This is a book about systems, including: systems in which humans control machines; systems in which humans interact with humans and the machine component is relatively unimportant; systems which are heavily computerized and those that are not; and governmental, industrial, military and social systems.The book deals with both traditional systems like farming, fishing and the military, and with systems just now tentatively emerging, like the expert and the interactive computer system. The emphasis is on the system concept and its implications for analysis, design and evaluation of these many different types of systems. The book attempts to make three major points: 1. System design, and particularly computer system design, must fit into and be directed by a comprehensive theory of system functioning. 2. Interactive computer design models itself upon our knowledge of how humans function. 3. Highly sophisticated interactive computer systems are presently mostly research vehicles, they are vastly different to general purpose, commercially available word processors and personal computers.The book represents an interdisciplinary approach, the author has used psychological, organizational, human factors, and engineering sources. The book is not a "how to do it" book but it is intended to stimulate thinking about the larger context in which systems, particularly computer systems of the future, should be designed and used.
This book provides a theory of trade between countries in at least one of which the pattern of competitive markets is disturbed by a powerful national labour union and in which, therefore, wage distortions are endogenous; the book then proceeds to re-examine the several comparative-equilibrium questions of conventional trade theory. In addition, several questions are confronted which can be posed only in the new framework.In Chapters II and III, two well-known models of production and trade are taken. In Chapter IV the analysis of Chapter II is reconsidered under the assumption that there is a strong labour union in each trading country. Chapters V-VII broaden the scope of analysis by allowing for capital accumulation and its interaction with union policies.
Contained in this volume are the edited and refereed papers which were presented at a conference held at Nuffield College, Oxford in May 1987. The papers, which represent the recent research of a group of eminent economists, reflect the variety and scope of modern economic analysis. New results are presented in econometric estimation, the theory of aggregation, poverty measurement and the general theory of measurement in economics. The volume is distinguished by the inclusion of the discussion which occurred as each paper was presented, so capturing the interaction and exchange of ideas that characterised the conference.
The 500th anniversary of Regiomontanus's birth has occasioned this depiction of his life and work. It is the first English translation of Ernst Zinner's monumental biography, plus a number of specially-written supplementary articles which help paint a more comprehensive picture of the current state of knowledge about Regiomontanus. The articles show the high regard in which the biography is still held by the community of scholars doing work on the mathematics of the Renaissance.Zinner's biography is a mine of information about early printing, astrolabes, tables of eclipses and the world of Henry of Langenstein, Johann of Gmunden, Georg Peuerbach, Cardinal Bessarion, Nicholas of Cusa and the extraordinary itinerant scholar, Johannes Müller of Königsberg — Regiomontanus. His contributions to mathematics are discussed (for example, he may have discovered the fifth and sixth perfect numbers) as well as the mysteries surrounding his life and death.
The subject of peace economics and its ramifications are comprehensively and deeply attacked in this book. First of all the book presents a compact survey of significant contributions already made, and then it provides a broad theoretical background for examining the subject by evaluating four different approaches, those of 1) neoclassical welfare theory, 2) Keynesian and modern versions of macroeconomics, 3) modern growth theory and 4) political choice theory.A number of contributions deal with major questions on issues such as the impact of military cutbacks in the Eastern European economies upon their growth; trade between nations; arms trade; nuclear defense; and the benefits and costs of war as highlighted by the recent Gulf War. Issues of a more general nature but equally significant are also discussed, including the age-old negotiations problem of two mature political leaders of major powers in conflict; the determinants of military expenditures; and the problems of developing countries. In the last chapter the findings of the studies reported in the book are summarized and key directions for further research are identified.This book is indispensable for any economist or analyst conducting research on peace economics and the peace process or concerned with the impacts of recent arms reduction and conversion by the major powers and the escalation of military expenditures elsewhere.
How does the mind work? How is data stored in the brain? How does the mental world connect with the physical world? The hybrid system developed in this book shows a radically new view on the brain. Briefly, in this model memory remains permanent by changing the homeostasis rebuilding the neuronal organelles. These transformations are approximately abstracted as all-or-none operations. Thus the computer-like neural systems become plausible biological models. This illustrated book shows how artificial animals with such brains learn invariant methods of behavior control from their repeated actions. These robots can make decisions in any circumstances and reason by analogy whenever possible.This new and expanded edition includes a prologue exploring the problems which have stopped the development of fully fledged brain models. The causes of these deadlocks are listed as potential misconceptions about brain principles, neural networks, nervous systems, robotics, programming and decision logic.
The aim of this volume is to examine and compare the trade policies followed by the most important trading nations of the world. Today there are few, if any, large scale studies of comparative trade such as this one. Moreover trade policies and controversies are expected to become even more important in the future.The volume offers an easily accessible overview of trade policies in each of the world's major trading countries. Thus, this handbook can be of great use to students of comparative economic systems in general and to economists, policymakers, and the general informed public, serving as a comprehensive source of reference and comparison. The references at the end of each chapter and the selected bibliography at the end of the volume identify the most important sources of additional information on the trade policies of the world's most important trading countries.
This volume honors George Judge and his many, varied and outstanding contributions to econometrics, statistics, mathematical programming and spatial equilibrium modeling. The papers are grouped into four parts, each part representing an area in which Professor Judge has made a significant contribution. The authors have all benefited in some way, directly or indirectly, through an association with George Judge and his work.The three papers in Part I are concerned with various aspects of pre-test and Stein-rule estimation. Part II contains applications of Bayesian methodology, new developments in Bayesian methodology, and an overview of Bayesian econometrics. The papers in Part III comprise new developments in time-series analysis, improved estimation and Markov chain analysis. The final part on spatial equilibrium modeling contains papers that had their origins from Professor Judge's pioneering work in the 60's.
A selection of macroeconomic models used, or intended for, economic forecasting or policy analysis in the four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden), is presented in this volume. New features and model applications are discussed and the models used by the Ministries of Finance are evaluated, with special attention to the role of relative prices and their treatment of the supply side. In addition there is a systematic comparison of results from model simulations on the main macroeconomic models in the four Nordic countries. The papers fall naturally into two sections. In Part One the focus is on the short-to-medium term models; in Part Two the focus switches to a presentation of three models that may all be classified as applied general equilibrium (AGE) models.
This book presents an overview of national economic policies in the world's most important countries or groupings of countries. The purpose of the volume is to examine and compare the policies followed by different types of countries and study their effects. Although numerous studies have been published on how individual countries conduct economic policies, few if any comparative studies, such as the present one, have been issued.This volume will be of great use to students of comparative economic systems in general and to economists, policymakers, and the general informed public as a source of reference and comparison.