Priority setting in healthcare: from arbitrariness to societal values

This paper develops an account of the normative basis of priority setting in health care as combining the values which a given society holds for the common good of its members, with the universal provided by a principle of common humanity. We discuss national differences in health basket in Europe and argue that health care decision-making in complex social and moral frameworks is best thought of as anchored in such a principle by drawing on the philosophy of need. We show that health care needs are ethically ‘thick’ needs whose psychological and social construction can best be understood in terms of David Wiggins's notion of vital need: a person's need is vital when failure to meet it leads to their harm and suffering. The moral dimension of priority setting which operates across different societies’ health care systems is located in the demands both of and on any society to avoid harm to its members.

The arbitrariness and normativity of social conventions

This paper investigates a puzzling feature of social conventions: the fact that they are both arbitrary and normative. We examine how this tension is addressed in sociological accounts of conventional phenomena. Traditional approaches tend to generate either synchronic accounts that fail to consider the arbitrariness of conventions, or diachronic accounts that miss central aspects of their normativity. As a remedy, we propose a processual conception that considers conventions as both the outcome and material cause of much human activity. This conceptualization, which borrows from the économie des conventions as well as critical realism, provides a novel perspective on how conventions are nested and defined, and on how they are established, maintained and challenged.

Ambiguities in the effective action in Lorentz-violating gravity

We investigate the occurrence of ambiguities for the Lorentz-violating gravitational Chern-Simons term. It turns out that this term is accompanied by a coefficient depending on an undetermined parameter, due to an arbitrariness in the choice of the conserved current.

??ndice de gest??o municipal em cultura

O objetivo deste trabalho ?? o de construir um ??ndice de gest??o municipal em cultura, com o potencial de servir de balizador para as a????es nesta ??rea tanto no ??mbito municipal quanto no das esferas estaduais e federal. Para tanto s??o utilizados dados do ???Perfil dos Munic??pios Brasileiros ??? Cultura 2006???, publicado pelo IBGE, o qual disp??e das respostas de 5.562 munic??pios sobre cultura e gest??o cultural. As respostas foram tabuladas e combinadas de forma a produzir vari??veis espec??ficas para a constru????o do ??ndice. O m??todo utilizado para a constru????o do ??ndice de Gest??o Municipal em Cultura (IGMC) foi o de an??lise de componentes principais, que permite ?? pr??pria amostra definir os pesos que cada vari??vel exercer?? na computa????o do ??ndice final. Al??m do IGMC geral, foram computados no processo tr??s sub??ndices, cada um deles procurando refletir um aspecto espec??fico da gest??o municipal em cultura, a saber: fortalecimento institucional e gest??o democr??tica, infraestrutura e recursos humanos, e a????o cultural. Os resultados obtidos permitem diversos tipos de compara????es intermunicipais e regionais, bem como a prescri????o de a????es locais na ??rea de gest??o que visem ?? melhoria da administra????o cultural dos munic??pios.

The Edges of Areal Units: a case study in the heterogeneous effects of assessment district edges

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies

A justiciabilidade do princípio geral da igualdade

O presente trabalho versa sobre a aplicação do princípio da igualdade pelo Poder Judiciário. Busca-se analisar de que maneira o mandamento constitucional de igualdade se concretiza no contexto jurídico-evolutivo enquanto princípio de norma de controle, que é justamente no âmbito em que ele é justificado pelo órgão jurisdicional. Saber até onde o juiz constitucional pode ir, conhecer seus limites de atuação, parcos ou largos, definíveis ou nubilosos, bem como o que vem contido nessa vertente do princípio que o distingue de um enunciado geral da igualdade, faz dessa dissertação um estudo interdisciplinar, mas que não deixa de ser voltado para o entendimento jurídico-normativo dessa função específica do princípio. A conhecida fórmula da proibição do arbítrio recebe uma leitura que não é inovadora, mas que almeja aferir a sua suficiência no exercício daquela função. Ou algo mais vem a ser exigido do princípio? Desde já uma resposta de tal envergadura não pode ser encontrada sem o retrato da jurisprudência respectiva. Por isso que, ao fim, e sem a pretensão de esgotamento, se optou por conhecer alguns dos julgados do Tribunal Constitucional português sobre o tema proposto. A indicação da disfunção ou não do perfil da referida Corte com a posição doutrinária só pode ser resultante da análise conclusiva sobre o tema. Fica o convite à leitura.

Limitations and biases of conventional analysis of climate change. Towards an analysis coherent with sustainable development

This paper shows the numerous problems of conventional economic analysis in the evaluation of climate change mitigation policies. The article points out the many limitations, omissions, and the arbitrariness that have characterized most evaluation models applied up until now. These shortcomings, in an almost overwhelming way, have biased the result towards the recommendation of a lower aggressiveness of emission mitigation policies. Consequently, this paper questions whether these results provide an appropriate answer to the problem. Finally, various points that an analysis coherent with sustainable development should take into account are presented.

A Sensitivity analysis of poverty definitions

We conduct a sensitivity analysis of several estimators related to household income, to explore how some details of the definitions of the variables concerned influence the values of the common estimates, such as the mean, median and (poverty) rates. The purpose of this study is to highlight that some of the operational definitions entail an element of arbitrariness which leaves an undesirable stamp on the inferences made. The analyses use both a cross-sectional and a longitudinal (panel) component of the EU-SILC database.

Critical analysis and extension of the Hirshfeld atoms in molecules

The computational approach to the Hirshfeld [Theor. Chim. Acta 44, 129 (1977)] atom in a molecule is critically investigated, and several difficulties are highlighted. It is shown that these difficulties are mitigated by an alternative, iterative version, of the Hirshfeld partitioning procedure. The iterative scheme ensures that the Hirshfeld definition represents a mathematically proper information entropy, allows the Hirshfeld approach to be used for charged molecules, eliminates arbitrariness in the choice of the promolecule, and increases the magnitudes of the charges. The resulting "Hirshfeld-I charges" correlate well with electrostatic potential derived atomic charges

Economic rationality and ethical behavior

This paper argues that economic rationality and ethical behavior cannotbe reduced one to the other, casting doubts on the validity of formulaslike 'profit is ethical' or 'ethics pays'. In order to express ethicaldilemmas as opposing economic interest with ethical concerns, we proposea model of rational behavior that combines these two irreducible dimensions in an open but not arbitrary manner. Behaviors that are neither ethicalnor profitable are considered irrational (non-arbitrariness). However,behaviors that are profitable but unethical, and behaviors that are ethicalbut not profitable, are all treated as rational (openness). Combiningethical concerns with economic interest, ethical business is in turn anoptimal form of rationality between venality and sacrifice.Because every one prefers to communicate that he acts ethically, ethicalbusiness remains ambiguous until some economic interest is actuallysacrificed. We argue however that ethical business has an interest indemonstrating its consistency between communication and behavior by atransparent attitude. On the other hand, venal behaviors must remainconfidential to hide the corresponding lack of consistency. Thisdiscursive approach based on transparency and confidentiality helpsto further distinguish between ethical and unethical business behaviors.

Reheating in inflationary cosmologies: Geometric coupling of the "inflaton" to quantum fields

We propose a simple geometrical prescription for coupling a test quantum scalar field to an "inflaton" (classical scalar field) in the presence of gravity. When the inflaton stems from the compactification of a Kaluza-Klein theory, the prescription leaves no arbitrariness and amounts to a dimensional reduction of the Klein-Gordon equation. We discuss the possible relevance of this coupling to "reheating" in inflationary cosmologies.

The problem of physical coordinates in predictive Hamiltonian systems

In the Hamiltonian formulation of predictive relativistic systems, the canonical coordinates cannot be the physical positions. The relation between them is given by the individuality differential equations. However, due to the arbitrariness in the choice of Cauchy data, there is a wide family of solutions for these equations. In general, those solutions do not satisfy the condition of constancy of velocities moduli, and therefore we have to reparametrize the world lines into the proper time. We derive here a condition on the Cauchy data for the individuality equations which ensures the constancy of the velocities moduli and makes the reparametrization unnecessary.

A frequency distribution approach to hotspot identification

We present a new global method for the identification of hotspots in conservation and ecology. The method is based on the identification of spatial structure properties through cumulative relative frequency distributions curves, and is tested with two case studies, the identification of fish density hotspots and terrestrial vertebrate species diversity hotspots. Results from the frequency distribution method are compared with those from standard techniques among local, partially local and global methods. Our approach offers the main advantage to be independent from the selection of any threshold, neighborhood, or other parameter that affect most of the currently available methods for hotspot analysis. The two case studies show how such elements of arbitrariness of the traditional methods influence both size and location of the identified hotspots, and how this new global method can be used for a more objective selection of hotspots.

The Rejection of Prioritarianism

Since the late 1990’s, a group of moral doctrines called prioritarianism has received a lot of interest from many moral philosophers. Many contemporary moral philosophers are attracted to prioritarianism to such an extent that they can be called prioritarians. In this book, however, I reject prioritarianism, including not only “pure” prioritarianism but also hybrid prioritarian views which mix one or more non-prioritarian elements with prioritarianism. This book largely revolves around certain problems and complications of prioritarianism and its particular forms. Those problems and complications are connected to risk, impartiality, the arbitrariness of prioritarian weightings and possible future individuals. On the one hand, I challenge prioritarianism through targeted objections to various specific forms of prioritarianism. All those targeted objections are connected to risk or possible future individuals. It seems to me that together they give good grounds for believing that prioritarianism is not the way to go. On the other hand, I challenge prioritarianism by pointing out and discussing certain general problems of prioritarianism. Those general problems are connected to impartiality and the arbitrariness of prioritarian weightings. They may give additional grounds for believing that all prioritarian views should be rejected. Prioritarianism can be seen as a type of weighted utilitarianism and thus as an extension of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is morally ultimately concerned, and morally ultimately concerned only, with some kind of maximization of utility or expected utility. Prioritarianism, on the other hand, is morally ultimately concerned, and morally ultimately concerned only, with some kind of maximization of priority-weighted utility, expected priority-weighted utility or priority-weighted expected utility. Thus prioritarianism, unlike utilitarianism, is a distribution-sensitive moral view. Besides rejecting prioritarianism, I reject also various other distribution-sensitive moral views in this book. However, I do not reject distribution-sensitivity in morality, as I end up endorsing a type of distribution-sensitive hybrid utilitarianism which mixes non-utilitarian elements with utilitarianism.

Convenções financeiras e a taxa básica de juros no Brasil: uma primeira aproximação

Financial conventions and basic interest rate in Brazil. This article discusses the thesis that the Brazilian interest rate is a convention, focusing on the basic interest rate under the inflation targeting regime. On the one hand, there are some complications involved in this debate. In order to show this, we consider the theoretical works that have been references for the Brazilian economists who see an interest rate convention in the country. On the other hand, despite the difficulties, it is possible to find signs of conventionality in the determination of the Brazilian basic rate, by analyzing two properties of conventions: conformity of some with the conformity of others; and arbitrariness.