Pub Date : 2020-04-24DOI: 10.1080/0022250X.2020.1746297
Xiaolu Wang
ABSTRACT Pricing practices of firms are an important yet the least studied aspect of the price phenomenon in sociology. This paper answers the question: why do firms, even in the same market, tend to use different pricing practices – value-informed, competition-informed, or cost-informed pricing – to set prices? To that end, this study constructs a formal dynamic flocking model to investigate the inter-dynamics between market uncertainties and the viability of the three pricing practices. The model is a substantial revision and extension of Harrison White’s static W(y) market model by reformulating the latter into a dynamic one and by explicitly incorporating different market uncertainties into the model as variables. The study shows that each kind of pricing practice is only viable under certain distributions of market uncertainties. The theory is then used to explain the distribution of pricing practices among firms in the Burgundy wine market. Theoretical and methodological innovations and the implications for firms and for sociological research on markets and uncertainties are also discussed.
{"title":"Pricing through ambiguity: a flocking model of the inter-dynamics between pricing practices and market uncertainties","authors":"Xiaolu Wang","doi":"10.1080/0022250X.2020.1746297","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1746297","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Pricing practices of firms are an important yet the least studied aspect of the price phenomenon in sociology. This paper answers the question: why do firms, even in the same market, tend to use different pricing practices – value-informed, competition-informed, or cost-informed pricing – to set prices? To that end, this study constructs a formal dynamic flocking model to investigate the inter-dynamics between market uncertainties and the viability of the three pricing practices. The model is a substantial revision and extension of Harrison White’s static W(y) market model by reformulating the latter into a dynamic one and by explicitly incorporating different market uncertainties into the model as variables. The study shows that each kind of pricing practice is only viable under certain distributions of market uncertainties. The theory is then used to explain the distribution of pricing practices among firms in the Burgundy wine market. Theoretical and methodological innovations and the implications for firms and for sociological research on markets and uncertainties are also discussed.","PeriodicalId":50139,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mathematical Sociology","volume":"45 1","pages":"148 - 182"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1746297","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44321769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-11DOI: 10.1080/0022250X.2020.1741575
M. Yokomatsu, Hitomu Kotani
ABSTRACT This study formulates a model where (i) players are characterized by a knowledge set that changes endogenously by communication and (ii) some players have homophily preferences, while others have heterophily preferences. The study thus demonstrates that heterophilous players bridge different components and extend networks in an early stage and, subsequently, homophilous players take the role of a network hub that maintains network ties. It also illustrates the long-run knowledge distribution. Further, the model is embedded with new structural components that illustrate the strength of weak ties and the small-world phenomenon.
{"title":"Knowledge sharing, heterophily, and social network dynamics","authors":"M. Yokomatsu, Hitomu Kotani","doi":"10.1080/0022250X.2020.1741575","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1741575","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study formulates a model where (i) players are characterized by a knowledge set that changes endogenously by communication and (ii) some players have homophily preferences, while others have heterophily preferences. The study thus demonstrates that heterophilous players bridge different components and extend networks in an early stage and, subsequently, homophilous players take the role of a network hub that maintains network ties. It also illustrates the long-run knowledge distribution. Further, the model is embedded with new structural components that illustrate the strength of weak ties and the small-world phenomenon.","PeriodicalId":50139,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mathematical Sociology","volume":"45 1","pages":"111 - 133"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1741575","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42031900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-02DOI: 10.1080/0022250X.2019.1642337
Li Wang, Chenxiao Wang, Qingpu Zhang
ABSTRACT The diffusion of Internet-based Intangible Network Goods (IINGs) shows new characteristics completely different from that of traditional material products. This paper aims to establish new models to describe and predict IING’s diffusion at the aggregate level. Firstly, we transform the key factors affecting IING’s diffusion into driving forces, resistant forces, and variable forces. Secondly, we analyse the dynamic changes of these forces in different diffusion stages and obtain the acceleration model of IING’s diffusion. Then, since acceleration is the second derivative of scale, we further establish the scale model of IING’s diffusion. As the scale model can predict the number of IING’s adopters at a particular time and the acceleration model can explain the dynamic changes of scale, we combine them as the acceleration-scale model to describe IING’s diffusion. Finally, we make comparisons between the acceleration-scale model and the Bass model based on three cases. Different from the previous studies, we found that IING’s diffusion rate is asymmetric. The diffusion rate of successful IING is right skewed while the diffusion rate of failed IING is left skewed. The results also shows that the acceleration-scale model has a better predictive performance than the Bass model, no matter the diffusion is successful or failed
{"title":"An acceleration-scale model of IING’s diffusion based on force analysis","authors":"Li Wang, Chenxiao Wang, Qingpu Zhang","doi":"10.1080/0022250X.2019.1642337","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0022250X.2019.1642337","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The diffusion of Internet-based Intangible Network Goods (IINGs) shows new characteristics completely different from that of traditional material products. This paper aims to establish new models to describe and predict IING’s diffusion at the aggregate level. Firstly, we transform the key factors affecting IING’s diffusion into driving forces, resistant forces, and variable forces. Secondly, we analyse the dynamic changes of these forces in different diffusion stages and obtain the acceleration model of IING’s diffusion. Then, since acceleration is the second derivative of scale, we further establish the scale model of IING’s diffusion. As the scale model can predict the number of IING’s adopters at a particular time and the acceleration model can explain the dynamic changes of scale, we combine them as the acceleration-scale model to describe IING’s diffusion. Finally, we make comparisons between the acceleration-scale model and the Bass model based on three cases. Different from the previous studies, we found that IING’s diffusion rate is asymmetric. The diffusion rate of successful IING is right skewed while the diffusion rate of failed IING is left skewed. The results also shows that the acceleration-scale model has a better predictive performance than the Bass model, no matter the diffusion is successful or failed","PeriodicalId":50139,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mathematical Sociology","volume":"44 1","pages":"127 - 99"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/0022250X.2019.1642337","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47970324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-02DOI: 10.1080/0022250X.2019.1652173
Lynette Shaw
ABSTRACT This article develops a formalism for the social construction of value. Using a model based on Bayesian agents, it demonstrates how “something” arises out of “nothing” via the emergence of durable value conventions and shows how the developed framework can be used to investigate socially constructed valuations under a variety of circumstances. The resulting analysis clarifies why assumptions that collectives will converge upon the “intrinsic” (i.e., non-socially originating) value of an object (e.g., market efficiency) may not hold for mixed social and non-social valuation regimes, explains the dependency of socially constructed valuations on early accidents, demonstrates the effects of confident actors on constructed values, and identifies the production of time-dependent ratcheting effects from the interaction of bubbles with value conventions.
{"title":"Something out of nothing: a Bayesian learning computational model for the social construction of value","authors":"Lynette Shaw","doi":"10.1080/0022250X.2019.1652173","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0022250X.2019.1652173","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This article develops a formalism for the social construction of value. Using a model based on Bayesian agents, it demonstrates how “something” arises out of “nothing” via the emergence of durable value conventions and shows how the developed framework can be used to investigate socially constructed valuations under a variety of circumstances. The resulting analysis clarifies why assumptions that collectives will converge upon the “intrinsic” (i.e., non-socially originating) value of an object (e.g., market efficiency) may not hold for mixed social and non-social valuation regimes, explains the dependency of socially constructed valuations on early accidents, demonstrates the effects of confident actors on constructed values, and identifies the production of time-dependent ratcheting effects from the interaction of bubbles with value conventions.","PeriodicalId":50139,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mathematical Sociology","volume":"44 1","pages":"65 - 89"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/0022250X.2019.1652173","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48929719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-02DOI: 10.1080/0022250X.2020.1726089
Cailin O'Connor
Figure 5 and 9a from the original version of this manuscript had been calculated using parameter values that were incorrectly identified in the text. These figures were replaced with new versions which were based on the correct parameter values. (To be specific, the demands in the game were stated in the text to be 4.5, 5, and 5.5, while the figure showed results for a game with demands of 4.5, 5, and 6.5.)
{"title":"Correction","authors":"Cailin O'Connor","doi":"10.1080/0022250X.2020.1726089","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1726089","url":null,"abstract":"Figure 5 and 9a from the original version of this manuscript had been calculated using parameter values that were incorrectly identified in the text. These figures were replaced with new versions which were based on the correct parameter values. (To be specific, the demands in the game were stated in the text to be 4.5, 5, and 5.5, while the figure showed results for a game with demands of 4.5, 5, and 6.5.)","PeriodicalId":50139,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mathematical Sociology","volume":"44 1","pages":"128 - 128"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1726089","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48277010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-03-26DOI: 10.1080/0022250x.2020.1715970
G. Jasso
ABSTRACT Recent work revives the classic idea that the sense of justice is the first line of defense against inequality and shows that the link depends, in part, on ideas of the just reward. This paper extends earlier work, making three new contributions: (1) it expands the just reward scenarios from the micro scenarios (which start with the individual's idea of the just reward) to six new macro scenarios (which start with the distribution of everyone's ideas of the just reward); (2) it expands the set of justice measures from three to four, including now the proportion underrewarded; and (3) it obtains results for all the new cases, identifying the conditions that lead to radically different connections between inequality and justice.
{"title":"New results linking inequality and justice","authors":"G. Jasso","doi":"10.1080/0022250x.2020.1715970","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0022250x.2020.1715970","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Recent work revives the classic idea that the sense of justice is the first line of defense against inequality and shows that the link depends, in part, on ideas of the just reward. This paper extends earlier work, making three new contributions: (1) it expands the just reward scenarios from the micro scenarios (which start with the individual's idea of the just reward) to six new macro scenarios (which start with the distribution of everyone's ideas of the just reward); (2) it expands the set of justice measures from three to four, including now the proportion underrewarded; and (3) it obtains results for all the new cases, identifying the conditions that lead to radically different connections between inequality and justice.","PeriodicalId":50139,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mathematical Sociology","volume":"45 1","pages":"1 - 21"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/0022250x.2020.1715970","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46543198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-03-09DOI: 10.1080/0022250X.2020.1836625
Bokwon Lee, Yohan Kim, K.M Lee, Jae-Suk Yang
ABSTRACT In this paper, we examined the effect of deliberative democracy on the polarization of opinion. Through three case analyses, we find that deliberative democracy has two major components – provision of information and group discussion. Polarization of opinion can be explained by several theories: social identity theory, social comparison, and confirmation bias. We constructed a deliberative democracy model that reflected these mechanisms of polarization. We found that deliberative democracy actually decreased polarization of opinion when group discussion was a strong factor. Our study provides guidelines for an institutional design incorporating deliberative democracy, with emphasis on the composition of unbiased group discussions.
{"title":"An agent-based model of deliberative democracy and polarization","authors":"Bokwon Lee, Yohan Kim, K.M Lee, Jae-Suk Yang","doi":"10.1080/0022250X.2020.1836625","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1836625","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In this paper, we examined the effect of deliberative democracy on the polarization of opinion. Through three case analyses, we find that deliberative democracy has two major components – provision of information and group discussion. Polarization of opinion can be explained by several theories: social identity theory, social comparison, and confirmation bias. We constructed a deliberative democracy model that reflected these mechanisms of polarization. We found that deliberative democracy actually decreased polarization of opinion when group discussion was a strong factor. Our study provides guidelines for an institutional design incorporating deliberative democracy, with emphasis on the composition of unbiased group discussions.","PeriodicalId":50139,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mathematical Sociology","volume":"46 1","pages":"173 - 194"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1836625","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45167241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-03-06DOI: 10.1080/0022250X.2020.1732371
J. Easaw, S. Heravi
ABSTRACT The purpose of this note is to consider the effect of perception noise when voters form public opinions. We provide a simple theoretical framework that will form the basis to investigate empirically the effect of news uncertainty on voters’ attentiveness when forming public opinion, or nowcasts. An attentive voter will consistently update their information set. Therefore, if voters’ nowcasts are consistent, any revision of the nowcasts must only reflect new information. We specifically consider how news uncertainty may affect voter attentiveness. The paper focuses on US presidential competence and popularity indices. We find that the nowcasts are consistent during periods of low news uncertainty but highly persistent when news uncertainty is high.
{"title":"Public opinion as nowcast: consistency and the role of news uncertainty","authors":"J. Easaw, S. Heravi","doi":"10.1080/0022250X.2020.1732371","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1732371","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The purpose of this note is to consider the effect of perception noise when voters form public opinions. We provide a simple theoretical framework that will form the basis to investigate empirically the effect of news uncertainty on voters’ attentiveness when forming public opinion, or nowcasts. An attentive voter will consistently update their information set. Therefore, if voters’ nowcasts are consistent, any revision of the nowcasts must only reflect new information. We specifically consider how news uncertainty may affect voter attentiveness. The paper focuses on US presidential competence and popularity indices. We find that the nowcasts are consistent during periods of low news uncertainty but highly persistent when news uncertainty is high.","PeriodicalId":50139,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mathematical Sociology","volume":"45 1","pages":"100 - 110"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1732371","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44847785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-02-26DOI: 10.1080/0022250X.2020.1725002
L. Sakalauskas, Vytautas Dulskis, R. Laužikas, Arunas Miliauskas, D. Plikynas
ABSTRACT This study attempts to construct a computer-based probabilistic model of the social impact of cultural events, which may be useful for simulating and measuring social impact in a community context. Changes in social capital as a result of actors’ participation in cultural events are modeled, assuming that links exist between cultural participation and social capital measured using the methodology of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The computer-based probabilistic model for simulation of the social impact of a cultural event flow is developed, and the model for a social impact assessment using statistical socio-cultural data is given. Finally, verification of the developed model is carried out by Monte Carlo-based computer-simulated case study, and the example of application to statistical cultural participation data is presented.
{"title":"A probabilistic model of the impact of cultural participation on social capital","authors":"L. Sakalauskas, Vytautas Dulskis, R. Laužikas, Arunas Miliauskas, D. Plikynas","doi":"10.1080/0022250X.2020.1725002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1725002","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study attempts to construct a computer-based probabilistic model of the social impact of cultural events, which may be useful for simulating and measuring social impact in a community context. Changes in social capital as a result of actors’ participation in cultural events are modeled, assuming that links exist between cultural participation and social capital measured using the methodology of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The computer-based probabilistic model for simulation of the social impact of a cultural event flow is developed, and the model for a social impact assessment using statistical socio-cultural data is given. Finally, verification of the developed model is carried out by Monte Carlo-based computer-simulated case study, and the example of application to statistical cultural participation data is presented.","PeriodicalId":50139,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mathematical Sociology","volume":"45 1","pages":"65 - 78"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1725002","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47502624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-02-16DOI: 10.1080/0022250X.2020.1726344
W. Ruan
ABSTRACT This paper is concerned with a piecewise-deterministic differential game model of political regime changes. We modify and study the model proposed by Boucekkine et al. in [7]. The original model does not allow all players to take full controls as the situation progresses. Hence, it does not lead to closed-loop strategies. We fix the problem by deriving and using a system of quasi-variational inequalities associated with the differential game, and proving a criterion for the regime change. As a result, we find Markovian strategies for all players. A numerical example for illustration of the method is given. Implications of the results to political changes in a society are discussed. Some results are extended to more general models that incorporate gradual and abrupt changes, as well as continuous and impulse controls.
{"title":"Markovian strategies with continuous and impulse controls for a differential game model of revolution","authors":"W. Ruan","doi":"10.1080/0022250X.2020.1726344","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1726344","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper is concerned with a piecewise-deterministic differential game model of political regime changes. We modify and study the model proposed by Boucekkine et al. in [7]. The original model does not allow all players to take full controls as the situation progresses. Hence, it does not lead to closed-loop strategies. We fix the problem by deriving and using a system of quasi-variational inequalities associated with the differential game, and proving a criterion for the regime change. As a result, we find Markovian strategies for all players. A numerical example for illustration of the method is given. Implications of the results to political changes in a society are discussed. Some results are extended to more general models that incorporate gradual and abrupt changes, as well as continuous and impulse controls.","PeriodicalId":50139,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mathematical Sociology","volume":"45 1","pages":"79 - 99"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/0022250X.2020.1726344","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43729433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}