PRESENCE OF MIGRANTS AND VOTING BEHAVIOR IN EUROPE: AN OVERVIEW OF THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE

In this study, we conduct a survey of the empirical literature that has investigated the relationship between the presence of migrants and voting behavior. Our focus is primarily on European countries, although we also present analyses related to some countries on the outskirts of Europe. The papers are grouped by individual country or group of countries, and predominantly employ counterfactual impact evaluation methods, which allow for the study of causal evidence rather than mere correlations. While the majority of the contributions are written by economists, there are also contributions from social psychologists and political scientists, providing an as comprehensive as possible view on the topic. The findings of this literature reveal a heterogeneous and intricate relationship, influenced by several factors such as economic conditions, cultural dynamics, and social aspects. While numerous studies demonstrate the existence of certain patterns, one prominent example being the nexus between immigrant presence and political backlash, the complexity and variation across different countries underscore the multifaceted nature of this phenomeno

Assessing the Impact of Price-Matching Guarantees and Price Fluctuations on Consumer Feedback: Insights from the Online Consumer Electronics Market

Our study investigates the impact of price matching guarantees (PMGs) on consumer behavior in online retail markets. Leveraging a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) approach, we analyze product ratings in response to price changes during PMG policy periods. Results show that PMGs alone have no significant effect on ratings, but price increases during PMG periods lead to lower ratings. Furthermore, the effect strengthens over time, particularly for cheaper and less visible products. These findings suggest that PMGs may serve as effective market signals of pricing strategy, especially for items where price sensitivity is higher or visibility is lower. This underscores the importance of signaling mechanisms in influencing consumer perceptions and responses in online retail settings. From an antitrust perspective, our results highlight the potential for PMGs to influence competition dynamics and consumer welfare. Policymakers may need to consider regulations ensuring pricing transparency and consumer protection in online markets, balancing the benefits of market signaling with the risks of anti-competitive behavior and consumer harm. Overall, our study contributes to the understanding of pricing strategies and consumer behavior in digital markets, with implications for both industry practices and regulatory interventions

A symbiosis between cellular automata and genetic algorithms

Cellular automata are systems which use a rule to describe the evolution of a population in a discrete lattice, while genetic algorithms are procedures designed to find solutions to optimization problems inspired by the process of natural selection. In this paper, we introduce an original implementation of a cellular automaton whose rules use a fitness function to select for each cell the best mate to reproduce and a crossover operator to determine the resulting offspring. This new system, with a proper definition, can be both a cellular automaton and a genetic algorithm. We show that in our system the Conway’s Game of Life can be easily implemented and, consequently, it is capable of universal computing. Moreover two generalizations of the Game of Life are created and also implemented with it. Finally, we use our system for studying and implementing the prisoner’s dilemma and rock-paper-scissors games, showing very interesting behaviors and configurations (e.g., gliders) inside these games