New Minimal Extension of MSSM

We construct a new minimal extension of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) by promoting the $\mu$-parameter to a singlet superfield. The resulting renormalizable superpotential is enforced by a $\mathcal{Z}_5$ $R$-symmetry which is imposed on the non-renormalizable operators as well. The proposed model provides a natural solution to the $\mu$-problem and is free from phenomenological and cosmological problems.Comment: 5 page

Crossed SS-matrices and Fourier matrices for Coxeter groups with automorphism

We study crossed $S$-matrices for braided $G$-crossed categories and reduce their computation to a submatrix of the de-equivariantization. We study the more general case of a category containing the symmetric category $\mathrm{Rep}(A,z)$ with $A$ a finite cyclic group and $z\in A$ such that $z^2=1$. We give two example of such categories, which enable us to recover the Fourier matrix associated with the big family of unipotent characters of the dihedral groups with automorphism as well as the Fourier matrix of the big family of unipotent characters of the Ree group of type ${}^2F_4$.Comment: 25 pages, comments welcom

Type-Based Termination, Inflationary Fixed-Points, and Mixed Inductive-Coinductive Types

Type systems certify program properties in a compositional way. From a bigger program one can abstract out a part and certify the properties of the resulting abstract program by just using the type of the part that was abstracted away. Termination and productivity are non-trivial yet desired program properties, and several type systems have been put forward that guarantee termination, compositionally. These type systems are intimately connected to the definition of least and greatest fixed-points by ordinal iteration. While most type systems use conventional iteration, we consider inflationary iteration in this article. We demonstrate how this leads to a more principled type system, with recursion based on well-founded induction. The type system has a prototypical implementation, MiniAgda, and we show in particular how it certifies productivity of corecursive and mixed recursive-corecursive functions.Comment: In Proceedings FICS 2012, arXiv:1202.317

With a Little Help from My Friends: Ministerial Alignment and Public Spending Composition in Parliamentary Democracies. LEQS Paper No. 133/2018 April 2018

The determinants of public spending composition have been studied from three broad perspectives in the scholarly literature: functional economic pressures, institutional constraints and party-political determinants. This paper engages with the third perspective by placing intra-governmental dynamics in the center of the analysis. Building on the portfolio allocation approach in the coalition formation literature and the common pool perspective in public budgeting, I argue that spending ministers with party-political backing from the Finance Minister or the Prime Minister are in a privileged positon to obtain extra funding for their policy jurisdictions compared to their colleagues without such support or without any partisan affiliation (non-partisan ministers). I test these propositions via a system of equations on six spending categories using seemingly unrelated regressions on a panel of 32 parliamentary democracies over two decades and offer largely supportive empirical evidence. With the exception of education, I provide evidence that budget shares accruing to key spending departments reflect this party-political logic of spending outcomes. In addition to the econometric results, I also illustrate the impact of ministerial alignment by short qualitative accounts from selected country cases

Properties of Linearly Sofic Groups

We consider (projectively) linearly sofic groups, i.e. groups which can be approximated using (projective) matrices over arbitrary fields, as a generalization of sofic groups. We generalize known results for sofic groups and groups which can be approximated with complex matrices, including the fact that free products of linearly sofic groups (using a fixed field) are linearly sofic.Comment: 20 page