1,721,091 research outputs found
Non-linear dynamics of population and natural resources: The emergence of different patterns of development
No full textThis paper studies the long-term dynamic interaction between the exploitation of natural resources and population growth. Brander and Taylor [Brander, J.A. and Taylor, M.S. (1998) “The Simple, Economics of Easter Island: a Ricardo–Malthus Model of Renewable Resource Use”. American Economic Review, 88 (1) 119–138.] started a sequence of papers which sought to deduce from historical and archaeological studies some stylized links between ecological and economic systems. In this strand of literature all the services of the natural environment are aggregated in an ecological complex which is characterized by a simple logistic dynamics. Given such assumptions, these models show a unique long-term steady state. The aim of this paper is to obtain a more general framework that could account for the heterogeneity of environmental development paths followed by past societies. Two new assumptions are introduced: i) the disaggregation of the ecological complex into two different resources; ii) irreversibility — namely, an inexorable tendency to exhaustion when the renewable resource stock is below a certain threshold. Analysis of the dynamic properties of the system shows a multiplicity of steady states which makes it possible to consider the effects of technical progress, cultural and climate changes on the resilience of the existing development path
MODERNIZATION, WEATHER VARIABILITY AND VULNERABILITY TO FAMINE
No full textThis paper shows that under weather variability the transformation from a rural to an incomplete market economy can increase the vulnerability of peasants to famine. This can occur even if improvements in technology have raised agricultural productivity and made production less responsive to weather variability. Indeed, negative environmental shocks can produce a drop in wages that outweighs the increase in wages due to an equivalent positive environmental shock. Consequently, the amount of grain stored increases more slowly in good seasons than it decreases in bad ones. This paper gives new insights on the catastrophic effects produced by widespread droughts in India during the second half of the 19th century. Notwithstanding the introduction of new modes of production and the modernization of infrastructures, the interaction between environmental variability and new institutional arrangements might have contributed to increase the vulnerability of peasants to famine
Interactions between a human and a Chat Bot: The Mythopoietic narrative of unlimited possibilities
Full text linknteractions between a human and a Chat Bot: The Mythopoietic narrative of unlimited possibilities In the debate on the Large Language Models (LLM) there are three arguments that fuel the mythopoetic narrative concerning the emancipation of the artificial agent vis-à-vis the human being: 1. The conscious self-reflexive process; 2. The ability to deeply understand the 'semantics' of natural language; 3. The creativetransformative ability. These arguments about the future self-emancipating possibilities of A.I. are being advanced by transhumanism and the current known as “Strong A.I.”. However, such narratives have been disproved by a different concrete reality in which the interaction between human and chat bot remains asymmetrical: on the one hand we have a subject endowed with meaning and intentionality that is capable of changing and inventing content in an unpredictable way ; on the other hand we have an expert system that assembles content and combines expressive possibilities without fully understanding what it is doing. This article will falsify the mythopoetic construction by examining the prediction paradox, the Inverse Turing test, and the algorithmic hallucinations
Societal implications of sustainable energy action plans: From energy modelling to stakeholder learning
No full textThis article investigates the potential impact of sustainable energy action plans (SEAPs) on local development through a two-step methodology involving participatory planning and quantitative analysis. The first phase relies on a participatory system mapping (PSM) approach and generates a causal structure at the basis of the urban model. In the second phase, we transform the qualitative map into a system dynamic model which evaluates the effect of the SEAP on social, economic and environmental indicators. This methodology was applied to the case of Cascina Municipality (Italy). Through scenario analysis, we show that some indirect feedback can harm the achievement of the 20% emission reduction target. This process allows the local authority and stakeholders to evaluate the impact of emission reduction policies on CO2 emissions and local development, thereby generating collective learning on the systemic implications of the plan. We show that this method can enhance the ambition of emission mitigation efforts by small towns
Pasinetti versus Rebelo: Two different models or just one?
No full textPasinetti's [Pasinetti, L.L., 1960. A mathematical formulation of the Ricardian system. Review of Economic Studies 27, 78–98] model formalizing Ricardian growth theory and one of the simplest models developed within the ‘new’ growth theory [Rebelo, S., 1991. Long run policy analysis and long run growth. Journal of Political Economy 99, 500–521] are shown to share the same structure. This enforces the thesis according to which many endogenous growth models have a ‘Classical’ flavour. The main difference from Pasinetti's to Rebelo's framework may be interpreted as reflecting the change in the consumption pattern of workers from early to late industrial societies
The Role of Income Distribution in the Diffusion of Corporate Social Responsibility
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) growth and income distribution. We present a general equilibrium model where social responsibility enters both firms' and consumers' decisions. At equilibrium, different degrees of CSR diffusion may arise. We study the conditions under which there exists a virtuous circle which ties increases in the diffusion of CSR to reductions in income inequality. Under certain circumstances, any policy which promotes CSR diffusion induces a reduction in income inequality. By contrast, when such conditions are not satisfied, only redistributive policies may generate the virtuous circle
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