Concurrent systems and inevitability

AbstractConcurrent systems viewed as partially ordered sets of states are considered. A property of system states is called inevitable, if the system will eventually reach a state with this property. This notion is discussed within the partial order framework

The impact of semi-presidentialism on governance in the Palestinian authority

In 2003, the Basic Law of the Palestinian Authority (PA) was amended and a semi-presidential form of government was established. In January 2006, the legislative election resulted in a period of ‘cohabitation’ between the Hamas government and President Mahmoud Abbas from Fatah. In 2007, following the civil war between the two forces, governance structures in the PA all but collapsed. This article examines the extent to which cohabitation contributed to the problems of governance in the PA. We conclude that cohabitation did not determine the outbreak of conflict, but that it did contribute to the timing of the confrontation between the two actors

Challenging the Computational Metaphor: Implications for How We Think

This paper explores the role of the traditional computational metaphor in our thinking as computer scientists, its influence on epistemological styles, and its implications for our understanding of cognition. It proposes to replace the conventional metaphor--a sequence of steps--with the notion of a community of interacting entities, and examines the ramifications of such a shift on these various ways in which we think

Greenhouse gases and Nutrients: The Interactions Between Concurrent New Zealand Trading Systems

Emissions trading and nutrient trading interact in critical ways. The agricultural sector is a major emitter of both nutrients and greenhouse gases in New Zealand. Thus the simultaneous implementation of such systems will have a large impact on the farmers in affected catchments. Many of the mitigation options that are available to farmers, for example reducing animal numbers, will reduce both nutrient loss and greenhouse gas emissions. Thus the combined cost of control could be much less than the sum of the costs of the separate systems. The allocation of units under each system will also affect the same people. Monitoring systems for each pollutant could have common elements but could also impose a double burden. The interactions between the two systems will complicate the decision making process for farmers and need to be considered when the policies are designed so they are as complementary as possible.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,