Determinants of total efficiency in water utilities in Mexico

By using panel data analysis across 368 water utilities in Mexico over the period 2010–2014, we find that small firms are more efficient than medium and large providers and that increasing production is associated with less efficiency. Billing, income collection and profitability are relevant factors to improve efficiency. Medium and large firms require to measure consumption by service with meters in order to increase efficiency, while small firms do not require it.     

能源效率、环境污染与中国经济发展方式转变

以往研究虽然关注了能源效率与经济发展之间的关系,但却忽略了能源利用过程中环境污染的改善对经济发展方式转变的影响。本文将环境变量纳入能源效率分析框架内,采用EBM-DEA模型测算了中国各地区能源效率,并利用动态空间面板模型,实证考察了环境约束下的能源效率对中国经济发展方式转变的影响。研究结果显示,中国经济发展方式具有明显的空间相关性和路径依赖性;与未考虑环境污染相比,环境约束下的能源效率对经济发展方式转变的影响更为明显,这也在一定程度上表明,如果不考虑能源效率提升的环境污染改善效应,将会低估其对经济发展方式转变的影响。本文结论为提升中国能源效率水平,加快经济发展方式转变提供政策启示。     

What determines the efficiency of Australian mining companies?

We examine the firm‐specific determinants of technical efficiency in Australian mining companies using data envelopment analysis (DEA). To do so, we employ panel data sourced from individual mining companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) over the period 2010–2014. To ensure valid statistical inference in the presence of serial correlation between DEA efficiency scores, we apply Simar and Wilson's two‐stage bootstrap method. We find that ownership concentration, firm size, firm age, product portfolio, product diversification and growth status significantly contribute to efficiency gains. However, other firm‐specific factors, such as capacity utilisation, financial risk and overseas operations appear to have limited impact on the technical efficiency of mining firms.     

基于超效率SBM模型的珠三角区域物流效率及影响因素分析

物流效率是反映物流绩效水平的重要指标.以珠三角城市群9个地市(不含香港特别行政区和澳门特别行政区)为研究对象,基于珠三角9个地市2010—2019年的面板数据,采用超效率SBM模型和GM L指数,测算珠三角城市群各地市的物流效率值及变动趋势.研究表明:技术进步是珠三角区域物流效率提升的主要因素,综合管理水平有待提高;珠三角区域的物流效率总体处于中等偏上效率水平且变化不大,深圳市物流效率水平提升较快且效率最高,东莞市物流效率最低,珠海市效率值起伏最为明显,整个测算期间呈"W"形走势.为进一步探讨外部因素对珠三角区域物流效率的影响程度,选取Tobit模型进行回归分析,发现区位优势对珠三角地区物流效率的提升起到了重要的作用.     

消费结构升级与技术进步

文章将技术进步分解为技术效率与技术创新,并沿着成果转化、自主创新和技术模仿等路径,探讨了消费结构升级对技术进步的影响及条件。文章认为,消费结构升级引导着资源的配置方向;沿着不同的路径,消费结构升级带来了不同形式的技术进步。一方面,消费结构升级可促进科技成果转化,在生产前沿不变的条件下提高技术效率。当发明专利得到更好的保护时,生产者推动成果转化的积极性会提高,这时,可用的科技成果越多,消费结构升级越能推动技术效率提升。另一方面,消费结构升级还能推动企业突破现有的生产前沿,实现技术创新。由于小企业运营更灵活、竞争压力更大,在企业平均规模较小的市场结构中,消费结构升级更能推动技术创新;而政府主导的研发往往缺乏行业需求等信息,可能与消费者的实际需求脱节,因此,政府主导的研发投入越多,消费结构升级越难拉动技术创新。不仅如此,在开放条件下,企业还可以通过模仿去满足消费结构升级带来的新需求,进口越多,模仿的空间越大,这种模仿会提升技术效率,但可能会不利于技术创新。基于1999-2015年的省级面板数据,文章对上述假说进行了检验,结果表明上述论断成立。     

A New Approach to Measuring a Multidimensional Productivity Index: An Application for 60 Selected Countries

This study aims to develop a productivity index which takes into account the multidimensional characteristics of productivities. Our multidimensional productivity index (MPI) not only measures individual productivities of economic resources but also evaluate productivity enhancing general capacities of economy. Individual productivity indices such as labor productivity are limited because they do not consider the factors, such as the globalization of economies and the market and institutional variables, that could have profound impacts on productivity. The multidimensional Productivity Index (MPI) is measured for 60 countries including 23 OECD countries and 10 Asian countries. Our methodology employs the concept of technical efficiency that allows us to measure the extent to which institutional and market factors contribute to the economic performance. Our findings indicate that standard productivity measures such as labor productivity may overestimate the overall productivity differences across the economies.     

Central Bank Actions and Words: The Intraday Effects of FOMC Policy Communications on Individual Equity Volatility and Returns

We compare intraday impacts of the release of Federal Reserve decision announcements and of Federal Open Market Committee minutes between 2004 and 2015 on 1,997 equity return and volatility series. We find that returns are unresponsive to either news release, but conditional volatility increases for both, manifesting immediately after each information release, and persisting for 30 minutes post‐announcement. These effects are larger for decisions than for minutes. On stratifying firms by trading intensity, we find most “high trading intensity” firms respond to these announcements, while “low trading intensity” firms are less affected. Our results show that traders respond, albeit differently, to both sets of information releases.     

Performance measurement in universities: ambiguities in the use of quality versus quantity in performance indicators

Performance measurement (PM) is now common in Western universities. This is also the case in Finland, where a new funding scheme was implemented to ensure that quality was included in universities’ PM. However, this paper shows that the quality indicators in use are, in practice, quantitative. The paper is based on a large survey and has implications for university PM systems in Finland and internationally.     

Differentiated regulation: the case of charities

The increasing number and influence of charities in the economy, evidence of mismanagement and the need for information for policymaking are all reasons for establishing charity regulators. Public interest and public choice theories explain charity regulation which aims to increase public trust and confidence in charities (and thus increase voluntarism and philanthropy) and to limit tax benefits to specific organisations and donors. Nevertheless, regulation is resource intensive, and growing pressure on government budgets requires efficiencies to be found. This study proposes regulation differentiated according to charities' main resource providers, to reduce costs and focus regulatory effort, and provides a feasible segmentation.