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MinCovTarget+: a fast heuristic algorithm for fair allocation
No full textAbstract
We introduce the MinCovTarget+ algorithm for the problem of fair allocation of indivisible items and we study its performance with respect to some popular fairness and efficiency criteria such as minimal envy, proportionality, maximal Nash welfare and maximal total welfare. By a detailed numerical analysis we compare our newly proposed algorithm with a standard algorithm for this kind of problem: the Spliddit algorithm. Our numerical analysis shows that MinCovTarget+ provides allocations with an excellent balance between fairness and efficiency criteria. In particular, it typically yields minimal (null) envy solutions with a very high value of Nash welfare, at a fraction of the computation time used by Spliddit. Moreover, MinCovTarget+ can be applied in higher dimensions where Spliddit cannot be readily implemented. Our paper is the first in the literature to present a numerical study of these algorithms using a random uniform valuation of the goods to be allocated, as well as a novel design of the value matrix that incorporates dependent valuations. All the numerical estimates in this paper were obtained using a Macbook Air (Apple M1, 8 GB RAM). The corresponding MATLAB code is available at: https://github.com/giovannipuccetti/MinCovTarget . A user-friendly version of the algorithm is available at https://www.fair-allocation.com
Institutional Trust and Subjective Well-Being in Post-Soviet Countries
No full textAbstract
Post-Soviet countries have still been experiencing a transition in governance and institutional performance. However, such transitions are not always explained by citizens' high institutional trust, reflecting on their subjective well-being. One of the objectives of the study is to identify a typology of institutional trust using a post-Soviet context. We use the Life in Transition dataset by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for twelve transitional countries. We apply a three-step approach for Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) in the estimation strategy. Using LPA with 11-item scale questions for subjective well-being, we obtain “Low Satisfaction”, “Medium Satisfaction”, and “High Satisfaction” homogenous profiles. Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with 14 personal statements, we also measure institutional trust towards the performance of institutions. The relationship between institutional trust and life satisfaction profiles indicates that the "Medium Satisfaction" and "High Satisfaction" classes, compared to the "Low Satisfaction" profiles, are positively associated with higher institutional trust. We also analyse the effect of institutional trust on life satisfaction through corruption. The findings confirm a positive effect of institutional trust on life satisfaction.I18;J17;O15;P2
Generative AI and the Scope of EU Copyright Law: A Doctrinal Analysis in Light of the Referral in Like Company v. Google
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This article offers a doctrinal analysis of the copyright implications raised by Like Company v. Google Ireland (C-250/25), the first case to bring generative AI before the Court of Justice of the European Union. It examines whether the training and output of systems like Gemini infringe exclusive rights under EU copyright law. We argue that AI model training may involve acts of reproduction under Art. 2 of the InfoSoc Directive, while the dissemination of AI-generated outputs, especially through public interfaces, may trigger the right of communication to the public under Art. 3. Particular concerns arise when protected content is recognisably reproduced or when AI outputs serve as functional substitutes for original works, thereby affecting the normal exploitation of those works. While not a formal infringement criterion, such functional substitution is relevant in assessing the application of exceptions and compliance with the three-step test. The paper also challenges the applicability of the text and data mining exception to generative uses, highlighting its incompatibility with the limitations imposed by the three-step test. Ultimately, the analysis supports a technologically neutral, rights-based interpretation that safeguards the economic viability of creative production in the algorithmic age
Integration des Aspekts „Teilhabe“ in die Geschäftsprozessanalyse
No full textZusammenfassung
Optimierung von Geschäftsprozessen ist ein wichtiges Thema in der Praxis und in der Ausbildung für (Wirtschafts‑)Informatiker. Gegenwärtig konzentrieren sich Beiträge in der Fachliteratur zur Prozessoptimierung hauptsächlich auf die Perspektiven von Prozesseigentümern und Management, die Zeit- und Kosteneinsparungen anstreben. Dadurch kann der Aspekt der In- und Exklusion von Personen bei der Digitalisierung von Geschäftsprozessen leicht aus dem Fokus geraten. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt eine Methode vor, die die Teilnehmer an Diskussionen zu Prozessverbesserungen dazu bringt, frühzeitig Aspekte der Zugänglichkeit in die Betrachtungen einzuschließen und in der Folge beim Prozessdesign zu berücksichtigen. Dazu wurde ein Satz von Karten entwickelt, die mögliche Beweggründe dafür beleuchten, eine digitale Anwendung nicht nutzen zu können oder zu wollen. Das Nachvollziehen dieser Beweggründe soll helfen, das Design von Prozessen und Anwendungen zu verbessern. Insbesondere wird über positive Erfahrungen beim Einsatz des Kartensatzes in der Hochschullehre im Fach Informatik berichtet. @Optimizing business processes is an important topic in practice and in the education of computer scientists. Contributions in the professional literature on process optimisation mainly focus on the perspectives of process owners and management, who aim for time and cost savings. As a result, the aspect of inclusion and exclusion of people as a result of the digitalization of business processes can easily be lost from focus. The present contribution presents a method that encourages participants in discussions on process improvements to include accessibility aspects in their considerations at an early stage and to take them into account in subsequent process design. To this end, a set of cards has been developed that shed light on possible reasons for not being able to or not wanting to use a digital application. Understanding these reasons is intended to help improve the design of processes and software. Positive experiences with the use of the card set in university teaching in a computer science course are reported
Beyond pure hype: news sentiment and its role in the BTC and ETH futures market
No full textAbstract
Unlike traditional assets, cryptocurrencies lack fundamental information such as dividends, earnings, or cash flows, requiring market participants to rely on alternative sources of information for price discovery and trading decisions. In this study, we analyze the relationship between news sentiment and Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) futures returns, as well as net trading positions. We use a dataset of over 9100 BTC and 5400 ETH news articles. The findings reveal that news sentiment is significantly associated with futures price movements and market positioning by professional investors. We extend the traditional dictionary-based approach of Loughran and McDonald ( 2011 ) by enabling a more precise identification of crypto-relevant content. Our findings highlight the role of news sentiment as an information channel in cryptocurrency derivatives markets and uncover substantial differences between the BTC and ETH futures markets
Disinformation and Incremental Change in European Union Election Observation: A Field Theoretical Perspective
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This article addresses the puzzle of why there is at best incremental change in European Union (EU) democracy promotion and theorises an instance of such change by examining responses to (online) disinformation in EU electoral observation. It develops a field theoretical approach for the explanation of incremental change, as evident in social media monitoring, in EU election observation. Field theory furthers consideration of the position of actors, social interactions and characteristics of the particular field. On the basis of this theory, conceptualisation of a heterogenous democracy assistance and electoral observation field and an in‐depth study of EU election observation in Tunisia (2019), I argue the EU has responded to disinformation through the imitation of practices and epistemic negotiation. The responses and the incremental changes in EU election observation that evolved reflect the central but contested position of the EU in the field
An experimental study of a continuous Japanese-English auction for the wallet game
Full text linkThis paper reports results from a laboratory experiment on a continuous Japanese-English auction in a common-value 'wallet game'. The main objective is to test whether bidders follow the equilibrium bidding strategy predicted by theory. We find systematic deviations from equilibrium behaviour: instead of bidding according to the Nash equilibrium, subjects appear to rely on expected value (EV) bidding. As a consequence, observed auction prices are higher than the theoretical benchmark, and the winner's curse occurs in a substantial fraction of auctions. We analyse bidding behaviour in detail and discuss the implications of our findings
The Legacy of China's One-Child Policy on Human Capital: How Being Raised by an Only Child Affects Cognitive and Noncognitive Skill Development
No full textChina's One-Child Policy (OCP) restricted most couples to a single birth, leading to a rapid increase in the prevalence of only children. Using longitudinal data and a regression discontinuity design around the policy's start, we estimate the effects on grandchildren's human capital. We find that children with only-child mothers perform significantly better in cognitive skills (0.71 SD) and noncognitive skills (0.50 SD) than comparable peers. The effects are larger for boys, consistent with son preference, and for those with less-educated grandparents, for whom quantity-quality trade-offs are more applicable. Additionally, we find that only-child parents have higher educational attainment and provide more favorable home environments, which may explain their children's advantages in human capital outcomes. These findings suggest that, in the presence of quantity-quality trade-offs, fertility restrictions can improve human capital across multiple generations
A globalized inexact semismooth Newton method for nonsmooth fixed-point equations involving variational inequalities
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We develop a semismooth Newton framework for the numerical solution of fixed-point equations that are posed in Banach spaces. The framework is motivated by applications in the field of obstacle-type quasi-variational inequalities and implicit obstacle problems. It is discussed in a general functional analytic setting and allows for inexact function evaluations and Newton steps. Moreover, if a certain contraction assumption holds, we show that it is possible to globalize the algorithm by means of the Banach fixed-point theorem and to ensure q -superlinear convergence to the problem solution for arbitrary starting values. By means of a localization technique, our Newton method can also be used to determine solutions of fixed-point equations that are only locally contractive and not uniquely solvable. We apply our algorithm to a quasi-variational inequality which arises in thermoforming and which not only involves the obstacle problem as a source of nonsmoothness but also a semilinear PDE containing a nondifferentiable Nemytskii operator. Our analysis is accompanied by numerical experiments that illustrate the mesh-independence and q -superlinear convergence of the developed solution algorithm
Spatial Differences in Avoidable Mortality Across 581 European Districts, 2002–2019
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Despite ongoing efforts to reduce health disparities, substantial mortality differences persist across and within European countries. Avoidable mortality, i.e. deaths preventable through timely medical care or effective public health measures, provides a useful framework for assessing these inequalities. While previous studies largely focus on national differences, this study examines spatial differences and trends in avoidable mortality at the district level. We analysed official cause-of-death statistics for 581 districts across 10 European countries from 2002 to 2019, using age-standardised death rates (SDR) as the primary outcome. Spatiotemporal clusters were identified using emerging hotspot analysis. Our results show that SDRs for avoidable mortality declined across most districts for both sexes, yet marked disparities persist between men and women and between amenable and preventable mortality. Districts in Central and Eastern Europe consistently exhibited higher SDRs than those in Western and Southern Europe, while Germany occupies an intermediate position with particularly high rates for amenable mortality. Spatiotemporal hotspot analysis confirmed these patterns and showed that persistent high-mortality (hotspots) and low-mortality (coldspots) clusters persist, reflecting both substantial within-country inequalities and cohesive cross-border mortality patterns. These findings suggest that national boundaries are not always the most meaningful lines for explaining health outcomes. Instead, local socioeconomic and structural determinants of health play a central role. Persistent hotspots highlight areas where targeted interventions are urgently needed, while coldspots may offer lessons for best practices. Addressing these inequalities requires targeted, place-based, and transnational strategies to effectively reduce health inequalities in Europe