Forest governance and economic values of forest ecosystem services in Vietnam

Forest ecosystems deliver valuable services to humanity. However, many forests are being degraded and their services have been undervalued. The main problem lies in the inadequate institutional arrangements for forest governance. This paper aims to assess the effects of alternative forest governance arrangements on the provision and economic values of forest ecosystem services (FES) in Vietnam. The study presents a framework for mapping land use and land cover (LULC) change stemming from actual and hypothetical changes in forest governance regimes, quantifies the resulting changes in the provision of FES, and estimates the associated economic values. In the context of the study site in the North Western uplands of Vietnam, we test three alternative forest governance scenarios: business as usual, with a dominant government role; a community-based governance regime; and a private, individual-based forestry governance regime. Scenarios are based quite closely on the way these regimes are (or might be expected to be) implemented in Vietnam. For each forest governance scenario, we map LULC changes based on land suitability analysis and transition likelihood for the period 2010 − 2020. The resulting maps are used as inputs into the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs) model, which is used to estimate the quantity of three specific FES: carbon storage/sequestration, sediment yield, and water yield. We apply economic valuation methods to value these services: the social cost of carbon is used to estimate the economic values of carbon storage/sequestration; the cost of removing sediment deposited in reservoirs is applied for valuing the reduction of sediment yield, and the residual value of water supply for hydropower generation is used for valuing water yield. The results show that forest governance regimes have a significant effect not only on forest LULC, but also on the quantity and values of FES derived from forests. The FES are differentially affected by alternative forest governance regimes: some FES increase in quantity and value under some governance regimes and decrease under others. Of the three forest governance regimes examined, there is no one regime that will always be ‘better’ than the others in terms of provisioning all considered FES. For the specific context of Vietnam, we find that the private forest governance scenario is inferior to the community-based governance scenario, as an alternative to the current state-based governance. Because our results pertain to the scenarios as constructed, rather than generally to broad categories of governance regimes, there remains the possibility that regimes can be constructed that outperform all of those examined here.     

Independent director compensation,corruption, and monitoring

We find that independent directors in more corrupt countries receive greater pay. This relation could reflect outside directors in corrupt countries expropriating firm value, or it could reflect higher compensation for the additional effort required to lessen the negative effects of corruption. Acquirer acquisition announcement returns are lower in more corrupt countries, and this relation is mitigated by higher director pay. Higher director pay is also associated with greater sensitivity of CEO turnover to firm performance and moderates the negative effects of country‐level corruption on firm value. This evidence is consistent with higher director pay in corrupt countries incentivizing effort.     

环境库兹涅茨曲线假说检验研究进展与展望

[目的]EKC曲线描述的是生态环境质量随着经济增长呈现先恶化后改善的趋势,即存在倒“U”型关系。为了了解EKC假设检验目前研究现状与存在的主要问题,深入探讨未来研究重点和方向。[方法]系统梳理经济发展对生态环境质量影响的EKC假说检验文献,以期丰富EKC检验的理论基础,进一步促进经济、生态环境健康持续发展。[结果]各种污染物指标与人均GDP间呈现出倒“U”型、正“U”型、倒“N”型、线型(或“~”型)等多种关系。[结论]未来研究重点和方向是:(1)研究形成EKC曲线背后的作用机理;(2)合理构建反映整体生态环境质量综合指标及影响经济发展的多因素指标;(3)合理构建经济发展与生态环境相互作用的理论模型,并在研究中引入综合方法;运用空间计量模型实证检验EKC假说;(4)国内对小城镇和欠发达地区经济发展对生态环境影响的EKC假说检验。     

数字贸易政策国际比较、发展趋势及启示

随着信息通讯技术的发展,数字贸易作为一种新兴的国际贸易形式得以快速发展,在拓展国际贸易范围和边界的同时,也对全球贸易规则提出新的挑战。本文在分析全球数字贸易发展现状的基础上,重点梳理了美国、欧盟、日本等国家数字贸易政策发展脉络,以及数字贸易的未来发展趋势。然后,本文从中小企业的发展、平台企业的作用、数字贸易规则制定等方面提出对中国数字贸易发展的启示。本文认为,中国作为极具潜力的数字贸易大国,在数字经济发展的驱动下参与并推动建设国际数字贸易治理体系势在必行。     

Beyond the community in participatory forest management: A governance network perspective

Governance of the environment and natural resources involves interests of multiple stakeholders at different scales. In community-based forest management, organisations outside of communities play important roles in achieving multiple social and ecological objectives. How and when these organisations play a role in the community-based forest management process remains a key question. We applied social network analysis to a case study in Indonesian Borneo to better understand the evolution of interactions between organisational actors, and with communities. NGOs featured most prominently in initiating the permit process, implementing management, and providing other support activities, while also being well-connected to donors and government actors. The network configurations indicated significant cooperation among organisations when initiating the community forest process, while bridging between village and organisational levels characterised all stages of the community forest process. While community-based forest management often evokes images of grassroots efforts and broad local capacity to manage forests, reality shows a more dynamic and heterogeneous picture and broader involvement of different actor types and motivations in Indonesia. These findings can be applied to other countries implementing and expanding their decentralised forest policies.     

我国牧区草原生态补偿机制构建研究

［目的］通过构建一套科学、合理的牧区草原生态补偿机制，解决牧区近10年来主要实施的一系列生态治理项目和措施中存在的草原生态补偿标准普遍偏低、政策缺少灵活性、监管体系不够完善、缺乏相应保障机制等问题。［方法］通过对国内有关草原生态补偿机制相关文献分类梳理，基于我国牧区草原生态环境现状，对比分析国内外实践，总结国外成功经验，定性分析补偿机制要素，对草原生态补偿机制进行全面、系统地分析论述。［结果］我国牧区草原生态补偿主体应以各级政府为主； 补偿对象应包括牧区牧民、草原生态环境保护的投资者和建设者以及牧区地方政府； 因保护草原生态环境而导致牧区和牧民的发展权受限由此产生的机会成本作为草原生态补偿标准； 补偿方式以中央财政纵向转移支付为主，以市场补偿为辅的组合模式。保障机制需完善法律法规、公众参与、监督管理、绩效评估等方面建设。［结论］我国牧区草原生态补偿机制的构建须对补偿责任主体、补偿范围、补偿标准、补偿方式及补偿保障机制等各要素要进行整体性、系统性深入分析，才能确保草原生态补偿机制能够满足牧区实际需求，提供有力保障。     

高科技企业研发投入同群效应研究

探讨高科技企业研发投入的同群效应，特别是企业面临的市场环境不确定性，以及体现制度环境的知识产权保护对高科技企业研发投入同群效应的影响。实证分析沪深A股2009—2017年高科技上市公司数据，结果表明：①高科技企业研发投入存在显著的同群效应；②环境不确定性显著负向调节高科技企业研发投入的同群效应，即环境不确定性弱化了企业研发投入的行业趋同；③知识产权保护显著正向调节高科技企业研发投入的同群效应，即知识产权保护强化了企业研发投入的行业趋同。结论丰富了企业研发投入同群效应研究成果，为考察企业所处外部市场与制度环境对企业研发投入同群效应的影响提供了新视角。     

The Effects of M&A on Corporate Performance in Japan:DID Analysis in the Era of Corporate Governance Reform

This study analyzes how mergers and acquisitions (M&A) affect the performance of acquired companies in Japan. The sample period includes the era in which the government of Japan promoted a series of corporate governance reforms. A difference-in-differences analysis is implemented to eliminate the endogenous effects of a corporate acquisition. Choosing a control group by propensity score matching, we find that acquisitions have significantly negative effects on employment but no significant effects on labor productivity. For acquisitions by Japanese companies, we also find no significant improvement in ROA but significant improvement in Tobin’s q. The results are consistent with the zombie company theory, which indicates that an M&A prolongs the life of an insolvent company. Acquisitions by Japanese companies are in contrast with those by foreign companies, which have positive effects on ROA.     

Governing Suburbia through regionalized land-use planning? Experiences from the Greater Frankfurt region

This paper explores the case of peripheral settlement growth in the Greater Frankfurt (Main) region within current debates on global suburbanization. Within Germany’s sophisticated spatial planning regime, Greater Frankfurt’s system of regionalized land-use planning marks an ambitious initiative to contain urban sprawl. Nonetheless, expansive peripheral settlement growth, and socio-spatial polarization remain distinct characteristics of the booming region. Analyzing state regulation vis-à-vis dynamics of capitalist urbanization and private authoritarianism, we decipher the complex governance arrangements producing this, at first sight, contradictory simultaneity. We uncover the rationales of local growth politics of autonomous municipalities and the region’s multiplied institutional fragmentation that undermine planning ambitions to contain suburban growth. We conclude by critically assessing the political economies of suburbanization in Greater Frankfurt and point to prospects for regional reform.