The primary purpose of this book is to develop and unify the theory of rational choice. Michael Allingham produces a framework in which the problems of pure choice, choice under uncertainty, strategic choice and social change are united. A secondary purpose is to comment on attitudes to risk and of the concept of knowledge to examine how these problems impact on rational choice theory.
Originally published in 1987 this highly original work explores how the nature and institutions of society are determined by our unconscious as well as our conscious aims – how individuals join together in ‘unconscious contracts’. The author does this by integrating psychoanalysis and social science to generate a psychoanalytical theory of society. The key to this theory is the interpretation of both psychoanalysis and social science in terms of the interplay between conflict and co-operation. Professor Allingham starts by discussing the workings of the individual mind, and tracing the development of the adult personality from its roots in infancy. He uses this background to show how the group acts as a key link between the individual and society, and the sense in which groups have lives of their own. He completes the theory by demonstrating how the unconscious aims of the members of society are translated, through the various groups to which they belong, into the institutions adopted by society. Finally, as an extension, he explores the nature of the unconscious motives which underlie our conscious social and political attitudes.
This book presents a critical appraisal of the main theories of distributive justice. It develops the view that all such theories, or at least all liberal theories, may be seen as expressions of laissez-faire with compensations for factors that they consider to be morally arbitrary. More precisely, these theories are interpreted as specifying that the outcome of individuals acting independently, without the intervention of any central authority, is just, provided that those who fare ill for reasons that the theories deem to be arbitrary, for example, because they have fewer talents than others, receive compensation from those who fare well. The principal theories discussed are Rawls’s justice as fairness, Dworkin’s equality of resources, what may loosely be called Steiner-Vallentyne common ownership theories, and Nozick’s entitlements theory. The book considers the extent, if any, to which the theories examined can accommodate both liberty and equality. It concludes that if any such accommodation is possible it will be found in common ownership theories.
We make choices all the time - about trivial matters, about how to spend our money, about how to spend our time, about what to do with our lives. And we are also constantly judging the decisions other people make as rational or irrational. But what kind of criteria are we applying when we say that a choice is rational? What guides our own choices, especially in cases where we don't have complete information about the outcomes? What strategies should be applied in making decisions which affect a lot of people, as in the case of government policy? This book explores what it means to be rational in all these contexts. It introduces ideas from economics, philosophy, and other areas, showing how the theory applies to decisions in everyday life, and to particular situations such as gambling and the allocation of resources. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Aimed at students of economic theory and finance, this book examines the relation between the prices prevailing in the markets and the characteristics of the various market participants. It demonstrates how prices are formed, how they change and other properties of markets.
A text using the concept of arbitrage to value securities, that is to construct the elements of financial economics. Divided into three parts, the book develops the foundations for the study, applies the basic theorem in a single-period setting and extends the discussion to a many-period setting.
A group of professional criminals pull off a daring robbery but one of them becomes involved in a struggle with a security guard who is shot and seriously injured.
The essays in this volume focus on the way Victorian Physicist John Tyndall and his correspondents developed their ideas through letters, periodicals and journals and challenge assumptions about who gained authority, and how they attained and defended their position within the scientific community.
The last thirty years have witnessed one of the most fertile periods in the history of children's books. A fascinating reference guide to the world of children's literature, this volume covers every genre from fairy tales to chapbooks; school stories to science fiction; comics to children's hymns
Jupiter Mosman discovered the first gold at Charters Towers in December 1871. And yet it took 30 years before this was acknowledged and a further 50 years before a monument was raised to celebrate Jupiter’s contribution to the making of the largest goldfield in Queensland. This is the story of Jupiter Mosman’s slow emergence as the declared discoverer at Charters Towers where he spent most of his life. This is set against new research into how the city’s Indigenous People were also accommodated: from first contact in 1845 to self-determination in the 1970s.
Nearly all residents of England and its colonies between 1860 and 1914 were active theatergoers, and many participated in the amateur theatricals that defined late Victorian life. The Victorian theater was not an abstract figuration of the world as a stage, but a media system enmeshed in mass lived experience that fulfilled in actuality the concept of a theatergoing nation. Everyone’s Theater turns to local history, the words of everyday Victorians found in their diaries and production records, to recover this lost chapter of theater history in which amateur drama domesticates the stage. Professional actors and playwrights struggled to make their productions compatible with ideas and techniques that could be safely reproduced in the home—and in amateur performances from Canada to India. This became the first true English national theater: a society whose myriad classes found common ground in theatrical display. Everyone’s Theater provides new ways to extend Victorian literature into the dimension of voice, sound, and embodiment, and to appreciate the pleasures of Victorian theatricality.
This work is a composite index of the complete runs of all mystery and detective fan magazines that have been published, through 1981. Added to it are indexes of many magazines of related nature. This includes magazines that are primarily oriented to boys' book collecting, the paperbacks, and the pulp magazine hero characters, since these all have a place in the mystery and detective genre.
* 41 in-depth essays cover current economic theory and applied economics in a single, comprehensive volume * Interfaces section considers economics as it relates to other disciplines * Extensive notes, bibliographies and suggestions for further reading; detailed index of Topics and People `A treasure-house of stimulating argument and vast amounts of, mostly, well marshalled information. The market for general survey volumes, while already crowded, should surely find room for this offering.' - The World Economy `The work under review scores very high marks.' - The Economic Journal `The chapters are written by people who are excellently qualified and frequently well-known in their field ... The book's strengths lie in the range of contributors, the very high quality of most of the contributors and its emphasis on applied economics. For these reasons alone it is an important book, which will be invaluable both to students and to economists wishing to learn about developments in other branches of their discipline.' - Economica
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.