Dynamic environmental performance analysis: A Malmquist index approach

This article presents a general framework for dynamic environmental performance analysis by generalizing the approach proposed by Kuosmanen and Kortelainen [Kuosmanen, T., Kortelainen, M., 2005. Measuring Eco-Efficiency of Production with Data Envelopment Analysis. Journal of Industrial Ecology 9(4), 59-72.] from a static to a dynamic setting. For this purpose we construct an environmental performance index (EPI) by applying frontier efficiency techniques and a Malmquist index approach. Compared to other dynamic environmental productivity and efficiency analysis approaches based on these methods, our approach builds on the standard definition of eco-efficiency as it is presented in the ecological economics literature. Recognizing the importance to analyze the sources of environmental performance changes, we show how changes in overall environmental performance can be decomposed into changes in relative eco-efficiency and shifts in environmental technology, respectively. We apply the presented technique at the macro level to dynamic environmental performance analysis of 20 member states of the European Union in 1990-2003. According to the results, environmental technical change mostly explains the improvement in overall environmental performance, while relative eco-efficiency change has been minor for most countries during the sample period.     

试论产权激励的两个层面

现代产权激励分为两个层面,一个是微观层面,另一个是宏观层面.西方产权理论侧重于微观与效率分析,却无法解释经济增长和政府职能在宏观层面上对产权激励的影响.中国在经历了30年改革之后,社会的进一步转型需要剖析政府在宏观层面上的产权激励.     

Behaviour in commons dilemmas: Homo economicus and Homo psychologicus in an ecological-economic model

In mainstream economy, behaviour is often formalised following the rational actor-approach. However, in real life the behaviour of people is typified by multidimensional optimisation. To realise this, people engage in cognitive processes such as social comparison, imitation and repetitive behaviour (habits) so as to efficiently use their limited cognitive resources. A multi-agent simulation program is being developed to study how such micro-level processes affect macro-level outcomes. Sixteen agents are placed in a micro-world, consisting of a lake and a gold mine. Each agent's task is to satisfy its personal needs by fishing and/or mining, whereby they find themselves in a commons dilemma facing the risk of resource depletion. Homo economicus and Homo psychologicus are formalised to study the effects of different cognitive processes on the agents' behaviour. Results show that for the H. psychologicus the transition from a fishing to a mining society is more complete than for the H. economicus. Moreover, introducing diversity in agents' abilities causes the H. economicus on the average to decrease its time spent working, whereas for the H. psychologicus we observe an increase in the time spent working. These results confirm that macro-level indicators of sustainability, such as pollution and fish-harvest, are strongly and predictably affected by behavioural processes at the micro-level. It is concluded that the incorporation of a micro-level perspective on human behaviour within integrated models of the environment yields a better understanding and eventual management of the processes involved in environmental degradation.     

The Ecological Economic Model Based on Bounded Rational Agents

I. Introduction Ecology is a newly emergent subject. Stemming from natural history and evolutionary biology, ecology came into being at the beginning of the 20th century. Ecology has been strug- gling for its existence as a science, which has involved a s…     

基于有限理性智能体的生态经济模型

From the view of hominine bounded rationalities, this paper analyzes the important relationships between ecology and economics with behavioral finance. With a different focus, this paper adopts a new conceptualization of stock to show how this conceptualization leads to a new measure of the interaction between ecology and economics, based on bounded rational agents. The hierarchical structure of ecological economic system is described with a multi-agent simulation program. This paper also develops an ecological economic model, in which behavioral finance theories are applied to simulating the dynamics system. With the model, this paper confirms that macro-level indicators of sustainability are predictably influenced by behaviors of bounded rational agents at the micro-level. We discuss the significance of these findings in order to better understand the ecological-economic system based on behavioral finance.     

Dynamic sustainability assessment: The case of Russia in the period of transition (1985-2008)

Russia has experienced twenty years of economic and social change, which had a substantial impact on the regional and sectoral patterns of the development of its economy, infrastructure, the quality of the environment and the well-being of its people. The current economic revival offers new opportunities and presents new challenges for the sustainable development of Russia.The paper employs the UN Sustainable Development framework of indicators and assesses sustainability of Russia using multi-criteria evaluation methods, namely the uncertainty randomization multi-criteria evaluation method “Analysis and Synthesis of Parameters under Information Deficiency” (ASPID). The analysis covers economic, environmental and social trends in Russia's development in 1985-2008 and assesses sustainability of this development from the point of view of multiple criteria.The results show the potential of employment of multi-criteria methods for the sustainability assessment at the macro level and offer useful insights into multidimensional nature of sustainability and the role of priority setting in the evaluation process. Such an analysis reveals the degree of harmoniousness of sustainable development policy. It shows how different sets of priorities determine the outcome of multidimensional analysis of sustainability and could potentially help in assessing progress and designing new policy instruments. This paper is one of the first to apply multi-criteria methods to the macro sustainability analysis in the dynamic setting.     

经济地理学研究中的尺度问题

分析了地理学中的尺度概念及其类型,强调尺度在经济地理学研究框架/范式中具有重要意义。经济地理学中的尺度变化,具有从早期微观尺度研究转向宏观微观结合以及宏观精细化研究的特征。中国经济地理学的宏观研究传统应该继续发扬,但同时应加强其微观研究。其微观研究可沿着三个层面展开:①在研究对象的空间尺度上从小区域或点位入手;②对研究对象进行分解,抓住其中最基本的单元,借助微观研究解释、揭示宏观现象;③对宏观(中观)对象的研究中,注意微观视角,即利用相关技术,构造精细的宏观模型。     

绿色增长视角下不可再生能源效率测度模型的构建及实证分析

系统整合MFA方法、DEA方法和生态效率评价法,构建了绿色增长视角下的全要素不可再生能源效率测度模型。定义了全要素不可再生能源效率测度指标体系,其中投入指标包括不可再生能源、人力资源、资本资源、科技资源以及不可再生能源的隐藏流,产出指标包括经济价值和环境正影响。对1953—2012年中国的全要素不可再生能源效率以及不可再生能源的经济效率、环境效率和生态效率进行了测算和分析。研究结果表明:所构建的全要素不可再生能源效率测度模型不仅可用于测算全要素不可再生能源效率,而且可用于测算不可再生能源在开发和利用过程中的经济价值、环境影响和生态代价,是一个符合绿色增长理念的、较科学而全面的不可再生能源效率测度模型。     

中国地区工业的生态效率测度及趋同分析：2003—2010年

生态效率兼顾经济活动的生态效益和经济效益,在一定程度上反映了经济可持续发展水平,其综合评价有助于探索经济发展方式转变的路径。2003—2010年中国大陆31个省份的工业生态效率测度及趋同分析表明：我国工业生态效率普遍偏低,其省际差异和年际变化差异都较大,而且存在明显的生态效率趋同。为进一步改善我国各省的工业生态效率,既要广泛搭建技术转移平台以促进先进技术推广,还要大力提高落后地区的技术能力以促进先进技术的充分吸收和利用。     

“分工”的数理经济学分析

将数学化的分工经济理论与现实经济相结合,在微观层面解释了分工的生产效率,在中观层面解释了产业集群的形成,在宏观层面解释了分工生产这种生产模式的优越性。结果表明分工经济对现实世界的强大解释力。     

Justifying the incorporation of the materials balance principle into frontier-based eco-efficiency models

Frontier-based models are an alternative to traditional eco-efficiency ratio indicators. This paper considers two different types, environmentally adjusted production efficiency models and frontier eco-efficiency models, and tries to find justification for incorporating the materials balance principle (MBP) in them. Similar importance is attached to the economic and environmental outcomes of a production process. Like economic outcomes can be derived from inputs and outputs and respective prices, some cases allow for deriving environmental outcomes from the production function with the MBP. After an overview of attempts to incorporate environmental issues in production efficiency models and some reflections why MBP has been neglected in environmental economics and production efficiency analysis, the paper gives basic principles to incorporate the MBP in conventional production efficiency methods and shows how this adjustment leads to a more diversified diagnosis of eco-efficiency. Finally, potentialities and bottlenecks are discussed. Exploiting the MBP in production efficiency and eco-efficiency analysis will facilitate more pro-active eco-efficiency research.     

A cost-benefit analysis for the economic growth in China

Currently, traditional development issues such as income inequality, depletion of natural resources, environmental pollution as well as retardation of infrastructure have occurred in China. In the future, more pressures would be imposed on China by the continuous fast development of industrialization, and with transfer of the world manufacture center to China. Sustainable development, including its economic, environmental and social elements, is a key goal of decisionmakers. This paper develops a methodology on cost benefit analysis of economic growth at macroscopic level to identify issues of China's sustainability. In order to address some important issues on how to make policies to improve the quality of economic growth, the CBA framework developed in this study analyses economic-ecological-social interaction, building three accounts that reflect three dimensions of sustainable development that includes 26 sub-models in all, and finally is integrated into an index as Net Progress Proceeds (NPP). The estimation methods of these submodels, such as cost of environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources and defensive expenditures are described in detail. Based on the framework and methods, this paper examines the costs and benefits of economic growth in three aspects of economy, ecology and society. The results illustrate that NPR of China's economic growth had been negative for a long time and has just became positive since year 2000 but was quite low. Even the best was only 1.6% in 2002 (the worst was − 24.2% in 1982). Based on the comparison between three accounts, we can draw a conclusion that ecological cost is the dominant factor that affects China's NPR. The empirical results show that if no other innovative measures or policies are taken in the future the costs of growth would outweigh its benefits, resulting in un-sustainability. Basically, the long-term economic growth would be unsustainable due to increasing environmental damage and depletion of natural resources. There are a few limitations that we consider need to be improved in our CBA framework and method, nevertheless they have many options that can be explored by policy makers, to make the development path more sustainable.     

环境规制、绿色技术进步与绿色经济发展——基于长江经济带11省市面板数据的实证研究

利用长江经济带11省市2005—2019年面板数据，构建PVAR模型，检验环境规制、绿色技术进步与绿色经济发展间的相互作用关系，并引入脉冲响应函数构建环境规制、绿色技术进步与绿色经济发展的响应模型，从静态和动态视角分析三者间的相互影响程度。研究结果表明：环境规制对绿色技术进步与绿色经济发展具有长期正向促进作用；绿色技术进步对环境规制具有长期正向促进作用，对绿色经济发展具有短期抑制作用与长期正向促进作用，且绿色技术进步对环境规制与绿色经济发展的影响较显著；绿色经济发展对环境规制与绿色经济进步具有长期正向促进作用，但是作用程度较小。     

人力资源管理中的弹性用工制度及其发展趋势

在21世纪,中国企业所面临的社会、经济、技术、市场环境已经或正在发生深刻的变化。为更好地适应环境变革的现实需要和应对其所带来的挑战,一种更加具有灵活性的弹性用工制度在人力资源管理实践中将会显得越来越重要,并可能逐步形成一种强大的发展趋势。本文深入地探讨了当代中国企业可能实施的弹性用工制度的定义、方式、必要性以及问题与对策。     

中部地区人文发展的生态效率评价

人文发展导向的生态效率研究是对经济发展观向人文发展观和可持续发展观演变的响应。基于生态效率概念演变并对其概念框架进行人文发展导向的拓展,建立生态效率的概念模型便是这一响应的具体体现。通过主成分分析法和功效系数法计算中部6省的环境负荷,进而对1990—2008中部地区省级尺度人文发展的生态效率进行定量评价,以此提出提高中部地区人文发展水平和生态效率的对策建议。     

环境规制约束下FDI对中国科技创新与经济高质量发展的影响——基于中介效应与门槛效应的机制检验

基于2003—2019年中国内地30个省份面板数据，运用中介效应、门槛效应模型实证检验FDI对我国技术创新与经济高质量发展的影响，并进行机制分析。研究发现：第一，在环境规制约束下，FDI技术溢出效应显著，FDI能够促进我国经济高质发展，现阶段环境规制具有“创新补偿”效应；FDI与环境规制的交互项能够显著促进经济高质量发展，环境规制对FDI发挥一定的正向筛选作用。第二，在考虑内生性后，FDI、环境规制及其交互项对经济高质量发展影响的核心结论依然成立，并且存在区域异质性。第三，两种中介效应检验结果显示，FDI通过技术创新机制作用于我国经济高质量发展。第四，整体而言，FDI通过技术创新水平这一中介路径对经济高质量发展产生负向影响，与理论预期不符。     

四川循环经济建设思路及重点途径

从水污染、空气污染、废弃物排放水平、资源利用率、资源消耗与产出效率等方面分析了四川省资源与环境建设面临的问题与压力,探讨了循环经济建设的物质闭环、操作层次、实践层次、技术层次方面的思路,提出了以开发生态产业、建设生态工业园区、构建生态城市、建立资源恢复与再生系统以及脱硫技术体系等为重点内容的四川省循环经济体系建设途径,并提出了相应的政策措施。     

Viable Ramsey economies

The Ramsey model of economic growth is revisited from the perspective of viability theory. The Ramsey model, augmented with minimal consumption and sustainability criteria, becomes a viability problem. The framework allows for a clear picture of optimal viable, optimal non‐viable, and viable non‐optimal paths. The drastic sacrifices in terms of present consumption required by the implementation of Brundtland sustainability are visualized, the rich countries bearing the major part of the burden. The econometric analysis of viability sets enhances the role of technological progress in ensuring Brundtland sustainability. Preference parameters such as the pure time preference rate are statistically non‐significant.     

Sustainability impacts of car road pricing: A computable general equilibrium analysis for Austria

Nationwide car road pricing schemes are discussed across Europe. We analyse the impacts of such schemes with respect to environmental, economic and social indicators of sustainability, also quantifying the trade-offs among these three dimensions under different charging principles and revenue recycling options. In our analysis we employ a computable general equilibrium (CGE) approach, develop a modelling structure for private transport and provide detailed empirical analysis for the case of Austria. Regarding the social dimension, it has often been argued that poorer households (and commuters) would have to bear a disproportionate share of the road pricing burden. We find the contrary, i.e. a stronger negative policy impact on richer households, and on a small group of intensive car users. The choice of revenue recycling is able to ameliorate the negative social and economic effects of road pricing, without reversing the desired positive environmental effects. For political feasibility, questions of distributional impacts are most urgent and therefore we address them systematically within a quantitative framework.     

Sustainability and Wealth of Rural Households: Measurement and Inequality Analysis

A small but growing literature is linking well-being with the value of assets, measured comprehensively. This measure, called comprehensive wealth, has appeared as a leading economic indicator of sustainability by reflecting the potential of future well-being. Despite the concerns of sustainability for policy interventions at the micro-level, the existing literature is limited to country-level estimations. This paper applies the general framework of weak sustainability to measure wealth at the household level. Using data from three rounds of household survey, market prices, and yield data from rural Burkina Faso, we measure wealth, income, and consumption per adult. The results show that wealth has consistently increased over time in contrast to income and consumption which have fluctuated. Wealth is also less unequally distributed. Finally, consumption is found to be more correlated with wealth. This suggests that wealth-based interventions are more likely to improve well-being in a sustainable way.