Intergenerational justice when future worlds are uncertain

Let there be a positive (exogenous) probability that, at each date, the human species will disappear.We postulate an Ethical Observer (EO) who maximizes intertemporal welfare under thisuncertainty, with expected-utility preferences. Various social welfare criteria entail alternativevon Neumann- Morgenstern utility functions for the EO: utilitarian, Rawlsian, and an extensionof the latter that corrects for the size of population. Our analysis covers, first, a cake-eating economy(without production), where the utilitarian and Rawlsian recommend the same allocation.Second, a productive economy with education and capital, where it turns out that the recommendationsof the two EOs are in general different. But when the utilitarian program diverges, thenwe prove it is optimal for the extended Rawlsian to ignore the uncertainty concerning the possibledisappearance of the human species in the future. We conclude by discussing the implicationsfor intergenerational welfare maximization in the presence of global warming.

Audit report on the Black Hawk County Criminal Justice Information System for the year ended June 30, 2008

Audit report on the Black Hawk County Criminal Justice Information System for the year ended June 30, 2008

The State of the Judiciary, 2009

Thank you for inviting me again this year to talk with you about the condition of Iowa’s judicial branch. As your partner in government, we look forward to working with you on issues affecting the administration of justice. If I could capture the condition of our courts, indeed the condition of our state, in a few words, it would be: “We live in challenging times.” No one knows the true meaning of this phrase better than those Iowans hit by natural disasters. But my focus today is, of course, on the courts. Ensuring the delivery of equal, affordable and accessible justice is always challenging work, but it will be especially so this year and the next in light of the State’s budget problems. Given the magnitude of this challenge, it is even more imperative that we work together in the spirit of unity, candor and cooperation. And I address you today in this spirit. We are deeply concerned, as you are, about the present financial situation and its effect on individual Iowans. Naturally, we are particularly troubled about its impact on the delivery of justice to our citizens. Even in good economic times, the administration of justice is difficult to fulfill given the sheer volume and complexity of problems Iowans bring to their courthouses. Because of the effects of the nation’s economic downturn, people will need access to justice now more than ever. We already see this happening. The number of mortgage foreclosure cases in Iowa rose 14% in the past year. Debt collection cases increased 20% in the same time. An increase in these types of cases is predictable in tough economic times, but other types of problems may escalate as well. Some experts fear that a recession may also give rise to more crime, child abuse, domestic violence, and substance abuse. Naturally, for the sake of the people who may be harmed by these problems, we hope they do not occur. If they do, however, these matters will demand our immediate attention.

Report on the Iowa Department of Justice for the year ended June 30, 2008

Report on the Iowa Department of Justice for the year ended June 30, 2008

Estime et respect de soi, justice, reconnaissance. De quelques défis actuels en éthique

L'éthique est aujourd'hui en pleine mutation (l'éthique théologique en subissant le contre-coup). Effervescence réjouissante ou valse des éthiques, progrès de la conscience morale ou fuite en avant dans ses sub-stitutions juridiques -le biodroit remplaçant la bioéthique?- relativisme moral ou quête d'une éthique commune, morale planétaire ou éthique des vertus, comment s'y retrouver dans ce carrousel tournoyant, sans perdre la tête, mais sans se laisser non plus séduire par des simplifications abusives? Mon propos sera de suggérer une ligne de crête nous permettant d'avancer au-dessus des précipices ou des abîmes et de baliser une marche plus assurée malgré les équilibres instables et fragiles qui sont de plus en plus les nôtres.

Justice sociale

(Résumé de l'ouvrage) La politique sociale concerne directement tous les habitants de ce pays à quelque titre qu'ils y séjournent. C'est une dimension majeure de l'organisation publique du pays. C'est aussi un système complexe pour les usagers et pour les professionnels engagés dans ce domaine. Ce dictionnaire qui traite de la politique sociale, mais aussi de l'action sociale peut intéresser les milieux les plus larges mais, en particulier, les élus, les professionnels de l'action sociale et sanitaire, les journalistes, les étudiants du secteur social et les responsables d'institutions. 380 pages - 850 termes analysés - 250 auteurs Importante bibliographie classée

Dieu obscur : le sexe, la cruauté et la violence dans l'Ancien Testament

Le Dieu de l'Ancien Testament peut choquer les lecteurs de la Bible : il noie sa création sous le déluge, il exige d'Abraham qu'il sacrifie son fils, il élimine les premiers-nés des Egyptiens la nuit précédant l'exode ou supprime impitoyablement les Israélites qui s'étaient adonnés au culte du veau d'or. Au cours des siècles, nombre de chrétiens ou philosophes ont rejeté tout ou partie de l'Ancien Testament à cause de ces traits divins qui ne concordent pas, loin s'en faut, avec certaines images du Dieu bon et doux du Nouveau Testament. Alors, peut-on aujourd'hui croire ou (re)croire à un Dieu macho, cruel, despotique ou même purificateur ethnique ? Thomas Römer propose de relire les passages litigieux à la lumière des dernières recherches en Ancien Testament. Pour l'auteur, les traits à première vue rébarbatifs que Dieu arbore ici et là veulent préserver la foi de tout ronron dogmatique en lui instillant les visions inattendues d'un Dieu en prise avec la vie réelle de l'humanité. Cet ouvrage est une réédition largement revue et augmentée de l'ancienne version parue 1996. Il accueille un nouveau chapitre sur le Dieu moralisateur et l'homme pécheur.

Department of Justice, FY 2007

These Facts sheets have been developed to provide a multitude of information about executive branch agencies/departments on a single sheet of paper. The Facts provides general information, contact information, workforce data, leave & benefits information, and affirmative action data. This is the most recent update of information for the fiscal year 2007.

Department of Justice, FY 2008

These Facts sheets have been developed to provide a multitude of information about executive branch agencies/departments on a single sheet of paper. The Facts provides general information, contact information, workforce data, leave & benefits information, and affirmative action data. This is the most recent update of information for the fiscal year 2007.

The evolution of punishment through reputation.

Punishment of non-cooperators has been observed to promote cooperation. Such punishment is an evolutionary puzzle because it is costly to the punisher while beneficial to others, for example, through increased social cohesion. Recent studies have concluded that punishing strategies usually pay less than some non-punishing strategies. These findings suggest that punishment could not have directly evolved to promote cooperation. However, while it is well established that reputation plays a key role in human cooperation, the simple threat from a reputation of being a punisher may not have been sufficiently explored yet in order to explain the evolution of costly punishment. Here, we first show analytically that punishment can lead to long-term benefits if it influences one's reputation and thereby makes the punisher more likely to receive help in future interactions. Then, in computer simulations, we incorporate up to 40 more complex strategies that use different kinds of reputations (e.g. from generous actions), or strategies that not only include punitive behaviours directed towards defectors but also towards cooperators for example. Our findings demonstrate that punishment can directly evolve through a simple reputation system. We conclude that reputation is crucial for the evolution of punishment by making a punisher more likely to receive help in future interactions, and that experiments investigating the beneficial effects of punishment in humans should include reputation as an explicit feature.