Alternative energy : modelling resource conflict within an energy environment

With growing infrastructural pressure induced by urban densification combined with rural development and the increasing demands of industrialisation, South Africa is facing two related challenges. The first is a lack of sufficient energy to satisfactorily fulfil the needs of the expanding economy. The second is that South Africa has limited access to water. Electricity generation using the traditional coal-burning power stations requires vast amounts of water, for amongst other things, steam generation to drive the turbines and water is also used in the cooling process. Thus, as the demand for electricity grows, so too does the pressure on the country's strained water supplies. The growing demand for electricity favours the building of new traditional coal- burning power stations, which emit vast amounts of pollutants into the atmosphere, negatively affecting the environment. This leads to a degree of conflict between stakeholders, namely the energy producers, government bodies, and environmentalists. This paper uses Hirshleifer’s Conflict Success Function to highlight the ‘urgency’ of replacing traditional fuel-based power stations with alternative renewable energy generators, using South Africa as a case study

Inefficiency in the market for 'Fine Art': how this market inefficiency promotes 'Art Tourism' in South Africa

The market for 'Fine Art' is dominated by institutions and auction houses. These act as gatekeepers by monopolising the primary market. The choice of art as an investment vehicle is based on a combination of expected return and subjective preference. The reason for investing in 'Fine Art' is more than purely for financial gain. There are other more intrinsic factors that are considered as part of the investor decision-making process. This market for 'Fine Art' can be considered largely inefficient. Exclusivity, high prices, institutional based indexes and the overall lack of information are by far the greatest drivers of this market inefficiency. „Art‟ prices are usually set in the primary market for 'Fine Art' through the auction process and the auction process should also typically reflect an efficient way of creating shared value. However, the auction process in the primary art market is not efficient and does not create shared value as would occur in a typical free market structure. The systems employed by the auction process in the primary art market is a strategy in itself, giving the impression that there is shared value, and thus distorting prices while simultaneously stimulating investor confidence. This becomes apparent when the price for 'Fine Art‟ does not necessarily reflect the „true‟ value of the respective „Fine Art‟ being sold. Thus investors may take advantage of this situation, by traveling across international borders to purchase what they would consider valuable art. In effect, art tourism is driven by market inefficiency in the 'Fine Art' market

Disempowering institutional behaviour by exploring the risks associated with investing into the 'fine art' market

Abstract: This paper examines the role of institutions in the global art market, Due to the asymmetrical distribution of information between art investors and the art institutions, there is uncertainty over the value of 'Fine Art' between those that wish to indirectly manipulate the price of art for the benefit of the institution, and those that wish to invest into the 'Fine Art' market. The value of 'Fine Art' is determined by the 'Value of Information', which has a direct positive relationship between quantity of information that the institution plans to hold, and the amount of uncertainty in the market

Digital Data, Administrative Data, and Survey Compared: Updating the Classical Toolbox for Assessing Data Quality of Big Data, Exemplified by the Generation of Corruption Data

In the digital age, new data types have become available that can, potentially, be used in social science research. Besides data that were originally created for scientific purposes (research-elicited data), administrative mass data (traditional-type big data) and data from digital devices (new-type big data) have become more and more relevant for research processes. Both data types can be subsumed under the term “big data.” In this paper, we scrutinize the quality of administrative mass data on corruption in contrast to research-elicited data (e.g., survey data). Since data quality is crucial for the measurement of a social phenomenon such as corruption, we pose the question of how a social phenomenon can be measured by means of data from these different sources. As a first step, we refer to the so-called Bick-Mueller-Model. It was developed in the 1980s for observing the special features and particularities of administrative mass data (traditional-type big data). We contrast this model with the so-called Error-Approach that is typically applied in survey research. In order to account for new trends in data generation and application, we show the progress that has been made since Bick and Mueller introduced their model and discuss new features of digitalism and new technologies. We conclude that the features of the so-called Bick-Mueller are useful for tackling the particularities of administrative data and also – to some degree – new-type big data. The “error” perspective that is inherent both in the classical survey research and in the so-called Bick-Mueller model also applies to new-type big data when it comes to assessing their quality. Moreover, it is possible that the data from these different sources can complement each other. For this, researchers must be aware of the fact that neither data source actually measures corruption directly. For answering specific research questions, it is crucial to consider the advantages and disadvantages of using specific data types

Mapping the relationship between the primary and the secondary art market

Abstract: The article endeavours to construct a model that links the gap between returns to an investment in ‘Fine Art’ and the ‘real’ price of the 'Fine Art' being traded. Thus the process used in creating shared value within the market for 'Fine Art' is examined. Art prices are usually set in the primary market through the auction process, which should also typically reflect an efficient way of creating shared value. As the auction process in the primary art market is not efficient; it does not create shared value as would occur in a typical free market structure. Artificial rigidities exist within the primary art market; thus the links between the primary art market and the secondary art market are shown by incorporating the concepts of the 'Value of Information' and ‘Strategic Uncertainty’ into the transmission mechanism

Unification of Flavor, CP, and Modular Symmetries

Flavor symmetry plays a crucial role in the standard model of particle physics but its origin is still unknown. We develop a new method (based on outer automorphisms of the Narain space group) to determine flavor symmetries within compactified string theory. A picture emerges where traditional (discrete) flavor symmetries, CP-like symmetries and modular symmetries (like T-duality) of string theory combine to unified flavor symmetries. The groups depend on the geometry of compact space and the geographical location of fields in the extra dimensions. We observe a phenomenon of "local flavor groups" with potentially different flavor symmetries for the various sectors of quarks and leptons. This should allow interesting connections to existing bottom-up attempts in flavor model building.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures; v2: minor changes, version accepted by PL

Delayed response in a plant-pollinator system to experimental grassland fragmentation

The fragmentation of natural habitat is considered to be a major threat to biodiversity. Decreasing habitat quality and quantity caused by fragmentation may lead to a disruption of plant-pollinator interactions and to a reduction in sexual reproduction in plant species. We conducted a 6-year field experiment to investigate the effects of small-scale fragmentation on plant-pollinator interactions and genetic diversity in the self-compatible Betonica officinalis. We examined the abundance and composition of pollinators, the foraging behaviour of bumblebees and the performance, outcrossing rate and genetic diversity of B. officinalis after 2 and 6years in experimentally fragmented nutrient-poor, calcareous grassland in the northern Swiss Jura mountains. Fragments of different size (2.25 and 20.25m2) were isolated by a 5-m-wide strip of frequently mown vegetation. Control plots of corresponding size were situated in adjacent undisturbed grassland. Experimental grassland fragmentation altered the composition of B. officinalis pollinators and reduced their flower visitation rate. Furthermore, the foraging behaviour of bumblebees was changed in the fragments. After 6years of fragmentation seed weight was higher in fragments than in control plots. However, the densities of B. officinalis rosettes and inflorescences, plant height and inflorescence length were not affected by fragmentation. The outcrossing frequency of B. officinalis growing in fragments was reduced by 15% after 2years and by 33% after 6years of experimental fragmentation. This resulted in a significant reduction of the genetic diversity in seedlings emerging in fragments after 6years. Our study shows that small-scale habitat fragmentation can disturb the interaction between B. officinalis and pollinators resulting in a reduced outcrossing frequency and genetic diversity in plants growing in fragments. However, the response to fragmentation was considerably delayed. This finding strengthens the claim for long-term field experiments with proper replications and controls to assess delayed effects of habitat fragmentatio