Hector Correa

Teacher-student interaction: A game theoretic extension of the economic theory of education

Abstract This paper employs the ‘economic theory of education’ to consider the joint interactive choices of student and teacher. Game theoretic analysis is applied extending the work begun by Correa (1974) . It is shown that the relative degree of substitutability in the utility and achievement functions determines whether a student responds positively or negatively to the teachers greater effort or harder grading. Conditions for the existence and stability of a non-cooperative equilibrium are investigated. Due to the public good nature of student achievement, the non-cooperative equilibrium will result in insufficient academic effort being allocated to academic achievement for Pareto optimality; and therefore, there is a need for binding cooperative agreements.

An application of input‐output analysis to the administration of a police department

The identification and description of the main components of a police department and the interrelations among these components are used to construct an input‐output model similar to those used to analyze the interdependence among sectors in an economy. This model makes it possible to forecast the personnel requirements for each component generated by changes in public demands for police services. The method presented and the results obtained are of interest to researchers in the theory of organization, to managers in general, and particularly to administrators of police departments.

An application of input-output analysis to a city's municipal government

Abstract Identification and description of the main components of the public administration of a city and the interrelations among these components are used to construct an organizational input–output model similar to those based on the interdependence among industries in an economy. To make the analysis more concrete and accessible, data from the Executive Branch of the Municipal Government of Pittsburgh PA (EBPMG) are used. The basic model makes it possible to forecast the personnel needed by each component to meet the external demands generated by the population as a whole, other municipal organizations within the city, and the regional and federal governments. Extensions of this model can be used to analyze the implications of outsourcing or privatizing functions and of changing the characteristics of the EBPMG through restructuring, rightsizing, and/or other similar approaches. The methods presented and the results obtained are of interest to researchers in the theory of organization, to managers in general, and particularly to personnel managers in the public sector.

An application of input-output analysis to the administration of a library☆

The identification and description of the main personnel components of a library and the interrelations among these components are used to construct an input-output model similar to those used to analyze the interdependence among sectors in an economy. This model makes it possible to forecast the personnel requirements for each component resulting from changes in external demands for library services generated by patrons, other libraries, vendors, providers of funds, government agencies, and professional associations. The method presented and the results obtained are of interest to researchers in the theory of organization, to managers in general, and particularly to library administrators.

Administrative interdependence: Measurement and applications

Abstract The object of the paper is to apply the methods used in the analysis of input-output tables to the study of interdependence among the different subdivisions of organizations. The term “organizations” is used in a generalized sense that includes examples ranging from, say, a small industry to a countrys government. The bases for the analysis are the assumptions that: (a) it is possible to identify the contribution that each subdivision of the organization makes to the other subdivisions: and (b) it is possible to identify the contribution of the organization to its social environment. With the assumptions mentioned above, the methods of input-output analysis can be applied in order to estimate changes in size that should occur in an organization when demands from its environment change. Indices of model in which the methods developed for the study of Flow of Funds matrices are applied to the study of organizations. Data from the Federal Government of the U.S., subdivided into 25 departments and from the Mexican National Productivity Center are used to construct examples of the models presented and their applications.

Integrated economic accounting

SummaryThe object of the paper is to present micro and macro accounting as an integrated conceptual body, logically derived from a limited number of basic assumptions. The are applied to an economy with five micro economic units: Households, Industries, Banks, Government and Rest of the World. The basic macro economic statement -to be called the National Transactions Table - is obtained as a systematic organization and consolidation of all the micro statements. The first macro statement derived from the National Transactions Table is the Generalized Equation of Exchange. With this, Fishers Equation of Exchange is given, first, a logical foundation, second, its correct formulation both for its aggregated and disaggregated forms, and finally, the place that naturally corresponds to it in a social accounting system. Leaving for a moment the logical derivation of the macro accounting statements, some of the properties of the Generalized Equation of Exchange are explored. In particular, the properties of the sectoral velocities of circulation are analized. Returning to the accounting aspects of the study, the Flow of Funds, Input -Output, Income and Product and Savings and Investment statements are derived from the National Transactions Table and some of their properties are explored.

A game theoretic analysis of faculty competition and academic standards

Grade inflation, particularly but not exclusively in higher education, is a serious concern of educators, educational policy-makers and researchers. It has been suggested that student evaluations of faculty are among its principal causes because students tend to give favorable evaluations to professors who give high grades, and that these evaluations are used by university administrators as part of the criteria for promotions, salary increases and similar faculty benefits. This explanation suggests that faculty members compete for favorable student evaluations. It can be generalized to state that faculty members cooperate and compete not only for favorable evaluations, but also for the enrollment of students in the courses they teach. The relevance of faculty cooperation and competition suggests that the Theory of Games could be a useful instrument to analyze the interactions among university professors. The object of this paper is to present a model based on these assumptions and to analyze the consequences that can be derived from it that are relevant for university policy decisions.

An analytic approach to the study of gun control policies

Abstract This paper explores the theoretic and policy implications of the assumption that the objective of gun ownership is to enhance the security of gun owners and their associates. Security is defined as the probability of not being victimized in a criminal assault and not suffering accidental injury or death in a gun-related incident. An elementary mathematical model is constructed and analyzed. This model and controversial data currently available lead to the conclusion that the percentage of the population owning guns should be larger than now it is. This result does not imply that gun ownership should be made more accessible. Gun ownership may be one possible way to reduce crime. Other ways to achieve this objective are better police control, education, socio-economic justice, etc. The possibility that these alternatives are more effective crime deterrents is not explored in this paper, nor in the studies that provided the data. This evaluation is needed before deciding whether increased gun ownership is the policy that should be adopted in order to reduce crime.

The microeconomic theory of education

Abstract The main objective of this monograph is to propose a structural view of the microeconomics of education as a logically consistent whole formed by interdependent components, and to organize systematically the work done on the subject since about 1960 within that structure. Two basic criteria are used to characterize the subject: (a) its object of study is assumed to be the rational behavior of persons acting in the roles of prospective student, student, prospective teacher, teacher and educational administrator, and (b) the analysis of their behavior should be done based on the assumptions and methods of general microeconomic theory. The emphasis on integration and restructuring leads to the identification of existing gaps in the theory and of opportunities for future research. The main conclusion reached is that the microeconomic theory of education could be as important an instrument as pedagogy and educational psychology for the determination of appropriate forms of behavior in classrooms and schools.

Quantitative Analysis of the Implementation of Educational Plans in Latin America.

Abstract In this paper an index of plan implementation is defined and applied to the 1960–1970 educational plans of Latin American countries. Statistical analysis is used to specify the determinants of the values of the index. It is shown that a lack of statistical data and of qualified personnel are the main reasons for insufficient plan implementation.