Modeling the offense decision: a critical survey

In what follows we contrast the alternative model specifications which have been adopted by economists to explain criminal behavior. Four classes of models are presented, which, to our knowledge, include all models in the economic literature as special case

A note on a compound distribution: the demand for hospital beds

There has been growing interest in the past few years in the economics of medical services. Due to the nature of the medical industry a number of problems heretofore considered to be of minor importance have assumed major proportions. It is the purpose of this paper to present a model for predicting the demand for hospital beds, which is free from a rather serious specification error. This error arises from a failure to recognize the nature of the underlying stochastic mechanism and is by no means unique to the demand for hospital beds. Indeed, the demand for hospital beds is merely the vehicle used in explicating, what seems to be, an often overlooked source of error

Demand for Refined Lead

This paper is part of a Ph.D. dissertation submitted by the author to the Graduate College, University of Iowa, and was partially supported by the National Science Foundation Grant GS-1491. The author acknowledges the guidance and encouragement received from Professor S. Y. Wu

Rigid pricing policies and profit maximization

In this paper we present a model of a profit maximizing firm in which one price is set for the entire multiperiod planning horizon. One of the consequences of such a pricing policy, if one employs widely used assumptions about demand and cost functions, is a decision rule for choosing the optimal price which may be interpreted as the full -cost pricing equation of much recent controversy. The significance of this result lies in the fact that full-cost pricing and profit maximization have often been held to be inconsistent. In addition, this model integrates the pricing decision with the other decisions taken by the firm

The models of economic choice theory: a paradigm for non-economists

The ultimate goal of social science is to explain individual and group behavior within given institutional constraints. In practice this means developing models which effectively describe and predict human behavior. Recent experience has shown a particular approach to modeling individual behavior to be especially useful. The approach in question has been developed by economists and consists of using the analytical structure of utility theory to focus attention on the determinants of individual choice and then analyzing the responsiveness of individual choices to changes in these determinants. The success of model building in this format is evidenced by the fact that a major portion of microeconomic theory is now known as choice theory

Dialoging About English Learners: Preparing Teachers Through Culturally Relevant Literature Circles.

In this paper, I describe how culturally relevant children’s literature allowed teachers and teacher candidates to explore the lived realities of diverse students. Through my qualitative investigation of 23 literature discussions of undergraduate and graduate students across five academic semesters, I found that texts written by culturally and linguistically diverse authors gave participants new ways to articulate ideas and beliefs about English learners. I discovered specific factors that opened or closed opportunities for dialog and learning in literature circles, including implementation of reader response strategies and various participant groupings. Results hold implications for preparing and supporting teachers to recognize and value the rich diversity of English learners in classrooms

Negotiating Language Policy and Practice: Teachers of English Learners in an Arizona Study Group

Arizona language policy now requires English learners to enroll in English language development classrooms for four hours of skill-based, English-only instruction. In this article, I describe Arizona teachers’ interpretation and negotiation of language policy and practice during this time of change to more restrictive mandates. I conducted this qualitative case study with a teacher study group comprised of six English language development teachers and one instructional coach from an urban elementary school during the first semester of language policy implementation. Using discourse analysis of individual interviews, study group dialog, and institutional documentation, I investigated teachers’ talk as they grappled with restrictive policy mandates and effective classroom practice. Findings indicated teachers negotiated the cultural models inherent in the institutional policy in the study group setting. In the contemporary context of restrictive educational policies, implications for stakeholders center on professional and collaborative support for educators

A stochastic model of wildfire ignitions and damages

A model of the production of wildfire ignitions and damages is developed and used to determine wildland activity-regulation decisions which minimize total expected cost-plus-loss due to wildfires. In this context, the implications of various policy decisions are considered. The resulting decision rules take a form which makes it possible for existing wildfire management agencies to readily adopt them upon collection of the required data