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A strongly polynomial algorithm for linear programs with at most two non-zero entries per row or column
No full textWe give a strongly polynomial algorithm for minimum cost generalized flow, and hence for optimizing any linear program with at most two non-zero entries per row, or at most two non-zero entries per column. Primal and dual feasibility were shown by Végh (MOR '17) and Megiddo (SICOMP '83) respectively. Our result can be viewed as progress towards understanding whether all linear programs can be solved in strongly polynomial time, also referred to as Smale’s 9th problem. Our approach is based on the recent primal-dual interior point method (IPM) due to Allamigeon, Dadush, Loho, Natura and Végh (FOCS '22). The number of iterations needed by the IPM is bounded, up to a polynomial factor in the number of inequalities, by the straight line complexity of the central path. Roughly speaking, this is the minimum number of pieces of any piecewise linear curve that multiplicatively approximates the central path. As our main contribution, we show that the straight line complexity of any minimum cost generalized flow instance is polynomial in the number of arcs and vertices. By applying a reduction of Hochbaum (ORL '04), the same bound applies to any linear program with at most two non-zeros per column or per row. To be able to run the IPM, one requires a suitable initial point. For this purpose, we develop a novel multistage approach, where each stage can be solved in strongly polynomial time given the result of the previous stage. Beyond this, substantial work is needed to ensure that the bit complexity of each iterate remains bounded during the execution of the algorithm. For this purpose, we show that one can maintain a representation of the iterates as a low complexity convex combination of vertices and extreme rays. Our approach is black-box and can be applied to any log-barrier path following method
‘Constitutional alienation’ and the Unionist Party during The Ulster Crisis, 1911‐1914
No full textThis article argues for the importance of the Unionists’ constitutional philosophy in the party's opposition to the third Irish Home Rule Bill. In the aftermath of the 1911 Parliament Act, which removed the house of lords’ veto, Unionists underwent ‘constitutional alienation’. Unionists believed that the Parliament Act undermined government integrity and democratic accountability. Unionists, particularly party leader Andrew Bonar Law, insisted on the legitimacy of Ulster's armed revolt against the Home Rule Bill. To Unionists, armed revolt was a necessary last resort for the people of Ulster, and Great Britain, who had been denied all formerly constitutional means to express opposition to Home Rule. What was distinctive about mainland Unionist resistance to the Third Home Rule Bill was the emphasis on the necessity of a mandate, via an election or referendum, particularly Law's declaration that this mandate, if attained for home rule, would result in Unionist withdrawal of support for armed revolt. Law's emphasis upon the necessity of a mandate lacked substantive opposition within the Unionists. As such, ‘constitutional alienation’ reflected not only Unionist discontent with the post-1911 constitution, but also the limits of Unionist disengagement with the British political-constitutional system. Unionists displayed their acceptance of the growing democratic aspects of the British constitution through their framing of the anti-Home Rule revolt as a democratic revolt against an unaccountable government
Models of oversight systems to regulate assisted dying
No full textIn recent years, assisted dying has been legalised in an increasing number of jurisdictions, but without very much consistency in the regulatory safeguards that have accompanied legalisation. Even if there is a consensus that there must be some controls over access to legalised assisted dying, there has been little agreement over the form those controls should take. In some jurisdictions, cases of assisted dying are reported retrospectively and reviewed in order to identify instances of non-compliance, while in others, individuals must prospectively obtain permission to access an assisted death. This chapter will consider the range of oversight systems that have emerged, and will evaluate their strengths and weaknesses
China’s ‘bad citizens’ understanding non-participation in philanthropic and voluntaristic activities
No full textIn response to increasing socio-economic inequalities, the Chinese state has promoted the idea of the ‘good citizen’ who engages in philanthropy and volunteerism. This study explores why some individuals in China choose the converse, to be ‘bad citizens’ by not participating in these activities. Utilizing data from four waves of the Civic Participation in China Surveys (CPCS) conducted in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024, the study suggests that the behaviour of such non-participants are influenced by their immediate social circle, their general perceptions of donating and volunteering, and their level of support for the government. These findings have significant implications. The existence of bad citizens conceptually highlights the presence of a ‘skeptical citizen’ who does not fully align with the state’s vision of the model citizen. At a more general level, the study provides a profile of bad citizens that enables the development of targeted policies to incentivize charitable giving and volunteering, and promote greater civic engagement
Pastoral practices of ethical negotiation: community nurses and implementation of patient self-management
No full textHealth policy that aims for patients to take greater responsibility for self‐managing their long‐term condition has had increasing global significance. Sociologists, drawing on Foucault's governmentality theory, have explored the way in which ‘responsibilised’ identities are constructed for patients, encouraging them to make well‐informed and self‐sufficient decisions about their health, as well as how health professionals, acting as ‘pastors’, attempt to shape these desirable patient subjectivities. This paper draws on ethnographic data collected within a community‐based integrated care (CBIC) service in England to explore how community nurses were encouraged to seek out and eliminate ‘waste’ by discharging patients to self‐management. Building on Waring and Martin’s model of pastoral practices, this paper demonstrates how nurses engaged in pastoral ‘practices of ethical negotiation’ when trying to reconcile sometimes competing discourses of ‘waste watching’ and their professional values of care. This was enacted collectively when community nurses shifted their gaze outwardly from ‘technologies of the self’ to others on their team, demarcating appropriate practice for nurses more broadly through ‘technologies of the collective’. This paper contributes to governmentality studies by demonstrating the ongoing work required by professional communities to render themselves ethical within the modern neoliberal state
Reframing long-term care policy: from services to social determinants
No full textThe organisation and financing of services dominate long-term care policy and research. This article argues for reorientation towards the social determinants of long-term care and the inequalities they generate. Building on Dahlgren and Whitehead’s influential equivalent for health, the article offers a framework for understanding how inequalities in long-term care need, access and experience are shaped by social networks, living and working conditions, services and policies, social norms, and political, economic and environmental conditions. International evidence on inequalities in need, access and experience is reviewed, and new analysis is presented for England, based on analysis of the Health Survey for England and the Adult Social Care Survey. Socio-economic inequalities are associated with steep gradients in need. Combined with unequal access to formal services, this results in more unmet need among disadvantaged people and a greater weight of responsibility on their family and friends. The final section explores the implications of a social determinants’ perspective for long-term care: addressing ‘upstream’ drivers of need (including social protection, housing and neighbourhood regeneration); inclusion and empowerment agendas; and ensuring that services effectively compensate for, rather than re-enforce, inequalities
Nudging fails to increase conservation actions among farmers
No full textThis paper presents findings from a randomized field experiment with over 7,200 Swedish farmers, evaluating the effectiveness of a behavioral nudge aimed at increasing engagement with a biodiversity conservation advisory service. The treatment group received a postcard featuring a peer farmer's testimonial and photo, highlighting the ease and benefits of adopting conservation practices. The control group received standard campaign materials from the national farming board. The intervention combined elements of salience, (peer) messenger effects, and social norms, but had no measurable effect on farmers' likelihood of requesting an advisory audit, the key first step toward participation in a new agri-environmental scheme. Exploratory subgroup analysis, however, reveals suggestive evidence that the nudge may have been more effective among female farmers and those already engaged in biodiversity efforts. Overall, these results suggest that behavioral nudges may have limited impact in promoting voluntary uptake of sustainable farming practices. Implications for the design of behavioral interventions in agricultural policy are discussed
Verhaltensweisen, die „ihrem Wesen nach“ gegen Art. 102 AEUV verstoßen? – Eine Spurensuche in der European Superleague-Entscheidung
No full textZusammenfassung Die in den Fällen Wouters und Meca-Medina begründete Rechtsprechungslinie des EuGH ermöglicht es, durch die Berücksichtigung kollidierender außerwettbewerblicher Belange grundsätzlich kartellrechtswidriger Verhaltensweisen, praktische Konkordanz zwischen dem (Unions-)Ziel unverfälschten Wettbewerbs und sonstigen schutzwürdigen Interessen herzustellen. Da der EuGH diese Doktrin allein im Rahmen des Kartellverbots entwickelt und angewandt hatte, war ihre Anwendbarkeit auf Art. 102 AEUV nicht höchstrichterlich geklärt – bis zur Entscheidung der Rs C-333/21 – ESL vom 21. 12. 2023. Die betreffenden Ausführungen in der ESL-Entscheidung wurden indes unterschiedlich im Schrifttum ausgelegt. Entscheidend für die Auslegungsunterschiede ist die Frage, ob die Urteilsgründe – entgegen Wortlaut und Systematik des Tatbestands – Verstöße gegen Art. 102 AEUV in „Verhaltensweisen […], die […] ihrem Wesen nach gegen Art. 102 AEUV verstoßen“ und in Verhaltensweisen, die zwar gegen Art. 102 AEUV verstoßen, nicht jedoch „ihrem Wesen nach“, kategorisieren. Sollte dies der Fall sein, ist weiter zu klären, wann und anhand welcher Kriterien die Abgrenzung zwischen diesen Kategorien vorzunehmen ist. Der folgende Beitrag widmet sich diesen Fragen
What groups can tell us about expertise
No full textThe nature of expertise is usually discussed only within the confines of individualistic epistemology, despite the fact that many tasks typically performed by individual experts are now performed by groups. As a result, some definitions and conditions of expertise may fail to account for group expertise. I will argue that current versions of veritism do not allow for group experts beyond the mere conceptual possibility of them. For non-summativists, this is a problem they should address. I also propose a condition for veritistic expertise that retains the veritistic intuition but makes group expertise more feasible in realistic contexts
Are U.S. export controls an effective policy for innovation?
No full textWho bears the predominant cost of U.S. semiconductor export controls? Using CPI and import price data, and a difference-in-differences design, I conclude that it is the U.S. government. I find that export controls decreased the price paid by customers for semiconductor-based electronics yet increased the import price of semiconductors. I adapt theoretical frameworks by Mazzucato and Atkinson & Ezell to evaluate how policymakers can shape innovation markets through positive and negative measures. I evaluate export controls as an innovation policy and their effect on domestic and foreign innovation processes. My findings suggest that there should be greater consideration of foreign policy reactions in shaping innovation policy