Institutional dynamics and access to non-farm employment in rural China, 1950–1996

This article examines non-farm employment in the context of Chinese rural institutional change, based on evidence from discrete-time logistic models for event history analysis using the Life History and Social Change survey. We find the transition to non-farm sector rose rapidly during the Great Leap Forward and market reform, while the Cultural Revolution saw it reach the lowest ebb. While male advantage prevailed exclusively during the Cultural Revolution and early marketization, education possessed a stable positive effect in all historical periods. Although the returns to different kinds of political capital vary along with institutional dynamics, intergenerational reproduction was greatly reduced after the Cultural Revolution.     

乌鲁木齐市建设用地对经济增长的贡献及Logistic曲线极限点估计研究

[目的]为提高乌鲁木齐市各生产要素的利用效率,明确经济发展模式,同时也为促进土地资源节约集约利用提供科学依据。[方法]基于C-D生产函数,以2005—2015年乌鲁木齐市统计数据为样本,借助EViews6.0和SPSS20.0软件测算出建设用地对经济增长的贡献率以及Logistic曲线极限点。[结果](1)资本投入要素对经济增长的贡献率(56.72%)最大,建设用地投入要素贡献(32.81%)次之,然后是劳动力投入要素贡献(13.25%),技术进步投入要素贡献(-2.78%)最小,但拥有很大的挖掘空间;(2)建设用地对经济增长的Logistic曲线极限点位于第二、三产业产值为1 522亿元处,对应2011年产值,2005—2011年建设用地对经济增长的贡献呈递增趋势,2011年之后贡献速度呈递减趋势,逐渐趋于平缓。[结论]建设用地对经济增长的驱动作用是有限的,只有通过技术创新才能实现经济发展模式由"依资本型"向"技术驱动型"转变。     

How will the Belt and Road initiative advance China’s exports?

We examined 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 data from 49 countries to determine changes wrought by China’s Belt and Road initiative; we also used panel data regarding the Maritime Silk and Inland Silk Roads to test initiative effects on Chinese exports. Post-initiative infrastructure expansion and logistics performance improvements led to positive effects on China’s exports. Additionally, legal-system similarities and inland borders with trade partners had a more positive effect on Chinese exports in the Inland Silk Road, while population and free trade agreements were found to have a more positive effect on the Maritime Silk Road.     

Hi-tech start-ups: legitimacy challenges and funding dynamics

Studies on the legitimacy challenges faced by hi-tech start-ups are still scarce, leaving room for research, and policymaking debate. Legitimacy issues may become difficult to face for hi-tech firms in comparison with other start-ups, because they work in an extreme environment where the technological challenges are at the edge of the scientific possibility. The paper proposes a conceptual model to grasp the relevance of three legitimacy drivers of the hi-tech start-ups for investment decisions. We investigated the ability of 30 hi-tech start-up firms to obtain financial resources from the US investors, employing a set-theoretic approach and carried out fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. Our findings clarify that the funding decisions of US investors are driven by the location of headquarter and R&D of hi-tech start-ups and by the educational experience of the founders. Our study has significant theoretical, practical, and policymaking implications.     

公司为什么放弃债务的收益呢？

经典资本结构理论认为债务具有税盾效应和财务杠杆效应，因此公司会选择适当的负债以获得债务的税收收益。但是，现实中一些公司的负债很低，甚至为零。公司为什么放弃债务的税收收益呢？本文以2007～2011年中国A股上市公司为研究样本，从行为公司金融的视角分析管理者能力是否导致公司采用“低杠杆”策略。结果表明，中国上市公司存在普遍的低杠杆现象，管理者能力的差异是导致公司采用“低杠杆”策略的重要原因。     

Does it pay off for museums to foster creativity? The complementary effect of innovative visitor experiences

This paper aims to explore the link between creativity orientation, investment in visitors’ experience and operating and funding performance in tourist attractions, taking museums as a case study. The empirical work is based on an analysis of the information provided by a sample of Spanish, French, German, British and American museums. The findings highlight the positive impact of creativity orientation on museums’ operating performance, but show a curvilinear effect on funding performance. The use of new technologies and adaptation to the audience proves positive when seeking to attract visitors.     

利用频移动态特征的辐射源目标盲分选

利用辐射源目标的频移动态特征进行盲分选时，针对已有的分选方法不能很好解决非合作接收数据非周期、间断、交叠的问题，提出了一种改进的逻辑回归分选算法,将信号分选转化为轨迹分类的问题来处理。首先，借鉴多目标航迹起始模型中的M/N逻辑法的框架，设计新的数据关联门限，以建立目标起始曲线；其次，采用最小二乘拟合方法替代卡尔曼滤波，设计新的外推规则，建立载频变化预测曲线；分析新的接收数据与预测曲线的关联性，不断迭代回归或形成新的分支，最后获得目标分选结果。仿真与实测试验表明，利用逻辑回归分选算法，对不同运动目标搭载的同频辐射源可进行自动分选，4个仿真目标与2个真实目标的分选正确率达到100%。同时，该方法拓展了辐射源目标盲分选中的动态频移特征应用，为辐射源个体识别提供了新的支持。     

Is external research assessment associated with convergence or divergence of research quality across universities and disciplines? Evidence from the PBRF process in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Performance-based research evaluations have been adopted in several countries both to measure research quality in higher education institutions and as a basis for the allocation of funding across institutions. Much attention has been given to evaluating whether such schemes have increased the quality and quantity of research. This paper examines whether the introduction of the New Zealand Performance-Based Research Fund process produced convergence or divergence in measured research quality across universities and disciplines between the 2003 and 2012 assessments. Two convergence measures are obtained. One, referred to as β-convergence, relates to the relationship between changes in average quality and the initial quality level. The second concept, referred to as σ-convergence, relates to the changes in the dispersion in average research quality over time. Average quality scores by discipline and university were obtained from individual researcher data, revealing substantial β- and σ-convergence in research quality over the period. The hypothesis of uniform rates of convergence across almost all universities and disciplines is supported. The results provide insights into the incentives created by performance-based funding schemes.     

Political activism and polarization

I develop a model of activism and polarization in the context of electoral competition. Two candidates simultaneously announce policy platforms and seek the support of ideologically inclined activists. Activists compete to influence electoral outcomes by expending costly support for their respective candidates. The presence of activists always moderates the platform choice of candidates, compared to the case of no activism. The central finding of the paper is that the relationship between partisanship of activists and polarization is ambiguous. As activists become increasingly partisan, polarization of candidate platforms reduces or widens depending on the costs of activism. I present normative conditions under which the presence of activism and increased partisanship among activists are both welfare‐improving for voters. Finally, introducing a public funding option for candidates increases polarization in the political process.