Category: ETH
-
Principles of Economics: Public and Common Goods
To define Public Goods we need two concepts: Excludable goods and Rival goods. Excludable goods can be prevented from use (food) in contrast to non-excludable goods that can always be consumed (radio or air). Rival goods cannot be consumed without diminishing others’ use of it (food) in contrast to non-rival goods (mp3-files). Based on the…
-
BSTP: Computing
The digital revolution was carried by the development of transistors. The first triode was created in 1907 (similar to the air plane in 1903). Followed by field-effect transistor (FET) in 1925 and finally followed by today’s standard a silicon transistor in 1954. Based on transistors a first digital computer (ENIAC) was built in 1947 and…
-
CGSS: Complex Networks
Behind complex networks, there are networks that describe the interaction between components. Basics A network is a set of nodes interconnected by a set of links. The adjacency matrix [latex]A[/latex] of a network is the matrix which contains non-zero element [latex]A_{ij}[/latex] if there exists an edge between node [latex]i[/latex] and [latex]j[/latex]. The resulting graph is…
-
Principles of Economics: Externalities
Externality An uncompensated impact of one person’s action on the well-being of a bystander. It is a type of market failure as it reduces the efficiency of the market. In general, it is caused by self-interested buyers and sellers neglecting the external costs or benefits of their actions. However, public policy can reduce externalities and…
-
BSTP: Further Industrial Revolution
Technological development occurs in two forms: intensive growth (development of new methods) and extensive growth (improving current methods). At the time (1930) Keynes predicted 15-hour work weeks by 2030, based on the reduced work necessary to reach the same economic productivity. This was based on the intensive growth of the 19th and 20th century. The…
-
BSTP: Of cars
In the context of Geel’s book – specifically cars – we discuss the following questions: How did niches emerge in the context of existing technology regime? A horse-based transport moved to electric-based transport in the 19th century, before the internal combustion engine took off. Electric batteries and plugs where not standardised and therefore it was…
-
CGSS: Introduction to Mechanism Design
Game Theory outlines the problem of the free-rider dilemma in public goods. In order to overcome the tragedy of the commons mechanism design was proposed. The basic idea is to define the the payoff and actions in order to drive people towards a preferred behaviour. Public Goods Game From the mechanism design perspective two individuals …
-
CGSS: Introduction to Game Theory
A fundamental problem is over-usage. Usually, nobody wants over-usage to occur. However, on an individual level companies want to maximise their profit while they neglect the social cost. The problem is also known as the Tragedy of the commons which is based on the free-rider dilemma. A game is defined by three components: players, actions,…
-
PIPP: Legal Families
The major legal families are civil law and common law. This is a short overview that ignores several details for a coherent view. Civil Law Civil Law is prevalent in Continental Europe. Central features are codification, parliaments make the law, judges interpret the law central figures (i.e scholars who argues doctrinally and creates abstract principles…
-
Urban Design I: Berlin
Berlin needed complete reconstruction after the Second World War. The television tower near Alexander Platz was a sign of progress that Eastern Germany held up against Western Germany. Urbanism is frozen politics. Berlin was expected to grow to 4 million people (in the center) after the war, but remained at 2 million. Note that the…