Rational Choice theory includes a broad body of research that attempts to account for how people act in a variety of contexts, including economic, political and even moral situations. By proposing, most generally, that individuals rationally pursue their self-interests regardless of the context, rational choice has had extensive theoretical and empirical success, on the one hand, and has also faced wide criticism when applied in a variety of disciplines, on the other hand. While there is disagreement over what the defining assumptions of rational choice theory are, in this dissertation I focus on three on which there is widespread agreement. These three features of rational choice theory are: its assumption of egoism or self-interest as the central motivation of individuals; its reliance on consequences as part of a comparative decision-making framework; and finally, its focus on the individual and not on groups as the methodological and normative unit of analysis. In correspondence to these three features, my dissertation is divided into three parts and explores the separate topics of (I) egoism and altruism; (II) consequentialism and ethical decision-making; and, (III) individualism and group identity. The dissertation is not an exercise in showing the extensive problems of rational choice theory, although there are many. The dissertation rather engages these three topics with differing results, some of which in fact attempts to revitalize rational choice, or at least features of rational choice. For the part on altruism, my goal is to demonstrate why the central assumption of egoism in rational choice theory is problematic. More broadly, I argue for a different way of defining genuine altruistic motivation. A result of my analysis there is that altruism appears to be more widespread than has been traditionally assumed and is more amenable to empirical examination. For my discussion on consequentialism, my aim is to re-characterize rational choice as a mode of moral decision-making. I argue that the moral agent is one who frequently compares her particular moral ends in a stable fashion and for this reason cost-benefit analysis is a fully moral framework, one that encourages the agent to genuinely care for her ends and values. For the topic of individualism and group identity, my objective is to show how a previously dismissed topic, once unpacked, is fully consistent with rational choice theory and ought to be of interest to the rational choice theorist. I show that if the liberal political theorist, including the rational choice theorist, is to value group identity, the commitment is only limited to valuing a form of group identity--particularized identity--that is individualist in character. / Dissertation

Although everyone knows that rational thinking is so important, people still always make some decisions by irrational emotion. Previous studies of making decisions suggest that decision makers mainly maximize their own profit based on economical principle and also with the ability to assess every decision selection¡¦s benefit and cost. They also indicate that most management level decision makers may use analytical, rational and logical ways to analyze every problem they encounter and when it refers to decision making. In our daily life, what do we exactly conform to the suggestion of rational decision making theories? Is irrational decision making with emotional involvement consistent with our daily choice and important decision? People make all kinds of decisions no matter they are important or easy decision for himself /herself or for the others. In other word, decisions build up and make up our life, so it is important to understand what kind of factors affects our step of decision making. Through reviewing of the essays and theses, induction of the interview information, we realize rational and irrational factors intervene into the process of decision making. In terms to decision making, we choose ¡§marriage¡¨ as our research scope, discuss rational and irrational factor affect decision makers¡¦ thinking through the four step of decision making: information collection, development of programs, selection of program and implementation of program. In the step of information collection, individual will search for rational consideration and irrational element. Decision maker will make the decision and influence by irrational factors which include affection, emotion and feeling. When it comes to implementation, some ideas emerge in their mind.

<p>In order to facilitate design and maintenance of such a large and complex site as a nuclear power plant, all system functions must be described in a stringent way. In the past, these descriptions consisted of text documents and logical diagrams, but today there are an increasing number of object-oriented programs available on the market which might be used for this purpose. This Master Thesis has made a closer study of one of these programs named Rational Rose. The principal of the program is to facilitate software design and development, not to create models of plants. However, using the program the same way as developing software, specifying actors then gradually extend the model with use cases, use cases diagrams etc, the same methods can be used when modelling plants. </p><p>During this Master Thesis most of the time has been spent developing, structuring and classifying the functions composing the Feed Water Backup System of the reactor named Oskarshamn 3. A considerable amount of time was also spent to find a general structure for typical motor and valve circuits in the plant, which are also applicable for the configuration of the Feed Water Backup System. This general structure will then be used to support maintenance and to get faster decisions when new systems are designed. </p><p>Effectuating the modernization of the nuclear power plants in Sweden, an ever- increasing use of highly software intensive systems will be introduced, which also leads to the need of finding other ways to describe those systems. A suitable method is to use Rational Rose, where the entire process, from description to final product, will be done in an integrated way. Use cases are generated and together with their related documentation they will form the description of the desired system functions.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-166). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-89).

Uppsatsen handlar om huruvida sociologin fortfarande är relevant när ekonomivetenskapen breddar sitt studiefält till att inte längre vara självklart ekonomisk utan också ställa frågor som traditionellt legat på sociologins bord. Genom en teoretisk analys av statistiska resultat angående användandet av inköpslista i samband med matvaruinköp undersöker uppsatsen huruvida ekonomins klassiska handlingsteori, rational choice, och dess antaganden om homo economicus är tillräckligt för att förklara de resultat som uppkommer. Jürgen Habermas teori om kommunikativt handlande, och Webers handlingsteori används som exempel på utpräglat sociologiska handlingsteorier vars förklaringsförmåga av de uppkomna resultaten jämförs med rational choice theory. Arbetet visar hur ekonomivetenskapen i sin strävan att bredda sitt studiefält behöver ifrågasätta vissa klassiska antaganden, något som under senare årtionden har inträffat, och att sociologin kan ge förklaringar där klassisk ekonomisk teori faller kort.

We construct Fuchsian groups [Gamma] of signature (0 : 2, ... ,2 ;1;0) so that the set of hyperbolic fixed points of [Gamma] will contain a given finite collection of elements in the boundary of the hyperbolic plane. We use this to establish that there are infinitely many non-commensurable non-cocompact Fuchsian groups [Delta] of finite covolume sitting in PSL₂(Q) so that the set of hyperbolic fixed points of [Delta] will contain a given finite collection of rational boundary points of the hyperbolic plane. We also give a parameterization of Fuchsian groups of signature (0:2,2,2;1;0) and investigate when particular hyperbolic elements have rational fixed points. Moreover, we include a detailed list of the group elements and their killer intervals for the known pseudomodular groups that Long and Reid found; in addition, the list contains a new list of killer intervals for a pseudomodular group not found by Long and Reid. / text

This research aims to explore if rational choice theory can be applied to explain money laundering in Hong Kong by drawing on the characteristics of stooges and their motives for colluding in money laundering activities and the effectiveness of imprisonment or other forms of punishments as a means of deterrence. An actor has limited cognitive capacity, makes decisions based on incomplete information and his actions reflect personal optimal beliefs (Piquero and Tibbetts, 2002; Hindmoor, 2006). Findings from the seven in-depth interviews conducted as part of the research and documentary reviews of local court cases support that financial reward is the major reason “why” offenders engage in money laundering activities at both the individual and institutional level. The findings also show that, in addition to ignorant and vulnerable individuals being chosen as stooges, well-regarded individuals and charitable organizations are also possible candidates. The research highlights a luring process experienced by the stooges which supports the psychosocial dynamics of rational choice. The research findings also challenge one of the cornerstones of classical criminology that maximum penalty is an effective means of deterrence. / published_or_final_version / Criminology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

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