The dynamics of social agreement according to Conceptual Agreement Theory

Many social phenomena can be viewed as processes in which individuals in social groups develop agreement (e.g., public opinion, the spreading of rumor, the formation of social and linguistic conventions). Conceptual Agreement Theory (CAT) models social agreement as a simplified communicational event in which an Observer \((O)\) and Actor \((A)\) exchange ideas about a concept \(C\) , and where \(O\) uses that information to infer whether \(A\) ’s conceptual state is the same as its own (i.e., to infer agreement). Agreement may be true (when \(O\) infers that \(A\) is thinking \(C\) and this is in fact the case, event \(a1\) ) or illusory (when \(O\) infers that \(A\) is thinking \(C\) and this is not the case, event \(a2\) ). In CAT, concepts that afford \(a1\) or \(a2\) become more salient in the minds of members of social groups. Results from an agent-based model (ABM) and probabilistic model that implement CAT show that, as our conceptual analyses suggested would be the case, the simulated social system selects concepts according to their usefulness to agents in promoting agreement among them (Experiment 1). Furthermore, the ABM exhibits more complex dynamics where similar minded agents cluster and are able to retain useful concepts even when a different group of agents discards them (Experiment 2). We discuss the relevance of CAT and the current findings for analyzing different social communication events, and suggest ways in which CAT could be put to empirical test.     

A fuzzy set theory based computational model to represent the quality of inter-rater agreement

In this paper we present a method to evaluate the quality of a rater’s judgement, which can integrate and enrich the use of inter-rater agreement as a reliability measure. Our proposal is an integrative one and evaluates the quality of a rater’s performance through an analysis of the profile of that individual rater’s performance. We discuss its rationale on the basis of the interpretation of inter-rater agreement, highlighting some critical issues. For this purpose, we adopt a computational model based on fuzzy set theory, demonstrating its main characteristics with an exemplary case study.     

On the determinants of happiness: a classification and regression tree (CART) approach

This article studies the determinants of the individual’s subjective well-being by applying a classification and regression tree (CART) analysis to data from the Survey on Household Income and Wealth (SHIW) provided by the Bank of Italy. The results support the primary importance of economic conditions but show that their effect is heterogeneously dependent on other individual characteristics.     

Pricing to market of Italian exporting firms

This article investigates the pricing-to-market (PTM) behaviour of Italian exporting firms, using quarterly survey data by sector and by region over the period 1999q1 to 2005q2. A partial equilibrium imperfect competition model provides the structure according to which the orthogonality of structural shocks is derived. Impulse response analysis shows non-negligible reactions of export-domestic price margins to unanticipated changes in cost competitiveness and in foreign and domestic demand levels, even though these effects appear to be of a transitory nature. For the period 1999 to 2001, a typical PTM behaviour emerges, while, during the most recent years favourable foreign demand conditions allowed firms to increase their export-domestic price margins in face of a strong deterioration of their cost competitiveness. Macroeconomic implications of the observed PTM behaviour are also discussed.     

Pricing to market, firm heterogeneity and the role of quality

We build a pricing-to-market (PTM) model with firm heterogeneity, which allows for imperfect competition and market segmentation in the presence of flexible exchange rates, horizontal and vertical differentiation and different tastes of consumers in destination markets. We derive firm’s pricing behaviour in response to price and quality competition shocks. We show that there is PTM heterogeneity across firms if quality has a role. We empirically assess the main predictions of our theoretical framework on Italian firm-level data. We document that export-domestic price margins are significantly affected by price and quality competitiveness factors even controlling for foreign demand conditions, size, export intensity, destination markets and unobservables. Finally, we provide evidence of strong heterogeneity across firms in their reaction to price and quality competitiveness.     

Theological themes in Ricardo's papers and correspondence

Abstract

I review evidence from published and unpublished sources on Ricardo's theological ideas. The main focuses of interest are the existence of a natural morality independent of religious confessions, morality as the essence of religion, uselessness of theological speculation, justification of toleration for everybody, including atheists, and the miscarriage of any attempt at a philosophical theodicy. The paper explores also the connection between Ricardo's interest for theodicy and his views on the scope and method of political economy and suggests that his opinion that political economy should be a secular and value-free science close to mathematics depends precisely on theological reasons.     

Sraffa's Legacy in Economics: Some Critical Notes

On the basis of a specific methodology attributed to Sraffa, I present a critical assessment of certain conflicting positions that characterize the book Critical Essays on Piero Sraffa's Legacy in Economics (ed. H. Kurz, 2000). A criticism is addressed to Samuelson's view according to which the assumption of constant returns is an essential ingredient of Sraffa's theory of prices. It is argued that the defence against Samuelson's attack from the Sraffian side could be strengthened following the above methodology and a certain neoclassical literature. Some questions are raised about the constructive scope of the theoretical work developed along the guidelines of Sraffa's book.     

NON PURE PRIVATE GOODS IN THE ECONOMICS OF PRODUCTION PROCESSES

In this article the concept of nonrival input is re-examined as a possible source of increasing returns, by taking a production process as the elementary unit of analysis. Nonrivalry of inputs is redefined in order to furnish an analytical tool to be used for extending the theory of value and distribution beyond the case of pure private goods and constant returns. Furthermore, the reformulation of the same concept is implemented for a critical appraisal of the notion of industrial design which has been adopted by Romer in his modelling approach to the theory of endogenous growth.