Markets, Courts, and the Brave New World of Bankruptcy Theory
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Myth, Metatext, Continuity and Cataclysm in Dc Comics’ Crisis on Infinite Earths
WORLDS WILL LIVE, WORLDS WILL DIE: MYTH, METATEXT, CONTINUITY AND CATACLYSM IN DC COMICS’ CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS Adam C. Murdough A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS August 2006 Committee: Angela Nelson, Advisor Marilyn Motz Jeremy Wallach ii ABSTRACT Angela Nelson, Advisor In 1985-86, DC Comics launched an extensive campaign to revamp and revise its most important superhero characters for a new era. In many cases, this involved streamlining, retouching, or completely overhauling the characters’ fictional back-stories, while similarly renovating the shared fictional context in which their adventures take place, “the DC Universe.” To accomplish this act of revisionist history, DC resorted to a text-based performative gesture, Crisis on Infinite Earths. This thesis analyzes the impact of this singular text and the phenomena it inspired on the comic-book industry and the DC Comics fan community. The first chapter explains the nature and importance of the convention of “continuity” (i.e., intertextual diegetic storytelling, unfolding progressively over time) in superhero comics, identifying superhero fans’ attachment to continuity as a source of reading pleasure and cultural expressivity as the key factor informing the creation of the Crisis on Infinite Earths text. The second chapter consists of an eschatological reading of the text itself, in which it is argued that Crisis on Infinite Earths combines self-reflexive metafiction with the ideologically inflected symbolic language of apocalypse myth to provide DC Comics fans with a textual "rite of transition," to win their acceptance for DC’s mid-1980s project of self- rehistoricization and renewal. -
Individuation in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Island
Maria de Fátima de Castro Bessa Individuation in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Island: Jungian and Post-Jungian Perspectives Faculdade de Letras Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte 2007 Individuation in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Island: Jungian and Post-Jungian Perspectives by Maria de Fátima de Castro Bessa Submitted to the Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras: Estudos Literários in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Mestre em Letras: Estudos Literários. Area: Literatures in English Thesis Advisor: Prof. Julio Cesar Jeha, PhD Faculdade de Letras Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte 2007 To my daughters Thaís and Raquel In memory of my father Pedro Parafita de Bessa (1923-2002) Bessa i Acknowledgements Many people have helped me in writing this work, and first and foremost I would like to thank my advisor, Julio Jeha, whose friendly support, wise advice and vast knowledge have helped me enormously throughout the process. I could not have done it without him. I would also like to thank all the professors with whom I have had the privilege of studying and who have so generously shared their experience with me. Thanks are due to my classmates and colleagues, whose comments and encouragement have been so very important. And Letícia Magalhães Munaier Teixeira, for her kindness and her competence at PosLit I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Dr. Irene Ferreira de Souza, whose encouragement and support were essential when I first started to study at Faculdade de Letras. I am also grateful to Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for the research fellowship. -
Brave New World
BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) Chapter One A SQUAT grey building of only thirty-four stories. Over the main en- trance the words, CENTRAL LONDON HATCHERY AND CONDITIONING CENTRE, and, in a shield, the World State's motto, COMMUNITY, IDEN- TITY, STABILITY. The enormous room on the ground floor faced towards the north. Cold for all the summer beyond the panes, for all the tropical heat of the room itself, a harsh thin light glared through the windows, hungrily seeking some draped lay figure, some pallid shape of academic goose- flesh, but finding only the glass and nickel and bleakly shining porce- lain of a laboratory. Wintriness responded to wintriness. The overalls of the workers were white, their hands gloved with a pale corpse- coloured rubber. The light was frozen, dead, a ghost. Only from the yellow barrels of the microscopes did it borrow a certain rich and living substance, lying along the polished tubes like butter, streak after luscious streak in long recession down the work tables. "And this," said the Director opening the door, "is the Fertilizing Room." Bent over their instruments, three hundred Fertilizers were plunged, as the Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning entered the room, in the scarcely breathing silence, the absent-minded, soliloquizing hum or whistle, of absorbed concentration. A troop of newly arrived students, very young, pink and callow, followed nervously, rather abjectly, at the Director's heels. Each of them carried a notebook, in which, whenever the great man spoke, he desperately scribbled. Straight from the horse's mouth. It was a rare privilege. -
Brave New World: the Correlation of Social Order and the Process Of
Brave New World: The Correlation of Social Order and the Process of Literary Translation by Maria Reinhard A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfilment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in German Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2008 ! Maria Reinhard 2008 Author's Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract This comparative analysis of four different German-language versions of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) shows the correlation between political and socio- cultural circumstances, as well as ideological differences, and translations of the novel. The first German translation was created by Herberth E. Herlitschka in 1932, entitled Welt – Wohin? Two further versions of it were released in 1950 and 1981. In 1978, the East German publisher Das Neue Berlin published a new translation created by Eva Walch, entitled Schöne neue Welt. My thesis focuses on the first translations by both Herlitschka and Walch, but takes into account the others as well. The methodological basis is Heidemarie Salevsky’s tripartite model. With its focus on author and work, commissioning institution and translator, it was developed as a tool to determine the factors influencing the process of literary translation. Within this framework, the translations are contextualized within the cultural and political circumstances of the Weimar and German Democratic Republics, including an historical overview of the two main publishers, Insel and Das Neue Berlin. -
Fairness in Bankruptcy Situations: an Experimental Study
Fairness in bankruptcy situations: an experimental study Alexander W. Cappelen Roland I. Luttens Erik Ø. Sørensen Bertil Tungodden∗ August 11, 2015 Abstract The pari passu principle is the most prominent principle in the law of in- solvency. We report from a lab experiment designed to study whether people find this principle a fair solution to the bankruptcy problem. The experi- mental design generates situations where participants work and accumulate claims in firms, some of which subsequently go bankrupt. Third-party arbi- trators are randomly assigned to determine how the liquidation value of the bankrupt firms should be distributed between claimants. Our main finding is that there is a striking support for the pari passu principle of awarding claimants proportionally to their pre-insolvency claims. We estimate a ran- dom utility model that allows for the arbitrators to differ in what they consider a fair solution to the bankruptcy problem and find that about 85 percent of the participants endorse the proportional rule. We also find that a non-negligible fraction of the arbitrators follow the constrained equal losses rule, while there is almost no support in our experiment for the constrained equal awards rule or other fairness rules suggested in the normative literature. Finally, we show that the estimated random utility model nicely captures the observed arbi- trator behavior, in terms of both the overall distribution of awards and the relationship between awards and claims. 1 Introduction Bankruptcy law is concerned with situations where a debtor is unable to pay its debts and it constitutes an essential element in any well-functioning market econ- omy (Hotchkiss, John, Moordadian, and Thorburn, 2008). -
Basis Utility and Proportionality in Games1
Lost in Translation: Basis Utility and Proportionality in Games1 Barry Feldman Prism Analytics Kellstadt School of Business 53 West Jackson Blvd. #724 DePaul University Chicago, IL 60604 1 East Jackson Blvd. #6100 [email protected] Chicago, IL 60604 [email protected] July 18, 2005 abstract A player's basis utility is the utility of no payo®. Basis utility is neces- sary for the coherent representation of the equal split bargaining solution. Standard axioms for the Nash (1950) bargaining solution do not imply independence from basis utility. Proportional bargaining is the unique solution satisfying e±ciency, symmetry, a±ne transformation invariance and monotonicity in pure bargaining games with basis utility. All existing cooperative solutions become translation invariant once account is taken of basis utility. The noncooperative rationality of these results is demon- strated though an implementation of proportional bargaining based on Gul (1988). Quantal response equilibria with multiplicative error struc- tures (Goeree, Holt and Palfrey (2004)) become translation invariant with speci¯cation of basis utility. Equal split and proportional bargaining join the Kalai-Smorodinsky (1975) solution in a family of endogenously pro- portional monotonic pure bargaining solutions. JEL Classi¯cation: C70, C71, C72, C78. Keywords: Basis utility, equal split, Kalai-Smorodinsky solution, Nash bargaining, quantal response equi- libria, proportional bargaining, translation invariance. 1I am grateful to Peter Borm, Srihari Govindan, Chris O'Neill and Alvin E. Roth for discussions of topics related to this paper. Thanks also for comments to Oliver Gossner, Elena I~narraand other participants at the 2005 Stony Brook Game Theory Conference. °c 2005 by Barry Feldman. 1 Introduction There is no representation of basis utility in games. -
Ame Theoretic Analysis of a Bankruptcy Proble from the Talmud*
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC THEORY 36, 195-213 (1985) ame Theoretic Analysis of a bankruptcy Proble from the Talmud* ROBERT J. AUMANN AND MICHAEL MASCHLER The Hebrew Universify, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel Received August 27, 1984; revised February 4, 1985 DEDICATED TO THE MEMORYOF SHLOMOAUMANN, TALMUDIC SCHOLARAND MAN OF THE WORLD, KILLED IN ACTION NEAR KHUSH-E-DNEIBA, LEBANON, ON THE EVE OF THE NINETEENTHOF SWAN, 5742 (JUNE 9, 1982). For three different bankruptcy problems, the 2000-year oid Babylonian Talmud prescribes solutions that equal precisely the nucleoli of the corresponding coalitional games. A rationale for these solutions that is independent of game theory is given in terms of the Talmudic principle of equai division of the contested amount: this rationale leads to a unique solution for all bankruptcy problems, which always coincides with the nucleolus. Two other rationales for the same rule are suggested. in terms of other Talmudic principles. (Needless to say, the rule in question is not proportional division). Jomd cf Economic Literature C’lussification Numbers: 022, 026, 031, 043, 213. ‘?: 1985 Academic Press. Inc. 1. 1N~RoDucTroN A man dies, leaving debts d, ,..., d,, totalling more than his estate E. should the estate be divided among the creditors? A frequent solution in modern law is proportional division. The rationale is that each dollar of debt should be treated in the same way; one looks at dollars rather than people. Yet it is by no means obvious that this is the only equitable or reasonable system. For example, if the estate does not exceed the smallest debt, equal division among the creditors makes good sense. -
An Approach to N-Person Cooperative Games
Undergraduate Thesis MAJOR IN MATHEMATICS Faculty of Mathematics University of Barcelona AN APPROACH TO N-PERSON COOPERATIVE GAMES Eric` L´opez Ramiro [email protected] Advisor: Dr. Josep Vives Dept. of Probability, Logic and Statistics Barcelona, January 18, 2016 This page intentionally left blank. Abstract This work is an overview on n-person cooperative games in Game Theory, the mathemat- ical theory of interactive decision situations characterized by a group of agents, each of whom has to make a decision based on their own preferences on the set of outcomes. These situations are called games, agents are players and decisions are strategies. By focusing on Cooperative Game Theory, we analyze concepts such as coalition formation, equilibrium, stability, fairness and the most important proposed solution concepts. Keywords: Cooperative Game Theory, Cooperative game, Shapley value, nucleolus, core, bankruptcy problem, airport problem, indices of power, voting games. Resum Aquest treball tracta sobre els jocs n-personals cooperatius en Teoria de Jocs, la branca de les matem`atiquesque estudia i analitza les interaccions entre una s`erie d'agents que han de prendre una decisi´o,segons les seves prefer`enciessobre el conjunt de possibles resultats dels jocs. En centrar-nos en la Teoria de Jocs Cooperatius, analitzarem conceptes com la formaci´ode coalicions, l'equilibri, la just´ıciai les propostes de conceptes de solucions m´es importants. i Acknowledgements For his continuous help and patient guidance throughout the development of this thesis, I would like to express my deep gratitude, first of all, to my advisor, Dr. Josep Vives. Without his encouragement, persistent advice and useful corrections, this would not have been possible. -
What Is Game Theory Trying to Accomplish?
1 What Is Game Theory Trying to Accomplish? 1 Introduction The language of game theory—coalitions, payo¤s, markets, votes— suggests that it is not a branch of abstract mathematics; that it is moti- vated by and related to the world around us; and that it should be able to tell us something about that world. Most of us have long realized that game theory and the ‘‘real world’’ (it might better be called the complex world) have a relationship that is not entirely comfortable; that it is not clear just what it is that we are trying to do when we build a game- theoretic model and then apply solution concepts to it. This is the subject I would like to explore in this paper. I might add that much the same questions apply to economic theory, at least the kind that those of us working in mathematical economics see most often; and that much of my paper will apply, mutatis mutandis, to economic theory as well. There is a branch of philosophy that deals with theory in the social sciences, so some of the things I have to say are unquestionably old hat. But I am not trying to be particularly original: I am only trying to open this topic, which I think concerns all of us, for discussion, and to suggest a particu- lar point of view. No doubt others have thought about these questions more thoroughly and deeply than I have, and are better versed in the history and philosophy of science in general. I will be grateful to anybody who sets me straight when I err, and who gives me references for the things I get right. -
Axiomatic and Game-Theoretic Analysis of Bankruptcy And
Axiomatic and GameTheoretic Analysis of Bankruptcy and Taxation Problems a Survey William Thomson This version August I am grateful to Bettina Klaus Eiichi Miyagawa Juan MorenoTernero Anne van den Nouweland James Schummer Oscar Volij and esp ecially Nir Dagan and ChunHsien Yeh for their very useful comments I also thank a referee for detailed comments and the NSF for its supp ort under grant SES and SBR Abstract When a rm go es bankrupt how should its liquidation value be divided among its creditors This essayisanintro duction to the lit erature devoted to the formal analysis of such problems We present the rules that are commonly used in practice or discussed in theoret ical work We show howmany can be obtained by applying solution concepts develop ed in co op erative game theory for bargaining games and for coalitional games We formulate prop erties of rules rst when the p opulation of agents is xed then when it may vary com pare the rules on the basis of these prop erties and search for rules satisfying the greatest number of the prop erties together We mo del the resolution of conicting claims as strategic games and extend the mo del to handle surplus sharing and situations in which the feasible set is sp ecied in utilityspace Identifying wellb ehaved taxation rules is formally identical to identifying rules to reconcile conicting claims and all of the results we present can b e reinterpreted in that context Keywords Axiomatic analysis Bankruptcy Claims problems Prop ortional rule Talmud rule Constrained equal awards rule Con -
Sequential Sharing Rules for River Sharing Problems
NOTA DI LAVORO 114.2009 Sequential Sharing Rules for River Sharing Problems By Erik Ansink and Hans-Peter Weikard, Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Series Editor: Carlo Carraro Sequential Sharing Rules for River Sharing Problems By Erik Ansink and Hans-Peter Weikard, Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University Summary We analyse the redistribution of a resource among agents who have claims to the resource and who are ordered linearly. A well known example of this particular situation is the river sharing problem. We exploit the linear order of agents to transform the river sharing problem to a sequence of two-agent river sharing problems. These reduced problems are mathematically equivalent to bankruptcy problems and can therefore be solved using any bankruptcy rule. Our proposed class of solutions, that we call sequential sharing rules, solves the river sharing problem. Our approach extends the bankruptcy literature to settings with a sequential structure of both the agents and the resource to be shared. In the paper, we first characterise a class of sequential sharing rules. Subsequently, we apply sequential sharing rules based on four classical bankruptcy rules, assess their properties, and compare them to four alternative solutions to the river sharing problem. Keywords: River Sharing Problem, Sequential Sharing Rule, Bankruptcy Problem, Water Allocation JEL Classification: D63, D71, Q25 We thank Carmen Marchiori, Arjan Ruijs, and Ivan Soraperra for providing comments on earlier versions of this paper. Part of this research was done while the first author was visiting the Department of Economics at Queen Mary, University of London. Address for correspondence: Erik Ansink Department of Social Sciences Wageningen University P.O. -
Postcolonial Utopias Or Imagining 'Brave New Worlds'
Postcolonial Utopias or Imagining ‘Brave New Worlds’: Caliban Speaks Back Corina Kesler │ University of Michigan Citation: Corina Kesler, “Postcolonial Utopias or Imagining ‘Brave New Worlds’: Caliban Speaks Back”, Spaces of Utopia: An Electronic Journal, 2nd series, no. 1, 2012, pp. 88-107<http://ler.letras.up.pt > ISSN 1646-4729. “this is the oppressor’s language, yet I need it to speak to you” bell hooks1 I have recently completed a doctoral project that focused on lesser-known utopian expressions from non-Western cultures such as Romania, the pre-Israel Jewish diaspora, and postcolonial countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and India. I hypothesized a causal relationship between the conditions of oppression and expressions of utopia. Roughly: the more a people, culture, and/or ethnicity experience physical space as a site of political, cultural, and literal encroachment, the more that distinct culture’s utopian ideas tend to appear in non-spatial, specifically, temporal formulations. Under the pressures of oppression, the specific character of an ethnic group/individual, having been challenged within a (often national) space, seeks not a ‘where’ (utopia), but a ‘when’ (uchronia or intopia) of mythical, or mystical time. And it is there, or rather, then, where oppressed groups give the utopian impulse expression, and define, protect, and develop their own identity. To support this hypothesis, I examined in detail texts like Mircea Eliade’s The Forbidden Forest, Sergiu Fărcășan’s A Love Story from the Year 41,042, Bujor Nedelcovici’s The Second Messenger, Oana Orlea’s Perimeter Zero, Costache Olareanu’s Fear; Ben Okri’s Astonishing the Gods; Kajo Laing’s Major Gentl and the Achimota Wars; Amitav Ghosh’s The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium and Discovery; and The Zohar: The Book of Splendor, and practices like the Sabbath in Classical Kabbalah and the Păltiniș Paidetic school in Romania.