London School of Economics and Political Science

About: London School of Economics and Political Science is a education organization based out in London, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Politics & Population. The organization has 8759 authors who have published 35017 publications receiving 1436302 citations.

Essays in Positive Economics

Abstract: "Stimulating, provocative, often infuriating, but well worth reading." Peter Newman, "Economica" "His critical blast blows like a north wind against the more pretentious erections of modern economics. It is however a healthy and invigorating blast, without malice and with a sincere regard for scientific objectivity." K.E. Boulding, "Political Science Quarterly" "Certainly one of the most engrossing volumes that has appeared recently in economic theory." William J. Baumol, "Review of Economics and Statistics""

Algebraic graph theory

Abstract: 1. Introduction to algebraic graph theory Part I. Linear Algebra in Graphic Thoery: 2. The spectrum of a graph 3. Regular graphs and line graphs 4. Cycles and cuts 5. Spanning trees and associated structures 6. The tree-number 7. Determinant expansions 8. Vertex-partitions and the spectrum Part II. Colouring Problems: 9. The chromatic polynomial 10. Subgraph expansions 11. The multiplicative expansion 12. The induced subgraph expansion 13. The Tutte polynomial 14. Chromatic polynomials and spanning trees Part III. Symmetry and Regularity: 15. Automorphisms of graphs 16. Vertex-transitive graphs 17. Symmetric graphs 18. Symmetric graphs of degree three 19. The covering graph construction 20. Distance-transitive graphs 21. Feasibility of intersection arrays 22. Imprimitivity 23. Minimal regular graphs with given girth References Index.

On the logic of theory change: Partial meet contraction and revision functions

Abstract: This paper extends earlier work by its authors on formal aspects of the processes of contracting a theory to eliminate a proposition and revising a theory to introduce a proposition. In the course of the earlier work, Gardenfors developed general postulates of a more or less equational nature for such processes, whilst Alchourron and Makinson studied the particular case of contraction functions that are maximal, in the sense of yielding a maximal subset of the theory (or alternatively, of one of its axiomatic bases), that fails to imply the proposition being eliminated. In the present paper, the authors study a broader class, including contraction functions that may be less than maximal. Specifically, they investigate “partial meet contraction functions”, which are defined to yield the intersection of some nonempty family of maximal subsets of the theory that fail to imply the proposition being eliminated. Basic properties of these functions are established: it is shown in particular that they satisfy the Gardenfors postulates, and moreover that they are sufficiently general to provide a representation theorem for those postulates. Some special classes of partial meet contraction functions, notably those that are “relational” and “transitively relational”, are studied in detail, and their connections with certain “supplementary postulates” of Gardenfors investigated, with a further representation theorem established.

The Relation Between Unemployment and the Rate of Change of Money Wage Rates in the United Kingdom, 1861–1957†

Abstract: When the demand for a commodity or service is high relatively to the supply of it we expect the price to rise, the rate of rise being greater the greater the excess demand. Conversely when the demand is low relatively to the supply we expect the price to fall, the rate of fall being greater the greater the deficiency of demand. It seems plausible that this principle should operate as one of the factors determining the rate of change of money wage rates, which are the price of labour services. When the demand for labour is high and there are very few unemployed we should expect employers to bid wage rates up quite rapidly, each firm and each industry being continually tempted to offer a little above the prevailing rates to attract the most suitable labour from other firms and industries. On the other hand it appears that workers are reluctant to offer their services at less than the prevailing rates when the demand for labour is low and unemployment is high so that wage rates fall only very slowly. The relation between unemployment and the rate of change of wage rates is therefore likely to be highly non-linear. It seems possible that a second factor influencing the rate of change of money wage rates might be the rate of change of the demand for labour, and so of unemployment. Thus in a year of rising business activity, with the demand for labour increasing and the percentage unemployment decreasing, employers will be bidding more vigorously for the services of labour than they would be in a year during which the average percentage unemployment was the same but the demand for labour was not increasing. Conversely in a year of falling business activity, with the demand for labour decreasing and the percentage unemployment increasing, employers will be less inclined to grant wage increases, and workers will be in a weaker position to press for them, than they would be in a year during which the average percentage unemployment was the same but the demand for labour was not decreasing. A third factor which may affect the rate of change of money wage rates is the rate of change of retail prices, operating through cost of living adjustments in wage rates. It will be argued here, however, that cost of living adjustments will have little or no effect on the rate of change of money wage rates except at times when retail prices are 1 This study is part of a wider research project financed by a grant from the Ford Foundation. The writer was assisted by Mrs. Marjory Klonarides. Thanks are due to Professor E. H. Phelps Brown, Professor J. B. Meade and Dr. R. G. Lipsey for comments on an earlier draft.