Optimal allocation of direct and embodied arable land associated to urban economy: Understanding the options deriving from economic globalization

Land resources do not flow directly but can be allocated as “embodied land” in goods and services during economic globalization. The term “embodied arable land” can help link local land allocation strategies to the global and national supply chains and trade activities, and suggest new lens in optimizing arable land allocation. China is facing a serious arable land shortage, especially in municipal administrative areas. Based on the nested input-output analysis (Nested IOA), this work takes Shanghai as an example, exploring the allocation of direct and embodied arable land of an urban economy within the process of economic globalization. The amount of embodied arable land associated with Shanghai economy is 6.09 Mha, broken down into local arable land use (0.20 Mha), domestic inflows (3.20 Mha) and foreign inflows (2.69 Mha). This area supports local final demand (4.32 Mha), domestic outflows (1.24 Mha) and foreign outflows (0.53 Mha). Land-related imbalances emerge in the study, namely the economy’s demand versus the city’s size, the arable land demand versus supply, and embodied arable land inflows versus outflows. Regarding the role of the urban economy in allocation of global arable land under economic globalization, on the one hand, Shanghai has intensively involved with a large amount of embodied foreign arable land resources, and has been heavy dependent on foreign embodied arable land; On the other hand, there is still large potential for Shanghai to take the opportunity of economic globalization for an optimal allocation of direct and embodied arable land. Policy suggestions on taking the opportunity of economic globalization for an optimal allocation of direct and embodied arable land are put forward.     

Random mechanisms for house allocation with existing tenants

We study the house allocation problem with existing tenants: $n$ houses (stand for “indivisible objects”) are to be allocated to $n$ agents; each agent needs exactly one house and has strict preferences; $k$ houses are initially unowned; $k$ agents initially do not own houses; the remaining $n-k$ agents (the so-called “existing tenants”) initially own the remaining $n-k$ houses (each owns one). In this setting, we consider various randomized allocation rules under which voluntary participation of existing tenants is assured and the randomization procedure either treats agents equally or discriminates against some (or all) of the existing tenants. We obtain two equivalence results, which generalize the equivalence results in Abdulkadiroğlu and Sönmez (1999) and Sönmez and Ünver (2005).     

News-driven international credit cycles

How does news about future economic fundamentals affect within-country and cross-country credit allocation? How effective is unconventional policy when financial crises are driven by unfulfilled favorable news? I study these questions by employing a two-sector, two-country macroeconomic model with a banking sector in which financial crises are associated with occasionally binding leverage constraints. In response to positive news on the valuation of non-traded sector capital which turns out to be incorrect at a later date, the model captures the patterns of financial flows and current account dynamics in Spain between 2000–2010, including the changes in the sectoral allocation of bank credit and movements in cross-country borrowing during the boom and the bust. When there are unconventional policies by a common authority in response to unfulfilled favorable news, liquidity injections perform better in ameliorating the downturn than direct assets purchases from the non-traded sector.     

A model for planning locations of temporary distribution facilities for emergency response

We propose a network flow model for dynamic selection of temporary distribution facilities and allocation of resources for emergency response planning. The model analyzes the transfer of excess resources between temporary facilities operating in different time periods in order to reduce deprivation. Numerical analysis shows that the location of temporary facilities is determined by the demand and supply points. This work contributes to the emergency response planning that requires a quick response for the supply of relief materials immediately after a disaster hits a particular area.     

基于第二次全国R&D资源清查的农业科技资源配置效率分析

[目的]农业科技资源配置效率的高低在一定程度上决定着农业科技系统的运行效率,而农业科技系统的运行效率状况对提高农业科技资源的高效利用、增强农业科技创新能力、加快促进农业现代化进程有着重要的影响。文章基于2009年第二次全国RD资源清查数据,对政府部门属农业科研机构的配置效率进行测算,并分析其规模报酬以便为相关决策部门提供参考。[方法]通过构建农业科技资源配置效率评价的投入产出指标体系,选取包含科技人员、科技经费及科技成果在内的6个投入产出指标,运用数据包络分析方法 (DEA)中的超效率模型测算全国32个省份政府部门属自然科学和技术领域研究机构(含直辖市)的综合效率、纯技术效率、规模效率。[结果]全国农业科研机构科技资源技术效率平均值为0.581,科技运行效率还有较大的提升空间。按机构学科领域分,水产学学科的效率值最高(TE Score=2.867 9);按机构服务的国民经济行业分,渔业的效率值最高(TE Score=1.901 1)。各省(市、区)农、林、牧、渔业农业科研机构的综合运行效率值大于1的有天津、吉林、贵州、宁夏、北京、辽宁。规模效率的平均值是0.686,规模收益递减的省(市、区)占87%。[结论]DEA非效率地区所占比例较大,技术效率低于全国平均值的地区占56%,地区规模效率的提升可以依靠加大科研投入来实现。农业科技资源配置的结构需要进行调整,在合理调控种植业科研机构的发展规模的同时优化其科技人员结构。通过开展农业科技计划绩效评价、组建农业科技创新联盟来促进农业科技协同创新。同时应根据农业科研机构的不同类型提出相应的管理措施,以便实现分类指导和科学管理。     

Staff turnover costs: In search of accountability

The nature of staff turnover accounting procedures in a labour intensive context has been examined by conducting interviews with twenty eight managers in large three to five star hotels and two theme parks. It was found that the main staff turnover accountability procedures adopted involve monthly departmental reporting of staff turnover percentage levels and also the conduct of exit interviews. A degree of staff turnover costing was noted, although this practice was not extensively applied. Most interviewees supported the notion of allocating staff turnover costs to those operating departments experiencing the turnover. A muted form of this practice was observed in one hotel, however most interviewees had never contemplated or heard of the practice. Agency theory has been utilized as a framework for structuring a range of observed and potential staff turnover accountability relationships.     

A Gendered Model of the Peasant Household: Time poverty and Farm Production in Rural Mozambique

Using insights from a case study on the allocation of labor in subsistence households in Mozambique, this study develops a conceptual framework for examining linkages between time poverty and farm production. An unexpected event such as a health crisis increases the demand for labor provided by women, thus making them more time poor. The model and numerical simulations show that a deterioration in a woman's time constraint will have an adverse effect on agricultural output of the household. This occurs because most women respond to an increase in household work by reducing their work hours on the farm and by reducing their leisure time. The latter outcome is expected to have a negative effect on women's physical and mental health, which will then cause a decline in their productivity on the farm.     

Stochastic seat allocation models for passenger rail transportation under customer choice

We study the seat allocation problem for passenger rail revenue management, in which a rail operator attempts to determine the optimal quantity of seats to be allocated to each cabin class for each train service. We formulate the problem with single-stage and multi-stage decisions as two stochastic programming models that incorporate passengers’ choice behavior. We transform the stochastic models into equivalent deterministic mathematical programs that are easy to solve. Then, we form a variety of seat allocation polices from the optimal solutions to the seat allocation models. A number of simulation tests are offered to test the policies.     

Risk-based capital for credit insurers with business cycles and dynamic leverage

This paper develops a risk-based capital pricing model for credit insurance portfolios held by a vulnerable insurer. The model accounts for business cycles using a two-state Markov switching model, and allows for dynamic leverage adjustment by the insured firms. The new proposed model, which incorporates risk-based capital practice, is better for both the insurer and the insured firms. Based on the risk-adjusted performance metric, we found that the insurer is better off insuring short- and medium-term loans in expansion and steady states, while it is better off backing both short- and long-term loans in recessions. Our results also emphasize that macroeconomic uncertainty significantly impairs the creditworthiness of the insurer and insured firms.