On Concurrent Solutions in Differential Games

We examine solutions in which neither player is worse off from the leadership of one in a policy maker-public game. The loop model of dynamic games is used. Outcome space is dotted with equivalence classes of solutions. The Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) results and their New Keynesian variants might represent one category. The economy is the neighborhood of a market-clearing equilibrium with Pareto-optimal properties modulo frictions. Our interest lies in the ‘old’ Keynesian genus where the representative state is one of involuntary unemployment. Two information sets are relevant. In the first case, agents look to the past and the present. In the second, they are bound by the information provided in the present. The standard analysis pertains to DSGE models under full information. We show, in contrast, that in a situation of structural disequilibrium and feedback information, all parties are better off reneging on the social compact to achieve a superior class of solutions.information structures, time consistency, credibility and reputation

Feedback can be superior to observational training for both rule-based and information-integration category structures

The effects of two different types of training on rule-based and information-integration category learning were investigated in two experiments. In observational training, a category label is presented, followed by an example of that category and the participant's response. In feedback training, the stimulus is presented, the participant assigns it to a category and then receives feedback about the accuracy of that decision. Ashby, Maddox, and Bohil (2002) reported that feedback training was superior to observational training when learning information-integration category structures, but that training type had little effect on the acquisition of rule-based category structures. These results were argued to support the COVIS dual-process account of category learning. However, a number of non-essential differences between their rule-based and information-integration conditions complicate interpretation of these findings. Experiment 1 controlled, between category structures, for participant error rates, category separation, and the number of stimulus dimensions relevant to the categorization. Under these more controlled conditions, rule-based and information-integration category structures both benefitted from feedback training to a similar degree. Experiment 2 maintained this difference in training type when learning a rule-based category that had otherwise been matched, in terms of category overlap and overall performance, with the rule-based categories used in Ashby et al. These results indicate that differences in dimensionality between the category structures in Ashby et al. is a more likely explanation for the interaction between training type and category structure than the dual-system explanation they offered

Experimental Evaluation of Large Scale WiFi Multicast Rate Control

WiFi multicast to very large groups has gained attention as a solution for multimedia delivery in crowded areas. Yet, most recently proposed schemes do not provide performance guarantees and none have been tested at scale. To address the issue of providing high multicast throughput with performance guarantees, we present the design and experimental evaluation of the Multicast Dynamic Rate Adaptation (MuDRA) algorithm. MuDRA balances fast adaptation to channel conditions and stability, which is essential for multimedia applications. MuDRA relies on feedback from some nodes collected via a light-weight protocol and dynamically adjusts the rate adaptation response time. Our experimental evaluation of MuDRA on the ORBIT testbed with over 150 nodes shows that MuDRA outperforms other schemes and supports high throughput multicast flows to hundreds of receivers while meeting quality requirements. MuDRA can support multiple high quality video streams, where 90% of the nodes report excellent or very good video quality

On Concurrent Solutions in Differential Games

We examine solutions in which neither player is worse off from the leadership of one in a policy maker-public game. The loop model of dynamic games is used. Outcome space is dotted with equivalence classes of solutions. The Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) results and their New Keynesian variants might represent one category. The economy is the neighborhood of a market-clearing equilibrium with Pareto-optimal properties modulo frictions. Our interest lies in the ‘old’ Keynesian genus where the representative state is one of involuntary unemployment. Two information sets are relevant. In the first case, agents look to the past and the present. In the second, they are bound by the information provided in the present. The standard analysis pertains to DSGE models under full information. We show, in contrast, that in a situation of structural disequilibrium and feedback information, all parties are better off reneging on the social compact to achieve a superior class of solutions

Is There a Numbers vs. Rights Trade-off in Immigration Policy? What the Data Say

This paper explores the empirical support behind the idea that there is a trade-off between the size of the migrant population and the rights and entitlements enjoyed by immigrants. We first look at the empirical correlation between measures of migrants’ rights and the size of the stock of immigrants in a number of existing databases. Using data on migrants’ rights from three recent studies—the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Migrant Accessibility Index, the Migration Policy Group and British Council’s Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) and the Human Development Report Office’s Migrant Entitlements and Services Index—we fail to find a systematic correlation of any sign. We then turn to regression analysis using OLS and instrumental variable techniques and again fail to find evidence in favor of the existence of a correlation. The numerical magnitudes of the correlations suggest a quantitatively small relationship which in several cases is positive rather than negative.migration rights and entitlements, measurement, migration data

Is There a Numbers versus Rights Trade-off in Immigration Policy? What the Data Say

This paper explores the empirical support behind the idea that there is a trade-off between the size of the migrant population and the rights and entitlements enjoyed by immigrants. We first look at the empirical correlation between measures of migrants’ rights and the size of the stock of immigrants in a number of existing databases. Using data on migrants’ rights from three recent studies—the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Migrant Accessibility Index, the Migration Policy Group and British Council’s Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) and the Human Development Report Office’s Migrant Entitlements and Services Index—we fail to find a systematic correlation of any sign. We then turn to regression analysis using OLS and instrumental variable techniques and again fail to find evidence in favor of the existence of a correlation. The numerical magnitudes of the correlations suggest a quantitatively small relationship which in several cases is positive rather than negative.migration rights and entitlements, measurement, migration data

Model investigation on contribution of feedback in distortion induced motion adaptation

Motion information is processed in a neural circuit formed by synaptic organization of feedforward (FF) and feedback (FB) connections between different cortical areas. However, the contribution of a recurrent FB information to adaptation process is not well explored. Here, a biologically plausible neural model that predicts motion adaptation aftereffect (MAE) induced by exposure to geometrically skewed natural image sequences is suggested. The model constitutes two stage recurrent motion processing within cortical areas V1 and MT [1]. It comprises FF excitatory, FB modulatory and lateral inhibitory connections, and a fast and a slow adaptive synapse in the FF and FB streams, respectively, to introduce plasticity. Simulation results of the model show the following main contributions of FB in distortion induced motion adaptation: FB disambiguates the main signal from a noisy natural stimulus input: results in adaptation to globally consistent salient information. A model with distinct adaptive mechanisms in FF and FB streams predicts MAE at different time scales of exposure to skewed natural stimuli more accurately than other model variants constituting single adaptive mechanism: Multiple adaptive mechanisms might be implemented via FB pathways. FB allows similar response tuning in model area V1 and MT during adaptation in line with physiological findings [2]. [1] Bayerl, P. and H. Neumann, Disambiguating visual motion through contextual feedback modulation. Neural computation, 2004. 16(10): p. 2041-2066. [2] Patterson, C.A., et al., Similar adaptation effects in primary visual cortex and area MT of the macaque monkey under matched stimulus conditions. Journal of neurophysiology, 2013. 111(6): p. 1203-1213

The Role of Information and Institutions in Understanding the Black-White Gap in Self-Employment

It has been well documented in the literature that ethnicity matters significantly in the determination of self-employment rates. In particular, African-American self-employment rates lag far behind rates for other racial groups. Similarly, the literature also provides evidence of the long lived nature of institutions and the link between institutions and decision making. After controlling for the appropriate factors that can lead to self-employment differentials, we provide an explanation for the self-employment gap that still exists between African-Americans and White Americans. We focus on the important role of repeated negative institutional shocks and how such shocks influence the development of an information matrix as well as the transmission of information across time and generations. We show that African-Americans who were less likely to be influenced by negative institutional shocks and the information stock created from these experiences, have similar self-employment rates to comparably situated White Americans.African-American, institutions, information, self-employment