Bounded rationality and voting decisions over 160 years : voter behavior and increasing complexity in decision-making

Using a quasi-natural voting experiment encompassing a 160-year period (1848–2009) in Switzerland, we investigate whether a higher level of complexity leads to increased reliance on trusted parliamentary representatives. We find that when more referenda are held on the same day, constituents are more likely to refer to parliamentary recommendations when making their decisions. This finding holds true even when we narrow our focus to referenda with a relatively lower voter turnout on days on which more than one referendum is held. We also demonstrate that when constituents face a higher level of complexity, they follow the parliamentary recommendations rather than those of interest groups. "Viewed as a geometric figure, the ant’s path is irregular, complex, hard to describe. But its complexity is really a complexity in the surface of the beach, not a complexity in the ant." ([1] p. 51)

Plan uchastka kolonizat︠s︡ionnogo fonda pod Nº 160/7, Krivorogskogo okruga Mikhaĭlovskogo raĭona ploshchadiʻ︠u︡ 864, 1188 gektarov

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Diário da Constituinte [gravação de vídeo] : [programa n. 160]

A Confederação Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil (CNBB) apresentou as emendas populares com o maior número de assinaturas até o momento. Elas tratam dos seguintes assuntos: preservação da vida desde a concepção, uso de verbas públicas para escolas públicas e escolas sem fins lucrativos, liberdade de ensino religioso e um último conjunto sobre a ordem econômica. Dom Candido Padim afirma que a reforma agrária é questão fundamental para o atendimento das aspirações populares. Todos os constituintes concordam que as relações no campo devem ser mudadas, mas cada um tem uma visão diferente do problema. O Deputado Virgílio Galassi (PDS-MG) defende uma reforma agrária sem objetivos políticos, mas com inteligência e objetividade para criar novos proprietários rurais. O Deputado Evaldo Gonçalves (PFL-PB) considera que, no Nordeste, uma grande reforma agrária seria realizar programas de irrigação e açudagem. O Deputado Oswaldo Almeida (PL-RJ) diz ser preciso desenvolver uma política agrícola que possa fixar o homem no campo. O Deputado Ulysses Guimarães, Presidente da Assembleia Nacional Constituinte (ANC), anunciou a pauta das sessões extras para tratar dos temas polêmicos. O Deputado Plínio Arruda Sampaio (PT- SP) informa que preferiria que as sessões fossem pela manhã ou pela tarde, para permitir que a imprensa tivesse melhores condições de colher os depoimentos. O Deputado Tito Costa (PMDB-SP) afirma que as sessões extras serão benéficas para o aprimoramento da Constituição.

Science-based restoration monitoring of coastal habitats, Volume One: A framework for monitoring plans under the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 (Public Law 160-457)

Executive Summary: The Estuary Restoration Act of 2000 (ERA), Title I of the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000, was created to promote the restoration of habitats along the coast of the United States (including the US protectorates and the Great Lakes). The NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science was charged with the development of a guidance manual for monitoring plans under this Act. This guidance manual, titled Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats, is written in two volumes. It provides technical assistance, outlines necessary steps, and provides useful tools for the development and implementation of sound scientific monitoring of coastal restoration efforts. In addition, this manual offers a means to detect early warnings that the restoration is on track or not, to gauge how well a restoration site is functioning, to coordinate projects and efforts for consistent and successful restoration, and to evaluate the ecological health of specific coastal habitats both before and after project completion (Galatowitsch et al. 1998). The following habitats have been selected for discussion in this manual: water column, rock bottom, coral reefs, oyster reefs, soft bottom, kelp and other macroalgae, rocky shoreline, soft shoreline, submerged aquatic vegetation, marshes, mangrove swamps, deepwater swamps, and riverine forests. The classification of habitats used in this document is generally based on that of Cowardin et al. (1979) in their Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States, as called for in the ERA Estuary Habitat Restoration Strategy. This manual is not intended to be a restoration monitoring “cookbook” that provides templates of monitoring plans for specific habitats. The interdependence of a large number of site-specific factors causes habitat types to vary in physical and biological structure within and between regions and geographic locations (Kusler and Kentula 1990). Monitoring approaches used should be tailored to these differences. However, even with the diversity of habitats that may need to be restored and the extreme geographic range across which these habitats occur, there are consistent principles and approaches that form a common basis for effective monitoring. Volume One, titled A Framework for Monitoring Plans under the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000, begins with definitions and background information. Topics such as restoration, restoration monitoring, estuaries, and the role of socioeconomics in restoration are discussed. In addition, the habitats selected for discussion in this manual are briefly described. (PDF contains 116 pages)