Corporate environmental performance evaluation: a measurement model and a new concept

While many third‐party organizations are practically evaluating corporate environmental performance (CEP), few academic studies have paid attention to third‐party environmental performance evaluation (EPE). To answer the question of what should be measured for third‐party EPE, we develop an environmental performance measurement (EPM) model consisting of environmental management performance (EMP) and environmental operational performance (EOP), and hypothesize that EMP be measured by four management performance indicators (MPIs: organizational system, stakeholder relations, operational countermeasures and environmental tracking) and EOP be measured by two operational performance indicators (OPIs: inputs and outputs). Further, to answer the question of how to enable third‐party EPE comparable across companies from different (sub‐)sectors, we propose to use the environmental intensity change index (EICI) as a measure of OPIs. Empirical tests confirm that the EICI and the evaluation based on it are comparable across companies from different sub‐sectors. Empirical tests also support the existence of the MPIs and OPIs and the two‐dimensioned constructs of CEP. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

发展中国家加强知识产权保护的成本—收益分析

发展中国家对知识产权保护一度曾采取回避、抵制的态度,最终认识到要在日益全球化的国际经济中取得主动地位,加强知识产权保护是势在必行的。因此目前发展中国家迫切需要相关的经济研究以确切估量加强知识产权保护的实际效应。有鉴于此,本文通过对发展中国家加强知识产权保护     

西部农村基层新型社区组织的经济学思考

在云南山地生态系统生物多样性保护示范项目(YUEP)中,尝试建立以村民为主体的社区共管自然资源组织和基金。这种农村基层新型社区组织将农村弱势群体作为主要服务对象,以低成本、高效率、高效益的形式进行运作。通过基金利息使共管组织有了可靠的经费保证,较好地解决了共管组织的可持续问题。     

实施绿色经营 提高环境竞争力

面对全球环保意识的增强与“绿色贸易壁垒”的压力，衡量一个企业的竞争力，除了它的产品价格竞争力和非价格竞争力以外，还应加上一个环境竞争力。企业唯有迅速实施绿色经营，才能提高环境竞争力。     

Resource rivalry and endogenous lobby

We present a two-sector model to depict the determination of trade preference. The model highlights lobby as a rivalry between sectors in competition for resources where the outcome of the lobby race is determined by each sector’s ability to generate rent at a given welfare cost to the general population. We investigate the relation between the structure of trade protection and the resource endowment.     

“It Pays to be Green” – A Premature Conclusion?

It has been claimed that good environmental performance can improve firms’ economic performance. However, because of e.g. data limitations, the methods applied in most previous quantitative empirical studies on effects of environmental performance on economic performance of firms suffer from several shortcomings. We discuss these shortcomings and conclude that previously applied methods are unsatisfactory as support for a conclusion that it pays for firms to be green. Then we illustrate the consequences of these shortcomings by performing several regression analyses of the effect of environmental performance on economic performance using a panel data set of Norwegian plants. A pooled regression where observable firm characteristics like e.g. size or industry are controlled for, confirms a positive effect of environmental performance on economic performance. However, the estimated positive effect could be due to omitted unobserved variables like management or technology. When the regression model controls for unobserved plant heterogeneity, the effect is generally no longer statistically significant. Hence, although greener plants tend to perform economically better, the analysis provides little support for the claim that it is because they are greener. These empirical findings further indicate that a conclusion that it pays to be green is premature.     

民间环保组织与生态社区建设

生态社区是当代各国社区建设的一个重要趋势,民间环保组织是以保护环境为宗旨的非政府、非营利组织。基于对生态环境和可持续发展的共同关注,民间环保组织将在生态社区建设中扮演重要的角色。     

安徽省耕地保护前景分析

随着社会经济的发展，安徽省耕地供需矛盾日益突出，科学地分析安徽省耕地保护前景，探寻合理的耕地保护对策．具有重要的现实意义。本文立足于安徽省耕地资源现状，从粮食生产、非农建设占地两方面探讨安徽经济发展对耕地的需求前景，并采用灰色系统模型对耕地的供给变化进行预测，通过耕地供需形势的分析，针对性地提出保护耕地的相应对策。     

论森林资源保护的社会林业对策

本文阐述了森林资源的物质性、生态性和社会性等三重属性,指出了我国森林资源面临的主要问题,提出了森林资源保护需要整个社会的参与,需要广大群众特别是乡村农民的参与。作者从观念、制度、资源配置、实践等方面论述了森林资源保护的社会林业对策。     

Does Improved Environmental Policy Enhance Economic Growth?

The environmental impacts on an economy is studied over time using endogenous growth theory. Externalities from the environment on production are central in the analysis, and we examine whether an optimal path realizes more rapid economic growth. The paper focuses mainly on developing countries, where production is largely influenced by the environmental quality. The result of the analysis indicates that the economic growth rate may not depend on the internalization of the environmental externality, but rather on the internalization of the human capital externality. The level of economic activity, however, generally seems to depend on the internalization of both externalities.