The market-based dissemination of energy-access technologies as a business model for rural entrepreneurs: Evidence from Kenya

Improving access to more modern forms of energy requires supply chains that reach further into rural areas. This paper studies a supply-side intervention intended to foster last-mile distribution of energy-access technologies through local small-scale entrepreneurship. We use a staggered-implementation evaluation design to assess the impact on employment and income outcomes of the intervention, which is a large-scale program in Kenya that supports the diffusion of improved cookstoves and small solar products. The results demonstrate how trained entrepreneurs intensify and diversify their income-generating activities, often by shifting away from subsistence farming as a main source of income. For cookstove entrepreneurs, this goes along with improvements in individual and household incomes as well as perceived economic well-being. Our estimates suggest that impacts do not only differ between the two technologies but also across subgroups including gender, age, and baseline occupation. Our findings substantiate that market-based interventions can foster energy access in rural areas by supporting the establishment of local businesses. We highlight several contextual factors that are of relevance when considering the adoption of this approach.     

Legally astute managers as a source of value in organizations

The legal and compliance departments in organizations have more influence than ever before. Why then are companies so vulnerable to legal liability? The problem may not be with talented legal professionals, but with the lack of legal knowledge held by MBAs and other business school graduates that make day-to-day decisions in modern organizations. Firms can close this knowledge gap and minimize legal liability by training their managers in legal astuteness—the ability of a manager to address legal issues successfully—by instilling four essential traits: respecting the rule of law, recognizing legal issues, resolving problems proactively, and reporting complex legal issues to experts. Job candidates should also be screened for traits of legal astuteness. A legally astute candidate, especially a graduate of a business school that requires legal education for all its students, can be a cultural ambassador for legal astuteness and a valuable liaison between legal and compliance departments and the candidate’s functional area. A legally ignorant candidate will require significant training and a frank assessment of the legal risk they bring to the organization. Modern firms in today’s legal environment face two choices: hire a legally astute manager now or deal with a compliance headache later.     

农业生产托管中组织关系演化及动力机制研究

小农户与现代农业发展的有机衔接是当前实施乡村振兴战略的关键措施，农业生产托管正是实现小农户与现代农业有机衔接的最有效途径。探究农业生产托管中组织关系的演化及动力机制可以对农业生产托管有更清晰的认识，更好地推进农业生产托管，为进一步规范农业生产托管提出对策建议。     

农地发展权流出、资本回流与区域经济增长*——基于重庆市的实证研究

[目的]以重庆市为研究区域,以农地发展权资本化的地票指标为研究对象,从理论和实证层面探讨农地发展权交易与资本要素的城乡互动关系及其对区域经济增长的影响,为进一步优化农地发展权交易政策、促进区域均衡发展提供相关建议。[方法]基于2008—2017年城乡统筹改革试验区重庆市地票指标交易的面板数据,运用要素禀赋理论和差分GMM模型从理论和实证层面分析农地发展权流出区土地与资本要素的互动关系及其对区域经济增长的影响。[结果]基于区域间资源禀赋的差异及要素相对价格的分化,在市场机制作用下,农地发展权指标将以配置效率优化为导向在不同区域间自由流动。[结论]短期内,由于资本约束,流出农地发展权的区域其经济增长会受到抑制;而当农地发展权指标资本化后,流出区获得了较为稀缺的货币资本,农地发展权流出将显著促进地方经济增长;同时,在研究时期内,由于农地发展权市场交易机制的构建,重庆市地方经济增长存在显著的收敛效应,区域间经济发展差距将会逐步缩小。     

后危机视野下福建省经济格局演变及其影响机制

［目的］后危机时代是目前我国各地区经济发展面对的一个巨大变量，也是近年来区域经济发展关注的焦点话题。［方法］选取福建省县域经济的5项指标作为解释变量，利用探索性空间分析方法和地理加权回归模型，对2010—2015年福建省县域经济格局及其驱动机制进行探讨。［结果］（1）总体上看，福建省经济空间格局变化较小，呈现东南高西北低的态势，重心向福州、莆田地区转移，省内发展均质化与极化现象并存；（2）产业结构调整与城镇化水平提升主导省内经济重心在东西方向上的移动，两者的空间格局具有相似性；（3）创新投入与金融零售业的变化主导了经济重心南北向的移动，其与各市县的经济基础和产业调整政策密切相关。［结论］在后危机时代福建省需根据市场特征推进区域协同发展、实现产业结构调整、促进区域共同富裕； 地方经济政策应与自身经济发展特征相适应，实现区域经济可持续发展。     

新农科建设背景下江西高校涉农专业人才培养的思考

新农科建设是新农业新乡村新农民新生态建设的必然要求,顺应了新时代社会的发展规律,致力于培养爱农业、懂技术、善经营的高水平实用技能型卓越农林新人才。"新农科"建设宣言的提出对高等院校涉农专业人才的培养提出了更高的期许和要求。目前江西高校存在涉农专业人才数量紧缺且离农化趋势严重,涉农专业精品课程少、设置不够合理,涉农专业人才培养结构与行业需求脱轨,科研成果转化率不高的问题。本文从新农科建设的角度出发,针对江西高校在涉农专业人才培养过程中出现的问题提出了相应的对策。     

乡村旅游开发下农户生计适应变化与影响机理研究*——以延安市乡村旅游为例

［目的］以延安市3个典型乡村旅游地为例，结合可持续生计分析框架和适应性理论，分析农户在乡村旅游扰动下的适应策略与适应模式，定量测度不同适应模式农户的适应结果。厘清农户未来生计策略选择的影响因素及其机制，提出促进农户及乡村旅游地可持续发展的对策。［方法］通过参与性农户评估法及二元回归分析法分析影响农户未来生计策略选择的因素。［结果］（1）旅游开发造成案例地农户自然资本丧失，失地农户由务农或务工为主的单一适应方式向兼业型与非农型转变，分化为4种不同类型的农户，且各类农户在各描述指标方面差异显著。（2）农户的生计资本衡量3个社区旅游开发后的适应结果，生计资本普遍较低且内部各维度差异明显。对比4类农户适应结果可得：复合生计型>务工主导型>旅游服务型>社会保障型。（3）通过二元逻辑回归模型深入解释当下适应结果对农户未来生计策略选择的影响，物质资本、金融资本和社会资本均影响农户选择意愿，其中可借款人数是最关键的影响变量。［结论］农户在旅游开发背景下生计动态适应的影响机制为旅游开发及基于此补偿制度是农户现在生计适应活动的外部起因，按照适应类型以及收入比重，分化为4种模式农户； 现行生计适应策略使农户适应结果迥异，生计资本的储量和结构差异显著，这种差异是农户未来生计选择的直接动因； 3个社区不同类型的旅游开发模式是农户未来生计策略选择分异的推动力量。     

城市基础设施与居民消费水平——基于线上线下协同的促进机制

优化城市基础设施对于提升居民消费水平具有积极意义。交通与通讯两类基础设施对居民线上、线下消费的影响存在差异。在普及网购的同时改善城市居民出行条件，使实体店在展示产品、现场体验等方面与电商形成互补，将有助于实现线上、线下渠道的积极互动。以2011—2016年全国近300个地级市构建的面板数据进行计量分析，验证了基础设施对居民消费的促进作用，并发现当前交通、通讯两类设施的交互作用主要体现为协同效应。进一步的研究表明，以完善基础设施支持线上、线下渠道共同发展，还能够适应居民家庭年龄结构变化的新特点。上述结论说明,以完善基础设施促成渠道协同，将对全面优化消费者体验、提升居民消费水平产生重要作用。     

网约车双边用户信任机制的构建研究

目前我国网约车行业呈迅速上升之势,但在发展过程中出现了很多亟待解决的问题。本文首先介绍了我国网约车行业的背景及其发展现状,然后概述了我国网约车行业的发展历程,接着应用案例分析法对滴滴出行案例的几个社会事件进行了分析,阐述了当前网约车行业所面临的问题,最后分别从监管、技术、价格三方面提出建立用户与平台之间基于制度、认知、计算三种信任的相关建议。     

Schmoozers,not snoozers: Busting the Kevin and Angela stereotypes in public accounting

In contrast to the well-known stereotype of the boring, unsociable accountant, today’s public accounting professionals argue that they are boundary spanners. Working at the intersection of the firm/client interface, these professionals contend that sociability is a requisite skill for routinely navigating the many interactions they have with multiple personnel at client organizations. This research aims to address this disconnect and to confront whether the public perception is warranted. Using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue), we assess the sociability of 176 public accounting professionals and discover that, contrary to the stereotype, male public accountants are more sociable than males in the general population. Our analysis also demonstrates that female public accountants are no more or less sociable than females in the general population. Additional analysis shows that while male public accountants are more sociable than female public accountants, this effect is attributable to differences at lower levels of the profession and that male-female differences disappear when comparing male managers and partners to female managers and partners. Given the importance of sociability in public accounting, this research offers recruiting strategies that will help to dispel the myth of the unsociable accountant and provides training tips for enhancing sociability within the ranks.