Economies of scale and scope in water supply

This study examines the multiproduct nature of water supply relative to economies of scale and scope. The water utility is viewed as a multiproduct firm providing residential and non- residential services with spatial variation. There are no significant economies of scale in the utility's overall operation. The utility, however, enjoys considerable economies for non- residential water supply but suffers from diseconomies in residential supply. The economies of scale achieved in water treatment are mostly lost in the distribution of water. The utility on the whole experiences economies of scope associated with joint production of the two services. Furthermore, water utilities have no perceptible tendency to behave as a natural monopoly.     

首都圈区域空间就业分布结构分析

基于第二次全国经济普查分区县18个行业的就业人口数据,以局部空间自相关G系数为衡量标准,对首都圈120个地理单元的就业热点即集聚中心进行判定,分析首都圈的区域空间结构。运用SOFM神经网络聚类对区域内分区县的行业门类进行聚类,探讨首都圈内部各城市职能分工以及首都圈经济结构及空间组合特征。研究表明:首都圈呈现"‘一主一次’双核、一廊、七中心"的区域空间结构特征;北京和天津在区域内具有综合性服务职能,河北七地市的中心城区职能各有侧重,但都具有地区性中心的职能。     

Product differentiation,monopolistic competition and city size

Traditionally, the formation of cities has been explained by such supply-side phenomena as scale economies in production or such demand-side phenomena as public goods. This paper presents an integrated demand and supply approach to the formation of cities in spatial economy. Demand considerations, in the form of consumer agglomeration economies (i.e., product variety), are presented as a major cause of urban agglomeration. On the supply side, scale economies are introduced. Both aspects are examined by using the Dixit-Stiglitz model of monopolistic competition to characterize the equilibrium and optimum city size. We also discuss a subsidy scheme that produces an equilibrium city size corresponding to a first-best optimum. Then we analyze the distribution of population in a system of two cities.     

服务经济下北京城市空间结构的转型

城市空间结构是城市经济结构和城市社会结构的空间投影,城市经济结构的变化必然促进城市空间结构的转型。新中国成立后,几乎所有的中国城市都经历了由服务性城市向生产性城市的转型。改革开放以来,特别是1990年代的城市改革,使城市在区域中的中心功能地位得到强化,部分城市开始从生产性城市向服务性城市转型,服务经济快速增长,城市空间结构也经历了空间重组和功能转移。本研究运用北京市1949-2010年第三产业各部门增加值数据和主要时段第三产业用地空间布局状况,从产业链、产业支撑、产业融合和服务外包四种服务经济发展模式入手,分析了服务经济作为城市空间结构转型的内在机制和空间演化趋势。     

Water losses and hydrographical regions influence on the cost structure of the Portuguese water industry

Despite the growing research about water utilities, some questions still remain to be solved on the supply side, which are frequently absent from empirical studies based on the estimation of cost functions. This paper aims to fill to some extent this gap in the literature by focusing the consequences of water losses reduction and the management of water resources based on their availability at an integrated river basin level. Major findings derived from the estimation of a multiproduct cost function suggest advantages from reducing water losses, given that an adjusted measure of economies of scope, adapting the fact that water lost cannot be sold, reveals that there are small diseconomies of scope. In addition, generally the variables related to the hydrographical regions used have significant effects on water costs. Since the outcomes also reveal the existence of economies of scale, more concentration in the Portuguese water industry at the retail level would be beneficial.     

Lively Lands: The Spatial Reproduction Squeeze and the Failure of the Urban Imaginary

This article argues that the theoretical invisibility of non-privatized land tenures constitutes a failure of the urban imaginary, which restricts the ability to forge less commodified urban futures. The article explicates two attributes of non-privatized land—fungibility and combinatoriality—that produce an urban land nexus capable of fostering pro-poor agglomeration economies and generating socialities that exceed the model of the separative self that is hegemonic in more propertied settings. Fungibility, it shows, externalizes supportive economies of production and reproduction into surrounding neighborhoods by shifting the boundaries and terms of usufruct without cadastral oversight or regulation. Combinatoriality—a hybrid formulation of combined territories and combined territorialities—describes overlapping forms of access to land or demarcations of legitimate land use, either competitive or reciprocal. Together, these two attributes of non-privatized land systems produce a propinquity requirement for economic production, or a social density and liveliness more limited in privatized land markets. Through a diagnostic analogy with the simple reproduction squeeze characteristic of subsistence agrarian settings, it charts how an urban spatial reproduction squeeze—felt globally in dense, rising-rent environments across the global North and South—generates subsistence needs that mixed-tenure environments are uniquely capable of fulfilling and that can provide inspiration for radical housing struggles elsewhere.     

Congestion,agglomeration, and the structure of cities

Congestion costs in urban areas are significant and clearly represent a negative externality. Nonetheless, economists also recognize the production advantages of urban density in the form of positive agglomeration externalities. The long-run equilibrium outcomes in economies with multiple correlated but offsetting externalities have yet to be fully explored in the literature. Therefore, I develop a spatial equilibrium model of urban structure that includes both congestion costs and agglomeration externalities. I then estimate the structural parameters of the model using a computational algorithm to match the spatial distribution of employment, population, land use, land rents, and commute times in the data. Policy simulations based on the estimates suggest that congestion pricing may have ambiguous consequences for economic welfare.     

Market analysis in regional economic development: The Bradford case

The application of market analysis procedures to problems of regional economic development has long been neglected. This paper presents a framework for regional economic analysis and then proceeds to a detailed examination of the City of Bradford in Yorkshire within that framework. The authors worked for a period of four years on behalf of the Bradford Area Development Association (BADA) to identify ways in which economic growth within the City could be stimulated. Eight major studies were undertaken which explored both the extant structure of Bradford's industry and resources and its external economies, and the most viable directions for growth.The studies led BADA to the conclusion that, although new employers could be attracted to the area, the greatest effort should be applied to accommodate, facilitate and encourage the growth of indigenous companies. The strategy which was evolved within the City led to the establishment of an Industrial Officer within the City Hall; to the founding of a regional Merchant Bank; to a determined series of political lobbies to get the City's problems aired within the Planning Region and at Ministry level in London; and to much more besides.By late 1973, when the City of Bradford will be absorbed into a Metropolitan District within the Metropolitan County of West Yorkshire, and when BADA is to be formally would up, a considerable record of success can be reported. These achievements must be seen against the background of sluggish economic growth within the U.K. economy over the period.     

资本市场开放推动经济均衡发展和技术创新

中国经济发展的不均衡影响到发展的可持续性,本文重点讨论了对经济不均衡发展的承受能力和转向均衡发展的有效路径,考察了对经济竞争力有重要影响的制度改革、人力资源成本、内外投资环境和规模效应等四个方面的因素,以期通过对这些要素进行合理调整,借助资本市场开放,推进制度创新和技术创新,在保持竞争力的情况下,优化产业结构,使经济均衡发展。     

The Structure of Municipal Water Supply Costs: Application to a Panel of French Local Communities

Network losses and returns are importantissues for water resource management, that are addressed in thispaper by modeling the structure of production for municipal waterutilities with two outputs: water sold to final customers andwater network losses. We propose a measure of economies of scopeto assess the benefit associated with joint production of waterfor final customers and water losses, and several measures ofreturns to evaluate potential gains in exploiting technologicalflexibility of water networks. We estimate the cost structureof water utilities using a GMM procedure with a Translog costfunction and panel data. Estimation results reveal a positivedegree of economies of scope, and short-run returns to productiondensity and returns to customer density that are not significantlydifferent from 1. Significant economies of scale indicate thatlocal communities may benefit from merging into water districts.     

Economies of scale and density in local telephone networks

The production structure of local telephone networks is analyzed with a translog cost function estimated with cross-sectional data on a sample of 44 small local exchange companies (LECs). The output vector includes the number of stations served and the service territory area. Economies of scale are exhausted beyond 992 stations with growth through territorial expansion. The threshold for expansion through densification is 51,053 stations. These results suggest that the optimal LEC's size is small, and that competition may be the most efficient form of production organization for medium to large markets in rural and low-density urban settings.     

The structure of technology in Brazilian sugarcane production, 1975–87: An application of a modified symmetric generalized McFadden cost function

Sugarcane-based ethanol has become a primary automotive fuel in Brazil over the past 15 years. Because sugarcane costs are over two-thirds of the costs of ethanol production, the economic efficiency of this renewable petroleum substitute hinges on the structure of technology in sugarcane production. In this paper a modified symmetric generalized McFadden (SGM) cost function for sugarcane is estimated and the presence of technical change and economies of scale are investigated. The original SGM proposed by Diewert and Wales (1987) is modified to allow for fixed factors of production. This allows the cost function to be applied to processes which have fixed factors. The results suggest that there is no empirical evidence of economies of scale and very little technical change, only in the north of Brazil. The implications for the future economic efficiency of this petroleum substitute are discussed.     

徐州都市圈城市体系结构分析

基于2005年统计数据,运用分形理论及GIS技术,从规模结构、空间结构、职能结构三方面,对徐州都市圈城市体系的结构进行分析。结果表明:徐州都市圈城市规模等级结构明显,城市首位度高,小城市发展滞后;城镇密度分布呈带状延伸的特征,空间结构呈较典型的港城"双核结构";城市职能结构单一,类型趋同,资源型城市比重大,属于工矿型城镇体系。最后提出优化徐州都市圈城市体系结构的对策和建议。     

Economies of diversification in the US credit union sector

Significant scale economies have been recently cited to rationalize a dramatic growth in the US retail credit union sector over the past few decades. In this paper, we explore another plausible supply‐side explanation for the growth of the industry, namely economies of diversification. We focus on the fact that credit unions differ among themselves in the range of financial services they offer to their members. Since larger credit unions tend to offer a more diversified financial service menu than credit unions of a smaller size, the incentive to grow in size may be fueled not only by present scale economies but also by economies of diversification. This paper provides the first robust estimates of such economies of diversification for the credit union sector. We estimate a flexible semiparametric smooth coefficient quantile panel data model with correlated effects that is capable of accommodating a four‐way heterogeneity among credit unions. Our results indicate the presence of non‐negligible economies of diversification in the industry. We find that as many as 27–91% (depending on the type and the cost quantile) of diversified credit unions enjoy substantial economies of diversification; the cost of most remaining credit unions is invariant to the scope of services. We also find overwhelming evidence of increasing returns to scale in the industry.     

SPATIAL POLICY AND INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRAINTS ON INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN THAILAND*

Using the factory registration data of the Ministry of Industry, the paper documents the location patterns of manufacturing establishments in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region and evaluates spatial policies in light of the observed decentralization trends of manufacturing activity. The paper also shows the location patterns of new firms and by firm size and analyzes infrastructure and site constraints for their growth. The paper discusses the need for spatial policies to be consistent with market forces and the need for infrastructure investment to respond to the location dynamics of service demand.     

THE ECONOMICS OF COMMUTING AND THE URBAN LABOUR MARKET

ABSTRACT. The spatial distribution of households and firms, or urban spatial structure, is a core element of the study of urban economics and the crucial determinant of commuting patterns. This paper examines developments in the analysis of urban spatial structure and commuting are related to the urban labour market—that is the analysis of labour supply and labour demand in a spatial context. These developments have been overlooked in the traditional approach to urban structure and commuting where most attention has been devoted to the markets for land and housing rather than the market for labour. Yet a little reflection suggests that the labour market might have a great deal to do with the location decisions of households and firms, and hence with commuting patterns. We argue that much criticism of the economic analysis of urban structure and commuting can be addressed by explicit incorporation of the labour market into the conventional model of urban location. This criticism includes findings that the theory cannot explain the tendency for richer households to live farther from the central business district and commute farther to work (Wheaton, 1977) and findings of substantial unexplained or 'wasteful' commuting according to conventional theory (Hamilton, 1982). The paper begins by outlining the basic model of residential location and commuting (Section 2). We then consider extensions that involve the introduction of labour supply decisions and which determine the value of commuting time (Section 3). More recent extensions involve the introduction of decentralized workplaces (Section 4) and, logically, the issues of job search and migration (Section 5). We conclude with a summary of the progress in incorporating labour market behaviour into the analysis of urban structure and commuting and our suggestions for further research in this area.     

Foreign Currency Translation Under Two Cases-Integrated and Isolated Economies

Beaver and Wolfson (1982 BW) identify economic interpretability and symmetry as desirable properties for financial statement translation. They then analyze translation methods with respect to these properties assuming perfect and complete markets between and within both countries (referred to, here, as the integrated economies case).
This study extends BW's analysis by examining isolated economies characterized by perfect and complete internal markets and a random relationship between prices and exchange rates. In BW's integrated economies case, inflation differentials drive exchange rate changes. No exchange risk exists, although monetary assets are exposed to the risk of unexpected inflation. Isolated economies expose monetary and nonmonetary items to both exchange and inflation risk.
In both cases, economic interpretability and symmetry can be achieved only by current value accounting translated at current exchange rates. In the integrated economies case, symmetry alone is achieved through current value accounting translated by current exchange rates for monetary items and historical costs translated by historical rates for nonmonetary items. In the isolated economies case, symmetry alone is achieved through current value accounting for monetary items and historical cost for non-monetary items, all translated at the current rate. In both cases, including translation gains or losses in income is a condition for these results.
This extension of BW demonstrates (1) the translation rate required for symmetry depends upon the assumed relationship between prices and exchange rates, (2) a well-defined economic scenario exists where historical cost accounting using current rate translation results in symmetry, and (3) the results depend on including translation gains and losses in income.     

辽中南城市群中心城市服务业一体化发展的可行性分析

本研究以辽中南城市群为案例,基于中心城市服务业的产值结构和就业结构现状,分析了中心城市服务业发展的特征和存在的问题,利用定量指标测度目前中心城市服务业发展的比较优势和一体化发展的基础。研究认为,尽管目前辽中南城市群以工业为主的第二产业仍占主导,但服务业发展迅速;从服务业内部结构看,服务事业发展水平相对较高,服务产业整体相对落后于京津冀等区域;基于区位商和城市间服务业联系强度测度的结果显示,辽中南城市群中心城市服务业发展已出现差异化趋势,城市群内部服务业不均衡问题较为突出,单极化特征明显。根据以上分析,提出推进该区域服务业一体化的政策措施。     

Why Cities? A Response

Why do cities exist? Geographers Allen Scott and Michael Storper recently put the question before the field of urban studies and provided a clear and concise answer in terms of economies of agglomeration and the urban land nexus. I argue that two other basic elements must be added to this duo: the spatial concentration of economic surplus by ruling classes and states and the creation of a built environment or urban landscape. In addition, I take issue with Scott and Storper's neglect of the problem of scale in urban theory and their overly tidy sense of what constitutes a scientific approach to complex phenomena like cities.     

Returns to scale in the United States intercity bus industry

This paper has taken into account the a priori restrictions available from neoclassical cost theory in evaluating the relationship between cost and the level of output and input prices for U.S. intercity bus service. A general translog cost function is used which allows tests of the degree of returns to scale, homotheticity and non-constant elasticities of substitution among input pairs. Major empirical findings are: (i) the intercity bus service can be modeled by a homothetic production function, (ii) operators can substitute labor for capital by using vehicles more extensively, (iii) there are potential economies of scale in the provision of intercity bus service, and (iv) the Cobb-Douglas functional form used in earlier studies of the industry is inappropriate.