Optimal Emissions Taxation under Imperfect Competition in a Durable Good Industry

This paper investigates optimal emissions taxation under imperfect competition in a durable good industry where products are sold (instead of rented). As a benchmark, attention is paid to the special case of monopoly with exogenously given product durability. In line with previous literature, the optimal emission tax in this benchmark model falls short of marginal damage (underinternalization). Extending the benchmark model either to the case of an oligopolistic market structure and/or to the case of endogenous product durability then provides two cases in which the optimal emission tax overinternalizes marginal damage.     

Why are Small Firms Different? Managers’ Views

Do incentives differ between large and small organizations? Results from a representative survey of compensation managers are used to shed light on the issues. I find that (i) small establishments rely less on pecuniary incentives, and have a significantly more hostile attitude towards incentive schemes based on competition and relative rewards; (ii) large units are more vulnerable to mechanisms of efficiency wages, effects that remain even after controlling for differences in monitoring ability; (iii) large units are more prone to indicate that negative reciprocity is important, and that their employees care about relative pay. I argue that these findings fit with behavioral stories of incentives and motivation, in particular those stressing group interaction effects, inequity aversion and gift exchange.     

俄罗斯人口与移民状况

20世纪末21世纪初,俄罗斯爆发了第四次人口危机,这次人口危机发生在和平年代,人口出生率小于人口死亡率,俄罗斯每年减少近100万人口。由于＂缺人＂,许多村庄荒芜,大量工作无人干,西伯利亚和远东的开发也是纸上谈兵。俄罗斯政府若再不考虑从国外移民,国家将面临＂无人为继＂的尴尬局面。从＂外来移民计划＂、＂优秀人才向外移民严重＂、＂外国劳工人数下降＂和＂中国威胁论＂四个方面论述了俄罗斯人口与移民状况,说明必须增加外来高素质移民来抵消人口危机给俄罗斯的经济社会发展带来的负面影响。     

中国养老保险制度改革的政策选择——老龄化、城市化、全球化的视角

中国的养老保险制度改革不仅要考虑到人口老龄化的挑战,还需看到经济全球化提出的要求,以及城市化带来的机遇。本文基于详实的数据和深入的前期研究,指出中国的养老保险制度改革仍然具有一些独特的空间,包括老年劳动参与的提高,劳动生产率的提升,养老保险覆盖面的扩大,保险基金投资回报率的提高等。中国的老龄化发生在经济发展水平相对较低的阶段,在经济全球化时代,需要权衡缴费率和国际竞争力之间的矛盾。与人口老龄化相伴随的是城市化,将农村转移劳动力纳入城镇社会保障体系可以在较长时间内改变体系的负担率,同时农村老年人口绝对数量的下降,也可为政府补贴增长提供条件。长期而言,老龄化社会的养老能力根本上取决于劳动生产率的不断提高。     

基于人口经济数据分析我国城市收缩现状

城市收缩作为城镇化进程中的普遍现象受到广泛关注。为了解我国城市收缩的现状,加深对我国城市收缩问题的理解,文章选取329个城市研究其人口变化表现,并从中筛选出64个收缩城市,进一步利用人口和经济两个特征对已识别的收缩城市的本质进行界定。其次分别从绝对收缩和相对收缩两个性质分析收缩城市形成的关键原因,发现绝对收缩城市的形成主要原因在于城市经济结构的瓦解,相对收缩城市的形成原因在于城市劳动力的大量外流。     

人口老龄化与养老模式选择

当今世界,人口老龄化与养老问题日益受到关注。各国都在积极探索有效的养老模式以应对老龄化问题。虽然国际上现有的三种主要养老保障模式对解决和应对老龄化问题发挥着重要作用,但也都面临诸多困境。