150 research outputs found
Rationality and the Foundations of Positive Political Theory
In this paper, we discuss and debunk the four most common critiques of the rational choice research program (which we prefer to call Positive Political Theory) by explaining and advocating its foundations: the rationality assumption, component analysis (abstraction), strategic behavior, and theory building, in turn. We argue that the rationality assumption and component analysis, properly understood, can be seen to underlie all social science, despite the protestations of critics. We then discuss the two ways that PPT most clearly contributes to political science (i.e., what distinguishes it from other research programs), namely the introduction of strategic behavior (people do not just act; they interact) and PPTâs more careful attention to the theory-building step within the scientific method. We explain the roles of theory- building and of empirical âtesting,â respectively, in scientific inquiry, and the criteria by which theories should and should not be judged
As a Matter of Factions: The Budgetary Implications of Shifting Factional Control in Japanâs LDP
For 38 years, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) maintained single-party control over the Japanese government. This lack of partisan turnover in government has frustrated attempts to explain Japanese government policy changes using political variables. In this paper, we look for intraparty changes that may have led to changes in Japanese budgetary policy. Using a simple model of agenda-setting, we hypothesize that changes in which intraparty factions âcontrolâ the LDP affect the partyâs decisions over spending priorities systematically. This runs contrary to the received wisdom in the voluminous literature on LDP factions, which asserts that factions, whatever their raison dâĂȘtre, do not exhibit different policy preferences. We find that strong correlations do exist between which factions comprise the agenda-setting party âmainstreamâ and how the government allocates spending across pork-barrel and public goods items
Chiral Condensate and Short-Time Evolution of QCD(1+1) on the Light-Cone
Chiral condensates in the trivial light-cone vacuum emerge if defined as
short-time limits of fermion propagators. In gauge theories, the necessary
inclusion of a gauge string in combination with the characteristic light-cone
infrared singularities contain the relevant non-perturbative ingredients
responsible for formation of the condensate, as demonstrated for the 't Hooft
model.Comment: 4 pages, Revtex
No First-Order Phase Transition in the Gross-Neveu Model?
Within a variational calculation we investigate the role of baryons for the
structure of dense matter in the Gross-Neveu model. We construct a trial ground
state at finite baryon density which breaks translational invariance. Its
scalar potential interpolates between widely spaced kinks and antikinks at low
density and the value zero at infinite density. Its energy is lower than the
one of the standard Fermi gas at all densities considered. This suggests that
the discrete gamma_5 symmetry of the Gross-Neveu model does not get restored in
a first order phase transition at finite density, at variance with common
wisdom.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, LaTe
Inhomogeneous Condensates in the Thermodynamics of the Chiral NJL_2 model
We analyze the thermodynamical properties, at finite density and nonzero
temperature, of the (1+1)-dimensional chiral Gross-Neveu model (the NJL_2
model), using the exact inhomogeneous (crystalline) condensate solutions to the
gap equation. The continuous chiral symmetry of the model plays a crucial role,
and the thermodynamics leads to a broken phase with a periodic spiral
condensate, the "chiral spiral", as a thermodynamically preferred limit of the
more general "twisted kink crystal" solution of the gap equation. This
situation should be contrasted with the Gross-Neveu model, which has a discrete
chiral symmetry, and for which the phase diagram has a crystalline phase with a
periodic kink crystal. We use a combination of analytic, numerical and
Ginzburg-Landau techniques to study various parts of the phase diagram.Comment: 28 pages, 13 figure
Emergence of Skyrme crystal in Gross-Neveu and 't Hooft models at finite density
We study two-dimensional, large field theoretic models (Gross-Neveu
model, 't Hooft model) at finite baryon density near the chiral limit. The same
mechanism which leads to massless baryons in these models induces a breakdown
of translational invariance at any finite density. In the chiral limit baryonic
matter is characterized by a spatially varying chiral angle with a wave number
depending only on the density. For small bare quark masses a sine-Gordon kink
chain is obtained which may be regarded as simplest realization of the Skyrme
crystal for nuclear matter. Characteristic differences between confining and
non-confining models are pointed out.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures, added reference, corrected sig
Magnetic and Thermodynamic Stability of SU(2) Yang-Mills Theory
SU(2) Yang-Mills theory at finite extension or, equivalently, at finite
temperature is probed by a homogeneous chromomagnetic field. We use a recent
modified axial gauge formulation which has the novel feature of respecting the
center symmetry in perturbation theory. The characteristic properties of the
Z_2-symmetric phase, an extension-dependent mass term and antiperiodic boundary
conditions, provide stabilization against magnetic field formation for
sufficiently small extension or high temperature. In an extension of this
investigation to the deconfined phase with broken center symmetry, the combined
constraints of thermodynamic and magnetic stability are shown to yield many of
the high temperature properties of lattice SU(2) gauge theory.Comment: 27 pages, LATEX, 7 postscript figures, corrected typo
Different paths to the modern state in Europe: the interaction between domestic political economy and interstate competition
Theoretical work on state formation and capacity has focused mostly on early modern Europe and on the experience of western European states during this period. While a number of European states monopolized domestic tax collection and achieved gains in state capacity during the early modern era, for others revenues stagnated or even declined, and these variations motivated alternative hypotheses for determinants of fiscal and state capacity. In this study we test the basic hypotheses in the existing literature making use of the large date set we have compiled for all of the leading states across the continent. We find strong empirical support for two prevailing threads in the literature, arguing respectively that interstate wars and changes in economic structure towards an urbanized economy had positive fiscal impact. Regarding the main point of contention in the theoretical literature, whether it was representative or authoritarian political regimes that facilitated the gains in fiscal capacity, we do not find conclusive evidence that one performed better than the other. Instead, the empirical evidence we have gathered lends supports to the hypothesis that when under pressure of war, the fiscal performance of representative regimes was better in the more urbanized-commercial economies and the fiscal performance of authoritarian regimes was better in rural-agrarian economie
Fish oil administration in older adults: is there potential for adverse events? A systematic review of the literature
ackground: Omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid supplementation is becoming increasingly popular. However given its
antithrombotic properties the potential for severe adverse events (SAE) such as bleeding has safety implications,
particularly in an older adult population. A systematic review of randomized control trials (RCT) was conducted to
explore the potential for SAE and non-severe adverse events (non-SAE) associated with n-3 supplementation in
older adults.
Methods: A comprehensive search strategy using Medline and a variety of other electronic sources was conducted.
Studies investigating the oral administration of n-3 fish oil containing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic
acid (DHA) or both against a placebo were sourced. The primary outcome of interest included reported SAE
associated with n-3 supplementation. Chi-square analyses were conducted on the pooled aggregate of AEs.
Results: Of the 398 citations initially retrieved, a total of 10 studies involving 994 older adults aged â„60 years were
included in the review. Daily fish oil doses ranged from 0.03 g to 1.86 g EPA and/or DHA with study durations
ranging from 6 to 52 weeks. No SAE were reported and there were no significant differences in the total AE rate
between groups (n-3 intervention group: 53/540; 9.8%; placebo group: 28/454; 6.2%; p= 0.07). Non-SAE relating to
gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances were the most commonly reported however there was no significant increase in
the proportion of GI disturbances reported in participants randomized to the n-3 intervention (n-3 intervention
group: 42/540 (7.8%); placebo group: 24/454 (5.3%); p= 0.18).
Conclusions: The potential for AEs appear mild-moderate at worst and are unlikely to be of clinical significance. The
use of n-3 fatty acids and the potential for SAE should however be further researched to investigate whether this
evidence is consistent at higher doses and in other populations. These results also highlight that well-documented data
outlining the potential for SAE following n-3 supplementation are limited nor adequately reported to draw definitive
conclusions concerning the safety associated with n-3 supplementation. A more rigorous and systematic approach for
monitoring and recording AE data in clinical settings that involve n-3 supplementation is required.The authors would like to acknowledge funding
provided for the ongoing ATLANTIC randomized controlled trial supported
by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia
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