Causal inference in the empirical sciences is based on counterfactuals. This paper presents the counterfactual account of causation in terms of Lewis's possible-world semantics, and reformulates the statistical potential outcome framework and its underlying assumptions using counterfactual...

In the past few years sustainability and sustainable development have become important concepts widespread over the world. There is no agreement on a common definition of sustainability, but there is a general need to measure and assess sustainability in different geographical and spatial...

Recently, there is a growing trend of filing intrafamilial tort actions, especially against spouses. In the past, and, to a certain extent, even at present, immunities existed in common law against tort litigation within the family. Is it appropriate today to block such claims, or should they be...

Rationale: The minimally important difference (MID) represents the smallest change on a patient reported outcome which can be considered important. Currently, only Walters and Brazier (2005) have published MID data for health utilities. Their results suggested that the MID preference-based...

Problems noted with current patterns in patent litigation include the increasing cost of patent litigation, low incentives to invalidate weak patents because doing so could help competitors, and a high incentive to settle patent suits because of the high cost of bringing such cases to trial. The...

By combining our broad panel survey of Japanese adults from 2005 to 2008 and actual cigarette tax data, we investigate how smoking behavior including responses to tax hikes depends on time discounting and its biases, such as hyperbolic discounting and the sign effect. Cigarette consumption...

In this paper, I discuss transnational mobility using a perspective that emphasizes conflicts at macro, mezzo and micro levels while seeking ways in which such a conflict model of migration can be developed. I outline areas involving different degrees of conflict which are better seen on a...

Extant research on hedonic goods has largely assumed that consumers justify consumption before consuming. However, in everyday life, consumers often justify hedonic consumption after consuming. For instance, a dieter may exercise in the few days after eating a luxurious chocolate cake. In three...