Reconciliation with the Utility of Chance by Elaborated Outcomes Destroys the Axiomatic Basis of Expected Utility Theory

Expected utility theory does not directly deal with the utility of chance. It has been suggested in the literature (Samuelson, 1952, Markowitz, 1959) that this can be remedied by an approach which explicitly models the emotional consequences which give rise to the utility of chance. We refer to this as the elaborated outcomes approach. It is argued that the elaborated outcomes approach destroys the possibility of deriving a representation theorem based on the usual axioms of expected utility theory. This is shown with the help of an example due to Markowitz. It turns out that the space of conceivable lotteries over elaborated outcomes is too narrow to permit the application of the axioms. Moreover it is shown that a representation theorem does not hold for the example.     

Whitewashing the nation: racist jokes and the construction of the African ‘other’ in Greek popular cinema

This article explores representations of race in three Greek popular films of the 1970s and 1980s. The portrayal of African characters in these films is antagonistically positioned in relation to the dominant, ‘whitewashed’ Greek national narrative which relies on the nineteenth century idea that Greece is the progenitor of European civilization. Often masquerading itself as ‘just a joke’, the discourse of these films narrates the African Other as lacking in terms of culture, intelligence and beauty – the three central categories upon which the idea of the ‘white supremacy’, according to Cornell West, is historically constructed in modernity. Tightly woven with this idea (largely introduced in Greece by the leading European powers), these films enunciate explicitly colonial viewpoints in a country that was neither a colonial power nor at the geopolitical center of the European project. The article argues that the racialized representations of these films are an effect of appropriating the Eurocentric idea of historicism, where the ‘progress’ and ‘backwardness’ of groups and nations are measured according to how effectively they perform the values of modernity.     

Bankruptcy reform and congressional action: The role of organized interests in shaping policy

This paper tests the degree to which PAC contributions can influence voting outcomes on legislation that disproportionately influences the poor. Using passage of the Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 in the House of Representatives, the results show an association between PAC campaign contributions from the financial industry and support for final passage of bankruptcy reform. The findings suggest that one source of underrepresentation of the poor may be donations made by interest groups during campaigns.     

The Representation of Hypergeometric Random Variables using Independent Bernoulli Random Variables

In this paper, we show that a hypergeometric random variable can be represented as a sum of independent Bernoulli random variables that are, except in degenerate cases, not identically distributed. In the proof, we use the factorial moment generating function. An asymptotic result on the probabilities of the Bernoulli random variables in the sum is also presented. Numerical examples are used to illustrate the results.     

中国共产党建设先进文化的历史经验初探

中国共产党把马克思主义与中国实际相结合,创造了中国特色社会主义文化。中国共产党的历史是创造和发展先进文化的历史。中国共产党始终是先进文化的代表者。中国共产党三代领导集体在建设先进文化中积累了许多成功经验,丰富和发展了马克思主义。     

论“三个代表”与党的建设的历史的科学的统一

"三个代表"是江泽民同志根据马克思主义的基本原理,在深刻总结我们建党80周年来的基本经验的基础上,针对新的历史条件提出的重要思想,对中国共产党的建设具有特别重大的意义.主要有发展先进生产力是党的建设的基础,推动先进文化是党的建设的灵魂,代表人民利益是党的建设的根本.     

中国人大兼职代表制的优势与改革

对于中国人大主要实行的兼职代表制,多数研究持有否定的态度。然而本文认为,兼职代表制有着独特的优势,在未来的人大制度改革中应当予以继续坚持和完善。本文对兼职代表制的优势进行了分析,指出了兼职代表制在相似性、亲近性、专业性和民主性上存在着独特的优势,并回应了对兼职代表制的主要批评。本文也指出了专职代表制存在精英化、寡头化和官僚化等一些问题。最后,本文并进而探讨了兼职代表制的改革方向。     

表征理论与美国少数族裔书写

表征的特征就是观念系统的再现、对身份的表现、或建构一种有误的再现。这样一种表现或建构显然与意识形态和权力密切相关,同时也与隐含在表现这些形象的话语形式密切相关。少数族裔的书写在很大的程度上是对现存表征系统的颠覆,以更为贴近自身历史真实的再现覆盖原有表征系统对该族裔的叙述。美国少数族裔文学书写的历史均是与这种表征系统的调停、纠正、对抗的历史。     

作为一种集体表象和过渡仪式的鲁南春节秧歌

作为一种往昔所沉淀的集体表象,鲁南春节秧歌深刻表征了民间社会的和谐观念,呈现为一种集体欢腾。作为一种集体过渡仪式,它反映了民间社会对现实状况转换的一种周期性渴望。作为一种艺术样式,它的和谐美学价值观来自大传统的模塑和自主性的互动。鲁南秧歌在整个社会结构与秩序中扮演了重要角色。