A Climate Alliance through Transfer: Transfer Design in an Economic Conflict Model

For decades, combating climate change has been a global challenge, which requires jointly coordinated efforts by numerous, international actors. However, it has been shown time and again that agreeing on globally binding agreements without a global government proves difficult. To this end, this paper examines the possibility of a tolerance premium. This means a transfer payment in exchange for accepting and complying with the associated agreement. The provider of this tolerance premium determines the conditions of its payment to set desired incentives. Thus, collective decision making can also be self-enforced without a higher authority. This scenario is studied analytically based on Dixit’s conflict model. The study shows that the optimal tolerance premium depends only on the value of the prize to the transferee and that this can result in a stalling of the conflict. The implications of this model shed light on the design of global climate agreements that are self-enforcing without the need for a global government. For this purpose, the upfront payment of funds and their reimbursement as a tolerance premium serve as an incentive to comply with collectively agreed rules in climate policy

The Effects of Figure Size Feedback (Positive vs. Negative) and Target Comparison Group (Particularistic vs. Universalistic) on Body Image Disturbance

The effect of negative versus positive informational feedback regarding body size on subjects\u27 overall body dissatisfaction was assessed in female college students. The target of the appearance comparison was also manipulated–‐subjects\u27 figure size was in comparison to a universalistic group (average USA citizen) or a particularistic sample (college student peers). The results revealed a main effect for target comparison group, but no influence of information type (positive vs. negative). Specifically, subjects\u27 whose size feedback was in reference to a particularistic group evidenced greater body image anxiety and distress than subjects whose figures were compared to a universalistic target. The findings are discussed in light of social comparison theory (Festinger, L. [1954]. Human Relations, 7, 117–140) and the possible role of feedback, target group, and comparison processes (i.e., upward and downward comparisons)

The outcome of adolescent eating disorders : findings from an international collaborative study

Within the International Collaborative Outcome Study of Eating Disorders in Adolescence (ICOSEDA) we studied the clinical features, treatment, and outcome in consecutive cohorts of adolescent patients at five sites in former West Berlin and East Berlin, Zurich, Sofia and Bucharest. A total of N = 242 patients were followed up after a mean interval of 6.4 years in young adulthood. Using semi-structured interviews it was found that on average the patients were in either inpatient or outpatient treatment for 30% of the entire period between first admission and follow-up. Across the five sites 70% recovered from the eating disorder and a similar rate showed good or fair psychosocial functioning and no other psychiatric disorder. However, the combination of these three criteria showed that at follow-up only every second former patient was a mentally healthy and psychosocially well functioning person. The univariate and joint consideration of a large list of predictors lead to the conclusion that individual prognosis of the course of adolescent eating disorders is a hazardous undertaking