Internal labour markets in the Australian banking industry: their nature prior to the Second World War and their recent decline

This paper uses evidence from late nineteenth-and early twentieth-century personnel records of two Australian banks to examine the nature of internal labour markets prior to the Second World War. It is argued that the industry possessed all the classic features of internal labour markets: limited ports of entry, internal promotion, long careers, and assignment of wages by well-defined rules. The paper then examines the reasons why banks adopted internal labour markets. Finally, the paper examines the recent decline of internal labour markets and examines the role of technological and social changes in this decline.     

Institutional design and the closure of public facilities in transition economies

As part of the reforms of their systems for financing and delivering health care, many transition economies, particularly in central and eastern Europe, have adopted national insurance funds that are institutionally separate from ministries of health. Most of these countries have also grappled with the problem of restructuring the delivery system, especially the need to reduce hospital capacity. Although improving the performance of medical care providers through a shift from passive budgeting to explicitly incentive mechanisms is important, why this change in financial relations between the government and providers could not be implemented simply by reforming the role of health ministries is not obvious. This paper presents an explicit rationale for the separation of powers between the regulator (the ministry of health) and the financing body (the insurance fund), based on the inability of a single agency to commit to closing hospitals. JEL classification: L51, P20, P35, I18.     

中国区域经济差距研究综述

近年来中国东、中、西部地区经济差距有逐渐扩大的趋势,再次引起了政府和学术界的关注。中央在十八大明确提出要实施全国经济协调发展战略,让不同地区的人民都能实现中国梦。实现中国梦的第一前提是公平。而区域差距的扩大显然有违公平原则,在这个大背景下,缩小区域差距便成为中国当前时期一个亟待解决的艰巨任务。参考大量国内外研究区域经济差距的重要文献,按照逐步深入的顺序,从区域经济差距的研究方法到中国区域差距度量和变化趋势,再到中国区域经济差距的成因和对策,依次进行概括总结,并进行了相关评述,提出了一个缩小区域差距的新思路,作为下一步研究的重点方向。     

从资源枯竭之忧到资源再生之虑：碳排放研究述评

人们对资源的忧虑,经历了一个转变过程。由可耗竭资源的有限储量所带来的紧迫感趋淡。由生态承载力的衰减所引发的负面后果日益明显。从二氧化碳排放所引出的气候变化问题,是自然生态系统容纳和消除污染排放物的能力已然不足的一个反映。通过对贯穿上述认识转变过程的经济学研究文献的梳理可知,国外在此方向上的主要分析工具是气候变化综合评估模型。该类模型的优点是把经济系统与自然生态系统集成在一起,使得对碳排放的预测具有微观基础,但也因模型复杂而处理难度较高。它的一个应用是：碳减排力度是应立即强力推进。还是可渐进强化,研究文献中围绕这一问题的争论就是以气候变化综合评估模型为基础而展开的。     

浅析审计收费与意见购买的关系——基于不变更会计师事务所的探讨

目前,学术界对审计意见购买行为都高度关注,国内外大多数学者都是通过会计师事务所的变更来研究审计意见购买,但本文在研究审计意见购买行为时发现,在我国现有的审计环境下,一般理性的上市公司,如果能够和现任会计师事务所谈判成功从而购买到审计意见,是不愿意更换会计师事务所的。本文在借鉴、吸收前人研究成果的基础上,将理论分析和案例分析相结合,从审计收费的角度,研究不变更会计师事务所情况下发生的审计意见购买行为。     

制度质量与收入不均：基于中国省级层面数据的实证研究

本文通过建立跨省动态面板模型,运用系统GMM估计方法考察各省制度质量对我国收入分配和收入不均的影响,发现我国制度质量与收入不均之间存在倒U型的关系,当制度质量较低的时候,制度质量的提升会加大贫富差距,但当制度质量提升到一定程度,跨过一定的门槛值之后,会缩小贫富差距。我国制度质量尚处于较低阶段,因此近年来我国制度质量的提升,加剧了财富由低收入人群向高收入人群的转移,扩大了贫富差距。     

非语言交际对利玛窦在华传教的影响

明末清初时期,利玛窦与中国士大夫的交往是其在华传教活动的重要组成部分,其中非语言因素在其成功交际中起着重要的作用。利玛窦利用服饰的变化表明自己的身份和立场,借用西洋器物传播西方先进的科技文明,通过著书立说的形式广结权贵,施展个人魅力笼络人心。利玛窦与中国士大夫阶层的紧密互动为其在中国传教奠定了基础并开创了新的格局。     

Supplying trees in an era of environmental uncertainty: Identifying challenges faced by the forest nursery sector in Great Britain

In recent years, numerous articles have addressed management strategies aimed at assisting forests to adapt to climate change. However, these seldom take into account the practical and economic implications of implementing these strategies, notably, supply of forest plants and seed. Using semi-structured interviews with practitioners involved in the plant and seed supply chain in Great Britain, we highlight a series of practical and economic bottlenecks commonly encountered in the supply of locally sourced seed and domestically produced planting stock for native woodland and hedging markets. We find that adoption of alternative seed sourcing strategies, designed specifically to account for directional climate warming, is likely to exacerbate existing problems by adding further complexity to decisions nurseries make about tree species and seed origins to produce. The lack of long-term market predictability brought about by the current configuration of forestry grants and regulations and, in particular, the administrative systems for processing grant applications is identified as a major impediment to having a sustainable and competitive supply of home-grown and currently adapted planting stock. Finally, the time and effort it takes to supply healthy plants for native woodland creation projects deserves much wider recognition throughout the industry and will be crucial if planting objectives are to be met sustainably.