The death of the urban vision?

Debate on the future city has changed greatly in the last 20 years. From visions of a distant, orderly and mobile Utopia, peopled with enlightened ‘modern man’, concerns have become more sporadic and less coherent, determined by economic recession and the need to preserve existing urban social fabric rather than with the need to plan holistically for the city of the future. However, there should be no return to the earlier modernist visions, which lacked sufficient social understanding (as illustrated by failed experiments with highrise flats in the UK). Planning for the city of the future must be based on realistic societal needs.     

Have cities a future?

Prospects for the older declining industrial cities may take some reassurances from the example of the US Sunbelt, FR Germany and many third world cities. The survival of the city would seem to rely on not only a shift to information-processing services but also increasing the ease with which activities, people and ideas are able to move around the urban area. However in the present state of flux and seemingly contradictory indications, prophecy should be approached cautiously.     

我国二元化城乡社会保障体系反思与重构:基于城乡统筹的视角分析

现行的二元化城乡社会保障制度使得我国城乡居民的实际收入水平不仅没有缩小,反而进一步扩大,而失地农民和农民工的社会保障问题在城市化和工业化进程中日益突出,如何制订一个切实可行的城乡社会保障制度政策已经成为我国当前经济持续高速发展中急需解决的重大课题。本文基于城乡统筹的背景,分析了我国二元化城乡社会保障体系的现状并对其进行绩效评价,在此基础上对其重构的必要性和可行性进行了反思,从正确理解城乡统筹内涵、明确战略思路、确立城乡社会保障制度衔接的突破口和明晰三方责任分摊机制等方面提出了政策建议。     

Translating sustainable and smart city strategies into performance measurement systems

This paper shows how sustainable and smart strategies can be implemented in cities and how these strategies influence, and are influenced by, performance measurement systems. Drawing upon the Foucauldian notion of governmentality, the authors present the case of Gothenburg in Sweden, where they interviewed the key actors involved in a new sustainability strategy. Translating strategy into performance measurement systems requires collaboration across organizational boundaries and considerations of financial goals and social and human aspects.     

Managing group processes in transdisciplinary future studies: How to facilitate social learning and capacity building for self-organised action towards sustainable urban development?

Challenges for future urban development are complex and characterised by ambiguous problem definitions or unclear, conflicting and dynamically changing goals. Transdisciplinary research promises new ways of dealing with uncertainty and complexity by including non-academic actors into the research process and fostering social learning for better and more effective research. Depending on the level of participation and the number and heterogeneity of actors involved, appropriate designs for group processes but also associated skills are essential. In this article, we scrutinise the dynamics of groups to better understand how to effectively promote social learning and capacity building for selforganised action beyond project enc. Based on experiences of a participatory scenario planning process in the city of Korneuburg and substantiated with theories on groups and their development, we conclude with five propositions emphasising researchers’ responsibility in processes of societal change, the role of external facilitators, the scope and time needed for group building, the acknowledgement of various phases of group processes as well as requirements for social learning.     

内蒙古能源消耗与二氧化碳排放分析

进入十五以来,随着内蒙古工业化、城镇化的快速推进,在以石化(尤其是煤炭)为主导的能源结构前提下,带动了我区能源消耗与二氧化碳排放的快速增加,从而对内蒙古实现可持续发展带来了严峻挑战。因此,在当前自治区提出转变发展方式和实现国家规定的节能减排硬性目标约束下,分析内蒙古节能减排前景及潜力,在此前提下寻求内蒙古实现节能减排的对策与方法对于我区实现资源节约型、环境友好型社会意义重大。基于此,本文对内蒙古能源消耗现状、未来形势进行了对比分析,在此基础上,按照自治区"十二五"期间的预期实现目标,对我区能耗和排放进行了情景模拟与分析,结果表明,在设定合理情景模式下,内蒙古节能减排仍有很大提升潜力,到"十二五"末是可以实现国家既定的节能减排约束目标的。     

Nexus Between Energy Consumption and Economic Growth in China: From the Perspective of Embodied Energy Imports and Exports

The nexus between energy consumption and economic growth in China is analyzed from the perspective of embodied energy imports and exports in this article. The research results suggest that China is a net embodied energy exporter and it is the inevitable result of China’s present economic development model. Exporting embodied energy contributes significantly to China’s economic development, and the trade-off costs of employment, trade surplus and government tax for China to reduce embodied energy exports are very high. China is bound by its own policies and unable to radically change its embodied energy exporting position within the foreseeable future.     

医疗保障城乡“一体化”制度创新探索——“湛江模式”的成功与不足

“湛江模式”的创新要点是以“政府购买”方式引入商业机构参与城乡医疗社会保障建设,其成功之处在于政府以宽广的视野与多样化手段进行宏观资源配置,找到了将“外部性”因素进行“内部化”处理的途径,在机制设计中做到了多方共赢。“湛江模式”的不足之处是保障依然较低,机制能否长久良性运行有待时间检验,需要通过引入竞争机制,培育多元市...     

Towards sustainable households: a methodology for developing sustainable technological and social innovations

A high factor environmental efficiency improvement, towards a Factor 20 by 2050 AD — needed due to the assumed doubling of the world population combined with a fivefold increase of wealth per capita and a halving of the total global environmental burden — cannot be achieved through good housekeeping and technological innovation alone; any technological solutions will have to be combined with social innovations, in lifestyles and cultures. This paper describes the conclusions of the SusHouse (Strategies towards the Sustainable Household) Project that has been exploring possible socially and technologically innovative strategies for sustainable households. The Project has covered three household ‘functions’: Clothing Care, Shelter (Heating, Cooling and Lighting) and Food (Shopping, Cooking and Eating). These have been studied in five European countries (Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands and the UK). The methodology of the Project has involved stakeholder workshops, the construction of Design-Orienting Scenarios, environmental, economic and consumer assessment of the Scenarios and strategy formulation. The paper describes: (1) the methodology for devising design-orienting scenarios, with examples from the three functions; (2) the results of environmental, economic and consumer acceptability assessments of these scenarios; and (3) comments on how the methodology can be developed and applied.     

新形势下我国能源发展面临的挑战和对策

在国际政治经济环境发生急剧变化、国内能源发展存在突出问题的新形势下,我国能源安全面临着严峻的挑战。我们必须贯彻落实党的十八大精神,统筹国内和国际两个大局,着力从增强能源保障内生动力、提高能源利用效率、建设能源战略储备体系、完善能源金融体系、加强国际能源合作、实施海洋强国战略等方面,思考我国能源发展战略。     

Review and Assessment of Chinese Energy Policy Since the Reform and Opening Up

Since carrying out reforms and launching its “opening up” policy in the late 1970s, the Chinese government has issued a series of energy policies that has increased China’s total energy supply, optimized the energy structure, and improved energy efficiency. China’s total energy supply increased from 627.7 million tons of standard coal equivalent to 3.2 billion tons from 1978 to 2011, an average annual growth rate of 5 percent. The structure of China’s energy supply is improving gradually, with natural gas accounting for 4.3 percent of the total energy production in 2011 compared to 2.9 percent in 1978. The proportion of hydroelectric, nuclear, and wind power increased from 3.1 percent in 1978 to 8.8 percent in 2011. China’s energy efficiency continues to improve, with the amount of standard coal equivalent required to produce RMB 10,000 of gross domestic product decreasing from 15.68 tons in 1978 to 0.74 in 2011. The development of China’s energy structure not only has guaranteed national economic and social development but has also made a great contribution to world energy security.     

从城乡投资差异视角看我国城乡收入差距形成的原因

改革开放以来,城乡收入差距总体上经历了缩小到扩大的过程。本文选取了1981—2008年的数据,从城乡投资差异的角度对城乡收入差距进行了实证分析。在控制相关变量的基础上。实证分析得出城乡投资差异是影响城乡收入差距的主要因素之一。其他影响城乡收入差距的因素还包括开放水平、就业的所有制结构、财政支农比例和城市化水平等。本文最后在实证分析的基础上,提出了相关缩小城乡收入差距的对策建议。     

国内需求、技术进步和国际贸易对能源消耗的影响

随着经济发展,能源稀缺成为阻碍中国可持续发展的重要因素。文章通过对投入产出基本模型的分解,从国内需求、进出口贸易与技术进步等方面,将中国能源消耗的主要影响因素分为8种。通过各因素的作用效果与贡献率,来判断我国能源消耗增长的背后动因。结果表明：导致1997—2007年能源消费增长的最主要因素为国内需求成长、出口成长,中间需求替代与中间需求的成长也起到一定的推动作用;而技术进步与出口结构变化时抑制能源消费增长的最主要因素,最终需求结构变动对能源消耗的影响并不稳定。在此基础上,提出若干政策建议。     

日本节能环保法律、政策的经验与启示

调整经济结构、转变经济发展模式,是中国未来实现可持续发展的唯一出路。日本在节能环保领域的经验和教训,既为我们带来了通过增加节能环保投资扩大内需的法律、政策启示,也为我们提供了通过节能环保行动走资源节约型、环境友好型发展模式的经验借鉴。     

论风险导向模式在节能减排绩效审计中的应用

本文阐述了在节能减排绩效审计中应用风险导向模式的必要性,介绍了节能减排绩效审计的风险导向模型,将检查风险划分为绩效归因风险、绩效评价风险和绩效建议风险三类风险,并在此基础上逐一分析对它们的控制程序,最后提出了相应的配套措施。本文侧重于对节能减排绩效审计检查风险的分析,为节能减排绩效审计的研究提供了新的思路。     

发达国家不同能耗模式及节能税收政策研究

发达国家在其经济发展史上呈现出两种截然不同的能耗模式:一是以美国为代表的高能耗模式;二是以欧洲和日本为代表的低能耗模式,不同能耗模式的形成与这些国家的税收政策密切相关。我国建设资源节约型社会,应借鉴发达国家的先进经验,适当调整现行税制,开征部分新税种,构建一套科学、完整的资源节约型税收体系。     

Innovation in urban political leadership. Reflections on the introduction of a directly-elected mayor in Bristol,UK

In May 2012, 10 of England's largest cities, outside London, were required to hold referendums giving citizens the option of introducing a directly-elected mayor. Bristol was the only city to vote in favour of the mayoral model. This paper outlines the main themes that feature in current debates about urban leadership. It presents a framework for understanding place-based leadership and, by drawing on a current researchproject on mayoral governance in Bristol, highlights the existence of very different perceptions of how to improve city leadership and democratic accountability.     

关于在中国钢铁工业降低能耗和减少能源成本的研究——基于系统动力学理论

钢铁工业在中国属于高能耗工业,煤和电又是钢铁制造的主要能量来源.目前钢铁工业在中国的工业化进程中由于中国经济的转型而处于转型期,而钢铁需求近几年来急速增长也进一步扩大了能源需求.另一方面,由于政府的宏观调控,煤炭和电的价格自1980年以来也在快速增长.巨大的能源需求导致高能耗,而越来越高的能源价格也进一步增加了钢铁制造的成本.激励于降低能耗和减少能源成本的紧迫需求,本文构建了系统动力学模型来帮助探寻相关政策,目的是为了寻找钢铁行业在其转型期内缓解能源问题的方法.此模型有助于学习一个复杂的动态问题,因此能更好的帮助理解能源相关政策的可行性及有效性.测试结果表明大部分可选择的政策仍具有成本效益.然而,如何去实践操作这些政策措施依旧是关键,因为某些政策诸如能源税和研发补贴的可行性在现实世界中仍然面临质疑.另一个结论发现:发展回收废钢的技术有可能有效的缓解二氧化碳排放,且可操作性相对较强.     

Earnings Volatility and Earnings Prediction: Analysis and UK Evidence

This paper confirms that US evidence of a negative relationship between earnings persistence and earnings volatility applies to UK firms over the period 1991–2010. Our analytical framework highlights the possibility that this result may reflect downward estimation bias in earnings persistence (and persistence of cash flow and accruals components of earnings) related to transitory earnings elements. Out‐of‐sample forecasts, based on models estimated for earnings volatility quartiles, suggest significant improvement in earnings forecasts for lower volatility firms. The results also suggest that the negative association between earnings persistence and volatility may be due to both estimation bias and variation in core earnings persistence.     

支持新能源产业发展的税收政策探讨

近年来我国新能源产业得到了迅猛发展,但产业发展与市场培育极不均衡,核心技术较为缺乏。现有的税收扶持政策过于零散,政策力度和系统配套不够,协调配合作用难以发挥,没有针对新能源产业发展实际,形成相对独立的税收体系。据此,税收政策应从生产和消费两大环节同时入手,并以正向激励政策和逆向限制政策鼓励新能源的实际利用,支持新能源产业发展。