scholarly journals The privacy problem for internalizing behavioral externalities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Jeffers
Keyword(s):  
New Technology ◽  
Social Costs ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Behavioral Tracking ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Price Discriminate ◽  
Privacy Problem

AbstractProviders of insurance used to have no other choice than to absorb the behavioral externalities of their policy-holders. New technology coupled with the incentives of low-risk consumers has made it possible for firms to price-discriminate on the basis of behavioral risk and thus internalize behavioral externalities. While cost-internalization is generally a positive development, the introduction of behavioral tracking technologies also introduces new economic and social costs. This paper explores the economic and moral trade-offs of adopting behavioral tracking technologies in various insurance settings.

Scoop

2019 ◽  
pp. 133-150
Author(s):  
John Maxwell Hamilton ◽  
Heidi Tworek
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
New Technology ◽  
The State ◽  
Media Economics ◽  
New Developments ◽  
Foreign Correspondents ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Foreign Reporting ◽  
Foreign Correspondence ◽  
The 19Th Century

The state of foreign reporting today is paradoxical. New technology makes some aspects of foreign reporting faster and easier; it has also raised old problems of trust and the high cost of foreign news that were first seen in the 19th century. This chapter situates today’s new developments in media economics and technology in the context of the 19th-century’s foreign correspondence, which was full of hoaxes and bogus reporting, as well as outstanding correspondents on the ground. Our current moment is a recalibration of three trade-offs in foreign correspondence: managed news vs. independence, speed vs. superficiality, and abundant sources vs. reliability. We examine these trade-offs by looking at modern American and European foreign correspondents, who have long grappled with truth and trust in news.

Catastrophic Climate Change, Precaution, and the Risk/Risk Dilemma

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Floor M Fleurke
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Precautionary Principle ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Targeted Intervention ◽  
Regulatory Response ◽  
The Precautionary Principle ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Face

Whilst the seriousness of a given problem may call for immediate and targeted intervention, the ensuing uncertain impacts on other elements of inter-connected systems may be equally deleterious. Climate change is a prime example of such a risk/risk dilemma. The risk of inaction must be weighed against the risk of resorting to increasingly tempting responses to mitigate or adapt to the effects of climate change. The precautionary principle might offer some guidance in this risk/risk arena. Precaution is a tool to deal with uncertain risks without dictating outcomes. Although it is commonly associated with a negative regulatory tilt, it can also serve to warrant and mandate the use of, for example, a new technology or substance in order to reduce risks. This chapter explores the dilemma of risk/risk trade-offs in the face of potentially catastrophic climate change, and examines the contours of a precautionary regulatory response to such impasses.

scholarly journals Facilitating informed land-use decisions through the modelling of ecosystem service trade-offs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nicola Scott
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Diffusion Theory ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Land Utilization ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Land Use Decisions ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Impact

<p>Increasing global populations are placing increasing pressure on our natural systems, reducing their capacity to produce the ecosystem services that we rely upon for human wellbeing (World Bank, 2004).   Clarifying the implications of land-use decisions across the range of ecosystem services is fundamental to understanding the trade-offs inherent in land-use options. LUCI (the Land Utilization and Capability Indicator) is an emergent Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based framework developed to enable the mapping of several ecosystem services in a spatially explicit manner. This process enables a clearer understanding of the inter-dependencies between ecosystems and potential implications and trade-offs of management interventions across a range of services.   There is however, limited understanding of the impact, utility and credibility of such tools for land-use decision-makers, or of how they perceive the information conveyed. This Thesis considered the impact that presenting information on land-use trade-offs through LUCI had on land-owners at the farm scale.   This research supports previous findings that information alone does not drive behaviour (or decision-making) (Kollmuss, 2002, Fisk, 2011; Kennedy, 2010; Mackenzie-Mohr, 2000; Stern, 2000). Similarly, perceived credibility was not the main driver of decision-making nor is it necessarily rationally based. However without it, voluntary adoption of a new technology or tool is unlikely. Therefore, in seeking to diffuse tools, such as LUCI within a community, process design should take into account the social structures and the characteristics of targeted individuals within that community. The influence of temporal and context specific factors on decision-making provides both barriers and opportunities for technology diffusion.  The research findings propose that when integrating new tools and technologies within communities, consideration is given to using a suite of tools, mechanisms and theories in concert such as Community-Based Social Marketing (Mackenzie-Mohr, 2011) and Diffusion Theory (Rogers, 2003) to facilitate improved diffusion and uptake by communities.</p>

Gender, Culture, and ICT use

2012 ◽  
pp. 36-50
Author(s):  
B. Ratna Kumari
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Family Counseling ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Status Mobility ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Work Family

The advent of the new technology was originally seen as a positive development for women’s work. India is one of the largest providers of off- shored BPO activities such as Call Centres services and others which have become emerging workspaces. To a large extent, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) hold great promise in the drive for development and poverty reeducation in the global south under the globalization process. It has been dubbed “the great equalizer,” and the spread of IT – enabled services are beneficial for both men and women, those who have limited skills, or a lack of resources. In spite of gender discrimination and gender bias, employees of ICT companies are facing various challenges in their day to day life such as work family interface, health status, mobility in odd hours, and decision making levels. Especially Call Centre jobs have a direct impact on people’s health, interpersonal relationships, and stress on the work environment; they may suffer from loneliness, depression, and anxiety related problems. Therefore, urgent attention should be given towards the increased rate of mental disorders, suicides, and family distortions. Initiation of family counseling centres and other coping and intervention strategies should be implemented for the empowerment of women workers in ICTs.

Nonlinear Thermal Protrusion and Slider Disk Contact Forces

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Knigge ◽  
Andreas Moser ◽  
Jia-Yang Juang ◽  
Peter Baumgart
Keyword(s):  
Contact Force ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Hard Disk Drives ◽  
Contact Forces ◽  
Flying Height ◽  
Air Bearing ◽  
Thermal Protrusion ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Bearing Design ◽  
Heater Coil

Some of the recently shipped hard disk drives have a new technology to actively control the flying height between slider and disk. The slider to disk spacing is controlled by thermal protrusion actuation using a small heater coil which is located close to the read write element at the trailing end of the slider. By applying an electric current to the heater coil, the slider’s trailing end protrudes towards the disk and can be driven into contact with sufficiently high heating power. The contact force and the thermal protrusion efficiency is mainly controlled by air bearing design. In this paper we want to discuss the trade offs in air bearing design to achieve low contact force and high thermal actuation efficiency. We have done both numerical simulation and experimental measurements to investigate contact force and air bearing stiffness. Typically a softer air bearings will produce less contact force but usually exhibit worse flying height tolerances. We have found a nonlinear clearance change with applied heater power. At closer spacings, the pressure peak increases dramatically leading to reduced actuation efficiency. The actuation efficiency may also vary at different skew angles. For calibration purpose slider to disk touchdown requires contact. Due to different actuation efficiencies at different radii different contact forces are estimated.

Behavior and Cancer Prevention

2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn C. Gotay
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cancer Prevention ◽  
Cancer Incidence ◽  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Cancer Etiology ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Incidence And Mortality

This paper reviews research on the effects of behavioral risk factors on cancer incidence, as well as behavioral interventions for cancer prevention. Risk factors discussed here—tobacco use, diet, physical activity, and obesity/energy balance—are all linked with cancer etiology, and effective behavioral interventions have been developed in all of these areas. The most effective interventions appear to incorporate various components; for example, including individual as well as family activities, and involving multiple community organizations in behavior-changing activities. Behavioral theories have guided the design of these interventions, providing support that certain influences on behavior, such as self-efficacy, problem-solving skills, and social support, are important regardless of the specific behavioral target. As illustrated by the recent lowered lung cancer incidence and mortality rates for men and women, behavior change is possible and effective in cancer prevention. Clinical guidelines have been established for behavioral aspects of treatments for smoking cessation, dietary guideline compliance, physical activity, and obesity reduction, and new tools for dissemination of effective intervention materials will be helpful in increasing their use. Documenting the cost-effectiveness of behavioral interventions, using new technology interventions, and building on translational research to tailor interventions to individuals offer considerable promise for the future.

Trading Lives

1998 ◽  
pp. 29-33
Author(s):  
Frank Fair
Keyword(s):  
Social Costs ◽  
Speed Limit ◽  
Loss Of Life ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Interstate Highway ◽  
Interstate Highway System ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Social Decisions ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Highway System

Recently, unrestrained consequentialism has been defended against the charge that it leads to unacceptable trade-offs by showing a tradeoff accepted by many of us is not justified by any of the usual nonconsequenlist arguments. The particular trade-off involves raising the speed limit on the Interstate Highway System. As a society, we seemingly accept a trade-off of lives for convenience. This defense of consequentialism may be a tu quoque, but it does challenge nonconsequentialists to adequately justify a multitude of social decisions. Work by the deontologist Frances Kamm, conjoined with a perspective deployed by several economists on the relation between social costs and lives lost, is relevant. It provides a starting point by justifying decisions which involve trading lives only for other lives. But the perspective also recognizes that using resources in excess of some figure (perhaps as low as $7.5 million) to save a life causes us to forego other live-saving activities, thus causing a net loss of life. Setting a speed limit as low as 35 miles per hour might indeed save some lives, but the loss of productivity due to the increased time spent in travel would cost an even greater number of lives. Therefore, many trade-offs do not simply involve trading lives for some lesser value (e.g., convenience), but are justified as allowing some to die in order to save a greater number.

scholarly journals Is the Cure Worse than the Disease? Unintended Effects of Payment Reform in a Quantity-Based Transfer Program

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
pp. 1821-1865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Meckel
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Unintended Effects ◽  
Transfer Program ◽  
Payment Reform ◽  
Price Variation ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Program ◽  
Price Discriminate ◽  
Low Income Mothers

Quantity vouchers are used in redistributive programs to shield participants from price variation and alter their consumption patterns. However, because participants are insensitive to prices, vendors of program goods are incentivized to price discriminate between program and non-program customers. I study these trade-offs in the context of a reform to reduce price discrimination in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides a quantity voucher for nutritious foods to low-income mothers and children. The reform caused vendors to drop out, reducing program take-up. In addition, smaller vendors increased prices charged to non-WIC shoppers by 6.4 percent. (JEL H75, I18, I32, I38, J13, J16)

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