Social norms, inequality and child labor

This paper theoretically analyzes a situation wherein adults’ decisions on child labor are affected not only by materialistic utility but also by a social norm against child labor. The adult thus faces a tradeoff; on the one hand, household income rises if she sends her child to work. On the other hand, the adult suffers disutility from violating the social norm in so doing. We also suppose that the extent of disutility falls as more other adults have their children work. We then explore how the total amount of child labor in an economy changes as adults’ labor efficiencies rise or become more unequal. Our analysis reveals that a more equal distribution or rises in adults’ labor efficiency help decrease child labor only under certain conditions.     

Urban Aboriginal use of fringe financial institutions: Survey evidence from Prince George, British Columbia

This paper analyses the use of fringe financial institutions (FFIs), such as payday loan and check cashing providers, by urban Aboriginal people based on a survey undertaken in Prince George, British Columbia. We found that 60% of FFIs’ clients surveyed self-identified as Aboriginal. Their characteristics, compared to the non-Aboriginal FFI clients, included having lower average incomes, lower levels of education, more likely to be female, a higher incidence of being unemployed, higher levels of financial exclusion, and less satisfaction with the service provided by FFIs. We find that government policy towards regulating the FFI industry is inadequate for meeting the basic financial needs of urban Aboriginal people.     

George Katona: A founding father of old behavioral economics

Assuming the division of behavioral economics into old and new, the paper begins to argue that old behavioral economics began with the works of two giants – George Katuna and Herbert Simon during the 1950s and early 1960s. The contributors of Herbert Simon are well established, thanks to the popularity of bounded rationality and satisficing, and his being award Noble Prize in economics. However, economists are much less familiar with the contributions of George Katona that can be viewed as the father of behavioral economics. Furthermore, the author argues that Katona was also misunderstood by various economists when he was attempting to create a psychologically based economics that rejected the mechanistic psychology of neoclassical economics and introducing the survey method to economic research that he had been using in his experimental psychology research previously. He also had influenced various economists during their debates in the 1950s without given the credit for. Many historians of behavioral economics limit Katona's contributions to the start of behavioral economics only to his contributions to macroeconomics. However, the paper demonstrates that Katona's behavioral economics included his contributions to macroeconomics (bringing realism to Keynesian consumption function and consumption behavior), micro-economics (business behavior, the rationality assumption, etc.), public finance and economic policy, and his introduction of the survey method. To demonstrate these contributions, the author argues that Katona attempted to bring realism to economic analysis – through psychological concepts – beginning with his early days of research in Germany which coincided with German hyper inflation- and continued whether working at New school for Social Research, Chicago University's Cowles Commission, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or the University of Michigan's Survey Research Center. The author also argues that Katona's contributions went through stages, depending upon what economic problem persisted at the time, what advertises he was facing, and what institution/organization he was associated with.     

Mapping social and environmental concerns and the acceptability of genetically modified organisms in the European Union

Simultaneous conflicting attitudes towards an object make both predicting and explaining behaviour a complex endeavour. This paper explores the hypothesis of social ambivalence (so called as well or approach-avoidance conflict) as a phenomenon influencing attitudes towards the environmental effects of the introduction of GMOs (Genetic Modified Organisms). If social ambivalence exists it would be suggestive of an interplay between rational models or behaviour and normative or moral models of behaviour. This paper provides some quantitative analysis based on a representative sample of the European Union, using unique data from the Eurobarometer 58.0 (2002) examining public perceptions of environmental risks. Our findings suggest that GMOs are perceived as having a non-neutral impact on the environmental and social life and that as hypothesized there is evidence of social ambivalence, which appears to be more significant when environmental effects of GM foods are taken into account. Consistently with the hypothesis of interplay between rational and normative models of behaviour, respondents perceive some risks while benefits are not perceived by the public and moral concerns regarding technologies being developed by international corporations are important. A specific type of social ambivalence is found, namely GMO are not accepted for Europeans but they are in less developed countries.     

Enabling the seamless supply chain by exploiting the four smooth material flow controls

A decade after the publication of the concept of smooth material flow via four fundamental principles related to the work of Jay Forrester and John Burbidge (FORRIDGE) the influence of this work on academe and industry is discussed. We show that by extension of their principles via a three-level model which includes the vision and the toolkit, substantial contributions have been made towards new management theory. The associated 12 simplicity rules and uncertainly circle concepts have been exploited within the structured framework provided by the quick scan audit methodology. This generates value stream classification ranging from baseline to exemplar, and a design procedure aimed at material flow best practice. A detailed case study demonstrates the improved industrial performance achievable by this means.     

多维特征视角下基于图卷积网络的专利技术领域自动识别研究

专利审查周期缩短政策的提出与专利申请数量急剧增加的现状给实现专利技术领域识别的专利分类工作带来巨大挑战,如何引入专利自动分类技术提高专利分类工作效率、缩短专利审查周期成为重要研究主题。本文提出基于多维特征和图卷积网络的专利技术领域自动识别方法。该方法根据文献计量学与图表示学习理论从专利摘要、引证专利、专利发明人维度提取专利特征;其次利用专利摘要维度特征生成表征专利文本特征的专利-核心词汇异构网络,并将引证专利、专利发明人维度特征作为专利数字特征嵌入专利-核心词汇异构网络;通过图卷积网络进行半监督学习,确定专利-核心词汇异构网络中专利节点的类别标签,完成专利自动分类任务。为验证本文所提方法的识别效果,采用Incopat全球专利数据库中专利数据进行实验;实验结果表明专利文本特征与专利数字特征共同作为专利特征可以提高专利分类准确率,引证专利信息的引入可以提高专利分类准确率。同时,本文所提方法也给专利技术领域自动识别问题提供新解答思路,为缩短专利审查周期政策的实施提供支撑。     

网络信息的分类

网络信息浩如烟海,分类五花八门,依据传统文献信息分类法的科学性和系统性对其进行分类非常重要。本文就网络信息分类特点及其信息分类中存在的问题进行探讨,对建设统一的网络信息分类体系提出了自己的看法。     

具有Neumann边值的齐次p-Laplacian方程的指标分类理论

通过建立指标分类理论讨论了一维p-Laplacian方程(φp(u′))′+q(t)φp(u)=0,a.e on[0,1]在Neumann边值u′(0)=0=u′(1)条件下平凡解和非平凡解的存在性,其中φp(s)=s p-2s,p>1,q∈L∞(0,1)。     

《近思录》与《中庸》《大学》文本的内在同一性

朱熹、吕祖谦编纂《近思录》的主导思想依据《中庸》和《大学》。三书在文本结构和深层义理上具有内在同一性。朱熹编纂《近思录》,把儒学的为学道路予以体系化组织,试图建立一个鲜明而严谨的理学为学次第,并把儒学的内外之道解释为一个完整的仁学思想体系,也显示出《中庸》、《大学》等早期儒家经典文本结构的严谨,彰显了儒学成德之道的为学次第和道德生命境界发展的内在逻辑。     

布依族神话类别初探

布依族有着丰富多彩的神话作品,这些神话比较有系统地反映了远古社会布依族先民的宇宙观和美学思想,并在一定程度上客观地记录了远古社会布依先民的生活状况,是布依族宝贵的文化遗产和精神财富。但在民族研究者们的各种论述中,对布依族神话的分类都不是很明晰。为此,笔者尝试从神话内容上对布依族神话进行一个简要的分类,以期能对布依学的研究产生一定的启发和有益的作用。