A Cost Function Function for Computer-Assisted Programmed Instruction

The author provides a formal theoretical model, sans empirical testing, for determining a cost function for a computer-assisted programmed course of instruction. The structure of the model comes from queuing theory.     

The Effectiveness of Economics Instruction in Two-Year Colleges Revisited

Several studies of the teaching of economics in two-year colleges have concluded that students in these institutions learn less than those in the four-year schools. Labinski comments on some of these pieces of research, and then reports his own findings which raise doubts about the hypothesis that inadequate instruction explains the relatively poor performance by junior college students. He discusses four alternative hypotheses, considering the different objectives in two-year colleges, inadequate sampling in the earlier studies, and the possibility that the TUCE has a cultural bias.     

The Relative Effectiveness of Economics Instruction for Teachers and College Students

Walstad reports on a master of instruction program for teachers of pre-college students. Comparisons between different groups of students (i.e., teachers in the program, regular intermediate theory students, …) indicate that the program appeared to meet its cognitive and attitudinal objectives. The study, however, raises serious questions about the effectiveness of instruction at the intermediate level and about the economic understanding of pre-college economics teachers (less than or equal to the college principles students included in the study).     

Computer-Assisted Instruction and Student Performance in Macroeconomic Principles

Steven Cox reports on a research project in which computer-assisted instruction was tried at Arizona State University. He explains the experimental design which involved a comparison of student learning of macroeconomic principles by CAI with that of a control group. Fairly detailed accounts are given of the computer simulations Cox used. The statistical significance of nine student characteristics in terms of their impact on overall test performance is discussed. This article should have practical value to others doing research in this field.     

Economics and Programmed Instruction

An examination of programmed instruction indicates that it is as effective as the lecture-discussion technique for teaching economics when measured by student examination performance. Evidence indicates that PI students better retain information applicable to solving complex application questions than those exposed to traditional instruction. PI saves student and instructor time, yet the growth of its use has diminished. Vredeveld examines the principles and development of PI, its effectiveness, and the economic reasons inhibiting its use in colleges and universities.     

Laboratory Experiments for Undergraduate Instruction in Economics

The generation and use of experimental data in the teaching of economics are described. Attention is given to the classroom activities presented in the University of Arizona National Science Foundation–supported summer workshops that are mentioned in the article on the economics major in this issue.     

Textbooks,Taxes, and Objectivity in Economics Instruction

Ignoring welfare gains from taxation biases conclusions about net welfare effects and about attitudes toward taxation. Examples are identified, and alternative, balanced treatments are presented.     

Optimizing the Use of Televised Instruction

Experiments with various techniques of teaching have generally not permitted students to elect the combination of techniques they most prefer. Gordon discusses preliminary results that contrast with some of the findings reported to date.     

Behavioral Economics and Benefit Cost Analysis

This paper provides a brief review of the theory of benefit cost analysis and then discusses proposals by economists calling for developing a new foundation for applied welfare economics. These proposals assume individual choices cannot be reconciled with coherent preferences. As a result, applied welfare economics must consider a different basis for defining the public tradeoffs to be used in project evaluation. This analysis concludes none of the available proposals meets the needs for policy evaluation with benefit cost analysis. The paper also offers a different explanation for the seemingly incoherent preferences implied by some choices. The last part of the paper reports the results of laboratory experiments intended to evaluate whether market outcomes would allow analysts to discriminate among alternative hypothesis for seemingly irrational choices.     

马克思经济学与新古典经济学:沉淀成本比较与综合

本文通过对马克思经济学与新古典经济学关于沉淀成本的比较与综合,确立了广义沉淀成本的内涵,体现了动态调整的经济绩效.笔者不仅将沉淀成本与资本市场、折旧、产品市场价值以及政府经济政策等联系起来,还充分分析产生沉淀成本的原因,为动态经济绩效的政策或制度创新提供一种新的指导原则,即加强沉淀成本和风险管理,处理好自由市场与政府干预关系,对于深化我国市场经济体制改革,预防非自愿性失业和经济危机等具有重大意义.     

立法成本的法经济学分析

立法成本的法经济学分析目的是为提高法律的适用性和经济效益,法经济学的成本效益分析方法给立法工作提供了崭新的视角及审视问题的方式。在立法中真正确立成本效益观,优化立法资源,加大立法投入,提高立法质量,才能真正达到立法的预期目的。     

Assessing the Impact of an Instructional Innovation on Achievement Differentials: The Case of Computer-Assisted Instruction

In this article the authors offer “an alternative to the conventional procedure for assessing the quantitative impact of an instructional innovation on achievement differentials.” Although computer-assisted instruction is the medium discussed here, the authors claim that any innovative technique that affects the student's allocation of time can be analyzed in a similar fashion. Thus, this piece should be of interest not only to those experimenting with computer-assisted instruction but to all who are engaged in experimental economic education research.     

食品安全违法成本的经济学分析

在分析食品安全违法成本构成的基础上,从经济学的视角,利用外部性理论分析了食品安全违法存在着外部不经济,即食品安全违法的边际社会成本高于其边际私人成本;食品安全违法具有信息不对称性,同时,利用博弈论的方法分析了对食品安全违法的监管问题;提出加强政府监管,完善政府立法,以及突出食品行业协会的作用,加强食品企业社会责任意识等保障食品安全的措施。     

企业成本信息系统有效性的检验与评价

企业的成本信息系统对企业管理者的经营决策至关重要,如果企业的成本信息系统无法解释利润高低的理由,或者不能有效提供成本问题的答案,那就说明企业的成本信息系统不能满足正常决策管理的需要,需要进行检验并尽可能对其进行整合.从企业成本信息系统的检验内容、企业成本信息系统的问题表现、有效成本信息系统应有的特征和影响成本信息系统有效性的因素等几个主要方面分别作了一些讨论与评价.     

The Williamsonian Ambiguity on Authority and Power in Transaction Cost Economics

Power has traditionally been rejected from economics and more particularly from the economics of the firm. Although he proposes building an interdisciplinary approach to the firm, Williamson rejects power from the economics of transaction costs. However, regarding the theoretical and behavioral hypotheses he makes, we can raise the following question: does the Williamsonian approach to the firm have intrinsic properties for developing a theory of power? After analyzing Williamson’s argument on power/authority, this paper aims to shed light on the fact that the 2009 Williamson, Oliver E. 2009. “Pragmatic Methodology: A Sketch, with Applications to Transaction Cost Economics,” Journal of Economic Methodology 16 (2): 145-157.[Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar] Nobel Prize winner has built a theory based on power that he rejects due to a questionable methodological choice. Conversely, we defend the thesis according to which power cannot be removed from the economics of the firm and transaction cost economics–at the risk of providing a distorted picture of the reality of capitalism.     

An Approach to Testing the Effectiveness of the Teaching and Learning of Economics in High School

Based on data on students in a college economics principles course over a nine-year period, the authors conclude that high school economics does improve performance in the principles course but does not influence grades in intermediate theory classes.     

The Effectiveness of Graduate Students as Teachers of the Principles of Economics

Everyone involved in the teaching of economics (but particularly program advisers, thesis sponsors and departmental administrators) would benefit from a greater knowledge of the factors associated with success on the part of students. Robert L. Decker, Executive Director of the Economics Department at the University of California in Berkeley, reports on a study of success and attrition characteristics of economics students entering the Ph.D. program. Among the factors considered are the overall Ph.D. completion rate, median time spent in the program, class size, the nature and quality of the candidate's undergraduate institution, sex, and time elapsed between completion of the baccalaureate and entry into the Ph.D. program. Decker concludes his paper with a discussion of the policy implications of his findings.     

现代西方经济学界关于产业政策的有效性的讨论

尽管经济自由主义者推崇自由市场的作用,反对政府运用产业政策干预经济的种种观点,但是近年内一些西方学者就纠正市场失灵,增强一国的国际竞争力,促进创新能力的提高等角度,阐述了产业政策在现代经济中所具有的有效性,产业政策也由此在现代全球经济发展中得到广泛的应用.结合各国运用产业政策的实践,笔者认为,综合运用各种旨在促进一国能力建设,提高该国的创新能力与国际竞争力的产业政策将对于各国的经济发展起到非常重要的作用.