Rational addiction theory – a survey of opinions

This paper reports briefly on some of the results from a survey of academics who have written about the theory of rational addiction. The topic is important in itself because if the literature is viewed by its participants as an intellectual game, then policy makers should be aware of this so as not to derive actual policy from toy models. More generally, the answers shed light on the nature of economics and how many economists think about model building, evidence requirements and the policy relevance of their work. A majority of the respondents believe the literature is a success story that demonstrates the power of economic reasoning. At the same time they also believe the empirical evidence to be weak, and they disagree both on the type of evidence that would validate the theory and the policy implications. Taken together this points to an interesting gap. On the one hand most of the respondents claim that the theory has valuable real-world implications. On the other hand they do not believe the theory has received empirical support.Rational addiction theory; survey of opinions of economists; disagreement on evidence criteria and interpretation of evidence

Why is there such a gap between health expenditures and outcomes in Norway compared to Finland?

According to the OECD Norway spends 47% more on health care per capita compared to Finland and about 30% more than the other Nordic countries. At the same time indicators of health status show that Norway is not better on important indicators of health. This raises the question of why there is such a gap between spending and outcome in Norway compared to the other Nordic countries. This paper lists a number of possible explanations and quantifies their importance. The conclusion is that higher wages may explain up to 38% of the difference between Norway and Finland and differences in staff levels explain about 25%. Data errors are difficult to quantify, but the data on in long term care suggests that it accounts for at least 20% of the difference. Diminishing or zero marginal return is a controversial explanation for the lack of difference in outcomes despite higher spending and a brief review of the literature shows conflicting evidence. Finally, the last section argue that a convincing explanation of the growth of health spending should be based on a model that takes into account the fact that health care to a large extent is provided outside the free-market and that people seems to have special moral intuitions when it comes to the provision of health services as opposed to many other goods.Health expandures; OECD; wages; Norway

Partial county development plans as a means for preserving wild reindeer habitats in Norway

Norwegian wild reindeer habitats are threatened by human intervention. Wild reindeer habitats are joint region wide common pool resources (CPR). Municipalities may be free-riders to that resource if they prefer investments boosting municipal economy despite negative consequences for wild reindeer as a regional resource. Partial county development plans, following the rules of the Planning and Building Act (PBA), are a means that may combine preservation of habitats and development. In order to analyze such plans, theory on CPR management is applied to spatial development planning in the Rondane and Hardangervidda wild reindeer areas. It is shown that the nested system is in accordance with most of Ostrom’s principles. Still, a joint Planning Board ought to be established at Hardangervidda and a partial county plan for the whole wild reindeer area there ought to be established. It is recommended that regular monitoring of interventions and planning is established. Finally, a system or mechanism for low cost conflict resolution is needed; but is not easily included into a system based on official actors at different levels, the planning and building act and public anticipation on equal management. The last point is important for mutual acceptance of restrictions on own activity. Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag:Kunnskap om forvaltning av fellesressurer øker forståelsen av regionale planer for villreinområderNorske villreinområder er truet av menneskelige inngrep. Villreinområdene er en regional fellesressurs, men kommunene kan bli gratispassasjerer i forhold til utnytting av denne ressursen ettersom de kan bli fristet til å vektlegge utbygging som gir lokaløkonomiske effekter, på tross av negative konsekvenser for villreinen som en regional ressurs. Fylkesdelplaner, som er basert på plan- og bygningsloven, er et virkemiddel som kan kombinere bevaring og utvikling. For å forstå slike planers muligheter og begrensninger analyses her fylkesdelplanene for Rondane og Hardangervidda øst i forhold til teorier om forvaltning av fellesressurser. Analysen viser at planleggingen og det offentlige systemet som er bygget opp omkring planene, er i tråd med de fleste av Ostrom sine prinsipper. Det bør imidlertid etableres et planråd for Hardangervidda og fylkesdelplanen der bør utvides slik at den omfatter hele villreinområdet. Det bør etableres et system med regelmessig kartlegging av planleggingen og effektene av det. Det bør også etableres et system som gir grunnlag for å løse konflikter på en enkel måte, men dette er ikke enkelt fordi planleggingen er basert på det offentlige planleggingssystemet og forventninger om like behandling av saker. Lik og rettferdig behandling av saker er viktig for at aktører skal kunne godta restriksjoner på egen aktivitet

The Naked Barley Thorebygg and Norwegian Farmer’s Ale

Although now extinct, the naked (i.e. hull-free) barley variety Thorebygg was once an additive grain used in the brewing of farmhouse ale in Norway between the seventeenth and mid-nineteenth centuries and possibly earlier. This paper uses the concept of fictive terroir, combining social and cultural factors with its natural properties, to show how it was used in brewing ale. These factors explain the historical cultivation of Thorebygg and its decline under industrialization from the mid-nineteenth century. Thorebygg was probably cultivated as early as the Middle Ages on swidden plots, and later also on fertile open farmland. Hulled barley was the principal form of grain used in brewing and small quantities of other grains, such as Thorebygg, were added to improve the quality of the ale in color, taste and strength.publishedVersio

Oceans Apart: Ideologies of Extraterritorial Foreign Policy in Northern Europe and the USA

In the study of international relations, domestic variables have rather seldom been used to explainphenomena on the international level. In comparative politics and historical sociology, explainingdomestic outcomes have been based upon reductionist concepts of the international system, if thislevel has been addressed at all. In the latter discipline, analysis is often truly sociological, while inthe former, economic models of action and systems are predominant.In contrast, this thesis is a demonstration of the utility of comparing states by using explanatoryvariables from international relations, while at the same time presenting a sociological analysis ofinternational institutions.The interplay between international and domestic politics is highlighted, asis the interplay between material and ideational incentives for action, since the state is embedded ina domestic as well as an international society. By combining the strategic and the habitual reservoirof action, interesting perspectives emerge through an empirical analysis of extraterritorial foreignpolicy. Extraterritorial foreign policy is maritime and naval state policies, and these policies wereshaped by domestic and international factors, just as the policies in turn shaped internationalrelations and institutions. It is argued here, that both the interplay between the domestic andinternational, and the combination of strategic and habitual state preferences can be studied byapplying a typology of states based on ideological principles and degrees of overseas interests.From the second half of the 17th century, the international system showed a higher degree ofhierarchical properties than what often portrayed in neorealism. Therefore, the moulding ofinternational institutions was highly dependent upon both preferences and ideational motives onbehalf of the strongest powers in the international system. For smaller states, the alternatives werebandwagoning or sovereignty-seeking behaviour. However, the nature and content of theinternational institutions created structures that could be utilised by all states in the internationalsociety. It is demonstrated here that the post-war era therefore led to a major upheaval in thehistory of the international system, since it represented more formal equality for all states in asystem where power was unevenly distributed. In spite of globalization and large-power rivalry, theautonomy of smaller states increased: sovereignty was transformed, not eroded. State autonomyincreased for the majority of states as liberalism increasingly was institutionalised on theinternational level. Nevertheless, the thesis demonstrates that historically, other organizations thanstates have also waged war and used political power at, and from, the sea