The Private Finance Initiative: Clarification of a Future Research Agenda

The Private Finance Initiative in the UK, whereby the public sector actively seeks private finance for developments in its services/buildings, can be traced to the Chancellor of the the Exchequer's Autumn Statement of 1992. However, the seeking of private finance had been a Government concern for many years before this time even though it was only in 1992 that it gained a real impetus and direction. Since then it has developed and expanded into all areas of Government and into local authorities and has been carried forward, with equal, if not greater, enthusiasm, by the recently elected Labour Government. This paper provides an introduction to this new development in the public sector in the UK, tracing its historical development from its 'macro' emphasis, through to the 'micro' outworking of these policies across the entire public sector. This summary provides the base to draw up a future research agenda for PFI, which forms the major concern of the paper.     

市级财政引导自主研发支出的效果分析

本文从Cropper等人提出的关于公共财政政策可以影响创新研发活动的理论假设出发,分析了无锡市级各项科技财政和自主研发相关经费历年支出的趋势相关性情况,并得到科技事业费作用不显著的结论。     

企业承担社会责任的动因及实现条件

企业承担社会责任,需要内部经济动力和外部利益相关者压力的共同作用。尽管现有研究已经证明,承担社会责任对于企业来说,有可能提高财务绩效,改善利益相关者管理,但是这种认识在我国企业界并不普遍。究其原因,缺乏将外部压力转化为内部动力的条件是造成我国企业社会责任缺失的首要因素。要实现这种转变,一要提供重复博弈的社会环境,二要解决社会责任信息不对称问题,三要建立有效的惩罚和约束机制。     

物理教学中六课型单元教学法的应用尝试

本文对六课型单元教学法(小学为六因素教学法)在物理教学中做了应用性尝试,总结了教学应用过程中的一些体会,意欲同行商榷、参考。     

基于非英语专业高职学生英语自主学习能力的实证研究

非英语专业高职学生英语教学是一种既有别于英语专业教学,又有别于普通高校教学的特殊教育形式。本文通过问卷、调查、访谈、文献研究等多种方法,从学生英语学习的自主性、兴趣、动机、自信度、焦虑度等多重心理倾向角度分析入手,对这一庞大而又极易被研究者忽视的特殊群体的英语自主学习能力现状、特点进行研究,找出非英语专业高职学生自主学习能力弱的一些原因并提出若干建议。笔者仅以此文作为抛砖引玉,望能为探索构建有效的英语自主学习能力的教学模式提供依据。     

中国与韩国金融合作的现状、问题与对策分析

通过对中韩两国金融合作现状的分析,提出了两国开展金融合作的对策及路径选择,指出,随着中韩经济和金融的一体化,保持两国间汇率的稳定,避免汇率波动对贸易和投资的消极影响是非常必要的。应积极推行两国的金融合作,培育健全的金融市场,为实行单一货币的亚洲货币联盟打好基础。     

浅谈高校教学秘书的基本意识

为了适应新时代的巨变和高校改革的需要,高校教学秘书只有树立服务意识、责任意识、协调意识和创新意识,只有加强对现代教育理念的理论学习,不断提高自身综合素质,强化责任感和敬业精神,与时俱进,开拓进取,才能做一名称职的、出色的教学秘书。     

农民工问题协作解决中的地方政府主动性角色研究——以农民工流入地政府为例

农民工流入地政府与流出地政府应进行有效协作，促成建构有效的协作机制，其关键在于安排专项经营支出和建立常规化的协作机制运作系统。流入地政府主动性角色应体现在注重即时培训农民工的合作、有效疏导农民工的流入与流出、建立农民工及其家庭的应急求助制度、对农民工实行一元化的户口管理等方面，以解决农民工焦点难题。     

Tourism and employment in the Gambia

In addition to providing formal wage labor in hotels, airports, and the service infrastructure, tourism is said to provide possibilities for independent indigenous enterprise in handicrafts, entertainment, transport, through which the Gambians may, in effect, economically “lift themselves up by their bootstraps.” Such is the theory. This paper analyzes the actual employment possibilities in The Gambia provided by its recent tourism investment. From the findings of an economic survey the author concludes that hopes of economic development being catalyzed by tourism are unfounded and misleading. This conclusion is supported by a structural analysis and a characterization of the tourist industry in The Gambia by an investigation into the economic forces at work in the country, and by direct observations made by informants and the author concerning the impact tourism has made in spheres non-economic: the moral, the social, and the family.     

Transaction costs, relational contracting and public private partnerships: a case study of UK defence

This paper is concerned with the economics of public private partnerships (PPPs)/private finance initiative (PFIs) and in particular the role of transaction costs and the importance of trust in relational contracting. The discussion is illustrated by reference to the UK defence sector. The paper begins by discussing the nature of PPPs/PFIs before moving on to consider how the economics of contracting literature can shed light on their strengths and weaknesses. The transaction cost literature is reviewed alongside a resource-based perspective of procurement decisions. The concepts of trust and reputation are then considered in the context of minimising procurement transaction costs. The theoretical framework developed is then applied and illustrated through a case study of UK defence contracting, in an attempt to assess whether the use of PPPs will necessarily lead to improved economic efficiency. The case study highlights both the scope of PPPs/PFIs and their potential transaction costs in defence procurement, with the normal perils in terms of contracting given information asymmetry, asset specificity and the resulting scope for opportunistic behaviour.