Other-Regarding Preferences in General Equilibrium

We study competitive market outcomes in economies where agents have other-regarding preferences. We identify a separability condition on monotone preferences that is necessary and sufficient for one’s own demand to be independent of the allocations and characteristics of other agents in the economy. Given separability, it is impossible to identify other-regarding preferences from market behavior: agents be- have as if they had classical preferences that depend only on own consumption in competitive equilibrium. If preferences, in addition, depend only on the final allocation of consumption in society, the Sec- ond Welfare Theorem holds as long as an increase in resources can be distributed such that all agents are better off. Nevertheless, the First Welfare Theorem generally does not hold. Allowing agents to care about their own consumption and the distribution of consump- tion possibilities in the economy, we provide a condition under which agents have no incentive to make direct transfers, and show that this condition implies that competitive equilibria are efficient given prices.

Perceived benefits, motivations and preferences for foreign language learning by older adults. Insights from an initiative in Cuenca, Ecuador

El presente estudio analiza las percepciones y actitudes que tienen los adultos mayores de la ciudad de Cuenca, Ecuador hacia el aprendizaje del inglés. Un total de 151 adultos mayores (con edad promedio de 70.3 años) respondió a un cuestionario con 50 ítems. Se llevó a cabo análisis factoriales, de regresión múltiple y cluster con el propósito de definir las dimensiones subyacentes en las percepciones, motivaciones y ambiciones de los adultos mayores para aprender un idioma extranjero, y su relación con las características sociodemográficas de los participantes. Los resultados señalan que el interés por estudiar un idioma extranjero está basado en la percepción de que aquello mejora la interacción social de las personas, su desarrollo personal, el funcionamiento y mantenimiento de la mente y memoria, y que activa y vuelve su vida más dinámica. Los resultados además revelaron que la principal motivación de los participantes para tomar un curso de inglés está relacionada con el potencial de usar este idioma en la vida diaria y el de leer profusamente en esa lengua extranjera. La duración del curso y la obtención de un certificado fueron factores determinantes que permitieron agrupar a los participantes en función de sus preferencias en lo que respecta al diseño práctico de un curso de inglés. Adicionalmente, la edad y el nivel de instrucción fueron variables determinantes de motivación que influyeron en la mayor parte de las respuestas dadas por los participantes.

Taste preferences of children

In this book, the authors present topical research data in the study of the sense of taste

Chocolate and children's food and flavour preferences

Chocolate in Health and Nutrition represents the first comprehensive compilation of the newest data on the actions of the flavonoids and microorganisms associated with the beneficial effects of chocolate.

Local gambling preferences and corporate innovative success

This paper examines the role of local attitudes toward gambling on corporate innovative activity. Using a county's Catholics-to-Protestants ratio as a proxy for local gambling preferences, we find that firms located in gambling-prone areas tend to undertake riskier projects, spend more on innovation, and experience greater innovative output. We contrast the local gambling effect with chief executive officer (CEO) overconfidence, another behavioral effect reported to influence innovation. We find that local gambling preferences are a stronger determinant of innovative activity, with CEO overconfidence being more relevant to innovation in areas where gambling attitudes are strong.

Discrete choice experiment examining the preferences of people with cancer

 Our study suggest that patient-centred health care models should focus on improving patient access to health care, supporting the role of carers and non-oncology health care providers as well as providing education about health care resources.

Investigating Stakeholders’ Preferences for Coral Reef Research Funding in Florida

Abstract: Heavily used and highly valuable, the Florida Reef is one of the world's most threatened ecosystems. Stakeholders from a densely urbanized coastal region in proximity to the reef system recognize its degradation, but their comprehension of climate change and commitment to pay for sustainable management and research funding have been opaque. With an emphasis on recreational anglers, residential stakeholders were surveyed online about their marine activities, perceptions of resources and threats, and willingness to pay (WTP) for dedicated coral reef research funding in Florida. The majority of stakeholders are wealthy, well educated, and politically independent. Supermajorities favored the two scenarios of taxation for a Florida Coral Reef Research Fund, and the scenario with matching federal funds earned higher support. In regression analyses, several factors emerged as significant contributors to stakeholders’ preferences, and the four recurring factors in extended models were prioritizing the environment over the economy, donating to environmental causes, concern about coral reefs, and concern about climate change, with the latter indicating a recent shift of opinion. Status in terms of income and education were found insignificant, and surprisingly income was negatively correlated with WTP. Perceptions through lenses of environmental and emotional attachments appear to overwhelm conventional status-based factors. Applied statewide, the first scenario's extrapolated WTP (based on a sales tax rate of 2.9%) would generate $675 million annually, and the extrapolated WTP under the second scenario, with matching federal funds (based on a sales tax rate of 3.0%) would generate $1.4 billion. Keywords: willingness to pay, coral reef research, taxation, climate change, stakeholder, perceptions, Florida Reef, recreational fishing, anglers

Individual differences in preferences for recruitment websites

This study investigated individual differences in preferences for recruitment websites. Specifically, I expected that personality and ethnic identity would be related to individuals' preferences for corporate websites. A policy-capturing methodology was employed to determine the weight participants place on five website characteristics (i.e. navigability, information relevancy, diversity information, privacy, and contact). Regression and correlational analyses were employed with the five beta weights obtained from individual regression analyses and the other individual differences measures. Results from two samples (student and general population) revealed that, generally, individuals do not differ in the weight they place on different aspects of recruitment websites. However, this study is the first to investigate individual differences in preferences for recruitment websites. Thus, it seems premature to conclude that such differences do not exist. Given its uniqueness, hopefully this study will stimulate research that further elucidates the process by which individuals interpret and evaluate recruitment websites.

Preferences in the use of communication technology: the influence of the gender dimension among higher education students

This paper presents some of the findings of a nationwide study, which was designed for understanding aspects related to the use of Communication Technology (CT) among higher education students in Portugal. This descriptive and exploratory study essentially focused on gender issues, particularly on how they influence the students’ perception regarding the use of CT. The data collection method selected was online survey. The findings reveal, among other results, students’ preferences regarding CT use and gender differences in that context.

Physical activity preferences for people living with multiple myeloma : a qualitative study.

Although physical activity (PA) has significant benefits for people living with multiple myeloma (MM), participation rates are low. Examination of PA preferences will provide important information to clinicians and assist in the development of interventions to increase participation in PA for people living with MM. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of the PA preferences for people living with MM, including the preferred role of clinicians. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with patients treated for MM within the preceding 2 to 12 months. Interviews were analyzed using content analysis, where coding categories were derived directly from the text data. RESULTS: Twenty-four interviews were conducted (women, 54%; age: mean [SD], 62 [8.8] years); 16 (67%) participants had an autologous stem cell transplant. Light- to moderate-intensity PA during and after treatment was feasible, with the strongest preference for a program 2 to 8 months after treatment. The timing of information delivery was important, as was input from clinicians and organizations with knowledge of MM. Preferences for location, structure, and timing of programs varied. CONCLUSIONS: Low- to moderate-intensity PA after treatment is likely to interest people with MM. Programs need to be flexible and consider individual differences in PA preferences, functional status, and treatment schedules. IMPLICATIONS: An individually tailored PA program should form part of clinical care, involving clinicians and organizations with expertise in MM. Options for home-based PA are also important. Further research, including a population-based study of people living with MM, is necessary to further quantify PA preferences.

Mating success and body condition not related to foraging specializations in male fur seals

Individual specialization is widespread among wild populations. While its fitness consequences are central in predicting the ecological and evolutionary trajectories of populations, they remain poorly understood. Long-term individual foraging specializations occur in male Antarctic (Arctocephalus gazella) and Australian (A. pusillus doriferus) fur seals. Strong selective pressure is expected in these highly dimorphic and polygynous species, raising the question of the fitness payoffs associated with different foraging strategies. We investigated the relationship between individual isotopic niche (a proxy of foraging specialization), body size and condition, and an index of reproductive success (harem size) in territorial males. Individuals varied greatly in their skin and fur isotopic values reflecting a range of foraging strategies within the two populations. However, in both species, isotopic niche was not correlated to body size, condition or mating success (R (2)/ρ < 0.06). Furthermore, no foraging niche was predominant in either species, which would have indicated a substantial long-term fitness benefit of a particular strategy via a higher survival rate. These results suggest that the fitness consequences of a foraging strategy depend not only on the quality of prey and feeding habitat but also on an individual's hunting efficiency and skills.

Food preferences of juvenile corallivorous crown-of-thorns (Acanthaster planci) sea stars

Population outbreaks of adult Acanthaster planci cause significant reductions in coral cover and reduce the resilience of coral reefs, but little is known about the behaviour and food preference of juvenile A. planci. In 2014, food preferences and feeding rates of recently settled (<1 year) juvenile A. planci were tested and determined at the National Sea Simulator facilities of the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Juveniles were offered eight species of coral (Acropora formosa, A. millepora, A. tenuis, Pavona cactus, Echinopora lamellosa, Pocillopora damicornis, Stylophora pistillata and Porites lutea), known to be either consumed or avoided by adult sea stars, in a multiple-choice and a no-choice experiment. In the multiple-choice experiment, a preference for A. tenuis was detected, while S. pistillata, E. lamellosa and P. lutea were avoided. The no-choice experiment showed that the avoidance of these species was not influenced by the presence of other coral species, the exception being E. lamellosa, which was only consumed when no other choice was offered. Interestingly, all juveniles consuming E. lamellosa died post-predation. The study suggests that as A. planci matures it feeds on a wider range of species, even those which would have been lethal to them if consumed as a juvenile.

Stress-induced peak (but not resting) metabolism correlates with mating display intensity in male guppies

Recent empirical and conceptual papers have highlighted the potential for metabolism to act as a proximate mechanism for behavior that could explain animal personality (consistency over time). Under this hypothesis, individuals with consistently high levels of behavioral activity should also have high resting metabolic rate (RMR) as it can reflect capacity to process food and generate energy. We tested for the predicted positive covariance between RMR and three behaviors that differ in energy demands in 30 male guppies, using multivariate mixed models; we repeatedly measured their activity (10 times each), courtship displays (nine times), voracity (10 times), and metabolism (four-times). Resting metabolic rate (measured overnight in respirometry trials) did not consistently differ among males, whereas initial peak metabolism measured during those same trials (R = 0.42), and all behaviors were repeatable (R = 0.33–0.51). RMR declined over time suggesting habituation to the protocol, whereas peak metabolism did not. Initial peak metabolism was negatively correlated with courtship display intensity, and voracity was positively correlated with activity, but all other among-individual correlations were not significant. We conclude that RMR does not provide a proximate explanation for consistent individual differences in behavior in male guppies, and therefore the potential for independent evolution of these physiological and behavioral traits seems possible. Finally, we identify peak metabolism as a potential measure of the stress response to confinement, which highlights the value of considering various aspects of metabolic rates recording during respirometry trials.