion operates are expected utilities in the von Neumann-Morgenstern sense. It then becomes clear that the subjective distribution cannot be eliciteda priori, independently of the utility function on consequences.However, if one considers a statistical decision problem by itself, losses, defined by a given loss function, become the consequences of the decisions. It can be imagined that experienced statisticians are used to dealing with different losses and are able to compare them (i.e. have preferences, or fears over a set of possible losses). Using suitable axioms over these preferences, one can represent them by a (linear) criterion: this criterion is the expectation of losses with respect to a (revealed) distribution. It must be noted that such a distribution is a measure and need not be a probability distribution.     

Updating Subjective Risks in the Presence of Conflicting Information: An Application to Climate Change

Willingness to support public programs for risk management often depends on individual subjective risk perceptions in the face of uncertain science. As part of a larger study concerning climate change, we explore individual updated subjective risks as a function of individual priors, the nature of external information, and individual attributes. We examine several rival hypotheses about how subjective risks change in the face of new information (Bayesian updating, alarmist learning, and ambiguity aversion). The source and nature of external information, as well as its collective ambiguity, can have varying effects across the population, in terms of both expectations and uncertainty.JEL Classification  D8, Q51, Q54     

Incomplete probability assessments in decision analysis

Summary In analysing a decision problem, in a situation ofpartial knowledge, a decision maker may be reluctant to assign acomplete probability distribution on the relevant states of nature. In order to face this difficulty, several methods, based onindeterminate probabilities or probabilityintervals, have been proposed in the literature. In this paper, arguing that it is meaningless to judge probabilistic assessments ascorrect orwrong, it is maintained that onlycoherence has anobjective andsignificant role. Then to overcome practical difficulties, an approach based on thesubjective methodology and on the use ofnumerical andqualitative probabilities, is outlined.     

The moderating role of personality characteristics on the relationship between job insecurity and strain

The experience of job insecurity has been linked to several different outcomes, such as negative attitudes towards work and the organization, turnover intention, as well as health complaints. However, since the strength of these effects have been found to vary across studies, it is vital to identify factors that could influence the relationships. The present study examines the moderating role of three personality characteristics (negative affectivity, positive affectivity, and external locus of control) on the relation between job insecurity and outcomes (mental health complaints, job dissatisfaction, and job-induced tension). Data from 400 nurses at a Swedish acute care hospital (response rate 71%; 91% women, aged 20-68 years) showed that both job insecurity and personality were related to strain. Also, the data indicated some buffering effect of personality. Despite the gender bias of the sample, the study provides additional support for the notion that job insecurity affects strain even after controlling for individual characteristics. The study also expands the literature on job insecurity by pointing out the influence of personality characteristics on the relationship between stressors and strain.     

英汉写作中论述视角差异的社会因素探析

中国人和英美人在撰写文章时，他们的论述视角都深深地受到来自各自社会因素的影响，这一影响又波及到了主体视角和归属视角。在英汉写作中，主体视角和归属视角的使用差异均是历史文化、社会习俗和思想动机等社会因素交互作用的结果。对这一语言现象的研究，不仅有利于提高中国学生的英语写作水平，而且有利于促进跨文化国际交流事业的发展。     

Comparing the Level of Positive Tendency in a Life Satisfaction Evaluation between Chinese and Western People

We demonstrate that people from Chinese cultural backgrounds have a smaller positive tendency in life evaluation compared to people in typical Western cultures. Participants first described their imagined best and worst life and then rated their current life on scale anchored by those imaginings (Mellor et al. International Journal of Social Research Methodology Theory and Practice, 2, 263–278, 1999), with scores above 50 indicating the strength of positive tendency. We compare responses from 82 Taiwanese students to data from the 22 Australian students in Mellor et al.’s (International Journal of Social Research Methodology Theory and Practice, 2, 263–278, 1999) study. Results of independent t tests support the hypothesis that culturally Chinese subjects have a lower positive tendency (65.32%SM) than Australian participants (76.12%SM) in life satisfaction evaluation. Shih-jung Lee and Chia-huei Wu have made equal contributions to this study.     

The consumer expenditures of elderly women: Racial,marital, and rural/urban impacts

This research, using data from the interview component of the 1990 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES), examines the main and interaction effects of race, marital status, and residence on the economic well-being of women 65 years or older (N=3,205). Economic well-being is measured by total annualized expenditures of the household for goods and services. The first hypothesis is supported: race, marital status, and urban or rural residence each has a major effect on the economic well-being of older women after adjusting for the effects of age and household size. The characteristics of nonwhite, nonmarried, and rural are associated with lower economic well-being. The second hypothesis is not supported: race, marital status, and residence do not interact to produce differences in the economic well-being of older women. Both hypotheses are examined by analysis of covariance. The results show the economic diversity of older women and the persistent effects of race, marital status, and rural or urban residence on the economic well-being of older women regardless of age and household size. This research was conducted at the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (Family Economics Research Group), Hyattsville, MD, July 1992, where Dr. Kivett was a Visiting Scientist at the time. Appreciation is expressed to the staff of the Family Economics Research Group for their technical assistance at all stages of the research. and 1992 Visiting Professor at the Family Economics Research Group, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Her current research interests include the family supports and relationships of older retired migrants. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her current research interests include the economic status of elderly American households. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.