37 research outputs found
The Emperorâs Dilemma: A Computational Model of Self-Enforcing Norms
The authors demonstrate the uses of agentâbased computational models in an application to a social enigma they call the âemperorâs dilemma,â based on the Hans Christian Andersen fable. In this model, agents must decide whether to comply with and enforce a norm that is supported by a few fanatics and opposed by the vast majority. They find that cascades of selfâreinforcing support for a highly unpopular norm cannot occur in a fully connected social network. However, if agentsâ horizons are limited to immediate neighbors, highly unpopular norms can emerge locally and then spread. One might expect these cascades to be more likely as the number of âtrue believersâ increases, and bridge ties are created between otherwise distant actors. Surprisingly, the authors observed quite the opposite effects
Towards the implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction
Traditional fisheries management - based on single-species - has proved to
be inadequate to sustainably manage living resources that are intrinsic components of
highly complex marine ecosystems. Recent developments in marine scientific
research have indicated that the ecosystem-based approach, which takes into
consideration the interdependence among species and their habitats, is the most
appropriate way to manage marine living resources. Shifting from single-species
approach to ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) in areas beyond
national jurisdiction (ABNJ) has become imperative, as living resources occurring in
these regions are often more vulnerable to collapse than coastal species due to their
biological characteristics.In light of this, this thesis aims to analyse the law-making of EBFM in ABNJ
as a post-development of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS) in order to avoid stocks collapse, destruction of critical habitats, and to
ensure the resilience of marine ecosystems. This study analyses UNCLOS, as the
main legal instrument governing the uses of the ocean and its living resources, in the
light of recent developments of international law and policy in regards to EBFM.This study concludes that a systemic interpretation of UNCLOS in the light
of recent treaties and other legal and policy instruments provides a legal basis for the
implementation of EBFM in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction. However, the
fragmented nature of the international fisheries regime can undermine the consistent
implementation of EBFM at a global level. In view of this, this study then looks
beyond the issue of interpretation, and proposes actual means for the
operationalization of EBFM at a global level in accordance with international law. It
proposes the adoption of an implementing agreement to UNCLOS regulating the
establishment of marine protected areas as a tool to the implementation of EBFM in
marine areas beyond national jurisdiction
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The Law of Group Polarization
In a striking empirical regularity, deliberation tends to move groups, and the individuals who compose them, toward a more extreme point in the direction indicated by their own predeliberation judgments. For example, people who are opposed to the minimum wage are likely, after talking to each other, to be still more opposed; people who tend to support gun control are likely, after discussion, to support gun control with considerable enthusiasm; people who believe that global warming is a serious problem are likely, after discussion, to insist on severe measures to prevent global warming. This general phenomenon -- group polarization -- has many implications for economic, political, and legal institutions. It helps to explain extremism, "radicalization," cultural shifts, and the behavior of political parties and religious organizations; it is closely connected to current concerns about the consequences of the Internet; it also helps account for feuds, ethnic antagonism, and tribalism. Group polarization bears on the conduct of government institutions, including juries, legislatures, courts, and regulatory commissions. There are interesting relationships between group polarization and social cascades, both informational and reputational. Normative implications are discussed, with special attention to political and legal institutions
Transitioning to a circular economy
We are living on a finite planet. Mankind is overstepping planetary boundaries, however. In 2021, worldwide consumption has exceeded the yearly bio-capacity of the Earth (what we call the overshoot day) on the 29th of July. For industrialised countries, the situation is far worse: In 2022, Belgium reached that overshoot day on the 26th of March. In the face of these urgent challenges of sustainable resource use, there is wide agreement on the need for a transition, a fundamental societal shift, towards, amongst others, a circular economy (CE), the focus of this book.
The book speaks deliberately of transitioning. This marks our focus on transition processes and activities. Discussions of âthe transitionâ easily get stuck in abstract visions, remote future goals and ideological statements about the desired world of tomorrow. By contrast, much more attention needs to be paid to concrete transformation processes that could lead towards these projected futures. Transition how? Where to? By whom?
We highlight that companies are key actors in CE transitioning. This edited volume presents key outcomes from the âTransitioning Belgian companies into circularityâ research chair, established by Belgian Employersâ Federation FEB/VBO. Whilst focusing on the role of companies, we show how the private sector cannot bring about such societal transformations single-handedly. We consider companies as embedded transition agents, i.e. as actors that operate as parts of broader business ecosystems
Information Cascades and Social Learning
We review the theory of information cascades and social learning. Our goal is to describe in a relatively integrated and accessible way the more important themes, insights and applications of the literature as it has developed over the last thirty years. We also highlight open questions and promising directions for further theoretical and empirical exploration
The Effects of Disinformation Upon National Attitudes Towards the EU and its Institutions
This work explores the effects of misinformation and disinformation upon national attitudes towards the EU. Several nations, in particular the Russian Federation, have been working for decades to spread narratives that debase the political processes of healthy democracies around the world. There is strong evidence to show that extensive efforts have been made to disrupt the inner workings and overall membership of the EU, to support disruptive policies in the United States such that political deadlock is maintained indefinitely. These efforts are largely based on the spreading of misinformation and disinformation across social networks that have done very little to attempt to protect the discourse that they provide
Transitioning to a circular economy
We are living on a finite planet. Mankind is overstepping planetary boundaries, however. In 2021, worldwide consumption has exceeded the yearly bio-capacity of the Earth (what we call the overshoot day) on the 29th of July. For industrialised countries, the situation is far worse: In 2022, Belgium reached that overshoot day on the 26th of March. In the face of these urgent challenges of sustainable resource use, there is wide agreement on the need for a transition, a fundamental societal shift, towards, amongst others, a circular economy (CE), the focus of this book.
The book speaks deliberately of transitioning. This marks our focus on transition processes and activities. Discussions of âthe transitionâ easily get stuck in abstract visions, remote future goals and ideological statements about the desired world of tomorrow. By contrast, much more attention needs to be paid to concrete transformation processes that could lead towards these projected futures. Transition how? Where to? By whom?
We highlight that companies are key actors in CE transitioning. This edited volume presents key outcomes from the âTransitioning Belgian companies into circularityâ research chair, established by Belgian Employersâ Federation FEB/VBO. Whilst focusing on the role of companies, we show how the private sector cannot bring about such societal transformations single-handedly. We consider companies as embedded transition agents, i.e. as actors that operate as parts of broader business ecosystems
Understanding the consequences of diversification on financial stability
In this paper, we study the consequences of diversification on financial stability and social welfare using an agent based model that couples the real economy and a financial system. We validate the model against its ability to reproduce several stylized facts reported in real economies. We find that the risk of an isolated bank failure (i.e. idiosyncratic risk) is decreasing with diversification. In contrast, the probability of joint failures (i.e. systemic risk) is increasing with diversification which results in more downturns in the real sector. Additionally, we find that the system displays a ârobust yet fragileâ behaviour particularly for low diversification. Moreover, we study the impact of introducing preferential attachment into the lending relationships between banks and firms. Finally, we show that a regulatory policy that promotes bankâfirm credit transactions that reduce similarity between banks can improve financial stability whilst permitting diversification