Evaluating the comparative performance of countries of the Middle East and North Africa: A DEA application

Over the past few decades, countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have achieved varying levels of economic development. In this paper, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is employed to study the comparative performance of selected MENA countries. For 1999, our DEA identified four of the 18 countries studied as the most efficient: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. All are from the Middle East, with three being members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Yemen was rated as the least efficient of all countries considered in the analysis. A regression analysis showed that the efficiency scores have a significant relationship with the richness of the countries (in terms of GNP per capita) but do not have a significant relationship with the size of the countries (in terms of population). Further, a time-series analysis using the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) indicated that the MENA countries achieved higher values of desirable attributes, and lower values of undesirable attributes, in 1999 compared to 1998. During 1998-1999, technology change contributed more to the improvement of MPI than did technical efficiency change.     

Income convergence within the MENA countries: A panel unit root approach

This article aims at testing the convergence hypothesis in MENA region using new tests of a unit root in panel data. Evans and Karras [Evans P., & Karras G. (1996). Convergence revisited. Journal of Monetary Economics, 37, 249–265] and Bernard and Jones [Bernard A., & Jones C. I. (1996). Productivity across industries and countries: Time series theory and evidence. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 135–146] recommend this technique to evaluate the income convergence hypothesis. According to them it avoids econometric problems of the cross-countries growth regressions testing convergence and sample bias of the multivariate cointegration techniques. We test for both absolute and the conditional convergence with panel unit root tests using the Summers and Heston's data 5.6 and 6.1 on the periods of 1960 to 1990 and from 1960 to 2000. The absolute convergence hypothesis use panel unit roots test with no fixed individual effects. The catching-up hypothesis is not rejected for most groups of countries of the region during both periods. If we allow a break in the unit root tests, the hypothesis is not rejected for more groups. The conditional convergence requires panel unit root tests with fixed individual effects. Again, during the whole periods, the conditional convergence is not rejected for the major part of the remaining groups of MENA countries.     

Trader matching and the selection of market institutions

We analyze a stochastic dynamic learning model with boundedly rational traders who can choose among trading institutions with different matching characteristics. The framework allows for institutions featuring multiple prices (per good), thus violating the “law of one price.” We find that centralized institutions are stochastically stable for a broad class of dynamics and behavioral rules, independently of which other institutions are available. However, some decentralized institutions featuring multiple prices can also survive in the long run, depending on specific characteristics of the underlying learning dynamics such as fast transitions or optimistic behavior.     

Explaining trade policy in the Middle East and North Africa

This paper examines the evolution of trade policy in the Middle East and North Africa (MNA) countries since the 1960s. It shows that contrary to the current popular perception, until the 1980s MNA countries were generally more open than the rest of the developing world. That situation changed in the 1980s and especially the 1990s as most MNA countries maintained their trade policies, while many other developing countries proceeded with liberalization. The paper develops and estimates a political economy model of trade policy to search for the factors behind the initial relative openness of the region and its reversal. The results show that the pattern is related to the rise and decline of the region's resource rents, which affected the political weight of domestic producers versus consumers. Other factors are also considered, but they all seem to have secondary effects.     

中美两国经济实力与潜力的比较分析

改革开放以来,经过30多年的发展,中国已重新成为全球经济大国之一。本文利用C-D生产函数和索洛增长模型对中国中长期经济发展进行预测,在国内外研究成果的基础上对美国中长期经济发展进行预测,探讨了在不同情况下中美两国经济的对比分析和追及问题。本文预测结果表明,中国经济只要保持平稳增长,将在2030年前实现多个目标：一是GDP总量超过美国;二是人均GDP超过1.7万美元;三是人均国民总收入接近高收入国家行列;四是商品零售额、商品进口额等宏观指标赶上美国。     

Contextualising diversity management in the Middle East and North Africa: a relational perspective

This study examines the clash between diversity policies as designed in the West and the challenges in implementing these in the Middle East and North Africa region. We contribute to the role of context in diversity management by studying how HR managers deal with diversity policies when the Western approach and the local context are perceived as being incompatible. Twenty HR/diversity managers working for multinational companies in nine different countries in the Middle East and North Africa region were interviewed. The findings show that a manager's understanding of the interrelated nature of multilevel factors of the local context influences the strategies adopted. Three strategies to deal with the perceived clash are identified: forcing a Western approach upon the local country, a reframing strategy where existing policies are reformulated to fit the Western requirements, and a sensitive approach in which the local context is considered. The study suggests that multinationa.l companies have to adapt diversity policies to local multilevel factors of the country in which they operate.     

中部崛起战略研究需要深化的几个问题

提出了大中部地区的概念,并指出大中部地区的确存在"中部塌陷"的现象,这里人口占全国的一半还多,经济发展水平最落后.只有大中部兴,全国才可能兴.文章还深入分析了中部崛起的意义、目的和途径,并系统地提出了促进中部崛起,促进我国区域经济协调发展的相关对策和措施.     

资源型地区城乡一体化模式探索——山西乡宁县一矿一业一事活动的调查与思考

一矿一业一事活动是煤矿资源丰富的乡宁县在我国进入以工补农、以城带乡的发展阶段后基于中央统筹城乡的政策要求和当地贫富差距拉大、矿民矛盾激化的社会背景而展开的,这一活动的内容符合城乡一体化发展的要求,其效果推进了城乡一体化的进程。本文在介绍该活动的基础上探索资源型地区城乡一体化模式。     

水权与城市供水价格形成机制问题探析

水权制度通过水资源管理体制决定水价形成机制.城市水问题是由不合理的水价形成机制造成的.不涉及水权制度的改革和不正确的水权观念都不可能真正完善水价形成机制.水权理论的真谛在于水权的分散化和可交易化,由此设计的以最终用户水权为基础的城市供水价格形成机制才能真正解决城市水问题.     

房价,地方政府与经济人行为逻辑

房价持续快速上涨的原因是多方面的,地方政府的行为值得认真分析,本文认为借助经济人假设能很好地分析地方政府表现出的房价助推行为是为了自身利益的最大化,因此对中央政府的宏观调控不会认真对待.解决这一问题,也应该重视经济人行为逻辑,进行体制改革.     

破产企业房地产评估

通过对破产企业房地产的特殊性的分析，采取清算价格标准对破产企业房地产在估价时点的客观、合理价格进行估算和判定，为破产企业实行破产清算提供房地产价值参考。     

The effect of economic policy uncertainty on China’s housing market

This study examines the relationship between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and housing price at the macro-level in China as a developing country. The empirical evidence indicates that EPU has a leading effect on China’s housing market. In general, the housing market is prosperous when economic policy is stable and there is a positive relationship between housing price variation and EPU, which means housing market risk grows under unstable economic policies in this developing economy. Moreover, economic policy variation affects low-amplitude changes in housing prices. A variation of policy uncertainty enhances the risk premium of the housing market. By contrast, the level of EPU influences high-amplitude changes in housing prices, which reflects the trend of EPU dominating China's housing market.     

论知识产权的刑事司法保护——兼论北部湾经济区的开放开发

提高北部湾经济区的自主创新能力,加快科技成果引进消化吸收再创新,必须以知识产权得到充分保护为前提。刑法通过剥夺或限制犯罪人权利来保护知识产权,是知识产权保护的最后防线。加强合作,严格执法,确保知识产权保护功能得到充分发挥,对于激发经济区的创新精神和创造激情,提高竞争力具有重要的理论和现实意义。     

中部地区发展的重点问题和协调统筹

提出中部地区的发展,其真实含义是针对尽快赶上和超过其它(尤其是东部较发达地区)而言的,但是,中部地区又有自己的实际情况和条件局限,因此中部地区必须找到适合本地区情况的经济增长方式.对此,本文从对外经贸、当地工业以及农村人口等方面分析了中部地区发展的重点问题,并针对这些问题提出了以建立和协调统筹中部地区的合作经济为主要内容的经济增长方式.     

Economic crisis in the European periphery: An assessment of EMU membership and home policy effects based on the Greek experience

In this paper we examine the evidence on the impacts on the Greece economy of enhanced transfer assistance from the EMU as well as that of the domestic policies of the Greek government. A simple macroeconomic model is constructed to incorporate the issues related to the formation of the economic and financial crisis in Greece, and to analyze the impacts of Greek government's domestic policies. The model's solution is employed to highlight the outcomes that we believe could be related to EMU membership and Greek government policies after assuming membership. Our finding is that intervention by the Greek government either worsened the harmful impacts of the transfers, or altered the outcomes in a deleterious fashion; the policies which were put in place were of a nature leading unavoidably to a severe economic crisis and eventual bankruptcy.     

中国与南非矿山安全标准的对比

对比分析了中国和南非的矿山安全健康法律法规及标准体系,以及矿山安全健康的关键标准,给出了中国和南非的矿山安全健康法律法规及标准体系的特点。得出的主要结论是：南非的法律法规及标准体系以人为本、严中有宽,最大限度地给予矿山企业乃至矿工个人根据矿山或工作场所的实际状况、因地制宜地充分发挥其能动作用的空间,以及结合国情、抓住影响矿山安全健康的岩体稳定性及冒顶、岩爆、井下空气温度及湿度等主要矛盾,强化相应的法律法规及标准建设与实施,对实现矿山安全健康目标具有重要意义,值得借鉴;而中国的法律法规及标准体系则应该着重提高有关矿山环境及井下作业场所工作条件和矿工医疗保健条件的法律法规及标准实施水平,通过改善矿工安全健康状况和加强资源开发利用成本内部化,促进矿山社区的社会经济可持续发展及人们生活质量的提高。     

从人行法看中国人民银行独立性

中央银行的独立性是其行使自身权力、自主决策与行动的重要保障。近年来,加强中央银行的独立性已成为全球的共识和趋势。文章将以中国人民银行的独立性为切入点,以《中华人民共和国中国人民银行法》为剖析出发点,通过与西方国家的对比,分析当今我国央行的独立性状况及其存在的问题、产生的影响,并探讨可行的解决办法。