中国特色经济地理学思考

由于研究思维方式和经济活动空间格局形成机理不同,有些国家可以形成富有国家特色的经济地理学。反映发展中大国快速发展的经济地理特殊事实并给出不同于西方发达国家的理论解释,基于地理科学的研究框架并吸纳经济学的相关理论,强调中国特殊的政治制度和文化传统对经济地理现象的重要影响,可构成中国特色经济地理学构建的三个重要基点。在此基础上,中国特色经济地理学在研究中重视学科的地理学属性,重视国家需求导向,重视经济发展和区域协调,重视人地和谐。对中国独特的经济地理现象的深入研究,有利于凝聚理论创新。     

以人类命运共同体推动我国世界经济地理理论与实践发展

党的二十大报告把“推动构建人类命运共同体”作为中国式现代化的本质要求之一,为我国世界经济地理理论的创新发展提供了新的指引。文章梳理了世界经济地理理论的发展历程,阐释了人类命运共同体理念对解决当今复杂的世界经济地理问题的重要作用。基于人类命运共同体视角,提出了世界经济地理理论创新发展的初步认识：世界经济地理是个一体化的结构概念,全球经济一体化、全球环境变化、全球地缘政治结构变化需站在人类命运共同体的视角,从全球整体、国家之间关系、国家自身发展、非国家关系以及不同尺度主体的相互作用角度来认知;世界经济地理是个历时性的演化过程,世界经济地理研究应有明确的研究单元,世界经济地理研究离不开中国。初步构建了人类命运共同体视域下世界经济地理的理论体系,该体系是以全球一体化理论、地域分异与地域联系理论、地球系统科学理论、人地关系地域系统理论为基础理论,从历史视角、地区视角、国家视角和非国家视角出发,来研究不同尺度层级结构的世界经济地理问题。最后,文章以新的理论体系架构为支撑,提出了人类命运共同体视域下世界经济地理学的重点研究内容。     

西方金融地理学的兴起、发展和学科地位的建立

文章回顾了西方金融地理学近40年的萌芽、兴起和学科地位的建立。1980年代以来,随着西方发达国家尤其是英美经济体金融资本主义的崛起,金融地理的研究逐渐兴盛。西方金融地理学的发展基本经历了三个阶段,并且深受经济地理学研究范式和方法的影响。2007—2008年的全球金融危机给金融地理学的发展提供了一个契机,最近十年金融地理学的学科地位正式确立。金融地理学的分析框架体现了结构主义和后结构主义的融合,具体表现在:文化经济、制度、网络、金融化和"地理"的政治经济等研究方法在学科框架内实现了共存共生。     

提升人文—经济地理学科地位,服务国家和社会重大需求——面向“十二五”规划的人文—经济地理学术研讨会综述

面向"十二五"规划,人文—经济地理学面临新的机遇和挑战。来自全国主要高校和科研院所的人文—经济地理学科带头人围绕"区域科技发展路线图",交流各单位对今后人文—经济地理学发展的战略性考虑,以及在"十二五"有关规划研制过程中,人文—经济地理学如何更好地为国家、地方和部门服务。迎接"十二五",人文—经济地理学要以"人—地系统"动力学作为学科发展的理论方向,以国家需求及国际趋势为学科发展方针,加强交叉学科的建设,革新研究方法。充分发挥人文—经济地理学战略咨询作用,争取国家重大项目,提交具有影响力的咨询研究和咨询报告,抓住机遇,使人文—经济地理学更上一个新台阶。     

近20年来新疆人文与经济地理学发展与展望

文章回顾了近20年来,中国科学院新疆生态与地理研究所在城市地理、旅游地理、乡村地理、人口和社会地理等人文与经济地理学领域的研究进展,以及在为国家和新疆社会经济发展服务中产生的作用和影响。在中国人文与经济地理学处于重要的转型时期背景下,面向国家丝绸之路经济带核心区建设需求,面向新疆社会稳定与长治久安发展总目标,围绕干旱区人地关系地域系统的复杂问题,创新干旱区人文与经济地理学的理论和方法,重点开展了绿洲可持续发展研究、基于资源环境承载力的干旱区主体功能区划及城乡统筹研究、重点地区城镇化格局演化及其环境效应研究、基于生物多样性保护的新疆旅游全产业链研究,发挥学科的科学支撑作用,为绿色丝绸之路建设、为美丽新疆建设、为中国人文与经济地理学科建设做出较大贡献。     

新中国交通运输地理学的发展与贡献

交通运输地理学是人文地理学的重要分支学科,20世纪尤其是建国以来经历了学科初创、学科体系形成、稳定发展三个时期的建设,我国交通运输地理学已经形成了一门相对完善的学科,在学科理论探索、交通设施规划与布局、交通网络与交通流分析、交通方式评价与规划、交通运输的特殊地理问题等领域开展了一系列研究,取得了显著的进展,为丰富我国人文地理学的学科体系、认知我国交通运输的地理概貌和发展机理、理解交通运输发展的人文与环境效应,提供了应有的科学知识.我国交通地理学家总结的运输生成的"四个基本规律"、运输组织的"轴-辐"模式、交通在促进区域经济发展中的"从属功能与引导功能"以及城市交通的"双交通模型"与"交通导向型(TOD)空间开发模式"、区域交通优势度的评价方法、港口空间发展模式等,已经在交通运输地理学研究和相关学科的研究中得到了广泛应用.     

中国式现代化与我们的使命担当——对地理学、人文与经济地理学自主知识创新的讨论

中国地理学，特别是中国人文与经济地理学形成了具有鲜明特色的学科发展体系。党的二十大报告提出实现中国式现代化的历史使命。立足于地理学的学科定位和发展走向，着眼于经济地理学面向社会发展的现实需求，是正确理解和建构中国经济地理学自主知识创新体系的重要前提。首先，在讨论地理学发展战略、阐释地理过程和地理格局研究重点应从模拟和预判走向调控的基础上，文章认为：我国未来国土空间体系优化调控应成为地理学前沿命题。进而重点讨论了人文与经济地理学未来发展的5个创新方向，包括综合人文地理学将成为一个新的分支学科；人文地理学科中人口地理学的回归和振兴；做大做强政治、社会、文化地理学；重大生产力布局原理研究；国土空间体系优化的辅助决策方法论。中国地理学战略研究、国际代表性杂志和美国战略的主题词的比较表明：我国同美国战略的提法基本一致；美国战略研究同现实中国际发展前沿不相同；我国具有鲜明的研究特色且与目前现实发展的国际前沿有明显的差异性，创新地理学、人文与经济地理学自主知识具有现实基础和客观需求。其次，中国式现代化建设的使命任务与人文地理学发展规律在科学内涵、建设任务、发展路径和发展目标上高度契合。在科学内涵上，...     

生态文明建设中优化国土空间开发格局的经济地理学研究创新与应用实践

党的十八大将优化国土空间开发格局提升为生态文明建设的首要任务,为经济地理学提供了前所未有的巨大需求与发展机遇.经济地理学研究人地关系地域系统和国土空间格局成因与演变规律,为优化国土空间开发格局提供了前瞻性的科学基础和科技支撑.文章结合近年来中科院经济地理学和区域发展研究团队围绕国土开发的学术创新与应用实践,重点讨论了基于经济—生态—环境综合效益和生产—分配—消费立体系统的区域发展均衡模型,阐释人—地系统相互作用的自然对人文作用的资源环境承载能力评价,基于地域功能成因理论与识别方法尝试开展的综合地理区划,以及纳入面状形态完善点—轴系统理论和利用三种功能空间比例关系表达空间结构.研究与实践表明,从应用需求中凝练科学问题、在解决科学问题中推动学科建设及提升支撑应用需求的能力,是比较合理的学科发展方式.未来,按照十八大在国土空间格局中提出的“均衡、开发强度、空间结构、功能区、格局”等主题词,持续发展经济地理学,发挥经济地理学对国家战略决策的科技引领作用和支撑作用,实现学科建设的新跨越.     

谈如何让空间思维贯穿高等经济地理学教学

随着经济学对空间的关注,经济地理学课程除了在地理学开设外,许多高校的经济学、金融、物流等专业也开始讲授这门课程.空间思维的形成是高等学校经济地理学教学的重要目标之一.本文试图通过经济学与经济地理学理论视角对比、经济地理学的空间分析框架和研究主题来阐明在经济地理学教学中应贯穿的地理思维模式,让学生形成空间感知、空间思维,并形成观察和解释经济地理格局的思维习惯和分析能力.     

优化中国经济地理格局的科学基础——对未来10年经济地理学学科建设问题的讨论

我国经济地理学在过去10年服务国家重大决策的应用实践中得到迅速发展,针对优化中国经济地理格局对科学基础建设的需要,文章讨论了未来10年经济地理学学科建设的若干重大问题,主要包括:形成地域功能成因理论与识别方法,为我国不断强化的空间管治和因地制宜等发展观的实施提供地域功能管治原理;建立空间结构有序化演进学说,使之成为能够与产业结构演进理论一样在社会经济发展中发挥同等重要的作用;加强时空尺度转换与人文界面(线)作用的基础理论问题研究,为提升经济地理领域的规律性成果的水平创造条件;加快开发研制区域可持续发展分析与模拟系统,增强现代技术方法支撑学科建设的能力和运用现代技术方法提升学科服务社会的能力;在不断拓展经济地理学研究领域、实现增量发展的同时,高度重视交叉科学的基础理论和科学方法论的探讨,促进经济地理学产生质的飞跃。文章认为,以上五个方面重大问题的突破将有助于经济地理学发展成为影响人类社会发展的重要科学学科之一。     

Pleasure and belief in Hume's Decision Process

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to introduce explicitly pleasure and belief in what aims at being a Humean theory of decision, like the one developed in Diaye and Lapidus (2005a). Although we support the idea that Hume was in some way a hedonist – evidently different from Bentham's or Jevons' way – we lay emphasis less on continuity than on the specific kind of hedonism encountered in Hume's writings (chiefly the Treatise, the second Enquiry, the Dissertation, or some of his Essays). Such hedonism clearly contrasts to its standard modern inheritance, expressed by the relation between preferences and utility.

The reason for such a difference with the usual approach lies in the mental process that Hume puts to the fore in order to explain the way pleasure determines desires and volition. Whereas pleasure is primarily, in Hume's words, an impression of sensation, it takes place in the birth of passions as reflecting an idea of pleasure, whose “force and vivacity” is precisely a “belief”, transferred to the direct passions of desire or volition that come immediately before action. As a result, from a Humean point of view, “belief” deals with decision under risk or uncertainty, as well as with intertemporal decision and indiscrimination problems.

The latter are explored within a formal framework, and it is shown that the relation of pleasure is transformed by belief into a non-empty class of relations of desire, among which at least one is a preorder.     

Globalization,Neoliberalism and the attack on social security

Neoliberal political movements advocate privatization of public pension systems. Globalization imposes pressure on nations to conform to neoliberal policy views with respect to the design and structure of social insurance, including public pension systems. The paper begins with an investigation of the economic, ethical and ideological dimensions of the privatization debates in the U.S.; it argues that privatization advocates may be largely moved by ideology, since the other reasons advanced appear weak or unfounded. The second part discusses the history of Social Security, the purposes for its creation, and some of its economic effects. Differences between public and private pension systems are considered. A brief international comparison of some aspects of public pension system finance and benefit structures is presented. The final section considers the ethical, macroeconomic and distributional implications of privatization, prefunding and payroll tax funding, and argues for a pay as you go system financed with income taxes. In order to promote equity, economic security, community, and social cohesion, public pension systems should be universal in coverage. In order to reduce the inequality, income insecurity, and aged poverty generated by market economies, public pension systems ought to be progressive: benefit/contribution ratios should be inversely proportional to income, and progressive income taxes should finance the system. To promote economic growth, the systems should be financed on a pay-as-you-go basis, and should not be prefunded except for an emergency reserve. The fiscal policy recommendations partially depend upon the theory developed by Abba Lerner in the 1940s, and recently advanced by Wynne Godley and Randy Wray: Lerner's “principle of functional finance.”     

Interest on reserves and inflation

The payment of interest on reserves has been a common practice in inflationary economies. This policy may seem paradoxical since it involves returning part of the seigniorage, generated by the inflation process, with the intention to finance the fiscal deficit. This paper argues that the motivation for this policy can be captured by the discretionary regime, where the policymaker pays interest on reserves because he is concerned with the erosion of real liquidity by inflation, which is in part beyond his control. However, this policy is an unlikely outcome in the commitment regime, where the policymaker is in full control of inflation.     

Bayesian estimation of duration models: An application of the multiperiod probit model

The multiperiod probit model is presented and Bayesian estimation using the Gibbs sampler with data augmentation is described. As an empirical illustration, the multiperiod probit model is then used to estimate a duration model using employment duration data for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Bayesian estimation with unobserved heterogeneity is shown to be a simple extension of estimation of a duration model with no unobserved heterogeneity. More importantly, perhaps, some numerical problems encountered by other authors using Maximum Likelihood are avoided.I would like to thank M. Baker, G. Koop, A. Melino and D. Poirier for helpful comments and discussions. I would also like to thank M. Baker for providing his data.     

Scenarios and creativity: Thinking in new boxes

To be creative and make change happen, leaders must do more than simply ‘think outside the box’, as the traditional business manuals suggest, using the popular American expression. After all, the space outside the box is infinitely expansive. Moreover, there can be no guarantee that a solution to the problem will be found. The answer: ‘Think in new boxes.’ This requires developing the right new box; in other words, useful new models, a helpful new approach to a problem. That is the real art of practical creativity. This short article outlines the approach (Thinking in New Boxes) and its application to classic scenario planning with a few examples. The authors also present the ‘Expressway to Scenarios’, an approach that wins in impact and practicality what it loses in deep analysis, by having top executives involved in key steps.     

On the Role of Paradigms in Understanding Economic Globalization

Any adequate analysis of economic globalization necessarily requires fundamental understanding of the worldviews underlying the views expressed with respect to the nature and role of economic globalization. This paper is based on the premise that any worldview can be associated with one of the four basic paradigms: functionalist, interpretive, radical humanist, and radical structuralist. It argues that any view expressed with respect to economic globalization is based on one of the four paradigms or worldviews. It, therefore, discusses four views with respect to the nature and role of economic globalization which correspond to the four broad worldviews. The paper emphasizes that the four views expressed are equally scientific and informative; they look at the nature and role of economic globalization from a certain paradigmatic viewpoint. Emphasizing this example in the area of economic globalization, the paper concludes that there are opportunities for each paradigm to benefit from contributions coming from the other three paradigms.     

A Humean theory of choice of which rationality may be one consequence

For the reader who considers economic theory of choice as a special case of a more general theory of action, Hume's discussion of the determinants of action in the Treatise of Human Nature (1739?–?40), in the Enquiry on Human Understanding (1748) and in the Dissertation on Passions (1757) deserves attention. However, according to some modern commentators, Hume does not seem to have given any evidence that would favour what nowadays we would consider as the kind of rationality involved in modern theories of rational choice. On the contrary, this paper arrives at the conclusion that consistency between preferences and choice, like the usual properties of completeness and transitivity, may be considered as outcomes of a mental process, described by means of a decision algorithm that aims to represent Hume's theory of choice.     

The concept of freedom and its relation to economic development--a critical appreciation of the work of Amartya Sen

Following a brief review of the conception of freedom as employedin economic discourse, this paper focuses on the evolution ofthe concept of freedom in the work of Amartya Sen. It tracesthe development of Sen's thought from the capability analysisof the late 1970s to his more recent separation of freedom intoits opportunity and process aspects. While broadly appreciativeof Sen's development of the concept of positive freedom, thepaper identifies some difficulties arising from his definitionof capability as a set of options as well as from his separationof the opportunity and process aspects of freedom. Aspects ofthe relationship between Sen's conception of freedom and thatof Marx are discussed briefly in the context of Sen's recentdiscussion of the market as a source of freedom.     

How chaebol restructuring after the 1997 crisis has affected corporate decision and performance in Korea: debt financing,ownership structure,and investment

ABSTRACT

Korean chaebol firms, characterized by excessive debt financing and overinvestment, experienced restructuring after the 1997 crisis. By reducing debt financing and thus overinvestment, they tried to reorganize financing structure and ownership structure. Chaebols’ debt reduction turns out to have improved performance. However, polarization between chaebol and non-chaebol firms has become more significant. Even after the crisis, firms that give higher cash flows to a controlling shareholder take more capital investment, indicating that agency problems still exist within chaebols. Chaebol-affiliated firms continue to be more active in R&D than non-chaebol firms. However, the pattern is limited to the group of top 10 chaebols after the crisis.

Abbreviations: KFTC: Korea Fair Trade Commission     

Types of technology

Technology is a concept rife with confusion. Here, I argue that technologies can be distinguished as a combination of type of producer and an idealized artefact life history. Using this definition, a number of technologies are identified. The first technology historically, in the Protostomes, was the production of individual or family dwellings. Next came objects such as spider webs for trapping prey. Stigmergy followed, with the social insects, as a collective endeavour to construct a mega-structure using simple rules of accretion. Some birds and primates began to make tools, or simple technological objects whose function is closely related to their form. Humans are distinguished by their ability to make machines. Traditional technology took place once people voluntarily organised into groups with specialised knowledge to produce more complex objects and structures. Monumental objects like ceremonial pyramids came with the command economies of the early agrarian societies, which also resulted in a new category of artefact, the network. Finally, with modern civilizations came ad hoc accretion, or population-level adding-on, to make truly complex technological systems. Developing a theoretical framework within which artefacts, production processes and ways of interacting with them are identified should help the study of technology to become more scientific.