La contabilità a partita doppia e la "razionalità " economica occidentale: Max Weber e Jack Goody

In una prospettiva più sequenziale di quanto a volte non si sia immaginato, già nei suoi scritti sull'etica protestante, Weber aveva osservato che con i calvinisti inglesi "la vecchia immagine medievale (già presente nell'antichità) della tenuta dei conti da parte di Dio, arrivava . . . fino al caratteristico cattivo gusto di paragonare il rapporto del peccatore con Dio al rapporto di un cliente con lo 'shopkeeper', il padrone di una bottega: una volta che uno si è indebitato, potrà con l'importo di tutti i suoi guadagni, pagare, al massimo, gli interessi decorrenti, ma mai la somma principale dovuta". Stabilita questa rapida messa a fuoco, sembra di poter affermare che la problematica impostata da Goody intorno alla nozione di "razionalità occidentale" a suo dire rintracciabile negli scritti weberiani, appare interamente fondata tanto su una lettura affrettata del magma testuale weberiano quanto su una concettualizzazione di "razionalità" economica ben difficile, in se stessa, da accettare. Più dell'affermazione del fatto che il nesso fra religione ed affari non fu una esclusività dell'Occidente europeo, e che, per esempio, lo si rintraccia benissimo anche nell'Egitto medievale, sembrerebbe di maggior significato l'individuazione dei percorsi specificamente storici, dei vocabolari tecnici in grado di restituirei spiegandocela, l'interazione rituale e politico-religiosa, dunque culturalmente particolare, fra persone e istituzioni europee o non europee, impegnate dall'azione economica o dalla previsione finanziaria o dalla memorizzazione contabile

Killing by lung cancer or by diabetes? The trade-off between smoking and obesity

As the prevalence of smoking has decreased to below 20%, health practitioners interest has shifted towards the prevalence of obesity, and reducing it is one of the major health challenges in decades to come. In this paper we study the impact that the final product of the anti-smoking campaign, that is, smokers quitting the habit, had on average weight in the population. To these ends, we use data from the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System, a large series of independent representative cross-sectional surveys. We construct a synthetic panel that allows us to control for unobserved heterogeneity and we exploit the exogenous changes in taxes and regulations to instrument the endogenous decision to give up the habit of smoking. Our estimates, are very close to estimates issued in the ’90s by the US Department of Health, and indicate that a 10% decrease in the incidence of smoking leads to an average weight increase of 2.2 to 3 pounds, depending on choice of specification. In addition, we find evidence that the effect overshoots in the short run, although a significant part remains even after two years. However, when we split the sample between men and women, we only find a significant effect for men. Finally, the implicit elasticity of quitting smoking to the probability of becoming obese is calculated at 0.58. This implies that the net benefit from reducing the incidence of smoking by 1% is positive even though the cost to society is $0.6 billions.

Efficiency Theory of switched capacitors converter

National audienceThis paper reports on a theoretical study of the efficiency of a switched capacitor converter for autonomous sensors. The sensor is composed of an energy harvester (Solar cell), the electronic system (micro-controller, radio, temperature sensor, MEMS. . . ) and a battery. Based on our theory, we calculate this efficiency with respect to: the switching frequency, the capacitance values and the battery voltage. We present this using 3-D graphs. This theory is based on Ultra-Low-Power Embedded systems such as wireless sensors with photovoltaic harvesters operating in low-light conditions. In this case, the harvested energy from PV do not exceed a few tens of micro-watts, which forbids the use of "power-hungry" coil-based power converters. On the contrary, using switched capacitors converter is a better alternative for this kind of application. We here present a theoretical framework deriving the maximum efficiency achieved by a switched capacitor converter with respect to: the switching frequency, the capacitance value and the battery voltage

Decision making and underperformance in competitive environments: evidence from the National Hockey League

We find evidence of suboptimal decisions leading to underperformance in a policy experiment where two teams of professionals compete in a tournament (National Hockey League shootout) performing a task (penalty shot) sequentially. Before an exogenous policy change, home teams had to perform the task second in the sequence. After the policy change, home teams were given the choice to lead or to follow in the sequence. Home teams should move first only when this is optimal, and this should lead them to winning the tournament more often. We find that after given the choice, home teams most of the time choose to move first in the sequence, and this results in a lower winning frequency for them. Contrary to what economic theory would predict, we find that an expanded choice set can lead to worse outcomes for the agents

Place, Urban Design and Poverty: Lessons from a comparison of Cape Town and Ahmedabad

The paper selectively reports on aspects of a research project conducted over several years aimed at a comparative evaluation of a number of local areas drawn from two cities: Ahmedabad, in the State of Gujarat, India; and Cape Town in the Western Cape Region of South Africa. The purpose of the project was to derive a set of understandings that are useful in the making of place and settlements in developing countries.The research was undertaken as a consequence of the growing realization that urban problems facing cities in the global north and south are, in many respects, very different (ironically, with accelerating globalization, in some respects and increasingly, cities of the north are having to face many of the problems of the developing world, albeit at a different scale). Not least of the differences is that, in developed countries, the primary urban problem is that of renewal in the face of relatively static, or even declining, population, while in developing countries it is primarily one of accommodating rapid rates of new urban growth. The issue of making and managing new settlements is high on the developmental agenda in the global south. Despite these differences, most of the published urban design precedent stems from the more developed countries. There has been insufficient cross-cultural learning between less developed countries. The project has made some contribution in this regard.The methodology utilized in the research is set out and illustrated by selected material relating to Ahmedabad only, since the paper does not afford sufficient space to also illustrate the work undertaken in Cape Town. The paper then dwells on some of the significant lessons learned across many dimensions of place, urban design, urban structure and the density/grain of urban fabric. In the process, there are considerations reflecting on aspects of livability, livelihood generation, formality and informality, in contexts where poverty is relatively endemic

Determinação do fator de proteção solar “in vitro”

Esta pesquisa abordou a importância de determinar o FPS “in vitro” e as limitações do Método “in vivo”, atualmente recomendado pelos órgãos competentes, nacionais e internacionais. O Método “in vitro” proposto fornece respostas quantitativas do FPS, e avalia os protetores solares como uma barreira à radiação ultravioleta, considerando também a homogeneidade de proteção; enquanto que a metodologia “in vivo”, baseada na avaliação qualitativa, consiste da observação do tempo necessário para o aparecimento da vermelhidão na pele, Eritema, das costas de voluntários, com e sem protetor solar, expostos à fonte artificial simuladora do sol. Foram testadas oito metodologias a partir da avaliação das amostras retiradas de 9 marcas de produtos comerciais com diferentes FPS, totalizando 20 produtos. Este trabalho verificou, por meio do Método “in vitro” mais apropriado, que grande parte dos FPS “in vivo”, informados nos rótulos das embalagens dos protetores solares, não possui comparabilidade quantitativa. Além disso, a metodologia “in vivo” determina o grau de proteção preponderantemente para a região UV-B, enquanto que o Método “in vitro” selecionado fornece o FPS para toda a região espectral ultravioleta que incide na superfície terrestre, cujos valores são rastreáveis e comparáveis, além de permitir a obtenção do FPS (UV-A), FPS (UV-B) ou do FPS total.This research broaches the determining of Solar Protection Factor (SPF) based on in vitro methodology, which has been made by quantitative analyses, evaluating the sunscreen like a radiation barrier that absorbs the ultraviolet radiation and evaluate the homogeneity of protection; while the in vivo methodology is based on a qualitative evaluation, recommended by national and international guidelines. Nowadays this is made through observation of redness on the volunteers back skin, Erythema, with and without the solar protector, when exposed to solar simulator artificial source. A total of eight different methodologies were tested to determinate the in vitro SPF from the evaluating of lotion samples took off 9 commercial marks of sunscreen, with different SPF, totalizing 20 products evaluated. This work verified through the selected in vitro Method that most of the in vivo SPF labeled at solar protectors isn’t comparable. Besides, the in vivo methodology mainly considers the UV-B region, while the selected in vitro Method gives SPF for whole ultraviolet region that reaches the earth surface, whose values are trackable and comparable, given the UV-A and UV-B FPS and the total FPS

The most vulnerable ‘NEETs’ in Spain tend to come from families with the lowest levels of education.

A number of policies aimed at tackling the problem of ‘NEETs’ (young people who are not in education, employment, or training) have been implemented throughout Europe. Miquel Àngel Alegre and Federico Todeschini assess the extent of the problem in Spain. They argue that as NEETs are a highly diverse group, it is useful to make a distinction between ‘vulnerable’ and ‘severely vulnerable’ individuals. They find that the most vulnerable NEETs are found far more frequently in families where neither parent has entered higher education, and that once young people find themselves in a NEET situation it is extremely difficult for them to escape it