Works Councils and Collective Bargaining in Germany: The Impact on Productivity and Wages

This paper investigates the interaction between establishment‐level codetermination and industry‐level collective bargaining in Germany. Based on a bargaining model, we derive our main hypothesis: In establishments covered by collective bargaining agreements, works councils are more likely to be engaged in productivity‐enhancing activities and less engaged in rent‐seeking activities than their counterparts in uncovered establishments. Our empirical analysis confirms this hypothesis. The presence of works councils exerts a positive impact on productivity within the covered industrial relations regime but not within the uncovered regime. The presence of works councils has a positive effect on wages within the uncovered regime but not to the same degree within the covered regime.     

Imputed Rent and Income Inequality: A Decomposition Analysis for Great Britain, West Germany and the U.S.

This article deals with income advantages derived from owner-occupied housing and their impact on the personal income distribution. Using micro-data from the British Household Panel Study (BHPS), the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), and the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) we find distinct cross-national differences in terms of the prevalence and extent of imputed rent. Results from inequality decomposition analyses show this overall impact to be the net effect of two conflicting changes: On the one hand there is increasing income inequality between the groups of owneroccupiers and renters, respectively, and, on the other hand, we find inequality to be decreasing within the group of those owner-occupiers who own outright. When focussing on imputed rent as a means of old-age provision, our results for all three countries show an income advantage for, as well as a poverty reducing effect among the elderly. The empirical findings support the claim for the need of an improved harmonization of this non-cash income component especially for the purpose of cross-national comparative research.     

The amenity value of woodland in Great Britain: A comparison of economic estimates

Forests produce benefits over and above the revenue yielded from timber and other wood based products. Most important among these may be the recreational benefits for visitors, which have been examined in several studies. Total benefits for residents are perhaps more accurately captured in property values since, ceteris paribus, the price of a house reflects willingness to pay to live near an environmental amenity such as a forest to gain access to it, and also the amenity (non-use) value of the forest in so far as it creates a pleasant landscape. However, the total non-priced value of forestry is not the sum of HPM and ITCM benefit estimates. Recreational benefits will typically be less, and will be subsumed in the HPM estimates, since the hedonic price is partly induced by the value of recreational access.     

Determinants of Recidivism in Paroled Queensland Prisoners: A Comparative Analysis of Custodial and Socioeconomic Characteristics

A multinomial ordered probit model is used to predict post-release performance in a sample of Queensland prisoners released between January 1992 and December 1994. Post-release performance is defined in terms of the seriousness of parole breaches and/or reoffences over the length of the parole period or until April 1996. The paper examines the statistical significance of a number of custodial and socioeconomic variables on the likelihood of a parole breach or re-offence. Factors analysed include family composition, age, occupation, ethnicity, the number of events in custody, the number of prison violations and the length of sentence of the most recent custodial episode. All other things being equal, the marginal effects of readmission with respect to the set of explanatory variables varies markedly according to whether readmission is through a parole breach or through actual recidivist behaviour.     

改制型民营企业的成长能力及其影响因素——与原生型民营企业的对比分析

通过对浙江省改制型民营企业和原生型民营企业的423份问卷调查，对比分析发现，目前的改制型民营企业正处于成长阶段，企业成长能力低于原生型民营企业，技术创新、民间融资、公共关系、业主角色和机构融资环境五层面的八个因素影响着改制型民营企业的成长能力，但影响改制型民营企业和原生型民营企业成长的因素存在差异。     

中国行业工资集体协商效果的实证分析——以武汉餐饮行业为例

推进行业和区域工资集体协商是工资集体协商工作的重点。武汉餐饮行业工资集体协商是典型的自上而下推行的行业工资集体协商案例,它被中国媒体和全国总工会高度赞扬。文章的实证研究表明,该集体合同有促进工资增长的微弱作用,并且促使餐饮企业规范管理,其最显著的效果是对职工进行了工资集体协商的普法教育。但文章认为,中国自上而下的集体协商需要吸纳职工参与、促成劳资自治,才能完成集体协商新制度的变迁。     

The behaviour of unemployment and unfilled vacancies in Great Britain: a search-turnover View

Previous empirical estimates of the relationship between unemployment and unfilled vacancies in Great Britain have been obtained from a mis-specified model. In particular, past studies have attempted to estimate an equilibrium relation directly from observations which have in general been generated from disequilibrium states of the labour market. This paper presents and estimates a disequilibrium, job search-labour turnover model of the labour market, using quarterly British data, from which a static equilibrium ‘UV’ relationship can be derived. The empirical results suggest that there is no statistically significant equilibrium relationship between unemployment and vacancies in Great Britain. Consquently, the recent controversy over explanations for alleged for alleged shifts in this relationship may have been ‘much ado about nothing’.     

Trade,Determinants, and Causality: A Case of Hong Kong's Exports to The United States

This paper examines recent development in Hong Kong's exports to the United States. It explains the trade flows by estimating five demand-equations for exports. Besides, vector autoregressions are fitted to test the causal relationship among exports, exchange rates and income. Our study suggests that a sustained high growth rate of Hong Kong's exports of principal commodities to the United States contribute to the chronical bilateral trade surplus for Hong Kong. Variations in income and exchange rates, the major determinants of Hong Kong's exports, “cause” exports to change as indicated in the causality test. [420]     

从历史制度主义路径看英、美两国政党认同的转换

本文采用历史制度主义的路径对英、美两国不同的政党认同转换现象进行了经验分析和逻辑分析,认为英国和美国不同的制度结构和政党组织特征形塑了选民的投票行为,使得英国和美国虽然具有相同文化基础,都实行单选区和两党制,但是在选举中政党认同的转换频率却不相同,英国选民的政党认同转换频率明显低于美国选民转换政党认同的频率。     

中、加人口老龄化问题比较分析

在未来的几十年里,国际经济合作与发展组织(OECD)成员国中退休人口的比例会快速增长已成为不争的事实,本文比较了加拿大和中国人口老龄化问题以及人口老龄化对国家经济和财政的影响.重点介绍了加拿大社会目前所采取的各项养老金计划以及加拿大学者对不同层次的养老金措施可能带来的影响的最新研究成果.     

The Impact of Lifecycle Events on Women's Labour Force Transitions: A Panel Analysis*

This panel study explores the impact of different lifecycle events on women's labour force transitions. We explicitly investigate whether the factors that determine entry into the labour force differ from the factors that determine withdrawal from the labour force. The results demonstrate that labour force transitions – entry and withdrawal – occur more frequently among young women. The event of childbirth is strongly associated with labour force withdrawal, while marital separation and reductions in family earnings are strongly associated with labour force entry. Moreover, labour force transition probabilities are more sensitive to income‐reducing events than to income‐supplementing events.     

中国内外资企业TFP增长及其影响因素的对比研究——基于35个工业行业面板数据的实证分析

本文运用DEA-Malmquist生产率指数法测算了2000—2007年我国内外资企业35个行业的全要素生产率（TFP）及其分解指标,在对比分析的基础上,分别对内外资企业各项效率指标的影响因素进行了实证检验。结果发现,在资源和劳动密集型行业中,内资企业的各项效率指标均明显高于外资企业,在资本和技术密集型行业中,二者则相差无几;2004年后,技术效率对内资企业的TFP增长平均贡献达到44．5％,外资企业的TFP增长中技术进步的贡献一直在80％左右。回归结果显示,各因素对内外资企业TFP增长的影响方向和程度表现出显著差异。最后,本文给出了提高内资企业生产率增长的政策建议。     

宗教与政治：对欧洲和美国的比较分析

通过对美国和欧洲共10个国家(英国、法国、德国、意大利、西班牙、丹麦、荷兰、奥地利、波兰)的16,000名成年人进行的跨国调查(2002及2003年),本文考察了当地的宗教信仰状况,着重于他们对神权、生命的实质及生命的开始等三方面的理解认识,并进一步研究了他们的一些宗教行为(如祈祷及参与宗教活动的频率)和对宗教领袖的信任程度。本文的重点在于分析个人宗教价值观对其就新兴生化科技所持政治态度的影响。为此收集了广泛的研究数据,考察受访者对主要生化科技,如胚胎干细胞应用、转基因食品和克隆等的观点和态度。最后,使用多元回归研究模式的结构方程模型(SEM)分别描述了人们的宗教价值观、对生命的理解、年龄、性别和教育水平等几个变量对于堕胎、胚胎干细胞应用研究和安乐死等三项公共政策争论的影响。     

A tale of two federalisms: Germany,the United States and the ubiquity of centralization

This paper offers a comparison of government centralization in the United States and in Germany. After briefly laying out the history of federalism in both countries, we identify the instruments of centralization at work. It is argued that an initial constitutional framework of competitive federalism does not prevent the long-term centralization of competencies. Against a background of historical evidence, we discuss the political economics of government centralization. It is argued that formal institutions clearly have an effect on the pathways of government centralization, but not necessarily on the broader trend of centralization. The conclusion is reached that preservation of state and local autonomy may eventually hinge on informal political institutions.     

中美两国综合国力定量化比较

在中国的对外关系中,中美关系无疑是最重要的关系.而影响中美关系最基本和最长远的因素是两国综合国力的对比.本文运用R.S克莱因的国力方程对中美两国当前的综合国力进行评价和对比分析.     

The Determinants of School Participation Rates: A Cross-Sectional Analysis for New South Wales and Victoria*

Using data from the 1976 Australian Census of Population and Housing, estimates of the influence of family income. labour market conditions, religious denomination, foreign origin, locality and teenage income on the school participation rate of various teenage groups are obtained. These results suggest that family income is the most important determinant of school participation. The effect of the level of unemployment upon school participation is only modest. In some instances the direction of its influence is contrary to conventional wisdom .     

Government Policy and Trajectories of Radical Innovation in Dirigiste States: A Comparative Analysis of National Innovation Systems in France and Korea

Contrary to the argument that radical innovation is only compatible with institutional arrangements characteristic of liberal market economies, this paper shows how state-led economies successfully organize their innovation systems to promote radical innovation with a comparative analysis of two dirigiste states, France and Korea. The authors further analyse how government policies under similar institutional arrangements drive different trajectories of radical innovation, as illustrated by their relative competitiveness in the ICT sector. The two dirigiste economies have undergone substantial institutional changes adapting to globalization but sustained state initiatives in coordinating their relationship-based innovation systems, reinforcing the cooperation among the state, academia and industry.     

Benefit Transfer: A Comparison of WTP for Air Quality between France and Germany

A contingent valuation study was carried out under similar conditions on two sites simultaneously: Strasbourg (France) and Kehl (Germany) in order to test the reliability of the benefit transfer method. On average, the air quality is approximately the same in the two cities. Using a transfer of the benefit function, we compared the direct estimated benefits from improved air quality with the transferred benefits in the same city. The originality of this test is that the valued good is the same in both cities, which means that the transfer is an intra-site transfer. However our findings show that the method of benefit transfer was not generally valid. Indeed inhabitants of Kehl declared a higher price for their state of health and air quality than inhabitants in Strasbourg. This result could be explained by a stronger sensitivity to environmental problems in Germany.     

转型期中俄贫困问题的比较分析

贫困是世界性难题，更是制约转型国家顺利转型的障碍性因素。中俄两国是世界上最大的两个转型国家，转型期都经历了转型前不曾遇到的各种复杂问题。尽管两国选择的转型模式不同，转型期经济发展速度也存在着明显差异，但目前两国的共同之处是贫困问题都十分突出。在绝对贫困与相对贫困、贫困数量与贫困发生率、贫困的地域分布以及基尼系数等问题上，中俄两国具有明显的对比空间。通过对比，可反映出中俄两国转型前后贫困问题的新变化，进而使人们对转型国家转型方式、路径选择及生产力发展速度等方面的问题进行深刻的反思。