Uncovering asset stripping during China's privatization

This paper empirically studies the occurrence and extent of asset stripping via undervaluing public assets during the mass privatization of state-owned and collectively owned enterprises in China. Using three waves of a national survey of private firms, we provide evidence that state-owned and collectively owned assets were substantially underpriced, indicating the presence of corruption during privatization. Further analysis shows that the extent of underpricing is more severe in regions with less market competition or weaker property rights protection, and more pronounced for intangible assets such as intellectual property rights and land use rights. When comparing firm efficiency between privatized firms and de novo private firms, we find that the former group continues to enjoy considerable preferential treatments, yet significantly underperforms the latter, possibly due to continued government control and intervention. Finally, we provide evidence that insider privatization is an important source of corruption during the privatization process.     

零工经济时代数字平台控制劳动力的供给行为

本文首先基于委托-代理模型构建了一个数字平台控制劳动力供给的行为经济学模型,从理论上分析了数字平台控制劳动的方式和心理机制;然后建立了一个赫克曼(Heckman)选择模型,利用Uber的大数据实证分析了网约车司机的劳动决策.研究结果表明:(1)在零工具有参考点偏好的前提下,数字平台通过高货币激励或高目标奖励使零工劳动者的参考点具有适应性,进而避免其过早地陷入“收入目标”行为;(2)数字平台利用零工劳动者的厌恶损失偏好,对其实施控制以延长工作时间;(3)网约车司机存在“收入目标”行为,且该行为呈现出动态性的特点;(4)收入激励和“峰时”溢价对网约车司机的工作概率和工作时间具有显著的正影响,且在一天的某个时间段内能够抑制网约车司机的“收入目标”行为.可见,零工经济时代到来,一方面提高了劳动力资源配置效率;另一方面,数字平台通过劳动控制变相延长了零工的劳动时间,加剧了剥削.     

技术创业型企业孵化资本投入的风险管控——来自多案例对比

待孵化的技术创业型企业同时具有概念性技术向差异化产品转化的高风险与产品异质性被认同后溢价评估的高收益特点，导致其投资者多处于隔岸观火却欲罢不能的的孵化投资矛盾中。对孵化资本实施有效的风险管控，成为吸引外部资本投入的关键。基于此，选择在可创概念选育与技术创业孵化领域探索出高成功率路径的概念证明中心、YCombinator和创新工场为研究案例，分析其在创业项目筛选、孵化资金运营等关键环节的风险管控方式，以期完善我国孵化资本管控理论、助力我国商业孵化器提高资金风险管控能力、促进外部资本投入。     

基于生态位理论的浙江省区域农产品质量竞争力评价研究

[目的]把握区域农产品质量竞争力不仅是促进区域农产品富有竞争力的积极方法,也是稳步提升农产品质量安全的重要做法。[方法]文章运用生态位态势理论,构建了以区域为评价主体的农产品质量竞争力评价体系,并从两个层面对浙江省各地级市农产品质量竞争力进行研究。在纵向层面上,测算了各地级市农产品质量竞争力生态位宽度,对各地级市农产品质量竞争力状态进行了评价和排序。在横向层面上,测算了各地级市农产品质量竞争力生态位重叠度,对各地级市农产品质量竞争力的合作程度进行了评价与区分。最后整合运用生态位协同、生态位扩充等理论,提出浙江省各地级市提升农产品质量竞争力发展策略。[结果]通过区域农产品质量竞争力生态位宽度研究发现,杭州和宁波的农产品质量竞争力较强,其生态位宽度分别为0.103 6和0.103 2,而丽水和舟山农产品质量竞争力相对居后,其生态位宽度分别为0.079 0和0.075 6;通过区域农产品质量竞争力生态位重叠度研究发现,可将全省划分为西北平原区域、东南部沿海区域和西南部山地区域等3个区域,各区域内部地级市可通过协同合作提升农产品质量竞争力。[结论]根据各地级市生态位宽度和生态位重叠度的差异,应采取生态位扩充、生态位协同、生态位分离的策略,从而因地制宜提升区域农产品质量竞争力。     

Assessing the role of components of life satisfaction

Factors affecting subjective well-being and their gross effect measurement have been widely studied. However, how people derive utility from these factors has not been fully explored. This article provides a way to decompose the gross effect of major determinants on life satisfaction into direct and indirect effects and make inference for the latter. Because the indirect effect is nonlinear in parameters associated with different models in an equation system, it creates a problem in estimating the standard error. Besides, the categorical nature in survey data further introduces bias to the covariance estimation even asymptotically. To address these issues without knowing the form of heteroskedasticity under the null hypothesis, we propose to extend the wild bootstrap procedure in this particular context. Its robustness against various data properties is validated via several simulation experiments. Using three recent waves of World Values Survey, we find that the relative importance of life control has significantly increased recently, and endowing citizens with the right to enjoy their freedoms and liberties is a more effective policy in raising life satisfaction than promoting national income.     

Costs and potential funding of expanded public pension coverage in Asia

Public pension burdens in most emerging Asian economies are still relatively small. However, there are a number of reasons to believe that they will increase markedly in the coming years. First, many Asian economies will face rapidly ageing populations, which will raise pension and other old‐age‐related spending dramatically. Second, as economies develop, political pressures to expand the coverage of public pensions and raise pension benefits will likely increase. The first objective of this paper is to identify the potential fiscal burden of public pensions in 23 emerging Asian economies, based on econometric models and forecasts of GDP and demographic trends. Using two different methodologies yields estimated increases in the average share of public pension expenditures in GDP of 1.0 percentage point and 3.6 percentage points by 2030 compared with current levels. We believe the latter estimate is more realistic. The second objective is to recommend policies to provide adequate funding for public pension needs, including enhancing the efficiency of social insurance programs, improving the balance of revenues and expenditures, implementing more explicit fiscal rules and frameworks, and establishing stronger fiscal surveillance at the national and regional levels.     

Can interfirm trust improve firms' cooperation on environmental innovation? The moderating role of environmental hostility

Based on the logic of “trust‐behavior,” we examined the relationship between interfirm cognitive trust, emotional trust, and firms' cooperation on environmental innovation, as well as the moderating role of environmental hostility on the relationship between two dimensions of interfirm trust and cooperation on environmental innovation. Data for the study were collected from 216 firms in China. The results indicated that both interfirm cognitive trust and emotional trust were positively correlated to firms' cooperation on environmental innovation, and the effect of emotional trust on firms' cooperation on environmental innovation was negatively moderated by environmental hostility. Finally, the results were discussed and future directions put forward.     

Exploring the Nexus Between Work-to-Family Conflict,Material Rewards Parenting and Adolescent Materialism: Evidence from Chinese Dual-Career Families

Journal of Business Ethics - As a social issue of widespread concern, work-to-family conflict has been found to adversely affect employees’ work and family lives. The current research linked...     

Gaps in tourism education and workforce needs: attracting and educating the right people

The intense development of the tourism industry requires a skilled and qualified workforce. It is important to attract the right candidates to the tourism education, and subsequently provide relevant education to prepare students for the industry after graduation. While work placements may be useful and important to some extent, they are not the ideal solution. Hence, alternative approaches such as simulations and flipped classrooms may be applied. To provide realistic expectations, a closer collaboration between industry operators and education providers is needed. Education providers should assume a more proactive role by inviting tourism operators and integrated them in the tourism education programmes as guest lecturers.     

改革开放40年持续性产业升级的动力机制与路径——广东迈向高质量发展之路

产业升级是高质量发展的主要目标及核心推力。通过分阶段观测广东改革开放40年产业转型升级进程发现，广东产业转型升级的演化轨迹是一条迈向高质量发展的产业跃升之路，贯穿其中的主线是持续性产业升级。生产要素供给、市场需求、技术创新、政府干预及制度安排等四大动因相互影响、相互作用，形成动态更迭比较优势、推动产业持续升级的耦合动力机制。在国际产业分工的背景下，适应不同的阶段特征及红利条件，通过比较优势的动态化调整，广东产业发展模式由低成本要素驱动、投资驱动向创新驱动转变。站在新时代的历史起点上，广东应以全面创新驱动作为产业转型升级的动力，加快数字经济与实体经济深度融合，抢占全球价值链高端，迈向一个更高质量的发展阶段。