Information,Knowledge and Agency: The Information Theoretic Approach and the Austrians

Both the Information Theoretic Economics and Austrian Economics investigate the impact on market activity of problems of information and knowledge. The conceptions of information and knowledge they employ, however, as well as their respective views on and treatment of economic agency, are quite different. The purpose of this paper is to examine these differences, not primarily from an abstract philosophical point of view, but by looking at substantive examples of the economics offered by the two approaches. An attempt is made to explain the Austrian preference for non-formalist approaches to economic analysis.     

On Stephen Parsons' Philosophical Critique of Transcendental Realism

This paper replies to Stephen Parsons' critique of Tony Lawson's Economics and Reality recently published in this journal. The topics addressed include Lawson's critique of empirical realism; Lawson's definition of 'structures'; theories of truth; the relationship between mainstream economics and empirical realism; and the possibility of naturalism .     

新建制造型企业的生产现场管理探讨

首先从新建企业生产管理面临的对象及它们之间的关系入手,对新建企业生产现场管理工作进行初步探讨,指出对生产现场管理工作的分析思路;归纳了新建企业生产现场管理的特点,提出新建企业开展生产现场管理的四项原则;并根据四项原则,提出新建企业开展生产现场管理的策略。从而为新建企业的生产现场管理工作提供有效的借鉴方法。     

Models of causal inference: Imperfect but applicable is better than perfect but inapplicable

We assess a recent paper by Durand and Vaara (2009) that advances causal graph modeling as a tool for inferring causes in strategy research. We focus on the Markov condition, a key assumption on which causal graph modeling is based, and show why this condition is invariably violated in strategic management in general and the resource‐based view of the firm in particular. We then introduce vector space modeling as a quantitative alternative to causal graph modeling, and consider how improved methods of causal inference might enhance our ability to test some of the central propositions of the resource‐based view. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Keynesian uncertainty and the instability of beliefs

In an influential critique, Coddington (1982) argues that Keynes uses the theme of uncertainty in an opportunistic way in the General theory emphasizing it when it suits his purposes and ignoring it when it does not. This reading is examined in the light of Keynes's earlier Treatise on probability. The first part of the paper argues that Keynes's epistemology differs in important respects from the one Coddington is attacking, and in particular, that Keynes's account contains conceptions of uncertainty not considered by Coddington. The two premises of Coddington's argument are then assessed. These are: 1) that Keynes provides no account of the relative impact of uncertainty in different decision-making contexts; and 2) that uncertainty is not a sufficient condition for unstable beliefs about future outcomes of current (investment) decisions. It is argued that Coddington is mistaken in asserting 1) and, although 2) is correct in principle, that there is nevertheless a strong presumption that uncertainty does lead to unstable beliefs in the particular situations Keynes describes. The conclusion is that the connection between uncertainty and unstable beliefs cannot be regarded as either analytically destructive or somehow beside the point, even on Coddington's terms.     

Infrastructure Public-Private Partnerships Re-Defined: An Increased Emphasis on “Partnerships”

A public-private partnership, also known as a “P3,” is usually structured as a long-term lease of a municipal asset (such as a toll road, port, or airport) by a private investor (and/or operator). Five years ago, P3s were viewed by municipalities primarily as a means for raising capital, and maximizing the upfront proceeds was often viewed as the primary goal. Today's transactions are now being redefined with the goal of developing sustainable long-term partnerships between the public and private sectors. Governments are increasingly intent on realizing efficiencies by partnering with the private sector to achieve improved services and accelerate needed capital improvements. As a result of this redefining, the P3 has become an essential tool in governments' financial arsenal to manage the many challenges facing municipalities, including budget deficits, large pension obligations, and extensive infrastructure funding needs.     

Infrastructure Public‐Private Partnerships: “Partnerships” Come to Fruition

P3s are generally structured as long‐term leases of municipal assets like toll roads, ports, and airports by private investors/operators. Five years ago, municipalities viewed such partnerships primarily as a means of raising capital, and they often viewed maximizing the up‐front proceeds as the primary goal of the transactions. Today's P3s have been re‐defined to focus beyond the bottom line and toward the goal of developing sustainable long‐term partnerships between the public and private sectors. As three transactions from the past year are used to demonstrate, the P3 has emerged as a way for governments to achieve sustainable reinvestment in needed infrastructure while also using the best practices of the private sector to increase the efficiency of and revenue from their asset operations.     

以北海市为增长极:加快广西北部湾经济区信息产业发展

目前,我国增长极发展模式在环渤海湾地区、长江三角洲地区和珠江三角洲地区三个经济圈都取得了显著的经济效应.信息产业的发展,是国民经济和社会的信息化进程的发展的关键所在,也是广西区社会经济发展的迫切要求.本文通过SWOI分析广西北部湾经济区的北海市的信息产业现状,进一步对北海市作为广西北部湾经济区信息产业的核心增长极进行可行性分析,并提出建设广西北部湾信息产业区的构想.