Subjective Performance Measures in Optimal Incentive Contracts

Objective measures of performance are seldom perfect. In response, incentive contracts often include important subjective components that mitigate incentive distortions caused by imperfect objective measures. This paper explores the combined use of subjective and objective performance measures in (respectively) implicit and explicit incentive contracts. Naturally, objective and subjective measures often are substitutes, sometimes strikingly so: we show that if objective measures are sufficiently close to perfect then no implicit contracts are feasible (because the firm's fallback position after reneging on an implicit contact is too attractive). We also show, however, that objective and subjective measures can reinforce each other: if objective measures become more accurate then in some circumstances the optimal contract puts more weight on subjective measures (because the improved objective measures increase the value of the ongoing relationship, and so reduce the firm's incentive to renege). We also analyze the use of subjective weights on objective performance measures, and provide case-study evidence consistent with our analyses.

Relative contribution of abundant and rare species to species–energy relationships

A major goal of ecology is to understand spatial variation in species richness. The latter is markedly influenced by energy availability and appears to be influenced more by common species than rare ones; species–energy relationships should thus be stronger for common species. Species–energy relationships may arise because high-energy areas support more individuals, and these larger populations may buffer species from extinction. As extinction risk is a negative decelerating function of population size, this more-individuals hypothesis (MIH) predicts that rare species should respond more strongly to energy. We investigate these opposing predictions using British breeding bird data and find that, contrary to the MIH, common species contribute more to species–energy relationships than rare ones

Disability 'rights' or 'wrongs'? The claims of the international paralympic committee, the London 2012 paralympics and disability rights in the UK

A central aspect of the vision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is that the Paralympic Movement is a vehicle for achieving 'a more equitable society' (IPC 2012a). Building upon the findings of an online survey conducted with disabled activists prior to the London 2012 Paralympic Games (Braye, Dixon and Gibbons 2012), in this short essay we argue that whilst this vision is commendable, the Paralympics has limited impact on the everyday lives of disabled people in the UK. Whilst there was evidence of support for the IPC's view that the 2012 Games would be a positive vehicle for improving equality, there were also protests by disabled activists suggesting some disabled people saw the Games in more critical terms. Despite claims that the Paralympic Games has raised awareness of disabled athletes and wider equality issues for disabled people, such a view is not shared by many disability activists some of whom have controversially used the Games as a vehicle to highlight inequalities. It is concluded that the IPC are distinctively positioned to address disability issues as they relate to a unique and elite sports enclave and perhaps ought to restrain from seeing themselves as anything more until they have opened a dialogue with disability activists.</p

The surveillance of racing cyclists in training: a Bourdieusian perspective

Research into the complexities of social identity construction and maintenance within racing cycling cultures has been neglected in sport sociology and studies of cycling group interactions are lacking. In this paper, preliminary findings from an on-going ethnographic research study on understanding the social world of a group (n= 73) of male racing cyclists aged between 17 and 56 years in the north east of England are discussed using the work of Pierre Bourdieu to interpret and explain what we term ‘lateral participatory social surveillance’ which pervades the subculture of racing cyclists in training. Extracts from field notes and photographs from group training rides are used to reveal how social order is governed via this type of surveillance. Social order occurs through a commitment to the shared values of the training group under study, and through acceptance of initiatory rituals where newcomers are tested through acts of what Bourdieu terms symbolic violence. These preliminary findings suggest that whilst the exclusiveness of this subcultural field provides much of the attraction to established group members, it may also represent a barrier to participation for newcomers and a better understanding may inform debates related to building broader, more inclusive cycling cultures