Preface of Special issue in Honor of John D. Hey

in Theory and Decision (2014)

Préface: Entre Black Box et White Cube, les lieux du déplacement des corps

in Des annonces faites au corps: danse et arts contemporains (2013)

Prefazione

in Scagnetti, Andrea (Ed.) Gita ad Alberello (2014)

Preference Elicitation in Chicken: An Experimental Study

in Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization (2008), 66

We study fairness and reciprocity in a Hawk–Dove Game. A variety of recent models gives the same predictions for this game. This allows us to provide a general classification of individuals’ types ... [more ▼]

We study fairness and reciprocity in a Hawk–Dove Game. A variety of recent models gives the same predictions for this game. This allows us to provide a general classification of individuals’ types. Contrary to a large number of studies of different games over the last decade, we observe a large group of subjects behaving in a self-interested way and observe only little reciprocity. [less ▲]

Preference in Abstract Argumentation

in Computational Models of Argument (2018)

Consider an argument A that is attacked by an argument B, while A is preferred to B. Existing approaches will either ignore the attack or reverse it. In this paper we introduce a new reduction of ... [more ▼]

Consider an argument A that is attacked by an argument B, while A is preferred to B. Existing approaches will either ignore the attack or reverse it. In this paper we introduce a new reduction of preference and attack to defeat, based on the idea that in such a case, instead of ignoring the attack, the preference is ignored. We compare this new reduction with the two existing ones using a principle-based approach, for the four Dung semantics. The principle-based or axiomatic approach is a methodology to choose an argumentation semantics for a particular application, and to guide the search for new argumentation semantics. For this analysis, we also introduce a fourth reduction, and a semantics for preference-based argumentation based on extension selection. Our classification of twenty alternatives for preference-based abstract argumentation semantics using six principles suggests that our new reduction has some advantages over the existing ones, in the sense that if the set of preferences increases, the sets of accepted arguments increase as well. [less ▲]

Preference-based argumentation: Arguments supporting multiple values

in International Journal of Approximate Reasoning (2008), 48(3), 730751

In preference-based argumentation theory, an argument may be preferred to another one when, for example, it is more specific, its beliefs have a higher probability or certainty, or it promotes a higher ... [more ▼]

In preference-based argumentation theory, an argument may be preferred to another one when, for example, it is more specific, its beliefs have a higher probability or certainty, or it promotes a higher value. In this paper we generalize Bench-Capon’s value-based argumentation theory such that arguments can promote multiple values, and preferences among values or arguments can be specified in various ways. We assume in addition that there is default knowledge about the preferences over the arguments, and we use an algorithm to derive the most likely preference order. In particular, we show how to use non-monotonic preference reasoning to compute preferences among arguments, and subsequently the acceptable arguments, from preferences among values. We show also how the preference ordering can be used to optimize the algorithm to construct the grounded extension by proceeding from most to least preferred arguments. [less ▲]

Preferences and the Dynamic Representative Consumer

Report (2005)

This paper provides families of time-separable, twice continuously differentiable, and strictly concave utility functions of a group of consumers that are both suffcient and necessary in order to have ... [more ▼]

This paper provides families of time-separable, twice continuously differentiable, and strictly concave utility functions of a group of consumers that are both suffcient and necessary in order to have linear aggregation in a single-commodity-type deterministic dynamic environment, in the presence of consumer wealth-, labor-productivity, and preference heterogeneity, for alternative settings where the rates of time preference can be the same or different across consumers. The employed concept of linear aggregation pertains the existence of a representative consumer with a time-separable utility function. It is proved that when the rates of time preference are choice-independent and heterogeneous across consumers, a representative consumer exists if, and only if, the momentary utility functions of all consumers are exponential. Results are also provided for, (i) common across consumers choice-independent rates of time preference, and, (ii) heterogeneous choice-dependent rates of time preference, and compared with previously identified sufficient conditions for aggregation in the existing literature. [less ▲]

Preferences for Redistribution in Europe

in IZA Journal of European Labor Studies (2015), 4(14), 1-18

This paper uses pseudo panel techniques and a fixed effects estimator to analyse the determinants of preferences for redistribution in 34 European countries over the period 2002–2012. The data is drawn ... [more ▼]

This paper uses pseudo panel techniques and a fixed effects estimator to analyse the determinants of preferences for redistribution in 34 European countries over the period 2002–2012. The data is drawn from the six available waves of the European Social Survey. The main result is that changes in income inequality positively affect changes in preferences for redistribution over time. Though this result is predicted by standard political economy models, it has found little previous empirical support. This study shows that, at least in Europe, growing income inequality leads to more individual support for redistribution. The empirical results hold after performing a variety of robustness checks regarding the construction of pseudo panels, the use of lags and different measures of income inequality. [less ▲]

Prefiguring other ways of being-together in rural Kyrgyzstan: imagining the future through the past

Scientific Conference (2020)

Prehistoric genomes reveal the genetic foundation and cost of horse domestication.

in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2014), 111(52), 5661-9

The domestication of the horse approximately 5.5 kya and the emergence of mounted riding, chariotry, and cavalry dramatically transformed human civilization. However, the genetics underlying horse ... [more ▼]

The domestication of the horse approximately 5.5 kya and the emergence of mounted riding, chariotry, and cavalry dramatically transformed human civilization. However, the genetics underlying horse domestication are difficult to reconstruct, given the near extinction of wild horses. We therefore sequenced two ancient horse genomes from Taymyr, Russia (at 7.4- and 24.3-fold coverage), both predating the earliest archeological evidence of domestication. We compared these genomes with genomes of domesticated horses and the wild Przewalski's horse and found genetic structure within Eurasia in the Late Pleistocene, with the ancient population contributing significantly to the genetic variation of domesticated breeds. We furthermore identified a conservative set of 125 potential domestication targets using four complementary scans for genes that have undergone positive selection. One group of genes is involved in muscular and limb development, articular junctions, and the cardiac system, and may represent physiological adaptations to human utilization. A second group consists of genes with cognitive functions, including social behavior, learning capabilities, fear response, and agreeableness, which may have been key for taming horses. We also found that domestication is associated with inbreeding and an excess of deleterious mutations. This genetic load is in line with the "cost of domestication" hypothesis also reported for rice, tomatoes, and dogs, and it is generally attributed to the relaxation of purifying selection resulting from the strong demographic bottlenecks accompanying domestication. Our work demonstrates the power of ancient genomes to reconstruct the complex genetic changes that transformed wild animals into their domesticated forms, and the population context in which this process took place. [less ▲]