Agricultural productivity growth in Brazil: Large and small farms excel

The long-standing debate on the relationship between farm size and productivity has been generally limited by the range of farm sizes evaluated and the definition of productivity. In this paper we use data from three Brazilian agricultural censuses to address these issues. In particular, we introduce a wider distribution of farm sizes than presently available from the literature and we employ total factor productivity (TFP) as our performance measure. In doing so, we test which farm size class had the highest TFP levels in 1985 and 2006, how factor productivity growth varied within and across farm size classes between those years, and which policy or factor had the greatest productivity enhancing effect. When examining TFP growth, we move beyond the common decomposition into technical and efficiency changes by identifying the complete distribution of farm productivity performances. We find that by 2006 a U-shaped distribution of productivity over farm sizes had emerged. Considerable 1985–2006 TFP growth differences are prevalent; positive rates for the majority accompany stagnant or negative rates for some. Public education investments were associated with faster productivity growth regardless of farm size, while technical assistance’s positive effect and credit’s negative effect were associated with larger farm sizes. The role of specialization varied by size.     

基于能量消耗分析的乳状液液滴粒径计算关系式

在油水混输管道中,存在着大量粒径大小不一的乳状液液滴,液滴粒径及分布对油水混合液的粘度有重要影响,从而在很大程度上影响管道的压降。因此,研究乳状液液滴粒径的计算关系式对于描述油水两相的流动特性以及准确计算管道压降具有重要意义。针对4种原油,通过油水体系的乳化实验,研究了搅拌转速、温度及含水率对乳状液液滴粒径的影响。研究发现,搅拌转速增大,乳状液液滴粒径减小;温度升高,乳状液液滴粒径增大,并且在低温下增大的趋势较显著;含水率增加,乳状液液滴粒径有减小趋势,但减小的幅度不大;以火用损率来表征剪切过程中的能量消耗,建立了基于剪切火用损率分析的乳状液液滴粒径计算关系式。     

经济密度、人口规模与环境污染——基于城市面板数据的实证分析

选取2005-2016年285个地级及以上城市数据,利用静态和动态短面板模型分析经济密度和人口规模对环境污染的影响,分析表明:经济密度与环境污染之间存在“倒U型”关系,人口规模扩大会抑制污染物排放;不同等级城市经济密度、不同规模城市人口对环境污染的影响方向一致,但影响程度有所差异;前期污染排放对当期具有正向影响,环境污染物排放存在路径依赖;经济发展水平、工业产值占比和对外开放也是影响污染物排放的重要因素,但各指标对三类污染物排放的影响方向和影响程度存在差异。据此认为,在综合考虑城市具体空间区位条件下,人口适度集聚,提高城市经济密度,优化产业结构以及加强环境监管是环境治理的重要方向。     

On the role of Islamic and conventional banks in the monetary policy transmission in Malaysia: Do size and liquidity matter?

This paper empirically investigates the impact of monetary policy on the credit supply of Islamic versus conventional banks of Malaysia using an unbalanced panel dataset over the period 2005-2016. While estimating the effects of three alternative measures of monetary policy on banks' credit supply, we include several bank-specific and macroeconomic variables in the specification as control variables. We provide strong evidence on the existence of the credit channel of monetary policy transmission mechanism in Malaysia. Yet, we show that Islamic banks respond considerably less to changes in monetary policy instruments as compared to their conventional counterparts. We also find that the monetary policy measures affect small-sized banks and less-liquid banks more as compared to large-sized and more-liquid banks. Our findings suggest that for an effective monetary policy, there is a vital need to consider the nature of Islamic banking while devising any monetary policy instruments to manage credit supply in the economy.     

Tick size and market quality: Simulations based on agent‐based artificial stock markets

This paper investigates the way that minimum tick size affects market quality based on an agent‐based artificial stock market. Our results indicate that stepwise and combination systems can promote market quality in certain aspects, compared with a uniform system. A minimal combination system performed the best to improve market quality. This is the first study to analyse tick size systems that remain at the theory stage and compare four types of system under the same experimental environment. The results suggests that a minimal combination system could be considered a new direction for market policy reform to improve market quality.     

Optimum government size and economic growth in case of Indian states: Evidence from panel threshold model

This paper investigates the relationship between optimum government size and economic growth using data of Indian states during 1990-91 to 2017–18. Our results derived from panel threshold regression model show a positive and significant impact of government size on economic growth within the estimated thresholds for both aggregate and sub-panels based on income and regions. Once the government size moves above the upper threshold level, then its impact declines and turns to be insignificant. Thus, our findings suggest the policymakers for maintaining the government size within the thresholds limit.     

Top management team incentive heterogeneity,strategic investment behavior,and performance: A contingency theory of incentive alignment

Research summary : We develop and test a contingency theory of the influence of top management team (TMT) performance‐contingent incentives on manager–shareholder interest alignment. Our results support our theory by showing that although TMTs engage in significantly higher levels of acquisition investment when their average incentive levels increase, investors' responses to those large investments are generally negative. More importantly, however, we further find that within‐TMT incentive heterogeneity conditions that effect, such that investors evaluate TMTs' large acquisition investments more positively as the variance in those top managers' incentive values increases. Thus, within‐TMT incentive heterogeneity appears to increase manager–shareholder interest alignment, in the context of large acquisition investments. Managerial summary : We find that as the average value of TMTs' incentives increase, relative to their total pay, they invest more in acquisitions and investors' respond negatively to the announcement of those deals. However, we further show that investors respond more positively to acquisitions announced by TMTs whose members' incentive values vary (some TMT members hold higher incentives and others hold lower). Results imply that when TMT members hold differing incentives levels, they approach investments from divergent perspectives, scrutinize those investments more heavily, and make better decisions, relative to TMTs with similar incentives. They also suggest that boards seeking tighter manager–shareholder interest alignment may benefit from introducing variance into TMT members' incentive structures, as doing so appears to create divergent preferences that can improve team decision making. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

网络经济中的不正当竞争行为及其法律规制

近年来,网络不正当竞争案件频繁发生。与传统不正当竞争相比,网络不正当竞争的负面影响更严重,而我国却缺少对其进行规制的相关法律,因此,制定网络经济专门法,建设独立的执法队伍,完善公益诉讼制度在网络不正当竞争中的应用,将对规制网络不正当竞争起到至关重要的作用。     

Does size matter? Corporate social responsibility and firm performance in the restaurant industry

Despite an increasing number of hospitality studies on the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial performance (CFP), the literature has predominantly focused on the CSR–CFP relation without considering moderating factors. Consequently, the current study introduces firm size as a potential moderator on the CSR–CFP relationship. Performing a two-way fixed-effects model by firm and year with Newey-West standard errors, this study finds that firm size moderates the effect of positive CSR on CFP while it does not moderate the effect of negative CSR on CFP in the U.S. restaurant context.     

职场友谊对研发团队创新绩效的影响机制研究——一个带中介的调节模型

本文通过问卷调查法获得372份有效问卷，运用带中介的调节模型探讨了职场友谊对研发团队创新绩效的影响机制。实证结果表明：（1）职场友谊对团队创新绩效是有正向的激励作用的，其中知识分享起中介作用；（2）职场友谊对团队创新绩效的作用同时受到员工知识分享意愿和知识分享能力的中介作用；（3）职位级别对职场友谊通过知识分享对团队创新绩效的影响起负向调节作用，即职位级别越高，友谊机会越小，通过员工友谊促进知识分享，进而提高团队创新绩效的效应越低。