服务社会:陈光甫经营管理思想的核心

陈光甫以"服务社会"为经营宗旨,以仅有微薄资本的"小小银行"成长为中国近代第一大私人商业银行,创造了中国金融史上多个"第一"。陈光甫的"服务社会"思想,表现为在存款上银元与银两并用,吸收小额储蓄,创办礼金储蓄等;在贷款上,不仅注重工商业的放款,而且还积极创办对农业和个人小额信用的贷款,全方位支持国家各行业、各阶层的金融需要。     

日本民生部门低碳社会建设的举措及启示

近年来,节能减排、建设低碳社会已成为发展潮流,日本在此方面走在了前列.本文首先介绍了日本能源消费与二氧化碳排放和低碳社会建设的基本情况;其次,重点分析了日本民生部门建设低碳社会的举措,如:天然气的深度利用、热泵和太阳能的推广应用、零能耗建筑的建设等;最后,从日本建设低碳社会的经验中得到:建设低碳社会将会带来巨大商机、清晰明确的发展目标与路线图和企业技术创新的重要作用、应由点到面再到发展“智能能源网络”的策略等启示.这些举措将对我国推进低碳社会的建设有所帮助.     

Credit Risk in Two Institutional Regimes: Spanish Commercial and Savings Banks

Although credit risk is an important factor that financial institutions must cope with, the determinants of bank problem loans have been little studied. Using panel data, we compare the determinants of problem loans of Spanish commercial and savings banks in the period 1985–1997, taking into account both macroeconomic and individual bank level variables. The GDP growth rate, firms, and family indebtedness, rapid past credit or branch expansion, inefficiency, portfolio composition, size, net interest margin, capital ratio, and market power are variables that explain credit risk. However, there are significant differences between commercial and savings banks, which confirm the relevance of the institutional form in the management of credit risk. Our findings raise important bank supervisory policy issues: the use of bank level variables as early warning indicators, the advantages of bank mergers from different regions, and the role of banking competition and ownership in determining credit risk.     

Uncertainty and the slowdown of capital accumulation in Europe

The slowdown in the process of capital formation in continental Europe in the 1990s is analysed. Sector-level data from the OECD's International Sectoral Data Base (ISDB) are used. Econometric estimates of an investment function indicate structural instability in the early 1990s and, specifically, a break in the coefficient linking the growth of capital stock to demand. This result neither seems to be related to non-linearities in the relationship between capital formation and expected demand, nor to the sectoral composition of European economies. Evidence is found that the drop in the accelerator is at least partly attributable to greater demand uncertainty in the 1990s as compared with the earlier period.     

Innovation and the precautionary principle

Recent environmental policies favour the polluter pays principle. This principle points out the pollutant financial liability for the eventual incidents induced by his activities. In this context, we analyse the decision of an agent to invest in new industrial activities, the consequences of which on human health and the environment are initially unknown. It is not possible for him to delay investing, but the agent has the opportunity to acquire information and to reduce the cost of an accident. This allows the agent to reduce uncertainty regarding dangers associated with the project and to limit potential damages that it might cause. However, the agent's chosen level of these actions may be considered as insufficient and not acceptable by society as response in the face of a possible danger. Precautionary state regulation may then be introduced. We appreciate that this regulation may slow down innovation and may favour innovation in countries with less safety requirements. We find that the agent may get around the goal of the regulation by ignoring the information on the dangerousness of its project. We then propose some policy tools which stimulate innovation and impose a certain level of risk considered as acceptable for society to the agent. Finally, we use a numerical analysis based on the Monsanto Company for studying the agent's behaviour with different regulatory frameworks.     

Similar patient outcomes yet different hospital costs between flowable hemostatic agents

Abstract

Introduction:

SURGIFLO? and FLOSEAL® are absorbable gelatin-based products that form hemostatic matrices. These products are indicated as adjuncts to hemostasis when control of bleeding by conventional surgical techniques (such as suture, ligature or cautery) is ineffective or impractical. This study analyzed the effect of surgery time and the choice of product on cost to the hospital and patient outcomes.     

新农保对农民最优储蓄的挤出效应及其影响因素分析——基于两期代际扩展模型的应用

摘要：新型农村养老保险制度的实施和持续发展,不仅具有维护农村居民社会养老保险权益公平性的社会作用,还能起到刺激农村消费需求增加从而促进农村经济发展的经济作用。通过两期代际扩展型的应用,证明了新农保的实施对个体农户终身效用最大化下的最优储蓄存在挤出效应,其主要影响因素有：缴费年限、缴费比率、养老保险账户的增值保值能力和收入替代率等,并以此为基础,提出了完善新农保制度、促进其可持续发展的政策建议。     

Particulate matter air pollution control programs in Japan — an analysis of cost savings in the absence of future remediation

The objectives of this study were to assess avoided economic costs (or anticipated ‘benefits’) of not implementing new environmental policies for particulate matter (PM) in Japan and compare these future benefits to estimates of future health risks developed in a separate analysis. The estimates for the benefits of avoided PM pollution control in the year 2010 were (1) $27 billion USD for stationary source controls, (2) $2.1 billion to $3.3 billion USD for diesel motor vehicle controls, (3) $41 million USD for governmental employee salaries, (4) $470 million USD for governmental financial assistance, (5) $510 million USD for special diesel vehicle control measures in Tokyo, and (6) $31 billion USD for total costs.

Using human health and productivity risks, calculated in a separate study to be $56 billion USD, the best net ratio of benefits to costs was 1.8 to 1. Inexpensive control options include road watering or paving for unpaved dirt roads and road vacuuming for paved roads. Intermediate options include differential road pricing, retrofitting diesel particulate filters, and reformulating diesel fuel. High cost options include adding particulate controls, such as wet scrubbers, baghouses, and electrostatic precipitators on uncontrolled stationary sources.     

Foreign Debt and Domestic Savings in Developing Countries

ABSTRACT

This paper addresses the question of potential causality between foreign debt and domestic savings within the context of developing countries. The literature provides evidence insofar as foreign debt and development is concerned, but little attention has been given so far to internal potential for capital formation. We provide a theoretical framework and test its relevance by using 1975–2004 data for two groups of countries: sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America with the Caribbean. With the use of instrumental variables we find that foreign debt impacts negatively on domestic savings, especially in the long run. The results are not susceptible to the choice of countries or outliers. However, the relationship between foreign debt and savings seems to depend on debt accumulation gaining significance only after surpassing a country's specific threshold.

RESUMEN. Este estudio aborda el tema de la causalidad potencial que existe entre la deuda externa y el ahorro interno en el ámbito de los países en desarrollo. La literatura existente contiene pruebas sobre la deuda externa y el desarrollo pero, hasta el momento, ha dedicado poca atención a todo lo concerniente al potencial doméstico para la formación de capital (capitalización). Hemos trazado un marco teórico y puesto a prueba su relevancia usando datos del período 1975–2004 para dos grupos de países: África subsahariana y Latinoamérica incluyendo El Caribe. Los instrumentos variables utilizados nos permitieron encontrar el impacto negativo que la deuda externa ejerce sobre el ahorro interno, especialmente a largo plazo. Estos resultados no son susceptibles a la selección de países específicos o aislados. No obstante, la relación entre la deuda externa y el ahorro parece depender de la acumulación de la deuda, adquiriendo más significado solo después de pasar el umbral específico de un país.

RESUMO. Este estudo aborda a questão da causalidade possível entre o débito estrangeiro e a poupança interna no contexto dos países em desenvolvimento. A literatura apresenta evidências sobre débito externo e desenvolvimento, mas há pouca informação em relação ao potencial interno para a formação de capital. Mostramos uma estrutura teórica e testamos a sua relevância, utilizando dados de 1975 até 2004 para dois grupos de países: a África Subsaariana e a América Latina com o Caribe. Com a ajuda das variáveis instrumentais, descobrimos um impacto negativo do débito estrangeiro sobre a poupança interna, especialmente a longo prazo. Os resultados não são suscetíveis à escolha de países ou de dados atípicos (outliers). A relação entre débito externo e poupança, entretanto, parece depender do acúmulo do débito, tornando-se importante, apenas no caso de ultrapassar um limiar específico do país.