Rational Choice Theory Research Papers (original) (raw)

Some of Law and Economics’ basic claims have come to be criticized as a result of empirical findings that question their viability. Particularly, the premise that agents consistently act rationally and with their self-interest in mind seems problematic. What the consequences of the criticism mean for Law and Economics’ tenability depends largely on the questions whether (1) some elements are unassailable to the alternative’s objections and (2) the alternative is a systematic whole. It is argued that Law and Economics may be salvaged, if it is minimized and its ambitions are tempered. This means focusing on the stable, a priori, elements inherent to it.

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- Economic History, Psychology, Applied Psychology, Behavioural Science

The massacre of almost 50 Maidan protesters on February 20, 2014 was a turning point in Ukrainian politics and a tipping point in the conflict between the West and Russia over Ukraine. This mass killing of the protesters and the mass shooting of the police that preceded it led to the overthrow of the pro-Russian government of Viktor Yanukovych and gave a start to a civil war in Donbas in Eastern Ukraine, Russian military intervention in Crimea and Donbas, and an international conflict between the West and Russia over Ukraine. A conclusion promoted by the post-Yanukovych governments and the media in Ukraine that the massacre was perpetrated by government snipers and special police units on a Yanukovych order has been nearly universally accepted by the Western governments, the media, and many scholars. The Ukrainian government investigation identified members of the special company of Berkut as responsible for killings of the absolute majority of the protesters, but did not release any evidence in support, with the exception of videos of the massacre.
The question is which side organized the “snipers’ massacre.” This paper is the first academic study of this crucial case of the mass killing. It uses a theory of rational choice and a Weberian theory of instrumental rationality to examine actions of major actors both from the Yanukovych government, specifically various police and security forces, and the Maidan opposition, specifically its far right and oligarchic elements, during the massacre.
The paper analyzes a large amount of evidence from different publicly available sources concerning this massacre and killings of specifics protesters. Qualitative content analysis includes the following data: about 1,500 videos and recordings of live internet and TV broadcasts from mass media and social media in different countries(some 150 gigabytes), news reports and social media posts by more than 100 journalists covering the massacre from Kyiv, some 5,000 photos, and nearly 30 gigabytes of publicly available radio intercepts of snipers and commanders from the special Alfa unit of the Security Service of Ukraine and Internal Troops, and Maidan massacre trial recordings. This study also employs field research on site of the massacre, eyewitness reports by both Maidan protesters and government special units commanders, statements by both former and current government officials, estimates of approximate ballistic trajectories, bullets and weapons used, and types of wounds among both protesters and the police. This study establishes a precise timeline for various events of the massacre, the locations of both the shooters and the government snipers, and the specific timeline and locations of nearly 50 protesters’ deaths. It also briefly analyzes other major cases of violence during and after the “Euromaidan.” This study includes two video appendixes.
This academic investigation concludes that the massacre was a false flag operation, which was rationally planned and carried out with a goal of the overthrow of the government and seizure of power. It found various evidence of the involvement of an alliance of the far right organizations, specifically the Right Sector and Svoboda, and oligarchic parties, such as Fatherland. Concealed shooters and spotters were located in at least 20 Maidan-controlled buildings or areas. The various evidence that the protesters were killed from these locations include some 70 testimonies, primarily by Maidan protesters, several videos of “snipers” targeting protesters from these buildings, comparisons of positions of the specific protesters at the time of their killing and their entry wounds, and bullet impact signs. The study uncovered various videos and photos of armed Maidan “snipers” and spotters in many of these buildings. The paper presents implications of these findings for understanding the nature of the change of the government in Ukraine, the civil war in Donbas, Russian military intervention in Crimea and Donbas, and an international conflict between the West and Russia over Ukraine.

- by Ivan Katchanovski
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- Sociology, Criminology, Political Sociology, Eastern European Studies

The Rational Choice Theory describes criminal behaviour as a form of means-end decision-making. In contrast, it is often argued that criminal behaviour involves subjective, personal biological and psychological aspects. This paper contributes an agent-based modelling approach for criminal behaviour integrating such subjective aspects with decision-making based on means-end analysis, and illustrates this for street robbery. The agent model developed is a combination of a BDI-model and a utility-based decision model in the context of such desires and beliefs. The resulting approach incorporates subjective, context-sensitive means-end analysis, where the context covers biological and psychological aspects as mentioned.

- by Jan Treur
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- Psychology, Rational Choice Theory

This article presents an analysis of the plight of Bihar, India's poorest state, based on Rawlsian microfoundations as contrasted with those underlying neoclassical economics and rational choice theory. While these two disciplines conceive of the individual as a rationally self-interested utility-maximizing agent, Rawls credits the individual with a reasonable as well as a rational capacity. A Rawlsian analysis, therefore, identifies and explains the principles upon which political action in Bihar has been based. Rather than focus on the failure to establish conditions for competitive markets or the maximizing strategies of political actors, this article identifies conflicts between democratic principles of equality and hierarchical principles of caste as central causes for Bihar's stark conditions. Bihar ... has become a byword for the worst of India: of widespread and inescapable poverty; of corrupt politicians indistinguishable from the mafia dons they patronize; of a caste-ridden social order that has retained the worst feudal cruelties; of terrorist attacks by groups of "Naxalite" Maoists; of chronic misrule that has allowed infrastructure to crumble, the education and health systems to collapse, and law and order to evaporate (Long, 2004: 17-18). The Idea of the "Person" and the Role of Political Analysis A lthough Bihar possesses excellent agricultural lands and a large part of India s mineral wealth, it is India's poorest and least-developed state? On the basis of India's ungenerous poverty line, 2 over half Bihar's 100 million people live in poverty.

- by Paul Clements
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- Economics, Rational Choice Theory

Religious life is studied by way suggested by the rational choice theory and the religious capital theory. The basic contentions of the theory on the nature of religious life having to do with an exchange upon a religious market, by firms offering compensators and rewards, and consumers, is considered. In the empirical analysis, it was validated that the independent (religious capital) and dependent (religious rewards of two types) were empirically separate constructs. Cross-sectional analysis of survey data indicated a very strong association between religious capital and institutional and ritual experience rewards within religious life, at a cross-cultural analysis, including Bosnian Muslims, Serbian Orthodox, Slovenian Catholics and US Protestants. The association was confirmed as robust at regression inspection with religious socialization. This extends further support for the empirical validity these novel theories of religious life and extensions of economic analysis into reli...

- by Sergej Flere
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- Economics, Rational Choice, Rational Choice Theory, Economic analysis

Microeconomics studies group behaviour by using the unitary model. However, there is growing evidence that there can be significant differences between choices made by single individuals and those made by the same individuals when choosing collectively. This study investigates the differences between individual and joint decision-making in the context of residential location choice. It is widely recognized that household location choices involve several members of a household with heterogeneous preferences and influence power. Nonetheless little is known about group decision-making processes in practice. In particular, there is only scant evidence on how preferences differ among family members and to what extent individual preferences can be aggregated to achieve an approximation of joint choices. The study evaluates whether there are differences in single members' preferences. Furthermore, relative power is inferred by measuring similarity between ex ante single preferences and ex post joint choice outcomes. We also quantify the implicit bias generated by relying on the unitary household approach. These issues are tested by employing a two-stage conjoint choice experiment administered to a sample of 53 Italian families. This work proposes a novel extension of the commonly used dyadic interaction approach to consider the role of adolescents in household decision-making.

- by Lucia Rotaris
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- Urban Geography, Urban Planning, Household Studies, Urban Studies

This contribution to a conference on the "heritage" of Marxist legal theory in Hungary
(1) briefly summarises the views of Hungarian Marxists on law as the "superstructure" over an economics "base" and
(2) the debates on the systemic and doctrinal role of "economic law" in the legal system
(3) argues that Marxist legal theory and Law and Economics, while both aim at "demystifying" law, fundamentally differ in terms of both method and substance
(4) recounts how in the 1980s Analytical Marxists who shared the commitment of Law and Economics to rational choice theory, (in Jon Elster's words) "engaged in a form of intellectual autophagy", criticising central tenets of Marxism "so intensely that at the end very little was left."

- by Péter Cserne
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- Marxism, Marxist Economics, Legal Theory, Law and Economics

There seems to be critics who think that game theory can provide very little insights in doing empirical social scientific research or normative political theory/political philosophy. This is because these people tend to think that game theory is committed to some highly contestable theory of human psychology; namely, that human beings either are or should be primarily motivated by their own exclusive self-interest. From this, critics tend to think that game theory is defective both as a normative theory of action as well as a descriptive theory of action. After explaining the basics of game theory, I will try to show that such criticisms are mostly based on a general misunderstanding of game theory. In the end, I will argue that game theory is simply a mathematical tool that could be used to model any strategic interaction for many different purposes, and is not committed to any substantial theories of human nature.

- by Hun Chung
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- Game Theory, Rational Choice, Philosophy of Social Science, Rational Choice Theory

Gatekeepers Inside Out challenges the conventional wisdom that in-house counsel are simply "too captured" by their senior managers in their corporations to serve as effective gatekeepers of our securities markets. The author revises classical gatekeeping theory introduced by Prof. Reinier Kraakman in his seminal article (Gatekeepers: Anatomy of a Third Party Enforcement Strategy, 2 J.L. Econ. & Org. 53 (1986)). In that article, Kraakman clarified that a gatekeeping strategy requires gatekeepers "who can and will prevent misconduct reliably, regardless of the preferences and market alternatives of wrongdoers." Although Kraakman did not make much of the distinction, he recognized that successful gatekeepers must not only be "willing" but also "able" to prevent misconduct. Now, consider also that gatekeepers must not only be prepared to "interdict" misconduct but also to "monitor" to detect such happenings in the first place. By combining these two simple observations, we see that potential gatekeepers can be evaluated by their: (1) willingness to interdict, (2) willingness to monitor, (3) capacity to monitor, and (4) capacity to interdict. Using this new framework of analysis, the author compares inside and outside counsel for the gatekeeping role. Along the way, the author departs from traditional gatekeeping theory's exclusive reliance on rational choice theory and imports empirical findings from social psychology and sociology that illuminate the four conditions of effective gatekeeping. By running inside and outside counsel through this rigorous mill of analysis, the author comes to unexpected conclusions. The analytical framework set forth by the author can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of other traditional gatekeepers, including investment bankers, securities analysts, accountants, and, yes, even credit agencies.

- by Sung Hui Kim
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- Social Psychology, Legal Profession, Social Cognition, Law and Economics

Guided by economic rational choice theory and the behavioral-coping literature, the present study examined contrasting perspectives of the role of job-search locus of control (JSLOC) and perceived financial need in predicting job-search intensity. Data were collected in two independent studies in the Netherlands and in the United States, both using a two-wave longitudinal design. Results from both studies suggested that job seekers with external JSLOC and high perceived financial need engaged in more intense search behavior to compensate for anticipated difficulties in finding employment. Findings suggested that stress may mediate this relation, and may play a positive role in the job-search process.

- by Craig Crossley and +1
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- Psychology, Rational Choice Theory, Business and Management, Locus of Control

Notions of human agency are a prominent part of some but not all criminological theories. For example, McCarthy (Annu Rev Sociol 28:417–442, 2002) argues that rational choice theory, which allows persons great involvement in decision making, is more congenial with notions of human agency than others. It would appear from his argument that rational choice theory offers fertile ground to develop a clearly defined role for human agency in criminal behavior. In this paper we have taken up McCarthy’s view and argue that an important part of what is human agency consists of thoughtfully reflective decision making. We outline four elements of thoughtfully reflective decision making, and claim that it is a characteristic that varies both across persons and within persons over time. It is in short the process by which good decisions are made because by using this process one increases the likelihood that choices made will be consistent with preferences. We develop a clear operational definition of thoughtfully reflective decision making and link it to the concept of human agency. We also articulate testable hypotheses about the short-term and longer-term implications of thoughtfully reflective decision making. We conclude with a discussion of what we think lies ahead for future conceptual and empirical work.

- by Ray Paternoster
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- Criminology, Decision Making, Rational Choice, Rational Choice Theory

A critical review of the rational approach to policy-making' This essay will critically review the approach of Rational Choice Theory when applied to Public Policy. First it will analyse the main tenets proposed by this approach to policy analysis such as the focus on the individual as a rational decision maker and profit maximiser with complete access to information and resources. As an abstract framework analysis of human behaviour, it observes simple assumptions. By using scientific methodology, the theory is able to provide testable hypothesis. This bestows the theory a predictive leverage, which has made it highly attractive for policy makers and policy analysis. Then the essay will present Lindblom's (1959) challenge to the framework, which he considered too unrealistic. He argues, that in the real world of policy making, decision makers do not possess the resources to follow this route. Moreover, practical knowledge is superior to theoretical approaches, something which policy makers should not be concerned with. Then, the essay will review the position of Herbert Simon (1955). For Simon, humans are economic as well as administrative. The essay will show that Simon and Lindblom agree that political agents do not have total access to information but also that they disagree on the causes. Simon argues that there are many factors that influence decision makers that RCT does not consider. After presenting these two different perspectives on rational choice theory and how it should be interpreted, the essay will analyse some characteristics of RCT, starting from its emphasis of capitalism applied to policy making and then moving on to analyse how the knowledge supporting RCT is elaborated. The essay will conclude arguing that competition and maximising profit are not the optimal conditions to base ones policy making upon.

- by Victor Barraso Ibañez
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- Rational Choice Theory, Policy making, Public Policy

The "tragedy of the commons", as part of the mainstream economic theory, assumes that the selfish and rational human nature will lead to the depletion of essential resources (such as water, air, subsistence items, etc.) in the absence of well-defined property rights, formal, top-down management institutions, rules of access and exploitation. Nevertheless, evolutionary theory advances a new model of individual behaviour, based on altruism and cooperation that could lay the foundation of new types of institutions for managing the commons for the long-term benefit of the group or society. Reviewing the relevant literature that identifies instances of cooperation and successful management of the commons, the paper brings into light the essential conditions necessary for a responsible exploitation of a common resource. Introduction The well-known idea of the "tragedy of the commons"-meaning that in the absence of certain characteristics (such as clear property rights, solid management institutions, well-defined access and exploitation rules, etc.), a common-pool resource will be certainly placed in the middle of the confrontation between the self-interest of individuals and the collective interest of the community, eventually being depleted due to the tendency of any individual to overexploit it-is part of the mainstream economic theory. The tragedy is even greater if we take into account that most of the so-called "commons" are essential resources (such as water, air, subsistence items, etc.) that pertain to the survival of any individual, directly linked to the sustainability of a community. Nevertheless, the human species has succeeded in managing such common resources for millennia, ensuring its survival by proving a high degree of ultra-sociality and ultra-cooperation. The current paper is a theoretical research aimed at identifying successful instances of cooperation in overcoming the inexorable tragedy of the commons, describing the essential conditions necessary for a responsible exploitation of a common resource, and ultimately finding a new model to lie at the basis of the economic theory. The theme of the research is of great importance, given the fact that the sustainability of a community depends on an accountable use of the common resources, which is to be achieved by promoting a new model of individual, different from homo oeconomicus, driven by cooperation and concern for the common good. The paper will investigate the link between sustainability and the alleged self-centred human nature in order to ascertain whether the "tragedy of the commons" is inevitable when dealing with any common resource or whether such a tragedy is only generated by the promotion of a wrong model of economic man and institutions. Although theoretical, the research draws upon a large body of empirical research presented in the literature dealing with the management of the commons.

How are rules enforced in the absence of an organization with coercive powers? I examine the role of informal institutions in supporting self-enforcement of rules through ethnographic research on a popular form of community-based gambling in the Philippines. In ending, a reputation-based mechanism shapes exchange relations between bettors and bet-takers, and among members of a local community. Social norms about sharing one's winnings (balato) provide community members with an interest in the outcome of these exchange relations, thereby strengthening the ability of bettors to acquire information about the reputation of various bet-takers. In consequence, bet-takers exert efforts to safeguard their reputation, and comply with informal rules about the immediate and complete delivery of winnings. The findings suggest that when communities are small enough so that members are able to observe each other, but not too small so that no individual possesses all the relevant information, then social norms that generate effective transmission of reputational information provide sufficient institutional support for self-governance.

- by Antonio Jr Pedro
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- Game Theory, Political Economy, Rational Choice Theory, Institutions

North begins his book by stating that "institutions are the rules of the game in a society or, more formally, are the humanly devised constraints that shape human interaction."(3) That being said North then proposes to examine... more

- by Ruth Rodrigues
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- Economic History, Sociology, Psychology, Economics

Answer: Seems plausible so long as we rule out externalities (external effects of C on A and B; similarly, external effects of x on A). b. Provide an example of a preference relation that (i) Satisfies the two properties. (ii) Satisfies... more

Although rational choice theory has made considerable advances in other social sciences, its progress in sociology has been limited. Some sociologists' reservations about rational choice arise from a misunderstanding of the theory. The first part of this essay therefore introduces rational choice as a general theoretical perspective, or family of theories, which explains social outcomes by constructing models of individual action and social context. "Thin" models of individual action are mute about actors' motivations, while "thick" models specify them ex ante. Other sociologists' reservations, however, stem from doubts about the empirical adequacy of rational choice explanations. To this end, the bulk of the essay reviews a sample of recent studies that provide empirical support for particular rational choice explanations in a broad spectrum of substantive areas in sociology. Particular attention is paid to studies on the family, gender, and religion, for these subareas often are considered least amenable to understanding in terms of rational choice logic.

- by Michael Hechter
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- Marketing, Sociology, Rational Choice, Rational Choice Theory

This paper investigates the managerial interpretation of the terms "error of judgement" and "white-collar crime" in relation to the evasion or negligence observed in administering occupational health and safety (OHS) provisions in the apparel manufacturing sector of Bangladesh. The research is qualitative in nature and follows an interpretivist paradigm. The questionnaire responses were collected from 20 mid-and top-level managers from 10 large apparel manufacturing factories located on the outskirts of Dhaka. The research reveals that all of the respondents have adequate knowledge about the relevant OHS provisions and safety protocols imposed on them by the local government and the global supply chain. They believe that the correct administration of the OHS provisions will reduce workplace accidents effectively. The research unfolds that the respondents interpret in different ways the terms "error of judgement" and "white-collar crime" in association with OHS negligence and evasion. Although empirical evidence shows that this type of negligence and evasion are considered as white-collar crime and punishable, most of the respondents in this research do not subscribe to this notion and alternatively believe that it is an "error of judgement" and therefore non-punishable.

- by Faisol Chowdhury
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- Engineering, Deterrence, Occupational Health & Safety, Rational Choice

In this paper, I review the literature on rational choice theory to examine a set of philosophical issues that have dominated foundational debates about it for a long time. In particular, the paper scrutinizes a number of criticisms that philosophers have voiced against its usefulness as an empirical theory in economics. The paper has three goals: First, I argue that the debates about rational choice theory have been characterized by disunity and confusion about the object under scrutiny, which calls into question the effectiveness of those criticisms. Second, I argue that rational choice theory is not a single and unified choice theory – let alone an empirical theory of human behavior – as many lines of criticism seem to suppose. Rather, there are several variants of rational choice theory that are used in economics. Third, I propose that we think of rational choice theory as a set of distinct research strategies to appreciate its diversity. Those strategies share some basic conceptual and methodological commitments. However, they are distinct in how they are specified further when applied for particular purposes. My analysis implies that the effectiveness of any appraisal depends on the particular variant of rational choice theory being appraised.

- by Carl L Bankston
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- Religion, History, Ancient History, Social Theory

Bu tezde, James D. Fearon'ın çalışması olan "Rationalist Explanations of War" yani "Savaşın Akılcı Açıklamaları" ışığında Kıbrıs Barış Harekâtı ve 1965-74 süreci incelenmiş ve Fearon'ın önemini vurguladığı egemenlik ve konu bölünmezliği kavramlarının yardımı ile Kıbrıs'taki durum açıklanmıştır. Milliyet Gazete Arşivi'nden 1965-1974 yılları arasında içinde Kıbrıs anahtar kelimesi geçen siyasi haberler, Fearon'ın konu bölünmezliği kavramı içerisinde analiz edilmiştir. Bunlara ek olarak kısaca Kıbrıs Tarihi'nden, Kıbrıs Rum ve Türkleri arasındaki anlaşmazlıklardan bahsedilmiştir. Milliyet gazete arşivinden faydalanılarak söz konusu yıllar arasında Kıbrıs'ta olan olaylar anlatılmış ve tablo yardımıyla analiz edilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, James D. Fearon'ın Savaşın Akılcı Açıklamaları eseri ışığında 1974 Kıbrıs Barış Harekâtı'nı ve harekâta giden on yıllık süreci analiz etmektir.

- by Yagmur Yetimoglu
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- Cyprus Studies, Rational Choice Theory, EOKA, Kıbrıs Sorunu

In the instance of an individual committing suicide, the display of their actions carry the claim into realization that “dying is better than living”. The investigation of this concept is subject to analytical inquiry since it assists us in understanding the various rationalizations that develop from one making this conceptual leap. Three important cases exist in aiding the investigation of how suicide might be rational. The first includes Michael Gill’s article titled “Is the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide Compatible with Good End-of-Life Care?” where an end-of-life case of a terminally ill patient requesting physician–assisted suicide is examined. In addition, Avital Pilpel’s/Lawrence Amsel’s article “What is Wrong with Rational Suicide” investigates a case of a woman whose life has passed its peak and decides on committing suicide after reading multiple existential literature. Another important collaborative piece includes Henri Wijsbek’s “’To Thine Own Self be True’: On the Loss of Integrity as a Kind of Suffering”, where the case pertaining to the tragic life of Mrs. Boomsma and her commitment to suicide is studied. Each work contribute to providing a possible rational response to the desire of killing oneself by including three individual, yet hypothetical and actual, situations along with personal analyses. However, not every case proofs itself rational and requires reexamination in order to disclose which holds the circumstances that suggests “dying is better than living”. For the purposes of clarity, this essay will first aim at briefly introducing each individual case followed by examining how each particular situation holds or departs from the rational claim that dying is better than living.

- by Fernando Ardila
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- Suicide, Rational Choice Theory, Philosophy of Death, Physician-Assisted Suicide
- by R. Burnett and +1
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- Criminology, Rational Choice, Rational Choice Theory, Qualitative Data

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- by Cláudio Azevedo Peixoto Júnior
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- Economic History, Sociology, Psychology, Economics

Taking rational choice theory for granted, cooperation in social dilemmas may be seen as mysterious. In one-shot dilemmas where subjects unknown to one another interact and make their decisions anonymously, cooperation could even be regarded as lunacy. Several authors have challenged this view, though. Research has also identiWed various factors that imply why people cooperate or defect in social dilemmas and what motivations that might guide the decision in one way or the other. Here, a closer look will be taken at social norms as a reason for departure from rational choice, a factor that rarely has been recognised in the social dilemma literature. Social norms imply that people should manifest a prescribed behaviour or not manifest a proscribed behaviour. Furthermore, social norms are often guiding behaviour in speciWc contexts, and many times they need to be activated. Such an activation process is often unconscious and once a norm has been activated, people tend to keep following the norm that has been primed. We wish to add to the social dilemma literature by suggesting what kinds of norms that are likely to be activated under diVerent conditions such as oneshot vs. iterated dilemmas, but also separate domains of social life.

- by John Thøgersen
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- Behavior, Rational Choice, Economic Psychology, Social Norms

This article explores parallels between the debate prompted by Pareto's reformulation of choice theory at the beginning of the twentieth century and current controversies about the status of behavioural economics. Before Pareto's reformulation, neoclassical economics was based on theoretical and experimental psychology, as behavioural economics now is. Current Ôdiscovered prefer-enceÕ defences of rational-choice theory echo arguments made by Pareto. Both treat economics as a separate science of rational choice, independent of psychology. Both confront two fundamental problems: to find a defensible definition of the domain of economics, and to justify the assumption that preferences are consistent and stable.

- by Robert Sugden
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- Economics, Rational Choice, Rational Choice Theory, Economic

We prove the existence of an expected utility function for preferences over probabilistic prospects satisfying Strict Monotonicity, Indifference, the Common Ration Property, Substitution and Reducibility of Extreme Prospects. The example in Rubinstein (1988) that is inconsistent with the existence of a von Neumann-Morgenstern for preferences over probabilistic prospects, violates the Common Ratio Property. Subsequently, we prove the existence of expected utility functions with piecewise linear Bernoulli utility functions for preferences that are piece-wise linear. For this case a weaker version of the Indifference Assumption that is used in the earlier existence theorems is sufficient. We also state analogous results for probabilistic lotteries. We do not require any compound prospects or mixture spaces to prove any of our results. In the second last section of this paper, we “argue” that the observations related to Allais paradox, do not constitute a violation of expected utility maximization by individuals, but is a likely manifestation of individuals assigning (experiment or menu-dependent?) subjective probabilities to events which disagree with their objective probabilities.

- by Somdeb Lahiri
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- Microeconomics, Managerial Economics, Decision Making, Microeconomic Theory

An examination of Environmental Criminology, and its connection to juvenile criminality. Along with a full overview of Environmental Criminology and its subtheories, Routine Activities Theory, Rational Choice Theory, and Crime Pattern Analysis, is a specific breakdown of some of the prevalent issues among today's at-risk youth. These issues can be studied and addressed using the Environmental theories, both to explain how it threads into criminal behavior, and how to effectively work to prevent delinquency.

- by Jessica Turner
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- Criminology, Juvenile Justice, Juvenile Delinquency, Crime Prevention

Rational-Choice Institutionalist dengan Paradigma Liberalisme Ini adalah review kritis atas salah satu artikel Mark A. Pollack yang dimuat dalam Journal of Common Market Studies Vol. 39 No. 2 pp. 221-244 pada Juni 2001 dengan judul "International Relations Theory and European Integration". Proses Integrasi yang mulai dikenal sekitar tahun 1980-1990an, misalnya pada usaha nyata pengintegrasian negara-negara di Benua Eropa, membuka cakrawala analisis Ilmu Hubungan Internasional jadi lebih produktif dengan semakin maraknya dialog akademik inter-perspektif. Pollack berargumen bahwa pendekatan realis, liberalis, dan institusionalis menunjukkan adanya konvergensi pada lingkup model rasionalitas, dengan adanya konstruktivis sebagai rival utama yang bertahan, hanya saja kurang berkembang. Pollack menguji debat terkini diantara teori tersebut mengenai proses integrasi dimana Uni Eropa selaku organisasi internasional yang dimaksud. Terdapat beberapa konsep yang ambigu, juga pemetaan yang kurang jelas dalam artikel Pollack, sehingga cukup berpengaruh pada pemaknaan pesan yang menjadi tujuan pentulisan. Tulisan ini akan mengajak pembaca menganalisis sistematika dan metodologi penulisan Pollack, kemudian memetakannya kembali dan menyandingkannya pada asumsi dasar pemikiran Hubungan Internasional. Akhirnya, sampai pada simpulan pengklasifikasian konsep Rational-Choice Institutionalist Pollack pada Liberalisme, salah satu Grand Paradigm dalam Ilmu Hubungan Internasional.

Attraverso un esperimento svolto nel 2011, riprendendo la teoria di Turner sui fenomeni liminoidi in relazione ai drammi sociali, sono andata alla ricerca del dramma sociale rappresentato attraverso le performance di improvvisazione in danza. L’esperimento ha quindi coinvolto 6 performer in un workshop dando vita a un ciclo di 12 performance all’aperto nel centro storico di Firenze, durante le quali è stato intervistato il pubblico di passaggio sulle impressioni e parole chiave che le performance suscitavano in loro. Dalla ricorrenza di alcuni termini è stato evidente il collegamento con il concetto postmoderno di libertà. Secondo Bauman viviamo in una società in cui è stato guadagnato in libertà individuale perdendo però quella sicurezza che teneva insieme la società moderna.
Nel mondo postmoderno vige la frammentazione e la mancanza di un quadro, sembrano mancare gli strumenti concettuali per esaminare la situazione in modo coerente e integrato. La vita individuale è concepita più che altro come un opera o come un’impresa, come qualcosa che va sviluppata, perfezionata e rielaborata fino a raggiungere il massimo potenziale. Al giorno d’oggi sembra che anche semplici scelte, come quale detersivo comprare, ci mettano di fronte a una crescente incapacità di scegliere. Nel gioco di specchi dell’improvvisazione come fenomeno liminoide possiamo quindi vedere chiaramente quali sono i nessi tra questa pratica performativa e la società postmoderna: il performer, improvvisando, si definisce nel presente della performance, compiendo le sue scelte passo dopo passo sulla scena. Si pone in una situazione di “precarietà creativa”, di “crisi volontaria”, come se avesse riprodotto una “scenografia postmoderna”.
Sembra che l’arte abbia proposto uno spazio protetto in cui potersi liberare
dall’ansia della scelta, in cui le parole chiave sono accettazione, ascolto e
mancanza di giudizio. Sembra inoltre aver riportato l’attenzione su un nodo
cruciale: la scelta non è quasi mai razionale, è intuitiva e sociale.

Corrupt exchanges are often brokered by a third party, but this phenomenon has not been satisfactorily explored by researchers of corruption. Literature on brokerage in general provides interesting models but they have not previously been applied to corrupt exchanges. Based on in-depth qualitative interviews with respondents who participated in actual corrupt transactions, this paper identifies several distinct brokerage types in low-level corruption in contemporary Hungary. The paper also provides explanation of variation in corruption brokerage in terms of actors' group affiliations, forms of the corrupt exchanges, brokerage mechanisms, as well as neutrality, benefit and motivation, risk distribution, and stability of the brokerage structure. Finally, we discuss some policy implications of corruption brokerage.

Declaration None of the material contained in this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree in the University of Durham or any other university. None of the material contained in this thesis is based on joint research. The content of this thesis consists of the author's original individual contribution with appropriate recognition of any references being indicated throughout. iv Copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. v Dedication To my honourable teacher, supervisor Mehmet Asutay, my dear parents Durdu and Çetin Özkan, my brother Durmuş Özkan, my beloved wife Esra and cute daughter Gülbahar and son Tahir İbrahim. They are the sculptures of this author. Whatever I have well in me, either directly or indirectly, is because of them and, if the rest means something, the rest belongs to me alone. vi Acknowledgements My supervisor, Mehmet Asutay's adorable help is beyond all the praise. I applaud him from the faces of these pages. I learned many things from him but his personality is the most important and undoubtedly the hardest thing I could learn and imitate. Nevertheless, I could have not gotten the opportunity of meeting him in the first place… This has been possible by the Turkish Government. This project received funding from the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Turkey and without their support even the imagination of it was not possible for the author with his financial circumstances. My colleagues Kutluer Karademir and Haluk B. Gulec's help also deserves praise as well as other colleagues who put up with the absence of my soul in the workplace. I owe a great deal to their invaluable and continuous support. My father, my mother and my brother they will have a big relief after this study completely finishes. Thank you for your never-failing-support. My beloved wife, Esra, without her encouragement, patience and smiles, this thesis would not be possible. Gulbahar and Tahir, when you come to the age of understanding these sentences you should know that my love for you was part of my patience. I wish you all; the happiest life ever lived in the universe.

- by Kadir Ozkan
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- Criminology, Political Science, Theory, Complex Systems

Our lives are filled with aesthetic choices, that is, choices of objects for aesthetic experience. Choice is crucial to having a fulfilling aesthetic life. Our immediate satisfaction and long term flourishing require the ability to generate rewarding aesthetic opportunities. A good aesthetic life is one of good aesthetic choices. Given the centrality of choice to a good aesthetic life, aesthetic theory is in need of an account of choice. However, aesthetic choice has gone unexamined. This paper considers how choice helps to make us who we are as aesthetic persons. I situate aesthetic choice within debates in contemporary choice theory. The paper also examines whether the recommenders on websites like Amazon or Netflix pose a risk to our aesthetic flourishing. Aesthetic choice is mostly constructive and conditional, in other words, ad hoc and easily influenced. Aesthetic choices tend to be small choices, with low stakes and relaxed deliberation. The effect of our choices is cumulative, and the import of individual choices is best judged by seeing them in the context of other choices. We can best evaluate choices by seeing them in terms of the plans to which they belong

- by Kevin Melchionne
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- Aesthetics, Art Theory, Recommender Systems, Cultural Theory
- by Emma Tieffenbach
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- Environmental Sustainability, Rational Choice Theory, Emotions, Nudges

This study seeks to determine the significant factors affecting voting preferences of Cebuano's in the South District of Cebu City during the 2013 Midterm Election. The scope of the study is limited to the selected Barangays of Cebu City South District. The random survey method is used in gathering the data needed in studying the voting preferences of Cebu City South District. The data collected from the survey are treated using STATA software. In analyzing the data, the Rational Choice of Anthony Downs has been discussed elaborately, and through the analysis, it explains the reasons for voters voting for a certain mayoral and vice mayoral candidate and it shows that the respondents are rational and consistent in choosing their candidates. The significance of the study is to determine the various reasons how Cebuano voters choose their candidates.

Sttreszczenie. Celem artykułu jest syntetyczna prezentacja wkładu teorii gier w badania nad pojęciem racjonalności. Punktem wyjścia rozważań jest wyróżnienie czterech funkcji teorii gier: normatywnej, eksplanacyjno-predykcyjnej, etycznej i klasyfikującej. Wkład teorii gier w rozumienie pojęcia racjonalności wiąże się przede wszystkich z jej funkcją normatywną, polegającą na dostarczeniu kryteriów racjonalnego działania dla tzw. sytuacji strategicznych. Wkład ten obejmuje jednak również ujawnienie pewnych paradoksalnych faktów na temat racjonalności, w szczególności: faktu racjonalności losowego wyboru strategii, faktu nieusuwalnego niedookreślenia racjonalności dla pewnych typów sytuacji strategicznych, oraz faktu konfliktu między racjonalnością indywidualną i grupową. W artykule analizowane są również dwa zarzuty wobec teorii gier: zarzut niekompletności (zgodnie z którym teoria gier nie stanowi pełnej teorii racjonalności praktycznej) oraz zarzut nieadekwatności (zgodnie z którym kryteria racjonalności proponowane w ramach teorii gier nie są w pełni trafne, a więc teoria gier nie jest adekwatną interpretacją racjonalności instrumentalnej). Broniona jest w nim teza, że o ile zarzut pierwszy jest trafny, o tyle drugi nie daje się utrzymać.

- by Wojciech Zaluski
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- Game Theory, Practical Rationality, Rational Choice Theory, Rationality
- by Virginia Ghiara
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- Rational Choice Theory, Revue du MAUSS

Much of the debate concerning rational choice theory (RCT) is fruitless because many people (both critics and defenders) fail to correctly understand the role it plays in developing explanations of social phenomena. For the most part, people view rational choice theory as a species of intentional explanation; on the best available understanding, however, it should be viewed as contributing to the construction of straightforward causal explanations. Debate concerning RCT can progress in a worthwhile manner only once this point is correctly understood. Once it is, many common critiques are easily answered, but at the same time, the ambitions of some rational choice theorists are deflated.

- by Frank Lovett
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- Sociology, Game Theory, Political Science, Rational Choice

Prison socializes an inmate to hyper-calculative behavior. It teaches him patience in planning and pursuing his goals, punishes him severely for his mistakes and rewards him generously for smart action. No wonder that inmates are such ardent optimizers. A clever move can shorten one’s sentence, save one from rape or a beating, keep one’s spirit high, or increase one’s access to resources. There is little space for innocent and spontaneous expressions of emotion when they collide with fundamental interests. Brutal fights, selfinjury, and rapes can all be explained as outcomes of carefully calculated actions. Paradoxically, much of the confusion in interpreting prison behavior arises from both a failure to understand the motives of inmates and an unwillingness to admit that outcomes judged as inhuman or bizarre may be consequences of individually rational action. The main message of the book is that prisoners optimize under the constraints of their harsh life conditions and the local subculture. Their behavior reflects their attempts at optimization. Such ‘rational choice’ approach helps us to understand prison behavior better.

- by Marek M Kaminski
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- Game Theory, Autoethnography, Rational Choice, Sociology of prison life
- by Gentiana Collaku
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- International Negotiations, Rational Choice Theory

Reppetto (1976) published crime displacement theory in Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency and put forward his theoretical underpinnings for the future analysis of crime displacement phenomenon and outlined five types of crime displacement such as: 1. Temporal-Committing the intended crime at a different time; 2. Tactical-Committing the intended crime in a different way; 3. Target-Committing the intended crime type on a different target; 4. Spatial-Committing the intended crime type to the same target in a different place; 5. Functional-Committing a different type of crime. Research on crime displacement began to be carried out in a more systematic manner during the 1990s. There was a significant step forward when research in 1990 and 1993 specifically studied displacement and found it to be much less of problem than had generally been supposed. Crime displacement occurred where it was most likely to be similar targets or to similar and adjacent areas. Although the findings were greatly positive, there was and not surprisingly, variation between different crimes. Research has consistently found that crime displacement is the exception rather than the rule and that diffusion of benefits is just as likely and sometimes more likely to occur. Research also shows that crime displacement is unlikely in the aftermath of broader community development programs. In cases where some displacement occurs it tends to be less than the gains achieved by the response and found that crime displacement and diffusion are equally likely to occur. The theory of crime displacement is related to rational choice theory and there are three assumptions regarding the potential perpetrator and the target. The theory of crime displacement does not explain the reason of perpetrators committing a certain crime or why some crimes are more attractive to them than others. Crime displacement can occur in different ways or methods. An often-stated opinion about crime displacement is the theory, its practical usages, that it can induce a sense of disbelief towards crime prevention initiatives.

- by Ching Eng Leong
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- Business Economics, Rational Choice Theory

Sinopsis kasus pembunuh berantai bernama Aileen Wuornos diikuti dengan analisis kasus menurut pandangan right realism dalam kriminologi beserta dua teori utamanya mengenai penyebab kriminalitas, yaitu rational choice theory dan broken... more

- by Angela Tan
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- Criminology, Rational Choice Theory, Psikologi, Routine Activities Theory

Organized crime is often conceptualized as a business enterprise formed by actors motivated by profits. The Balkans represents an ideal case for testing the extent to which assumptions about the image of actors involved in illegal arms trading can be extrapolated to the macro-level of analysis. Focusing mainly on public discourse, this paper points to several thematic categories of illicit arms trafficking: i) profit-oriented arms trafficking involving organized crime groups ii) trafficking of arms for the purpose of arming criminal-terrorist formations and iii) state-sponsored illegal arms trafficking. Although economic incentives appear strong in many cases, other cultural, social and political issues also frame the illicit arms market in the region. We argue that both understanding and policing organized crime should also embrace the non-economic nature of this type of criminal behavior.

- by Jana Arsovska
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- Criminology, Rational Choice Theory, Profitability, Social Network

In psychology, the picture is admittedly more complex. Since the publication of Freud's earliest metapsychological writings, and in particular his adumbration of the distinction between two principles of mental functioning, the BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES (2003) 26, 139-198 Abstract: Rational choice theory enjoys unprecedented popularity and influence in the behavioral and social sciences, but it generates intractable problems when applied to socially interactive decisions. In individual decisions, instrumental rationality is defined in terms of expected utility maximization. This becomes problematic in interactive decisions, when individuals have only partial control over the outcomes, because expected utility maximization is undefined in the absence of assumptions about how the other participants will behave. Game theory therefore incorporates not only rationality but also common knowledge assumptions, enabling players to anticipate their co-players' strategies. Under these assumptions, disparate anomalies emerge. Instrumental rationality, conventionally interpreted, fails to explain intuitively obvious features of human interaction, yields predictions starkly at variance with experimental findings, and breaks down completely in certain cases. In particular, focal point selection in pure coordination games is inexplicable, though it is easily achieved in practice; the intuitively compelling payoff-dominance principle lacks rational justification; rationality in social dilemmas is self-defeating; a key solution concept for cooperative coalition games is frequently inapplicable; and rational choice in certain sequential games generates contradictions. In experiments, human players behave more cooperatively and receive higher payoffs than strict rationality would permit. Orthodox conceptions of rationality are evidently internally deficient and inadequate for explaining human interaction. Psychological game theory, based on nonstandard assumptions, is required to solve these problems, and some suggestions along these lines have already been put forward.

- by Herbert Gintis and +4
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- Game Theory, Common Knowledge, Social Dilemmas, Rational Choice Theory

La curiosità degli scienziati sociali, che vogliono occuparsi del Mezzogiorno d'Italia e più specificatamente di quella Regione a Statuto Speciale che è la Sicilia, cozza ormai da lungo tempo con il fenomeno cosiddetto "mafioso", il quale sembra permeare ogni aspetto della vita dell'isola rendendo superfluo, o quantomeno avventuroso, qualsiasi tipo di studio che miri a fotografare o migliorare le sue condizioni economiche e politiche. Ogni indagine, infatti, si troverà di fronte delle anomalie -teoriche ma più spesso empiriche-difficilmente spiegabili se si considera il carattere democratico dello Stato italiano. Queste "stranezze", anche ad un occhio poco allenato, risulteranno essere di provenienza mafiosa.

- by Marco Vullo
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- Rational Choice Theory, Organised Crime, Mafia