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Belief Propagation Guided Decimation on random 1 k-XORSAT
No full textWe analyse the performance of Belief Propagation Guided Decimation, a physics-inspired message passing algorithm, on the random k-XORSAT problem. Specifically, we derive an explicit threshold up to which the algorithm succeeds with a strictly positive probability Ω(1) that we compute explicitly, but beyond which the algorithm with high probability fails to find a satisfying assignment. In addition, we analyse a thought experiment called the decimation process for which we identify a (non-) reconstruction and a condensation phase transition. The main results of the present work confirm physics predictions from [Ricci-Tersenghi and Semerjian: J. Stat. Mech. 2009] that link the phase transitions of the decimation process with the performance of the algorithm, and improve over partial results from a recent article [Yung: Proc. ICALP 2024]
On democratic mindedness in global normative theorising
No full textIn this contribution I argue that the appeal to the ‘democratic underlabourer thesis’ in the context of international political theorising is premature at best. While theorists who are democratically minded often assume their democratic commitments to equate to an unconditional egalitarian commitment, I argue that as a political, governance-related concept, democratic equality is in fact conditional. More specifically, it is conditional upon all parties endorsing a further set of related beliefs and convictions regarding moral and political relations between persons as well as relevant governmental institutions. As such, democratic mindedness reflects commitment to a set of doctrinal beliefs that are too restrictive in the international political context, where general commitment to democracy cannot be assumed. In lieu of democratic mindedness I sketch a possible conception of ‘open-mindedness’ as a more adequate dispositional approach in the context of current international political theorising
On the last zero process with an application in corporate bankruptcy
No full textFor a spectrally negative Lévy process X, consider and its infinitesimal generator. Moreover, with , the last time X is below the level zero before time the length of a current positive excursion, we derive a general formula that allows us to calculate a functional of the whole path of . We use a perturbation method for Lévy processes to derive an Itô formula for the three-dimensional process in terms of the positive and negative excursions of the process X. As a corollary, we find the joint Laplace transform of , where is an independent exponential time, and the q-potential measure of the process (U, X). Furthermore, using the results mentioned above, we find a solution to a general optimal stopping problem depending on (U, X) with an application in corporate bankruptcy. Lastly, we establish a link between the optimal prediction of and optimal stopping problems in terms of (U, X) as per Baurdoux, E. J. and Pedraza, J. M., optimal prediction of the last zero of a spectrally negative Lévy process, Annals of Applied Probability, 34 (2024), 1350–1402
The inverted u-shaped relationship between female entrepreneurship and economic development
No full textIn the World Bank Enterprise Survey, the share of entrepreneurs who are women first rises and then falls with national income, while female labor force participation has the opposite U-shaped pattern. We present a model in which gender-based disadvantages, such as discrimination and household obligations, deter firm formation in poor countries and complex firm formation in rich countries. In middle-income countries, high returns to entrepreneurship offset gender-based costs, and firms remain simple. We document that female-owned firms are smaller and simpler. Larger firms are more productive. The female entrepreneurship rate is associated with female education, weak kinship ties, and Buddhism
An international debt architecture and debt sustainability assessments as if people and planet mattered
No full textQueer conflict research: new approaches to the study of political violence
No full textBringing together a team of international scholars, this volume provides a foundational guide to queer methodologies in the study of political violence and conflict. Contributors provide illuminating discussions on why queer approaches are important, what they entail and how to utilise a queer approach to political violence and conflict. The chapters explore a variety of methodological approaches, including fieldwork, interviews, cultural analysis and archival research. They also engage with broader academic debates, such as how to work with research partners in an ethical manner. Including valuable case studies from around the world, the book demonstrates how these methods can be used in practice. It is the first critical, in-depth discussion on queer methods and methodologies for research on political violence and conflict
Theory, praxis and politics in law and society research: reflections on the Cotterrell‐Nelken debate
No full textIn this paper, I provide reflections on the continuing value of the Cotterrell–Nelken debate within law and society research. Specifically, I pick up on two discussion points that animate this debate. First, the debate quintessentially probes the identity of the discipline of the sociology of law. In this regard, it is very much concerned about how the boundaries of a discipline are formed. I reflect on how this issue continues to persist across law and society research, as questions on the boundary formation and dissolution of different concepts and categories are ubiquitous and an animating feature of the field. Second, I reflect on how lurking behind the questions raised by the debate are political considerations that structure legal and socio‐legal analysis. The Cotterrell–Nelken debate raises vexing questions on what law is and what law ought to be, without clearly resolving them. Indeed, any resolution seems futile and instead points to the political choices that underpin different understandings of the law and its relationship to other social scientific fields. Across law and society research, vexing questions about the nature and function of law within specific settings may relate to political choices that receive inadequate scholarly attention. Law and society research would thus benefit from an agenda that places the politics underlying different legal discourses into plain view
How to make Trump blink again
No full textCountries being hit by US tariffs should impose proportional retaliations across the board, without negotiations. America represents only 15 per cent of world trade and can be isolated. Paul De Grauwe writes that President Trump will blink when he feels that he and his billionaire friends are getting into trouble
Universities must make space for critical conversations
No full textOn the sixth anniversary of the LSE HE Blog, and as pressures mount on academic freedom, Claire Gordon reflects on the importance of spaces dedicated to scholarly debate and thought-provoking perspective
A second look at the World Bank, the global economic disorder, and a possible deal
No full textProfessor Robert Wade critiques Professor Francisco Ferreira’s recent article The World Bank and the new global economic disorder, arguing that while globalisation has not collapsed, development outcomes remain poor and the World Bank’s policy prescriptions are flawed