Variations on Inductive-Recursive Definitions

Abstract

Dybjer and Setzer introduced the definitional principle of inductive-recursively defined families - i.e. of families (U : Set, T : U -> D) such that the inductive definition of U may depend on the recursively defined T --- by defining a type DS D E of codes. Each c : DS D E defines a functor [c] : Fam D -> Fam E, and
(U, T) = \mu [c] : Fam D is exhibited as the initial algebra of [c].

This paper considers the composition of DS-definable functors: Given F : Fam C -> Fam D and G : Fam D -> Fam E, is G \circ F : Fam C -> Fam E DS-definable, if F and G are? We show that this is the case if and only if powers of families are DS-definable, which seems unlikely. To construct composition, we present two new systems UF and PN of codes for inductive-recursive definitions, with UF a subsytem of DS a subsystem of PN. Both UF and PN are closed under composition. Since PN defines a potentially larger class of functors, we show that there is a model where initial algebras of PN-functors exist by adapting Dybjer-Setzer's proof for DS.