24,099 research outputs found
Giving begets giving: Positive path dependence as moral consistency
No full textWe design an experiment to ask whether morally-motivated behavior, e.g., charitable giving, is history-dependent. Using a popular policy nudge, the default option, we exogenously vary altruistic behavior “now” and show that charitable giving “now” causes a 66%- 200% increase in the probability of giving “later”; that is, giving begets giving. We further show that, consistent with psychological theory, the choice to behave altruistically “now”, rather than the nudge itself, is the crucial element in the causal relationship. These findings are consistent with a model of positive path-dependence, which we interpret as moral consistency
The construction of Karen Karnak: The multi-author-function
No full textThis thesis is situated within the comparatively recent developments of Web 2.0 and the emergence of interactive WikiMedia, and explores the mode of authorship within a Read/Write culture compared to that of a Read/Only tradition. The hypothesis of this study is that the role of the audience has become merged with the author, and as such, represents new functions and attributes, distinct from a more conventional concept of authorship, in which the roles of audience and author are more separate. Read/Write and participatory culture, as defined by this study, is focused on collaboration, and includes the influences of D.I.Y. culture, Open-Source practices and the production of text by multiple authors. Multi-authorship presents a re-thinking of several concepts which support the notion of the individual author, since the focus of multi-authorship is not on attribution and ownership of a finished text, but on the continued malleability of a text. Modes of multi-authorship, demonstrated in the use of the pseudonyms Alan Smithee and Karen Eliot, represent declarative authors whose names signify multiple origins, whilst concurrently indicating a distinct body of work. The function of these names form an important context to this study, since primary research involves the construction of an experimental mode of multi-authorship utilising WikiMedia technology and the interaction of thirty nine participants, who are invited to create a body of work under the collective pseudonym Karen Karnak. The data generated by this experiment is analysed using aspects of Michel Foucault's author-function to identify and determine power structures inherent in the WikiMedia context. The interplay of power structures, including concepts such as identity, ownership and the body of work, affect the resulting mode of authorship and contribute to the construction of Karen Karnak, suggesting further areas of research into the emerging multi-author
Language Change and SA-OT: The case of sentential negation
No full textSimulated Annealing for Optimality Theory (SA-OT) updates Optimality Theory by adding a model of performance to a theory of linguistic competence. Our aim is to show that SA-OT can contribute to language change simulations. Performance "errors" are considered to be one of the causes of variation and change. We have chosen to model the evolution of sentential negation (SN). The descriptive background adopts Jespersen's Cycle, according to which the evolution of sentential negation follows three main stages (1. pre-verbal, 2. discontinuous, and 3. post-verbal). Therefore, we advance a novel model for SN, based on SA-OT. It reproduces the three pure and the two observed mixed stages, whereas it correctly predicts the lack of an intermediate stage between 3 and 1. The success of the approach corroborates the computational, performance-based approach to the data. Finally, we employ the iterated learning paradigm to reproduce historical changes in a "simulated corpus study". This enterprise turns out to be more difficult than one would naively believe.Appeared open access as: Computational Linguistics in the Netherlands Journal (CLIN), vol. 1 (2011), pp. 21-40, and is available at http://www.clinjournal.org/sites/default/files/Lopopolo.pdfA. Lopopolo and Biró, T., “Language Change and SA-OT. The case of sentential negation”, Computational Linguistics in the Netherlands Journal, vol. 1, pp. 21-40, 2011.Peer Reviewe
Self-serving dishonesty: The role of confidence in driving dishonesty
No full textAmbiguity and uncertainty as an explanation for ethical blind spots is well-documented. We contribute to this line of research by showing that these blind spots arise even when there is naturally occurring uncertainty—that is, when individuals are simply uncertain of the truth they “fill-in” this uncertainty in a self-serving way. To examine self-serving dishonesty, we asked a sample of U.S. car owners to respond to an auto insurance underwriting questionnaire that affects their price of insurance (i.e., premium), and investigated how financial incentives affect the honesty of their responses. We find, consistent with the current literature, that people have a strong preference for truthfulness, but only when they are confident of the objective truth. However, when people are not completely certain of the objectively correct answer, significant dishonesty occurs in a self-serving manner. We also find that reports of confidence do not depend on incentives and thus self-serving dishonesty is not strategic
Altruism among consumers as donors
No full textLike most charitable and non-profit organizations, the arts, cultural institutions and universities often ask individuals for financial gifts to help fund their operations. However, a key difference is that the individuals who are solicited for charitable donations by arts and cultural institutions are oftentimes also purchasing services from the same institution. Thus, an open question is whether, and how, individuals make trade-offs between charitable gifts and consumer purchases from the same institution. We investigate this question in an online experiment that asks Sydneysiders to make a series of decisions between donating to the iconic Sydney Opera House, purchasing merchandise from the Sydney Opera House and keeping money. Our findings show that demand for SOH merchandise and SOH donations are substitutes. Further, we find evidence that increasing the individuals’ awareness of the substitutability between money received from donations and money received from the sale of merchandise, increases the cross-price elasticity. This is particularly true for those individuals who positively identify with the Opera House. Our results suggest that the unique nature of arts, cultural and educational institutions as recipients of donations and providers of services mean that fundraising among “patrons” may crowd-in additional revenue
La Suisse sous le regard contre-révolutionnaire : Bonald au chevet d'un corps débile
No full textSous la direction de Marie-Jeanne Heger-Étienvre et Guillaume Poisson ; préface de Claude Reichler.ISBN : 978-2-35692-068-3.Titre de la communication : Un regard contre-révolutionnaire sur l’étrangeté helvétique : la Suissedans la doctrine de Louis de Bonald.International audienceIl s'agit d'abord pour Bonald de briser le mythe de la Suisse élaboré par les Lumières. La Suisse est une démocratie, autrement dit une société non constituée, donc instable. Elle a péri par la démocratie, qu'elle avait semée en Europe. La seule possibilité de survie réelle réside dans le renoncement à ce gouvernement ancien au bénéfice d'un pouvoir concentré. Dans l'attente, la France sauvera la Suisse d'elle-même et lui donner la paix domestique. Le théoricien contre-révolutionnaire approuve l'équilibre européen issu de la Révolution française. La preuve par la Suisse démontre que la géopolitique trouve sa légitimité dans les lois naturelles de l'histoire et de la géographie
Stakeholder research CoVE Water SA: CoVE Water SA the umbrella for all stakeholders
No full textThe water and sanitation sector faces well-documented issues that are challenging to address, leading to the establishment of the Platform of Vocational Excellence (PoVE) Water. This platform brings together five regional Centers of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) Water in Europe and South Africa to ensure high-quality skills and competencies in the water sector. These CoVEs facilitate collaboration among stakeholders, enabling the development of vocational education and training programs to increase awareness, responsiveness to industry needs, and address sector challenges. A few months ago, CoVE Water SA was established in South Africa to achieve the previously mentioned goals. Therefore, it is important that the following research question is answered in this initial set-up phase: What actions need to be taken to enhance the effectiveness of the CoVE Water SA? To answer this research question, several important stakeholders were interviewed. Subsequently, the interviews were analysed thematically in order to extract the most important themes and quotes, PI grids were created to assess power and interest dynamics among stakeholders, and a Social Network Analysis was conducted to understand the CoVE Water SA network and potential clusters.The research findings have unveiled key aspects for enhancing the effectiveness of CoVE Water SA. The current network in the water sector has a low density, implying that many collaborations are lacking. This leads to a high degree of interdependence within the network, resulting in a non dynamic system. The lack of collaborations, such as connections with TVET colleges, schools, farmers and local communities, results in a lack of knowledge, funding and connection to the labour market. Governmental stakeholders, like DWS, EWSeta, and BGCMA, have been identified as influential players with extensive networks and important resources, Local Authorities and Research Organizations also play important roles. Universities exhibit substantial international links, making them crucial contributors. These stakeholders have the potential to provide knowledge, collaboration, and power. These are valuable insights for CoVE Water SA, fostering network growth and effectiveness in the water sector. Furthermore, six key themes have been derived from the conducted interviews, addressing the needs of stakeholders and where CoVE can make a valuable contribution. These themes include raising awareness, reducing the skills gap in the water sector, fostering international collaborations, mitigating the labour shortage in the water sector, improving education material and establishing desired collaborations. For each theme, the interviewed stakeholders have presented their views and numerous suggestions on how CoVE Water SA can assist in addressing these issues. Additionally, stakeholders have also mentioned possible failures of CoVE Water SA, which can aid in preventing any shortcomings of the platform. Furthermore, stakeholders mentioned ongoing initiatives related to the six themes, through which they can contribute to the platform. From the Thematic Analysis, PI Grids and the SNA, a set of actions have emerged that are essential for enhancing the effectiveness of CoVE Water SA. These actions revolve around expanding and enhancing the network, organising activities and contributing to educational improvement. In terms of broadening and strengthening the network, the platform should focus on enhancing the collaborations among educational groups, building stronger relations with international institutions in Europe and Africa, involving TVETs and schools within the water network, improving stakeholder involvement and encouraging the involvement of Local Communities to increase awareness and knowledge about water issues. Furthermore, CoVE Water SA should play a role in organising activities to raise awareness of Water Resource Management. Additionally, it should assist in improving curricula, supporting students’ preparation for the workforce and making the education more practical instead of only theoretical. CoVE Water SA should also provide training and learning resources as well as comprehensive courses.However, this study recognizes several limitations that should be considered in future research and when implementing recommendations for CoVE Water SA. These limitations encompass factors like a limited scope due to resource and time constraints, minimal varied interviewee responses, and potential biases in responses. Addressing these limitations will be crucial in guiding future research and actions for CoVE Water SA.CEGM3000Civil Engineerin
Interview with Erica Jolly - teacher, author and founding member of SA Social Studies Teachers Association
No full textErica is a teacher and author who was a founding member of the SA Social Studies Teachers Association (contributing to its text books) and the SA History Teachers Association. She took her Masters in English Literature at Flinders University and taught in Girls and Boys Technical Colleges for 40 years. Erica's published works include a history of vocational education in South Australia from 1897 - 2001, We Came to Marion 1955 - 1995 (1995), A Broader Vision: Voices of Vocational Education in SA (2001), Challenging the Divide: Approaches to Science and Poetry (2010), and Making a Stand (2015)
Redesigning the market for volunteers: A donor registry
No full textThis paper addresses volunteer labor markets where the lack of price signals, nonpecuniary motivations to supply labor, and limited fungibility of supply lead to market failure. To address the causes of the market failure, we conduct a field experiment with volunteer whole blood donors where we introduce a market-clearing mechanism (henceforth: the Registry). Our intention-to-treat estimates suggest that subjects invited to the Registry, regardless of joining, are 66% more responsive to critical shortage appeals than control subjects. While the Registry increases supply during a critical shortage episode, it does not increase supply when there is no shortage; thus, the Registry significantly improves coordination between volunteer donors and collection centers, thereby improving market outcomes. We find evidence that the Registry’s effectiveness stems from crowding-in volunteers with purely altruistic motives and volunteers with a preference for commitment
Morphological and physico-chemical properties of British aquatic habitats potentially exposed to pesticides.
No full textApproaches to describe the exposure of non-target aquatic organisms to agricultural pesticides can be limited by insufficient knowledge of the environmental conditions where the compounds are used. This study analysed information from national and regional datasets gathered in the UK describing the morphological and physico-chemical properties of rivers, streams, ponds and ditches. An aggregation approach was adopted, whereby the landscape was divided into 12 hydrogeological classes for agricultural areas and a 13th class that comprised non-agricultural land. The data describe major differences in the abundance, dimensions and chemistry of waterbodies in the different landscapes. There is almost an order of magnitude difference in the total input of pesticide per unit area between the different landscapes. Ditches are shown to be most proximate to arable land, streams and rivers intermediate and ponds the least proximate. Results of the study have implications for the development of standard scenarios for use in protective screening steps within the risk assessment. Data can be used to produce more realistic estimates of the exposure of aquatic systems to pesticides and to examine how that exposure varies across the landscape
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