Debates and dissent inside the FOMC during WWII

Abstract

We demonstrate that even though during WWII the interest rate was close to zero supporting the financing of the military effort, dissent inside the FOMC occurred with a similar frequency to other policy episodes. Our analysis highlights that the debates which resulted in dissents turned around two broad issues: the size of the Fed’s balance sheet as well as the functioning of and communication with financial markets. Thus, we argue that the conventional view depicting the Fed as merely accommodating treasury needs should be revised. Our detailed investigation of dissents emphasises the modernity of the objections raised by Fed officials.     

Heterogeneity and netting efficiency under central clearing: A stochastic network analysis

This paper examines the effect of heterogeneity in clearing members’ exposure management practices under central clearing. Our network model specifies the dynamics of prenetted interbank exposures to shape interdependent exposure distributions beyond normality. Employing over-the-counter derivatives market data from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, our simulation results indicate that heterogeneity in bank-to-bank exposure dynamics is systemically desirable, while the entire system benefits more from the central clearing in more homogeneous environments. Policymakers should incentivize individual clearing members to enhance resiliency and stability in counterparty exposure management to maximize netting efficiency under central clearing.     

科学型企业商业模式:中国情境的复合案例研究

以中国企业为研究对象，运用复合案例研究方法分析与构建了科学型企业商业模式概念模型，分离出科学平台和价值平台两个独特要素，进而构建以科学平台-价值平台互动为核心的P2P商业模式运作模型，并根据不同类型科学型企业，分析模型的有效性、适用性以及模型在不同类型科学型企业中的共性与差异，最后总结出科学型企业商业模式特点及企业管理对策。     

Economic modelling of costs associated with outcomes reported for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in the CANVAS and EMPA-REG cardiovascular outcomes trials

Aims: To model direct medical costs associated with reductions in cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in T2DM patients reported in the CANVAS and EMPA-REG trials, which assessed the cardiovascular safety of canagliflozin and empagliflozin, respectively.

Materials and methods: Costs were modeled from a US managed care organization (MCO) perspective for the CVD outcomes included in both trials: three-point major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) and its components (cardiovascular-related death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke), as well as heart failure requiring hospitalization. The rate of CVD events averted (difference between study drug and placebo) was projected to the portion of an MCO T2DM population matching the respective trial’s inclusion criteria. A targeted literature search for paid amounts directly associated with each CVD event provided the unit costs, which were applied to the projected number of events averted, to calculate costs avoided per member per year (PMPY). One-way sensitivity analyses were performed on events averted, unit costs, and percentages of trial-applicable patients.

Results: Based on three-point MACE events averted, costs avoided PMPY of $6.17 (range: $1.27–$10.94) for CANVAS and $2.75 ($0.19–$4.83) for EMPA-REG were estimated. Costs avoided for individual components of MACE ranged from $0.77 to $3.84 PMPY for CANVAS and from -$0.97 (additional costs) to $1.54 for EMPA-REG. PMPY costs avoided for heart failure were $2.72 for CANVAS and $1.32 for EMPA-REG.

Limitations and conclusions: Models assumed independent, non-recurrent outcomes and were restricted to medical costs directly associated with the trial-reported events. The reductions in CVD events in T2DM patients reported for both CANVAS and EMPA-REG project to a positive cost avoidance for these events in an MCO population. The analysis did not include an assessment of the impact on total cost, as the costs associated with adverse events, drug utilization or other clinical outcomes were not examined.     

离心式血液泵水力特性设计及其试验研究

借助商业软件NREC开展离心式血液泵的水力特性设计,其设计流量为5 L/min,设计转速为5000 r/min,得到离心叶轮和蜗壳的三维结构设计方案,并针对其全通道网格进行设计工况下三维流场的定常数值模拟研究.对其溶血性指标进行分析,发现离心式血液泵中95％ 区域切应力小于150 Pa,最大切应力小于500 Pa,满足人体对血液泵溶血性的要求.搭建离心式血液泵流量-压升特性试验测试平台,以质量分数为0.06％ 的黄原胶溶液为流动介质进行试验研究,试验结果显示在设计转速下的实际体积流量偏大于设计流量,整体压升在6550 Pa左右.     

基于库存理论的铁路始发直达运输产品设计

将库存理论运用到铁路始发直达运输产品设计,能够有效实现运输服务组织成本与库存成本的有机统一。为实现库存成本在铁路始发直达运输中的加载,在考虑周期非完整情况下的库存成本的同时,将铁路运输和库存成本纳入同一目标函数,在装卸车地库存能力约束下,构建基于库存理论的铁路始发直达运输产品设计模型,确定成本最小的铁路始发直达运输产品设计方案。以赤峰地区至山东省煤炭运输网络为例,设计方案有效降低了成本,有助于吸引客户选择铁路运输,以及辅助铁路运营单位研究调整始发直达运输产品方案。     

Does bond market development enhance the banking sector’s efficiency in resource allocation? Industry-level evidence from Korea

Korea’s financial system used to be bank-based, with banks playing the leading role in financing corporations. As highlighted by Park et al. (2019), however, bond markets have developed rapidly in Korea and other Asian countries. The corporate bond market competes with banks as a source of finance for large borrowers. As such, bond markets may affect banking sector operation, a process known as disintermediation. In this paper, we examine whether bond market development improves the efficiency of resource allocation in Korean bank lending. We propose two channels through which bond market development affects the efficiency of bank lending. Since the two channels have opposing effects on the efficiency of banking, the issue must be settled by empirical analysis. We find that bank loans are much less efficient than bond financing in allocating resources across industries. Furthermore, banks are particularly inefficient in resource allocation in industries that rely more on bond financing. This suggests that competition from bond financing does not improve allocative efficiency of bank loans.     

基于DEA的传统农耕地区农业生产效率测度*——以皖北为例

［目的］农业生产效率是衡量农业生产的重要标准，其生产效率测度结果对研究区域农业经济发展具有重要意义。［方法］文章以皖北农耕地区为研究对象，通过采集2017年统计年鉴的相关数据，构建农业生产绩效评价指标体系，并引入虚拟决策单元，运用数据包络分析（DEA）方法，从自评和他评的角度对2017年皖北各县级单元的农业经济生产效率进行测度，并基于结果的迥异进行效率、冗余及空间分异的分析。［结果］皖北地区农业生产整体效率较低，呈现出粗放式的农业生产模式； 各种投入要素配置不尽合理，皆存在不同程度上的冗余，整体上看塑料薄膜冗余最高、化肥施用的冗余最低； 空间分异显著，南北表现为由北向南逐渐降低的“S”型趋势、东西呈现出两端高中间低的扁平状“v”型空间分异特征。［结论］粗放式的农业生产导致了皖北农业生产效率整体较低，应完善生产要素配置，大力推进农业现代化建设，促进皖北地区农业整体性协调发展，提升地区农业生产效率。     

基于CLUE-S和GMOP模型的青龙满族自治县土地利用情景模拟

[目的]对青龙满族自治县未来土地利用格局进行多情景预测模拟,并探索土地经济和生态综合效益双提升目标下的土地利用发展格局,以期为区域土地资源优化配置和国土空间规划的编制提供参考。[方法]基于土地利用现状数据和社会经济统计资料,分别利用CLUE-S单模型、灰色多目标优化(GMOP)+CLUE-S模型对研究区进行了土地利用情景模拟。[结果](1)所选驱动因子对土地利用类型的解释能力较好,ROC值均大于0.7,满足Auto-Logistic回归要求,模拟检验的Kappa系数为91.03%,模拟效果比较理想;(2)到2020年,基于CLUE-S单模型的自然发展情景,研究区建设用地扩张占用耕地和林地现象突出,土地经济效益提升较大,但生态效益却呈现负增长;基于GMOP+CLUE-S模型的多目标优化情景,研究区建设用地扩张趋势得到控制,耕地、林地面积有所增加,未利用地得到较大程度开发,实现了土地经济和生态效益双提升,分别比2015年提升了3.12%和1.96%。[结论]GMOP+CLUE-S模型能够发挥两个模型各自在结构优化和空间分配方面的优点,有利于实现区域土地利用数量结构、空间布局和综合效益的协同优化。     

Inequalities of opportunity in the access and use of telecommunication services in Togo

The liberalization of the telecommunications sector in Togo aimed at ensuring access to a better quality of telecommunication services at affordable prices to everyone. While the liberalization policy has increased competition in the sector and reduced significantly telecommunication services prices charged to costumers, statistics on the access and use of telecommunication services in Togo reveal disparities with respect to individuals' socio-economic characteristics which could be an indication of the existence of inequalities of opportunities in the access and use of these services.This paper investigates the inequalities of opportunity in the access and use of telecommunication services in Togo using a parametric approach. The results of estimations indicate that, inequalities of opportunities are larger for men and the elderly than respectively women and youths and are more pronounced in urban areas and regions such as the Plateaux and Savanna regions. Moreover, the circumstance variables such as the ‘place of residence’ and the ‘region’ are the key variables in explaining the inequalities of opportunities in the access and use of telecommunication services in Togo. So, policies toward reducing inequalities of opportunity in the access and use of telecommunication services in Togo should be designed with regards to men, the elderly, and people living in urban areas and regions such as the Plateaux and Savanna regions.