Impure Altruism in Dictators’ Giving

We design an experiment to test whether the behavior of dictators can be rationalized by the impurely altruistic utility function. By giving the recipients an endowment of varying levels, we create an environment that allows for observable differences in behavior depending upon whether pure or impure altruism is the primary motivation. We find that the behavior of 66 percent of the dictators can be rationalized by the impurely altruistic utility function, while only 40 percent of the dictators make choices that are consistent with the purely altruistic utility function.Dictator Game, Impure Altruism, Incomplete Crowding Out

Non-Price Determinants of Automotive Demand: Restyling Matters Most

This paper analyzes market share changes in automobile and light truck submarkets. We find that new product, as measured by restyling, represents the most consistent, dominant determinant of demand. On average a ten percent reduction in relative price would yield only one-tenth the market share impact of a restyling. Alternatively, one would have to double one’s relative advertising expenditures to match the impact of a restyling. Several demand determinants not previously modeled, including rebranding and warranty curtailments, were detrimental to domestic manufacturer market shares. Safety appliance adoptions and changes in vehicle reliability had minimal impact on demand.automobile pricing, warranty, safety appliances, rebranding, reliability

Toxoplasma gondii major surface antigen (SAG1): in vitro analysis of host cell binding

Previous studies have indicated that SAG1, the major surface molecule of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is an important attachment ligand for the host cell. However, the research data that supports this claim comes largely from studies investigating tachyzoite binding, and not SAG1 binding per se. In this study we successfully developed an in vitro attachment assay to directly evaluate the mechanism of SAG1-host cell binding. Competition experiments were then performed using SAG1 that had been pre-treated with the neoglycoprotein BSA-glucosamide or with antibody. Soluble BSA-glucosamide blocked SAG1 attachment to MDBK cells in a dose-dependent manner, implying that SAG1 binding is mediated, in part, via attachment to host cell surface glucosamine. Interestingly, pre-incubation of SAG1 in polyclonal sera from chronically infected mice failed to block binding. This challenges the assumption that anti-SAG1 antibodies block parasite attachment through the masking of SAG1 host cell binding domains. Taken together, this evidence presents new strategies for understanding SAG1-mediated attachment

Beliefs, politics, and environmental policy

Experts and the general public often perceive environmental problems differently. Moreover, regulatory responses to environmental issues often do not coincide with consensus expert recommendations. These two facts are mutually consistent – it is unlikely that regulations based on factual claims that are substantially different from voters’ opinions would be politically feasible. Given that the public’s beliefs constrain policy choices, it is vital to understand how beliefs are formed, whether they will be biased, and how the inevitable heterogeneity in people’s beliefs filters through the political system to affect policy. We review recent theoretical and empirical work on individual inference, social learning, and the supply of information by the media, and identify the potential for biased beliefs to arise. We then examine the interaction between beliefs and politics: can national elections and legislative votes be expected to result in unbiased collective decisions, do heterogeneous beliefs induce strategic political actors to alter their policy choices, and how do experts and lobby groups affect the information available to policy-makers? We conclude by suggesting that the relationship between beliefs and policy choices is a relatively neglected aspect of the theory of environmental regulation, and a fruitful area for further research

Agreeing to disagree on climate policy

Disagreements about the value of the utility discount rate—the rate at which our concern for the welfare of future people declines with their distance from us in time—are at the heart of the debate about the appropriate intensity of climate policy. Seemingly small differences in the discount rate yield very different policy prescriptions, and no consensus “correct” value has been identified. We argue that the choice of discount rate is an ethical primitive: there are many different legitimate opinions as to its value, and none should receive a privileged place in economic analysis of climate policy. Rather, we advocate a social choice-based approach in which a diverse set of individual discount rates is aggregated into a “representative” rate. We show that performing this aggregation efficiently leads to a time-dependent discount rate that declines monotonically to the lowest rate in the population. We apply this discounting scheme to calculations of the social cost of carbon recently performed by the US government and show that it provides an attractive compromise between competing ethical positions, and thus provides a possible resolution to the ethical impasse in climate change economics

Analysis of other transaction agreements to acquire innovative renewable energy solutions for the Department of the Navy

MBA Professional ReportThe purpose of this project is to use a case-study approach to analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of other transaction (OT) agreements and the OT Consortium Model to acquire innovative renewable energy solutions. OTs are typically used for prototypes; however, the fiscal year (FY) 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) expands the use of OT authority per statute 10 U.S.C. § 2371. Our research includes interviews with Defense Innovative Unit–Experimental personnel to highlight their experience with innovative businesses previously reluctant to pursue federal contracts. Additionally, our research leverages best practices from the Army Contracting Command–New Jersey, as well as industry partners, such as the Consortium for Energy, Environment, and Demilitarization and the National Security Technology Accelerator consortium, to compile recommendations for the Department of the Navy's acquisition strategy for renewable energy. The results of this case study include recommendations on the best use of OT agreements to drive innovation into the procurement of renewable energy solutions in accordance with Better Buying Power 3.0 initiatives.http://archive.org/details/analysisofothert1094551627Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Model confirmation in climate economics

Benefit–cost integrated assessment models (BC-IAMs) inform climate policy debates by quantifying the trade-offs between alternative greenhouse gas abatement options. They achieve this by coupling simplified models of the climate system to models of the global economy and the costs and benefits of climate policy. Although these models have provided valuable qualitative insights into the sensitivity of policy trade-offs to different ethical and empirical assumptions, they are increasingly being used to inform the selection of policies in the real world. To the extent that BC-IAMs are used as inputs to policy selection, our confidence in their quantitative outputs must depend on the empirical validity of their modeling assumptions. We have a degree of confidence in climate models both because they have been tested on historical data in hindcasting experiments and because the physical principles they are based on have been empirically confirmed in closely related applications. By contrast, the economic components of BC-IAMs often rely on untestable scenarios, or on structural models that are comparatively untested on relevant time scales. Where possible, an approach to model confirmation similar to that used in climate science could help to build confidence in the economic components of BC-IAMs, or focus attention on which components might need refinement for policy applications. We illustrate the potential benefits of model confirmation exercises by performing a long-run hindcasting experiment with one of the leading BC-IAMs. We show that its model of long-run economic growth—one of its most important economic components—had questionable predictive power over the 20th century

Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe: Challenges and Opportunities

More than two decades have passed since nonprofit and third-sector researchers "discovered" Central and Eastern Europe as an area of scholarly interest. After the collapse of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the fall of the Iron Curtain, scholars noted the emergence of new civil society actors and were curious to understand the role these actors would play in their societies. Since that time, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has experienced intensive periods of transformation, conflict and renewal. This study is guided by the intention to develop a better understanding of the current state of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe, the diverse pathways of its development, and its possible future trajectories