Capturing the Essential Elements

When a program with demonstrated effectiveness is expanded, knowing how it works and why it works the way it does is an indispensable first step in preserving its quality. This report draws on P/PV's experience with different programs to show how to define a model's essential elements to increase the chances of successful replication. It contains lessons for program developers, funders and practitioners interested in adopting model programs

Forgiving as emotional distancing

:In this essay, I present an account of forgiveness as a process of emotional distancing. The central claim is that, understood in these terms, forgiveness does not require a change in judgment. Rationally forgiving someone, in other words, does not require that one judges the significance of the wrongdoing differently or that one comes to the conclusion that the attitudes behind it have changed in a favorable way. The model shows in what sense forgiving is inherently social, shows why we should be pluralists about it, and provides a basis for arguing against the existence of necessary conditions of forgiving

On Fiction: What It Is, What It Does, and Why We Care About It

The phenomenon of fiction provides a topic ripe for philosophical investigation, prompting questions in the philosophy of language, metaphysics, and aesthetics. In this dissertation, I will explore several such questions, ultimately providing an account of the metaphysics of fiction, our reference to fictional objects, and our emotional response to fiction. I will begin by arguing for an artifactual account of fictional objects, on which fictional objects are abstract artifacts created by their authors. In doing so, I will provide reasons to prefer an artifactual account over competing theories, and I will respond to a few basic objections against artifactual accounts. I will argue that creation on the artifactual account should in many ways parallel the creation of material objects and that the artifactual account allows us to refer to actually existing artifacts in our discourse about fiction, while providing a reasonable paraphrase for non-existence claims. Next, I will address predication in fiction. I will provide an account of predication that distinguishes between actual and non-actual predication, which I argue is the best way to make sense of predication in fiction on an account on which fictional objects are abstract. Additionally, I will argue that this account of predication generalizes to non-concretist accounts of possible worlds. After discussing predication in general, I will specifically examine modal properties in fiction, which I will argue do not derive from the essences of fictional objects but rather from fictional accessibility relations between impossible worlds. Finally, I will consider engagement with fiction. I will argue that we are able to engage emotionally with fiction because emotions stem primarily from imagination and not from belief. This answers the paradox of fictional emotions and explains much of the differences between our emotional engagement with works of fiction and real life events. I will argue that this is not only consistent with the metaphysical account of fiction presented earlier in the dissertation but that this metaphysical account allows us to properly identify fictional characters as the objects of our fictional emotions.Doctor of Philosoph

Psychological sentiments and economic behavior

This thesis is a contribution to the field of psychology and economics. The two central themes are gift-giving and the effects of rewards. Within these themes, it studies questions like: Why do people donate to charity funds? Why are people sometimes less motivated when they get rewarded for their behavior? Why does the value of a product increase after they have bought it? And why does the market not completely crowd-out gift-giving? Answers to the above and other questions are given by extending economic models with psychological sentiments. The broad message is that taking such sentiments into account often offers insights into why and how institutions should be designed accordingly. Disregarding these effects leads to unintended consequences of incentive schemes.

Accounting for Cross-Country Income Differences

Why are some countries so much richer than others? Development Accounting is a first-pass attempt at organizing the answer around two proximate determinants: factors of production and efficiency. It answers the question "how much of the cross-country income variance can be attributed to differences in (physical and human) capital, and how much to differences in the efficiency with which capital is used?" Hence, it does for the cross-section what growth accounting does in the time series. The current consensus is that efficiency is at least as important as capital in explaining income differences. I survey the data and the basic methods that lead to this consensus, and explore several extensions. I argue that some of these extensions may lead to a reconsideration of the evidence.

Accounting for Cross-Country Income Differences

Why are some countries so much richer than others? Development Accounting is a first-pass attempt at organizing the answer around two proximate determinants: factors of production and efficiency. It answers the question "how much of the cross-country income variance can be attributed to differences in (physical and human) capital, and how much to differences in the efficiency with which capital is used?" Hence, it does for the cross-section what growth accounting does in the time series. The current consensus is that efficiency is at least as important as capital in explaining income differences. I survey the data and the basic methods that lead to this consensus, and explore several extensions. I argue that some of these extensions may lead to a reconsideration of the evidence.income variance, capital, development accounting

'Everything's fine, so why does it happen?' A qualitative investigation of patients' perceptions of noncardiac chest pain

Aims and objectives. To examine patients’ perceptions and experiences of noncardiac chest pain, within the framework of the common sense model. Background. Patients with noncardiac chest pain have good physical prognosis, but frequently suffer prolonged pain and psychological distress. The common sense model may provide a good framework for examining outcomes in patients with noncardiac chest pain. Design. Qualitative thematic analysis with semi-structured interviews. Methods. In 2010, participants recruited from an emergency department (N = 7) with persistent noncardiac chest pain and distress were interviewed using a semistructured schedule, and data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results. Seven themes were identified; six of which mapped onto core dimensions of the common sense model (identity, cause, timeline, consequences, personal control, treatment control). Contrary to previous research on medically unexplained symptoms, most participants perceived psychological factors to play a causal role in their chest pain. Participants’ perceptions largely mapped onto the common sense model, although there was a lack of coherence across dimensions, particularly with regard to cause. Conclusion. Patients with noncardiac chest pain lack understanding with regard to their condition and may be accepting of psychological causes of their pain. Relevance to clinical practice. Brief psychological interventions aimed at improving understanding of the causes of noncardiac chest pain and providing techniques for managing pain and stress may be useful for patients with noncardiac chest pain

Masculine Foes, Feminist Woes: A Response to Down Girl

In her book, Down Girl, Manne proposes to uncover the “logic” of misogyny, bringing clarity to a notion that she describes as both “loaded” and simultaneously “politically marginal.” Manne is aware that full insight into the “logic” of misogyny will require not just a “what” but a “why.” Though Manne finds herself largely devoted to the former task, the latter is in the not-too-distant periphery. Manne proposes to understand misogyny, as a general framework, in terms of what it does to women. Misogyny, she writes, is a system that polices and enforces the patriarchal social order (33). That’s the “what.” As for the “why,” Manne suggests that misogyny is what women experience because they fail to live up to the moral standards set out for women by that social order. I find Manne’s analysis insightful, interesting, and well argued. And yet, I find her account incomplete. While I remain fully convinced by her analysis of what misogyny is, I am less persuaded by her analysis of why misogyny is. For a full analysis of the “logic” of misogyny, one needs to understand how the patriarchy manifests in men an interest in participating in its enforcement. Or so I hope to motivate here. I aim to draw a line from the patriarchy to toxic masculinity to misogyny so that we have a clearer picture as to why men are invested in this system. I thus hope to offer here an analysis that is underdeveloped in Manne’s book, but is equally worthy of attention if we want fully to understand the complex machinations underlying misogyny

Telecare - where, when, why and for whom does it work? A realist evaluation of a Norwegian project

Introduction: Evaluations of telecare demonstrate disparate results, which are of little help for understanding what the users need from further policy and development. This study aims to provide a more nuanced approach to telecare evaluations.  Methods: Realist Evaluation is used to scrutinize what it is about telecare that works for whom, why, how and in which circumstances. Sequential interviews were conducted with telecare users and relatives at pre- and post-implementation stages.  Result: Some users experienced the intended effects from telecare, like increased feeling of safety, while others did not. Various contextual elements influenced how people reasoned about the resources provided by telecare and affected the individual outcomes.  Discussion: The desire to remain in own home appeared to be a major driving force in accepting telecare. Users had surprisingly high tolerance to side effects of telecare, which might indicate that much was at stake. Some users disapproved of having telecare due to contextual reasons; however, readjustments proved successful to some.  Conclusion: This study illuminates how and why telecare works differently in different situations, and thus leads to different outcomes. When telecare is correctly adjusted to match the user’s needs, abilities and contexts it enables them to feel safe and remain in their own homes

Psychological Sentiments and Economic Behavior.

This thesis is a contribution to the field of psychology and economics. The two central themes are gift-giving and the effects of rewards. Within these themes, it studies questions like: Why do people donate to charity funds? Why are people sometimes less motivated when they get rewarded for their behavior? Why does the value of a product increase after they have bought it? And why does the market not completely crowd-out gift-giving? Answers to the above and other questions are given by extending economic models with psychological sentiments. The broad message is that taking such sentiments into account often offers insights into why and how institutions should be designed accordingly. Disregarding these effects leads to unintended consequences of incentive schemes.