86,480 research outputs found
Information-Driven Housing
This paper suggests a new information-driven framework is needed to help consumers evaluate the sustainability of their housing options. The paper provides an outline of this new framework and how it would work
Technology and the environment: an evolutionary approach to sustainable technological change
(WP 02/04 Clave pdf) The results of our model show that it would be advisable to undertake policies expressly aimed at the process of sustainable technological change in a way that is complementary to the conventional equilibrium oriented environmental policies. In short, the main objectives of this paper are to understand more fully the dynamics of the process of technological change, its role in sustainable development, and to assess the implications of this dynamic approach to techno-environmental policy. To achieve these goals we have developed an agent based model, using distributed artificial intelligence concepts drawn from the general methodology of social simulation.Agent-based models, Evolutionary models, Lock-in , Standardization, Technology difussion, Sustainability
IE WP 02/04 Technology and the environment: an evolutionary approach to sustainable technological change
Can the individual actions of agents spontaneously move the system out of a state where it is locked into an environmentally inferior technology, or is coordination from outside the system necessary in the form of public intervention? More importantly, even if the system were able to make the transition unaided, could market coordination mechanisms play an important role? The results of our model show that it would be advisable to undertake policies expressly aimed at the process of sustainable technological change âapplying an ex ante (precautionary) approachâ in a way that is complementary to the conventional equilibrium oriented environmental policies. The nature of these policies and how they might be implemented are questions we will address from this novel approach to the concept of sustainable development. In short, the main objectives of this paper are to understand more fully the dynamics of the process of technological change, its role in sustainable development, and to assess the implications of this dynamic approach to techno-environmental policy. To achieve these goals we have developed an agent based model (ABM), using distributed artificial intelligence (DAI) concepts drawn from the general methodology of social simulation.Technology diffusion; standardization; lock-in; sustainability; precautionary approach; evolutionary models; agent-based models
Integrating independent power producers into emerging wholesale power markets
Many developing and industrial countries have sought to open their electricity industries to competition. In both contexts, policymakers and investors have to deal with the consequences of earlier, more partial sector liberalization measures. Foremost among these is the existence of long-term contracts with independent power producers (IPPs). The long-term nature of these contracts has complicated the introduction of more far-reaching sectoral reform designed to harness competitive market forces for the benefit of consumers. In developing countries, introducing competition is often coupled with breaking up and privatizing state-owned electricity monopolies. In this context, discussion of renegotiation of power purchase agreements has tended toward the polemical. At one end are those who resist any change, arguing that the"sanctity of contracts"precludes modification of contract terms. At the other end are those who favor governments taking coercive measures to modify existing contracts in the name of maximizing economic welfare and minimizing the burden of sector reform on consumers and on the state. Drawing on recent country experiences, the authors analyze alternative approaches to restructuring contracts and designing power markets to reduce rigidities and incentivize IPPs to participate more fully in wholesale power markets and to take on greater market risk. The authors conclude that forced market integration or forced contract negotiation have failed and are counterproductive. Conversely, in countries where IPPs provide a sizable proportion of generation capacity, ignoring market integration may result in insufficient market liquidity and discourage new entry, attenuating the scope for market forces to act for the benefit of consumers. Failure to adapt power purchase contracts and market rules imposes huge resource costs on the economy beyond the financial obligations consumers and taxpayers must bear. Based on recent experience, a combination of measures, including adaptation of specific market rules, contractual alternatives for enhancing market liquidity, contract buyout provisions, transitional financing mechanisms, and characteristics of the successor entity to the power purchaser, offer promising approaches for reconciling preexisting IPP contracts with new market structures and reducing the magnitude of above-market costs associated with such contracts.Markets and Market Access,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,General Technology,Labor Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Markets and Market Access,Access to Markets,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,General Technology
CloudHealth: A Model-Driven Approach to Watch the Health of Cloud Services
Cloud systems are complex and large systems where services provided by
different operators must coexist and eventually cooperate. In such a complex
environment, controlling the health of both the whole environment and the
individual services is extremely important to timely and effectively react to
misbehaviours, unexpected events, and failures. Although there are solutions to
monitor cloud systems at different granularity levels, how to relate the many
KPIs that can be collected about the health of the system and how health
information can be properly reported to operators are open questions. This
paper reports the early results we achieved in the challenge of monitoring the
health of cloud systems. In particular we present CloudHealth, a model-based
health monitoring approach that can be used by operators to watch specific
quality attributes. The CloudHealth Monitoring Model describes how to
operationalize high level monitoring goals by dividing them into subgoals,
deriving metrics for the subgoals, and using probes to collect the metrics. We
use the CloudHealth Monitoring Model to control the probes that must be
deployed on the target system, the KPIs that are dynamically collected, and the
visualization of the data in dashboards.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl
Universal Intelligence: A Definition of Machine Intelligence
A fundamental problem in artificial intelligence is that nobody really knows
what intelligence is. The problem is especially acute when we need to consider
artificial systems which are significantly different to humans. In this paper
we approach this problem in the following way: We take a number of well known
informal definitions of human intelligence that have been given by experts, and
extract their essential features. These are then mathematically formalised to
produce a general measure of intelligence for arbitrary machines. We believe
that this equation formally captures the concept of machine intelligence in the
broadest reasonable sense. We then show how this formal definition is related
to the theory of universal optimal learning agents. Finally, we survey the many
other tests and definitions of intelligence that have been proposed for
machines.Comment: 50 gentle page
Do corporations have a duty to be trustworthy?
Since the global financial crisis in 2008, corporations have faced a crisis of trust, with growing sentiment against âelites and âbig businessâ and a feeling that âsomething ought to be doneâ to re-establish public regard for corporations. Trust and trustworthiness are deeply moral significant. They provide the âglue or lubricantâ that begets reciprocity, decreases risk, secures dignity and respect, and safeguards against the subordination of the powerless to the powerful. However, in deciding how to restore trust, it is difficult to determine precisely what should be done, by whom, and who will bear the cost, especially if any action involves a risk to overall market efficiency and corporate profitability.
The paper explores whether corporations have a moral duty to be trustworthy, to bear the cost of being so and thus contribute to resolving the current crisis of trust. It also considers where the state and other social actors have strong reason to protect and enforce such moral rights, while acknowledging that other actors have similar obligations to be trustworthy. It outlines five âsalient factorsâ that trigger specific rights to trustworthiness and a concomitant duty on corporations to be trustworthy: market power, subordination (threat and intimidation), the absence of choice, the need to preserve systemic trust, and corporate political power which might undermine a stateâs legitimacy. Absent these factors and corporations do not have a general duty to be trustworthy, since a responsible actor in fair market conditions should be able to choose between the costs and benefits of dealing with generally trustworthy corporations
Tying legitimacy to political power: Graded legitimacy standards for international institutions
International institutions have become increasingly important not only in the relations between states, but also for individuals. When are these institutions legitimate? The legitimacy standards fo..
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