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Algorithmic formalization: impacts on administrative processes
No full textThis paper investigates the influence of algorithms on the administrative processes within public organizations, utilizing the foundational theory of formalization from Walsh and Dewar (1987) as a framework. Introduces the concept of “algorithmic formalization”, a new form of formalization induced by the adoption of algorithms, which fundamentally alters administrative workflows. Focusing on COMPAS algorithm used in the US judiciary for risk assessment, the paper illustrates how the algorithm serves multiple roles – as code, channel, and standard – systematizing administrative processes related to risk assessment and judicial decisions. By delving into COMPAS case study, the research sheds light on the novel concept of algorithmic formalization, emphasizing its significant repercussions for analyzing and applying algorithmic administrative processes
Framing change: behavioural insights to facilitate the transition to more sustainable dietary norms
No full textThere is now a strong scientific consensus that a rapid and significant reduction in the consumption of animal products is needed in order to ensure a safe operating space for the planet. A multi-strategy approach incorporating behavioural interventions, along with market and regulatory mechanisms, will likely be required to change consumers’ eating habits. Insights from behavioural science can inform both interventions and communication strategies to help facilitate the transition to more sustainable dietary norms. Emerging research suggests using dynamic norms – social norm messages which emphasise how others are changing – may be effective in influencing attitudes and behaviours in a number of domains, including meat consumption. However, there have been only a few studies investigating social norm interventions to encourage sustainable diets. Moreover, the research on dynamic norms specifically is still nascent, with much to be learned about how they work and what could limit or improve their effectiveness. Evidence from behavioural science tells us that people may respond differently to information depending on how it is framed. Could there be ways to strategically frame changing diets to increase norm receptivity? In this thesis, I investigated this question across four empirical chapters which draw on literature relating to social norms, behavioural economics, and strategic communications. I began with a scoping review which assessed the extent and nature of the research on messaging interventions using social norms to encourage sustainable food choice. It revealed mixed findings on the effectiveness of such interventions, limited by significant knowledge gaps, methodological weaknesses, and heterogeneity of research designs. The next part of the thesis focussed on optimising communications by manipulating the framing of messages communicating changing dietary norms in the United Kingdom. In a series of online randomised controlled trials, I first examined the relationship between gain/loss framing of diet change and interest in adopting the new norm. Findings revealed no evidence of backfire effects, but that food neophobia could be a barrier to norm receptivity. I then tested the effect of framing shifting norms as being rooted in shared values and goals, exploring how different value frames resonated across demographic groups. Further, I investigated other factors which could influence openness to the emerging norm, including affect, response efficacy beliefs, and perceptions of who might benefit from the change. Overall, results suggested the effectiveness of value framing is limited and that, despite the new norm being seen as good for society and future generations, negative perceptions that one would not personally benefit inhibited interest in diet change. I applied the findings of these online studies in a field intervention exploring how messages emphasising the cobenefits of diet change might be used to complement other behavioural strategies to encourage sustainable dining at a university canteen. Whilst there was no evidence that the dynamic norm influenced behaviour, I did find that students’ selection of lower emission dishes increased significantly when more of these dishes were on offer. Taken together, results suggest there is a mismatch between current messaging around changing dietary norms versus predominant barriers and motivators in this domain: The emerging norm is often framed in ethical terms such as ‘healthy and sustainable’ and ‘benefitting society and future generations’, however consumers are more motivated by perceptions that plant-based foods are satisfying and that they themselves will benefit from the change. Further, they are more likely to choose plant-based offerings when they are plentiful and affordable. Yet many perceive these foods as unappealing and expensive, and plant-based items are still vastly underrepresented in the market. Thus both policies and communication strategies which circumvent these perceptual and structural barriers and align with existing hedonic and utilitarian drivers of food choice are more likely to be successful. This thesis contributes to the literature on dynamic norms by shedding light on how people in the UK perceive, process, and respond to information about changing diets, and the interplay between these factors and norm receptivity across different groups. Findings yield valuable insights for behavioural interventions and evidence to inform food policies and how they are communicated to help ensure they will be accepted and effective
On ghostly lives: life, death and the British immigration detention estate
No full textThis research project investigates the role of administrative detention in the UK and its impact on the evolving concept of the human. By engaging with critical theorists such as Sylvia Wynter, Frantz Fanon, Katherine McKittrick, Simone Browne and Achille Mbembe, I examine how immigration laws and policies perpetuate racial differences within the immigration detention estate in Britain. This study addresses crucial questions: How do immigration regulations uphold racial disparities through detention? What are the implications of racial terror (the normalisation of racialised violence) for the politics of the human? How does the popular adage, ‘we did not cross the border, the border crossed us,’ challenge conventional understandings of borders? Why do states increasingly impose restrictions on migrants globally? The research explores the extensive measures used to enforce borders, including walls, fences, surveillance technologies, biometric data collection, prisons, and detention centers, and their connection to the (un)making of the human. I argue that detention serves as a mechanism of power that enforces racialised surveillance and control, perpetuating a hierarchical reordering of humanity often characterised by discrimination and violence. Guided by Puar’s (2017) concept of debilitation, I apply the notion of maiming as a form of state power that operates between biopower (the governance of life) and necropower (the governance of death). I contribute to the field by meditating on what I call ‘maimed life’ which are lives that are ‘derealised’ (Butler, 2020: 33), maintained in a state of ‘injury’ (Mbembe, 2019:75) or ‘deadness’ (Butler, 2020: 33), through practice and discourse. I employ a diverse range of data sources, including ethnographic notes from fieldwork in Calais, interviews with activists, refugees, and asylum seekers, and documents from a public inquiry (witness statements, transcripts, footage, etc.). Through this comprehensive approach, this study aims to elucidate the intricate connections between the practice of detention, racialised surveillance, geographies of domination and the politics of being human in the UK
The trade‑off between faster access and evidentiary certainty in the FDA’s Accelerated Approval of cancer drugs: empirical evidence on patient preferences and regulatory decision‑making
No full textBackground: When approving new drugs, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must balance a trade-off between providing earlier access to new drugs and accepting greater uncertainty about a drug’s clinical benefit. In 1992, the FDA introduced the Accelerated Approval pathway to expedite access to new drugs. While the use of Accelerated Approval has shortened clinical development and approval times as intended, it has also led to greater uncertainty about the clinical benefit of new drugs at approval. Evidence shows that most cancer drugs receiving Accelerated Approval do not help patients with cancer live longer or improve their quality of life – outcomes that matter most to patients. Aims: This thesis aimed to better understand the extent to which individuals are willing to accept greater uncertainty in exchange for faster access to new cancer drugs, and whether factors beyond clinical data supporting approval may influence the FDA’s oversight of cancer drugs receiving Accelerated Approval. Methods: Mixed-methods. Key findings: The first two studies in this thesis find that individuals with experience of cancer may be willing to wait longer for FDA approval in exchange for greater certainty of a drug’s clinical benefit, and that patients are most likely to accept greater uncertainty only when no treatment alternatives exist or when the anticipated benefits are likely to be transformative. The third study finds that empirical evidence in support of claims that clinical or non-clinical factors influence FDA approval decisions is limited. The final study finds that many FDA conversion–withdrawal decisions diverge from mandated post-marketing study outcomes, suggesting the application of case-specific discretion and nuance, while not ruling out the influence of other factors beyond clinical evidence. Conclusion: Findings from this thesis demonstrate that FDA decisions made under conditions of uncertainty may not always reflect patients’ preferences and underscore the complexity of FDA cancer drug approval and post-market oversight
“Searching, we found ourselves” the search for the disappeared and the government of victimhood in contemporary Mexico
No full textSince 2006, over 120,000 people have disappeared in the context of Mexico’s “war on drugs”, a militarised counternarcotics strategy that has unleashed a spiral of deadly violence and gross human rights violations. The situation has pitched tens of thousands of families into a desperate search for their missing loved ones. Many relatives have mobilised into “search collectives” (colectivos de búsqueda), small organisations that carry out citizen searches for the missing and petition authorities to find them and guarantee truth and justice. This thesis investigates the bureaucratic, political and social life of the “victim” category through the vantage point of relatives of the disappeared, legally considered secondary victims of enforced disappearance. It documents the ways in which it is mobilised by the state to manage the claims and suffering of the relatives of the disappeared, and how, in turn, relatives inhabit and interact with it. Victimhood has the potential to help relatives make sense of their experiences and their new individual and social identities. The thesis argues, however, that the label is not neutral or objective but rather a highly contested —and historically contingent— category that is specifically and locally produced through everyday interactions. It also argues that searchers inhabit the victim identity in complicated and conflicted ways. They draw on it wittingly to advance certain claims and access resources, but are also critical of it, with some rejecting it outright. The thesis argues that the label both opens up and closes down ways of acting and being. For example, it shows that “victim” is an activist identity that can ignite collective action, foster solidarity, and contest dominant state narratives about violence. On the other hand, it demonstrates that the victim label is a bureaucratic category that disciplines the ways in which sufferers mobilise and make political claims. Moreover, it illustrates how the language of victimhood articulates expectations, hierarchies, and emotional scripts around how people affected by violence relate to victim support institutions and existing forms of redress
Replication Data for: Hidden Majoritarianism and Women’s Career Progression in Proportional Representation Systems
No full textThis replication archive contains all files needed to reproduce the analysis in: Smith, Daniel M., Alexandra Cirone, Dawn L. Teele, Gary W. Cox, and Jon H. Fiva. "Hidden Majoritarianism and Women’s Career Progression in Proportional Representation Systems." American Political Science Review. (2025-04-08
Data Supporting "Shutdown of Southern Ocean Convective Centennial Variability under Global Warming and Implications for Climate Projections"
No full textThis is the data repository supporting the "Shutdown of Southern Ocean Convective Centennial Variability under Global Warming and Implications for Climate Projections" paper submission. It contains all processed data used to produce figures in the paper. The files are organised by generating model, scenario (as per the IPCC scenario scheme), variant, "R" (folder designation in original system), and then a folder for each variable.
The variables are as follows:acc: Antarctic Circumpolar Current strength as calculated across Drake Passage using the barotropic streamfunction (msftbarot).accuo: Antarctic Circumpolar Current strength as calculated across Drake Passage using the uo variable (as described in the paper)avgdensity40s50s: The average ocean density between 40S and 50S using a potential density referenced to the 2000m levelavgdensity50: The average ocean density south of 50S using a potential density referenced to the 2000m levelavgdensity65: The average ocean density south of 65S using a potential density referenced to the 2000m levelavgmlddo: Average mixed layer depth south of 50S, using potential density referenced to a 0m level.lowercircrhon2: The strength of the lower circulation cell, calculated using the mass flux (vmo) on potential density levels referenced to a 2000m level.lowercircrhon2uo: The strength of the lower circulation cell, calculated using the velocity (vo) on potential density levels referenced to a 2000m level.maxmldd0: Maximum mixed layer depth south of 50S, using potential density referenced to a 0m level.siarea: The total sea ice area south of 50S in the Southern Ocean.wwmax: The maximum zonal mean westerly wind strength in the Southern Ocean
Liberalisation, concentration and diversification: Business Groups in India, 2000-2020- Data Resources
No full textWe analyse the evolution of market structure in India between 2000 and 2020 using a rich dataset at high levels of disaggregation. We examine the extent to which business groups – notably family-owned groups – have sustained their dominant market positions in the Indian economy. We focus on two key dimensions. The first is the extent of concentration in markets and market shares by industry. The second concerns the dynamics and the extent to which business groups have focussed on consolidating their position in specific, narrow sectors or diversified by entering new sectors. We find that while market concentration has been falling, a bloc of high concentration sectors remains. Further, diversification has been actively pursued across sectors by most business groups. While this points to greater competition among business groups, the ratio of revenues to variable costs – a measure of the markup – has shifted upwards, particularly after 2013. The weight and persistence of these large business groups in the economy, as measured by the ratio of their revenues to GDP, has also increased. Finally, we discuss possible policy options. This dataset provides data for Figures and the STATA .do file for the replication of the replication of figures and tables. Due to restrictions on sharing the data by the data service provider "CMIE Prowessdx", the authors are not at liberty to share the dataset for the analysis
Unlocking new methods to estimate country-specific effects and trade elasticities with the structural gravity model
No full textThe provided files contain all necessary information and instructions for obtaining and managing the data, as well as the step-by-step procedures used to replicate all results presented in both the manuscript and the online appendix.
To replicate the project, unzip both the "data.zip" and "code.zip" folders. Place the unzipped "data" folder, unzipped "code" folder, and the ".here" script file into a single master folder. This master folder should contain: "data" folder; "code" folder; ".here" script file.
To generate the results, run the script named "[_] master.do" located inside the "code" folder.
For further details, please refer to the "readme.flty.txt" file
Supplementary data for: Social Push and the Direction of Innovation - PatentsView data
No full textThis repository includes the version of the PatentsView data (March 2022) that is used to produce some of the exhibits in "Social Push and the Direction of Innovation."
Because we needed citations data and the March 2022 version is no longer available, we use the latest available version of g_us_patent_citation.tsv (from April 2025), which is a bit newer than the version available at: https://doi.org/10.3886/E223582V1