The impact of FTAs on MENA trade in agricultural and industrial products

This article analyses the impact of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on Middle East and North African Countries (MENA) trade for the period 1994–2010. The analysis distinguishes between industrial and agricultural trade to take into account the different liberalization schedules. An augmented gravity model is estimated using up-to-date panel data techniques to control for all time-invariant bilateral factors that influence bilateral trade as well as for the so-called multilateral resistance factors. We also control for the endogeneity of the agreements and test for self-selection bias due to the presence of zero trade in our sample. The main findings indicate that North–South-FTAs and South–South-FTAs have a differential impact in terms of increasing trade in MENA countries, with the former being more beneficial in terms of exports for MENA countries, but both showing greater global market integration. We also find that FTAs that include agricultural products, in which MENA countries have a clear comparative advantage, have more favourable effects for these countries than those only including industrial products.     

Polycentric development in the Cape Town city-region: Empirical assessment and consideration of spatial policy implications

The concept of the ‘polycentric urban region’ has been popularised both as a theoretical concept for understanding regional urban systems in an era of reduced transport and communication costs, and as a normative policy objective in its own right. This paper explores its relevance to the rapidly urbanising Cape Town city-region. First, empirical evidence for the emergence of polycentric regional development patterns was considered. Shifts in relative settlements sizes (morphological polycentrism) over the period 1991–2011 were examined using population data, and patterns of inter-settlement interactions (functional polycentrism) were explored by analysing commuting information. Contrary to expectations, trends toward polycentric development were found to be weak. Second, the paper considers the relevance and value of polycentric development thinking for regional economic and spatial planning policy, concluding that there are insufficient grounds for policy intervention aimed at encouraging polycentric regional development or countering the dominance of Cape Town in the region.     

印尼火山岩地区中国岩土技术应用

自2011年至今,笔者所在公司在印尼爪哇岛先后进行了多个工程的岩土技术工作,很全面成功地应用到我国岩土勘察、设计、监理、咨询、监测、检测及测试、桩基施工等多个的岩土专业规范。利用中国规范的全面、先进、安全、可靠、经济、合理,很好地解决了当地项目上的岩土问题。本文就爪哇岛地处火山岩地区拟建一条5000T/D水泥线所遇到的岩土问题、方法对策和取得的成果进行浅述,对后来者有所借鉴。     

农村电子商务发展与农村富余劳动力安置问题研究

随着中国城镇化进程不断推进,农村现代化加速运行,尤其是中国农村土地制度产生了重大的变革,中国农村需要面对的剩余劳动力转移与安置问题愈发严重。怎么将这些劳动力从农业转移到其它生产部门,在安置劳动力保证社会平稳过渡的同时,实现农村经济长期可持续发展,是我国在实现农业现代化与新型城市化中必须要解决的问题。文章为研究我国的富余劳动力安置问题,从中国农村土地流转改革与新型城镇化发展这一重要现实背景出发,分析目前与未来中国产生大量农村富余劳动力的转移安置与可持续发展的前景,在产业不断优化转移的大趋势下以农村电商的发展为突破口,从目前我国农村电子商务的现状、问题以及农村电商的发展出路进行了分析,得出农村电商将成为中国农村剩余劳动力的重要安置路径之一。     

中国的所有制结构与区域劳动生产率收敛

基于2001~2017年中国工业分企业所有制-分地区-分行业的面板数据，利用相对劳动生产率和变异系数指标对全国和分区域的国有企业、私营企业、外商和港澳台企业的劳动生产率增长和收敛性进行描述性分析，并运用双向固定效应模型对其进行计量检验。结果显示：从全国范围来看，三类所有制结构的劳动生产率均呈现显著的绝对收敛和条件收敛，但是收敛速度呈现差异。其中，私营企业收敛速度最快，外商和港澳台企业次之，国有企业收敛速度最慢。分区域来看，东北和西部收敛速度相对较快，中部次之，而沿海三类所有制结构的劳动生产率收敛速度均较慢。因此，政府应进一步从深化国有企业改革、鼓励非公有制经济发展和完善市场竞争等方面努力，有助于缩小区域发展差距和促进所有制结构的收敛，从而带动整体经济的收敛。     

跨行政区域协同创新界面管理研究

研究跨行政区域界面管理问题,对于实现协同目标、提升协同绩效具有重要意义。本文主要研究跨行政区域协同创新界面类型、成因,应对界面障碍策略等问题。结果表明,从协同创新演化及其协同机理来看,跨行政区域主体协同创新界面可以分为内外界面两类;跨行政区域协同创新形成的界面主要有制度、知识、技术、交易、组织和管理等表现形式,起因为界面对应的壁垒。最后提出通过构建协同创新平台来解决跨行政区域协同创新界面障碍的设想,设计了平台形式、结构及其运行机制。     

Modeling the Factors Affecting Organic or Local Cucumber Purchasing Motivations in Northern Iran

This article has attempted to examine the impact of motivation on the purchasing and represents a model for organic or local cucumbers buying dimensions. Data were collected by a sample of 300 people in two northern provinces of Iran during 7 months and were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Results indicate that not using pesticides, preserving people’s health, conservation, better taste, and region of origin of organic or local cucumbers have significant positive impacts on purchasing dimensions and persistence has no significant effect on purchasing dimensions.     

Region brand legitimacy: towards a participatory approach involving residents of a place

Places have started to adapt commercial branding tactics. But how do stakeholders perceive such practices? Drawing on survey data from French residents, we analyse the advertising legitimacy of a place brand and its influence on the effectiveness of marketing communications in the context of region branding. The results confirm that advertising legitimacy mediates the relationship between exposure to an advertisement and its efficiency. The place brand is more legitimate when advertisements target firms, residents or tourists than when they promote local products through co-branding. We highlight a new expression of democratic legitimacy: a process adapted to hybrid (public–private) organizations.     

A case study: The impact of low-cost carriers on inbound tourism of Saudi Arabia

This study investigates the impact of low-cost carriers (LCCs) on Saudi Arabia's tourism demand. It also provides an understanding of the relationship between air transport development and tourism development in the Gulf region. The Box–Jenkins SARIMA-X models were employed to model and forecast international tourist arrivals to Saudi Arabia, using monthly international tourist arrivals to Saudi Arabia from July 2010 to December 2015. The forecasting models were significantly accurate, with lower values of MAPE, MAP, and RMSE. The findings suggest that an increase in airline capacity, religious travel, and airline competition are associated with the increasing international tourist arrivals to Saudi Arabia. This also indicates that there is a positive relationship between air transport development and tourism development. Further aviation liberalisation in the Gulf region is discussed to give opportunities for the region's LCCs to increase their share of the increasing air travel demand, thereby enhancing tourism development.     

区域科技基础条件平台构建研究

区域科技基础条件平台的构建，可以更好的发挥公共科技服务在区域自主创新和科技进步中的作用，有利于减少科技资源布局分散和重复建设等问题，将为区域主导产业的发展起到极大的促进作用，可以确保产业在全国同行业中处于领先地位。本文在解析了区域科技基础条件平台建设影响因素的基础上，分析区域科技基础条件平台构建的目标任务和重点工作内容，并探讨相关的保障措施。