Introduction -- The theory of competitive markets -- Lack of competition in U.S. markets -- The effects of mega-mergers -- Corporate stakeholders -- Outsourcing in the U.S. and Europe -- Legitimization of greed -- Heartbreak to workers -- Belief systems and confirmation bias -- Recommendations -- Postscript.

The Handbook on Systemic Risk, written by experts in the field, provides researchers with an introduction to the multifaceted aspects of systemic risks facing the global financial markets. The Handbook explores the multidisciplinary approaches to analyzing this risk, the data requirements for further research, and the recommendations being made to avert financial crisis. The Handbook is designed to encourage new researchers to investigate a topic with immense societal implications as well as to provide, for those already actively involved within their own academic discipline, an introduction to the research being undertaken in other disciplines. Each chapter in the Handbook will provide researchers with a superior introduction to the field and with references to more advanced research articles. It is the hope of the editors that this Handbook will stimulate greater interdisciplinary academic research on the critically important topic of systemic risk in the global financial markets.

Why do people like books, music, or movies that adhere consistently to genre conventions? Why is it hard for politicians to take positions that cross ideological boundaries? Why do we have dramatically different expectations of companies that are categorized as social media platforms as opposed to news media sites? The answers to these questions require an understanding of how people use basic concepts in their everyday lives to give meaning to objects, other people, and social situations and actions. In this book, a team of sociologists presents a groundbreaking model of concepts and categorization that can guide sociological and cultural analysis of a wide variety of social situations. Drawing on research in various fields, including cognitive science, computational linguistics, and psychology, the book develops an innovative view of concepts. It argues that concepts have meanings that are probabilistic rather than sharp, occupying fuzzy, overlapping positions in a “conceptual space.” Measurements of distances in this space reveal our mental representations of categories. Using this model, important yet commonplace phenomena such as our routine buying decisions can be quantified in terms of the cognitive distance between concepts. Concepts and Categories provides an essential set of formal theoretical tools and illustrates their application using an eclectic set of methodologies, from micro-level controlled experiments to macro-level language processing. It illuminates how explicit attention to concepts and categories can give us a new understanding of everyday situations and interactions.

As industries are rapidly being digitalized and information is being more heavily stored and transmitted online, the security of information has become a top priority in securing the use of online networks as a safe and effective platform. With the vast and diverse potential of artificial intelligence (AI) applications, it has become easier than ever to identify cyber vulnerabilities, potential threats, and the identification of solutions to these unique problems. The latest tools and technologies for AI applications have untapped potential that conventional systems and human security systems cannot meet, leading AI to be a frontrunner in the fight against malware, cyber-attacks, and various security issues. However, even with the tremendous progress AI has made within the sphere of security, it’s important to understand the impacts, implications, and critical issues and challenges of AI applications along with the many benefits and emerging trends in this essential field of security-based research. Research Anthology on Artificial Intelligence Applications in Security seeks to address the fundamental advancements and technologies being used in AI applications for the security of digital data and information. The included chapters cover a wide range of topics related to AI in security stemming from the development and design of these applications, the latest tools and technologies, as well as the utilization of AI and what challenges and impacts have been discovered along the way. This resource work is a critical exploration of the latest research on security and an overview of how AI has impacted the field and will continue to advance as an essential tool for security, safety, and privacy online. This book is ideally intended for cyber security analysts, computer engineers, IT specialists, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in AI applications in the realm of security research.

Promoting a comparative perspective, this comprehensive Research Handbook aids in the understanding of alternative finance and its values in a global setting. Readers are encouraged to view alternative finance through the lens of economic mechanisms rather than terminology.

A fundamental economic reconstruction of merger analysis to strengthen our ability to determine mergers’ likely effects and improve merger regulation. Why rethink merger analysis? Because methods employed throughout the world violate basic precepts of decision analysis and economics. Fundamental principles are underdeveloped, inhibiting research, policy formulation, and merger review. In Rethinking Merger Analysis, Louis Kaplow undertakes a foundational analysis of the questions central to understanding and regulating horizontal mergers and shows why many conventional practices need to be altered or replaced. On the empirical front, Kaplow offers insights, identifies shortcomings, and proposes extensions of existing research. Altogether, merger review can be greatly improved to better identify harmful mergers and avoid thwarting beneficial ones. The correct economic analysis of anticompetitive effects conflicts sharply with the reigning market definition paradigm. This protocol is more deeply flawed than appreciated, readily produces large errors, and can result in uncertainty bounds on challenge thresholds of two orders of magnitude. Merger efficiencies are underanalyzed because of the failure to draw on relevant disciplines and pertinent industry expertise. Postmerger entry’s role is mischaracterized in merger guidelines, and its direct welfare effects are ignored. Entry induced by the prospect of a subsequent buyout has until recently been disregarded. Proper assessment requires a dynamic framing that accounts for a merger regime’s influence on the creation and capabilities of new generations of startups that are central to economic dynamism. This book eschews advocacy and instead focuses on clear thinking—indeed, rethinking—about how to improve merger policy and assessment.

This is the sixth volume of focused texts developed from leading textbook The Foundations of Behavioral Economics. Authoritative, cutting edge, and accessible, this volume covers behavioral modes of learning.