The fundamental burden of a theory of inductive inference is to determine which are the good inductive inferences or relations of inductive support and why it is that they are so. The traditional approach is modeled on that taken in accounts of deductive inference. It seeks universally applicable schemas or rules or a single formal device, such as the probability calculus. After millennia of halting efforts, none of these approaches has been unequivocally successful and debates between approaches persist.The Material Theory of Induction identifies the source of these enduring problems in the assumption taken at the outset: that inductive inference can be accommodated by a single formal account with universal applicability. Instead, it argues that that there is no single, universally applicable formal account. Rather, each domain has an inductive logic native to it. Which that is, and its extent, is determined by the facts prevailing in that domain. Paying close attention to how inductive inference is conducted in science and copiously illustrated with real-world examples, The Material Theory of Induction will initiate a new tradition in the analysis of inductive inference.

The Competitiveness of Tropical Agriculture: A Guide to Competitive Potential with Case Studies describes and synthesizes existing methodologies for evaluating competitiveness in agriculture, introduces extensions and refinements, and provides a novel approach based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. As exports of tropical fruit, nuts, and other high-value crops have been growing very rapidly from developing countries, but often encounter serious obstacles in their value chains, this book demonstrates how national agricultural policy is oftentimes not guided by considerations of inherent competitiveness. In addition, the book presents case studies that illustrate the application of these approaches using quantitative frameworks. A concluding chapter introduces policy considerations for competitiveness from work in Jordan, Colombia, Estonia, Peru, and elsewhere, also discussing the role of specific policies in raising competitiveness sustainably and its role in reducing rural poverty.

Just the Facts Ma'am is an 'analytic narrative' - a case study guided by formal economic theory. It is the only book written from an economics perspective that addresses one of the most remarkable cases of the reversal of corruption in the history of the United States - a case of corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department. The model combines traditional aspects of the 'reform as changes in economic incentives' introduced by William Parker in the LAPD, combined with an analysis of his extensive consideration of social norms.

Devoted to the history of general relativity, this text provides reviews from scholars all over the world. Many of the papers originated at the Third International Conference on the History of General Relativity, held at the University of Pittsburgh in the summer of 1991. Topics covered include: disputes with Einstein; the empirical basis of general relativity; variational principles in general relativity; the reception and development of general relativity; and cosmology and general relativity.

Inequality stirs passions across the globe today, figures prominently in political discourse, generates fervid debate and popular protest, and is the theme of widely read scholarly publications. This book contributes to the burgeoning global dialogues and literature on economic inequality in a new way, identifying and addressing what may be called bedrock types of inequality whose origins are rooted in the history and culture of each country. These kinds of inequality strongly influence income distributions by strata, can be resistant to change, and require solutions beyond fiscal tax and expenditure policies. And it places the findings firmly in the realm of the relevant studies on the topics covered. The countries analyzed include South Korea, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Peru, Estonia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Yemen.

The fundamental burden of a theory of inductive inference is to determine which are the good inductive inferences or relations of inductive support and why it is that they are so. The traditional approach is modeled on that taken in accounts of deductive inference. It seeks universally applicable schemas or rules or a single formal device, such as the probability calculus. After millennia of halting efforts, none of these approaches has been unequivocally successful and debates between approaches persist.The Material Theory of Induction identifies the source of these enduring problems in the assumption taken at the outset: that inductive inference can be accommodated by a single formal account with universal applicability. Instead, it argues that that there is no single, universally applicable formal account. Rather, each domain has an inductive logic native to it. Which that is, and its extent, is determined by the facts prevailing in that domain. Paying close attention to how inductive inference is conducted in science and copiously illustrated with real-world examples, The Material Theory of Induction will initiate a new tradition in the analysis of inductive inference.

The fight for the future of the city street between pedestrians, street railways, and promoters of the automobile between 1915 and 1930. Before the advent of the automobile, users of city streets were diverse and included children at play and pedestrians at large. By 1930, most streets were primarily a motor thoroughfares where children did not belong and where pedestrians were condemned as "jaywalkers." In Fighting Traffic, Peter Norton argues that to accommodate automobiles, the American city required not only a physical change but also a social one: before the city could be reconstructed for the sake of motorists, its streets had to be socially reconstructed as places where motorists belonged. It was not an evolution, he writes, but a bloody and sometimes violent revolution. Norton describes how street users struggled to define and redefine what streets were for. He examines developments in the crucial transitional years from the 1910s to the 1930s, uncovering a broad anti-automobile campaign that reviled motorists as "road hogs" or "speed demons" and cars as "juggernauts" or "death cars." He considers the perspectives of all users-pedestrians, police (who had to become "traffic cops"), street railways, downtown businesses, traffic engineers (who often saw cars as the problem, not the solution), and automobile promoters. He finds that pedestrians and parents campaigned in moral terms, fighting for "justice." Cities and downtown businesses tried to regulate traffic in the name of "efficiency." Automotive interest groups, meanwhile, legitimized their claim to the streets by invoking "freedom"-a rhetorical stance of particular power in the United States. Fighting Traffic offers a new look at both the origins of the automotive city in America and how social groups shape technological change.

If they didn't disbar him, Bernie was going to be all right. Until that morning when Rhonda came back into his life. They had history, some great, some bad and some fantastic. Still, he could have stayed out of her way. But, Rhonda was there to help her grandmother, Nana, fight the forces of government oppression. Not Nana, he could refuse anyone, but Nana, the woman who fed him peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches, Oreos and watched him bond with his soul mate all through those grade school summers in Wauwatosa. And, if he didn't help his mother would kick his ass. But, now its fighting gigantic Samoan Secret Service agents and dwarf pornographers over stolen films and illegal gold. He can't even think about the South American drug lords who are stirred into this stew. He's counting on Rhonda and her Nana to have his back. And, they do, except when their lying to him. When it comes right down to it though he can't shake his feelings for Rhonda, even if she is just the most recent generation from a family of femmes fatales.

This book provides an introduction to science and scientific thinking for students who have not had much contact with science. It explains what is distinctive about the scientific approach and its product, scientific theories. The emphasis is on quantitative approaches and on showing how the use of number in science greatly extends the reach of the investigative tools. The book is divided into three parts: General Material (what are the problems faced by scientists and the general techniques used to overcome them?); Introduction to Thermodynamics (examples of how theories are constructed); and Introduction to Statistical Analysis (examples of randomness). The book is laid out with a blackboard-style summary on the left-hand pages and text explanations on the right-hand pages. Many examples and assignments are included throughout.