On a generalization of a class of production functions

In Appl. Econ. Lett. 18 (2011), 1777–1784, as a natural generalization of some famous production models with two inputs, C.A. Ioan and G. Ioan introduced a new class of production functions with constant return to scale, called sum production function, and proved three theorems of characterization for such production models. In this article, we give new and more simple proofs of these theorems, extending also the results to the case of increased/decreased return to scale. The generalization to the case of an arbitrary number of inputs is also discussed.     

Are price strategies effective in managing demand of high residential water users?

Encouraging water use efficiency and water conservation is one of the primary goals of water utility companies nationwide. This study estimates price elasticity of residential water demand to measure the responsiveness of water use to price changes, particularly for high water users. Household-level water use data for high residential water users from Central Florida were analysed using 3-stage least square (3SLS). Estimated price elasticity ranges between ?0.07 and ?0.14. This price elasticity estimate is below most of the estimates reported in the literature (in absolute value). The results imply that for price strategies to be effective in managing water demand of high residential water users, a significant price increase would be needed. Overall, this study highlights the importance of designing water conservation policies tailored to specific groups of customers, and the importance of using these strategies effectively and fairly for different customer groups.     

Using FRED data to teach price elasticity of demand

In this article, the authors discuss the use of Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) statistics to teach the concept of price elasticity of demand in an introduction to economics course. By using real data in its computation, they argue that instructors can create a value-adding context for illustrating and applying a foundational concept in economics. Additionally, this pedagogical strategy contributes to developing an expected proficiency for economics majors related to “interpreting and manipulating data” (Hansen 2009, 2012). The authors provide step-by-step instructions on how to use FRED to compute the price elasticity of demand for motor vehicle fuels and gasoline as well as examples of in-class discussion questions and take-home assignments related to this instructional technique.     

The Elasticity of Poverty with respect to Sectoral Growth in Africa

The African continent has grown by more than 4 percent yearly on average during the past decade. However, the link between this remarkable growth rate and poverty reduction is neither obvious nor simple. This paper focuses on the elasticity of poverty with respect to GDP growth at the sectoral level and takes into account the fact that economic growth may affect poverty directly as well as indirectly through sectoral labor share intensity. It develops a methodology that sheds light on the contribution of sectoral growth to poverty reduction country‐by‐country in Africa, guiding policy recommendations. As the composition of growth matters at least as much as its overall intensity, it is key to identify the sectors that have the strongest impact on poverty reduction and unleash their potential; if growth happens to concentrate in sectors with scarce pro‐poor potential, like commodity‐driven growth, redistributive strategies are necessary to compensate the weak effect on poverty.     

von Thünen: Capital,Production Functions,Marginal Productivity Wages,and the Natural Wage

This paper puts seminal contributions to theory of production functions and maximization of explicit quantitative objective functions by Johann Heinrich von Thünen into a systematic historical perspective. We show that his comprehensive ‘Tableau Economiques’ do imply two exact parametric production functions. Moreover, the renowned ‘geometric mean wage’ formula is restated as an exact CES marginal labor productivity wage for σ = 2. We review four alternative modes of normative (natural) wage calculations without an explicit production function, and conclude that von Thünen's natural wage differentiation formulas are bona fide alternatives for deriving the natural wage formula.     

我国企业慈善捐赠税收政策激励效应——基于2007年度我国A股上市公司数据的实证研究

税收政策是各国政府普遍采用的引导企业慈善捐赠的主要工具之一。基于2007年度我国A股上市公司慈善捐赠相关数据,采用双对数回归模型,对企业慈善捐赠的税收政策激励效应进行实证检验。研究结果表明:税收是影响企业慈善捐赠行为的主要因素之一,企业慈善捐赠支出与企业所得税税率显著正相关;企业慈善捐赠行为受利润水平制约,企业慈善捐赠支出与企业净利润显著正相关。因此,要充分发挥税收政策的引导作用,保护企业慈善捐赠的积极性。     

中国钢铁行业能源内部的替代弹性分析

本文运用中国钢铁行业滞后一期的产出代替劳动和资本变量,把钢铁行业能源投入要素分解为煤炭、石油、天然气和电力的投入,建立了一个超越对数生产函数模型,用岭回归估算了中国钢铁行业各能源品种投入要素的产出弹性、替代弹性。结果表明:煤炭与石油、煤炭与天然气、煤炭与电力的替代弹性在1左右,中国钢铁行业可通过用石油、天然气、电力替代煤炭来实现其行业全要素能源效率的提高。     

供求冲击与我国经济外部失衡——基于DSGE两国模型的模拟分析

文章为分析我国经济外部失衡问题,运用当前国际经济学领域先进的动态随机一般均衡(DSGE)两国模型研究方法,模拟了在不同消费替代弹性下以技术冲击为代表的供给冲击和以货币冲击为代表的需求冲击对一国经济外部失衡的影响。研究结果表明这两种冲击发生后该国的外部资产和汇率水平会从初始的0均衡状态偏离,而到最终收敛大约需要10年到15年的时间。这可以很好地解释当前我国的经济外部失衡,文章也依此提出了相应的政策建议。     

专利活动对生产要素产出弹性的影响差异——基于中国1985—2009年时间序列数据的实证

基于中国1985—2009年的时间序列数据,将能源作为一种生产要素引入D-S形式的总量生产函数,利用扩展了的内生增长模型,实证检验不同专利活动对能源及劳动产出弹性的影响差异。结果发现专利活动特别是发明专利对劳动力的产出弹性发挥了明显的促进作用,专利活动对我国能源产出弹性的整体贡献较小,专利活动对能源产出弹性的影响主要体现在实用新型专利上,发明专利和外观设计专利对能源产出弹性的提升没有发挥显著促进作用。     

关于人民币汇率弹性增强背景下完善银行资产负债管理的思考

随着我国调节国际收支效果的显现与人民币汇率形成机制市场化程度的不断提高,近年来人民币兑美元即期汇率走势曲折反复,人民币汇率逐渐向均衡水平靠拢,促使企业转变长期以来的汇率预期,着手修复自身资产负债货币错配。这一过程也给商业银行的资产负债货币结构带来显著变化,增加了商业银行本外币流动性管理和资产负债管理难度。对此,商业银行应通过完善自身资产负债管理方式,积极应对这一挑战。