Privatized Default Risk and Real Estate Recessions: The U.K. Mortgage Market

A mortgage pricing model is developed when a borrower goes through a series of distress states, including delinquency, long-term nonpayment and ultimate default. These steps are sequential, and depend on prices and alternatives faced by the borrower. The multistate default model is applied to the mortgage market in the United Kingdom. As a byproduct, a pricing structure for the U.K. endowment mortgage, which combines a good and a life insurance policy, is developed. Income and liquidity constraints are shown to affect the decision to keep a mortgage current in different states of distress. Solvent borrowers may thus keep their mortgages current, even when equity is negative.     

Inward Investment and Host Country Market Structure: The Case of the U.K.

Multinational enterprises are seen as vehicles for theinternational transfer of investment capital,protecting and increasing profits by transferringownership advantages across national boundaries. Assuch, the argument often follows that foreign directinvestment then exacerbates the monopoly problem inhost countries, by increasing concentration andfacilitating collusion. This paper however reveals thereverse, that inward investment into the U.K. acts toreduce concentration at the industry level, byincreasing competitive pressures on domesticindustry.     

The Gradual Response of Market Power to Mergers in the U.S. Steel Industry

Studies of the impact of horizontal mergers on market power typically impose an immediate adjustment of market power following a merger. This paper adopts an alternative procedure to estimate the effect of four mergers on market power in the U.S. steel industry. Namely, by estimating a switching regression model that incorporates profit-maximizing behavior, the results show that mergers generally increased market power in the steel industry. However, it did take some time for market power to fully adjust after each merger.     

Measuring Market Power in the U.S. Aluminum Industry: A Residual Demand Approach

This paper applies a refined market power test to examine market power in the U.S. aluminum industry. The study conducts a two-step analysis in which the inverse residual demand facing the industry is first estimated to generate the associate elasticity to infer market power, and then the inverse partial residual demand facing the industry is estimated to produce the elasticity to measure the potential effect of inter-industry coordination. The results suggest that only the primary industry attains market power, and the market power can exert even without collusion between the primary and secondary industries.     

电力市场中的市场势力及其治理

电力市场中市场势力受供给和需求刚性、市场竞争政策和制度安排，以及输电堵塞等因素影响表现出特殊性。电力市场势力不仅受到主导企业市场份额的影响，还更多地受企业之间战略相互作用或博弈效应、市场需求弹性、竞争性边缘企业供给弹性、边缘企业的市场份额等因素的影响。这些因素与电力生产经营过程中的技术性结合在一起，使规制很难有效进行，在电力市场中产生了明显的市场势力结果。限制电力市场中市场势力的根本途径是设计特别的市场竞争政策和交易制度。     

Winning in the U.S.Activewear Market

A revolution in the U.S. activewear marker is being driven by the convergence of several consumer and retail trends.According to Cotton ncorporated＇s 2014 Sports Apparel Survey,more than nine in ten consumers say they wear athletic wear for activities other than exercise.ncreased consumer demand has prompted U.S athletic apparel sales o grow at double the rate of non-active apparel sales for several years.Strong sales growth has convinced mass merchants,fast-fashion etailers,and luxury brands to enter or increase offerings in this S33billion dollar morket previously dominated by o smaller cadre ofoutdoor and sports apparel retailers and brands     

Market structure and U.S. trade flows

Using samples of input-output table detailed industries, we test the impact of various elements of market structure on U.S. trade flows, at the industry level, holding factor proportions constant. Industry demand characteristics and the extent of scale economies have significant impacts on trade flows. Labor intensity at the industry level has the effects on trade flows which are predicted by the factor proportions theory. Capital intensity increases both import and export flows; this result, together with certain others, suggests the importance of trade among industrialized countries in producer goods.     

Input demands and elasticities in U.K. defence industries

It is often claimed that U.K. arms industries are inefficient. This paper considers the input demand behaviour of defence industries. Two hypotheses are formulated relating to input inelasticity and the resource effects of cuts in military spending. First, it is predicted that the demand elasticities of inputs in defence industries will be lower than those in similar civilian sectors. Second, defence reviews are expected to have a ‘shock effect’ resulting in a ‘shake-out’ of resources from weapons producers. The evidence suggests that the U.K.'s defence industries do not respond to price changes nor to defence reviews.     

The Effect of U.S. Antidumping Law on Firms' Market Power: An Empirical Test

An empirical version of the Lerner index is used to investigate the market power effects of U.S. firms seeking protection under current antidumping law. The market power consequences are examined for each of the three possible resolutions of an antidumping investigation: petition for relief accepted (and duties levied), petition rejected, or petition withdrawn. For each outcome an industry case study is presented and the market power analysis conducted. The results contained herein support the hypothesis that U.S. firms receiving protection enhance their domestic market power, while firms having their petition rejected experience a decrease in market power. The evidence is less clear for plaintiffs who withdraw their antidumping petition prior to its final resolution.     

Market dominance under U.S. antitrust

Much has transpired since Walter Adams and Horace Gray warned in 1955 about the dangers of state creation of monopoly. The dangers remain the same. But mainstream researchers have led the efforts for deregulation in railroads, airlines, gas and electric utilities, stock markets, banking, and other markets. Chicago-UCLA doctrines have played a part in the 1980s, but they have often run to excess, in advocating deregulation at any cost. One result of that approach has been the savings and loan scandal of the 1980s, where a wholesale removal of all restraints led to unforeseen economic damage.Also among the mainstream instruments, Section 2 has been applied to reduce market dominance in a number of important industries. Section 2 will continue to be only one tool for reducing market power, but it can be important. A renunciation of such an effective instrument is unwise. By helping to lead the mainstream critique of monopoly, Walter Adams has added to important policy actions. The policy-oriented tradition in the profession has been enriched by his skill and erudition.     

1600只“熊猫”现身巴黎广场吁环保

10月18日．在法国首都巴黎,1600只纸制熊猫被放置在广场上供人们参观。这一活动由世界自然基金会（WWF）发起,旨在呼吁人们保护为数不多的大熊猫,同时提醒人们保护赖以生存的自然环境。     

Costs and escalation on U.K. aerospace projects

Cost escalation on aircraft projects is a frequent source of controversy. This paper presents a framework for analysing such escalation and assesses the contribution of technical advance, duration and the pressure of demand.     

美国软包装市场发展走势

随着包装材料和加工技术的不断提高,软包装在许多领域正扮演着越来越重要的角色。 未来两年,软包装在食品业的销售额将超过包装加工业97亿美元销售额的56％,其余的为消费品工业市场。其在食品业的销售额平均分配在易腐食品和干燥食品上。     

Fifty Years of U.K. Competition Policy

The first statute of modern times in Britaindealing with competition policy was passed 50years ago. Since then the policy has beenextended and changed in a number of ways butusually in a piecemeal fashion. The 50thanniversary coincides with probably the greatestchange in U.K. policy, embodied in the 1998Competition Act. The paper reviews the changingscope of the policy, its effects and weaknesses.It also considers the likely future impact ofthe new Act.     

我国向欧美扩大出口纺织品的应对之策

欧美是世界上最大的纺织品及服装进口国和地区，同时也是我国的纺织品出口的主要市场。长期以来，我国纺织服装出口受其配额的限制，通过长期艰苦的谈判，我国已正式成为世界贸易组织成员。作为目前世界上最大的纺织品服装出口国，一旦取消配额，会不会像人们预期的那样我国纺织品服装在欧美市场的份额大幅提升，甚至翻番？笔者认为，中国的纺织品出口将面临新的发展机遇与挑战，挑战大于机遇。鉴于机遇已有大量文章论述，本文将就我国纺织品出口将遇到的挑战作一专门的论述，以期抛砖引玉。 1.《纺织品服装协议》(以下简称ATC)执行不…     

The Impact of Product Market Competition on Employment Determination in Unionised and Non-Unionised Firms: Firm Level Evidence for the U.K.

In this paper we investigate the effect of increasedcompetition on employment inunionised andnon-unionised firms. We model product and labourmarket imperfections, and their interactions, in Nashequilibrium. The model predicts that employment lossin unionised firms in the face of increasedcompetition will be lower compared with non-unionisedfirms. This paradoxical outcome results from anoffsetting beneficial employment effect ofcompetition, which eliminates wage mark-ups inunionised firms. We find empirical support for thetheoretical prediction using U.K. firm level data overthe period 1985–1989.     

电力市场中发电商市场力的博弈分析

电力市场中市场力的存在不利于电力市场的健康发展,本文从市场力的定义出发,对影响市场力的因素进行了分析,并介绍了博弈论在竞价上网决策和降低市场力方面的应用.     

Strategic Responses to Regulatory Policies: What Lessons Can Be Learned from the U.K. Contract Gas Market?

The gas industry was first privatisedin 1986, and the regulator, Ofgas, identified thecontract gas market as a possibility for introducinginitial competition into the industry. Nevertheless,competing shippers were slow in entering the market.Subsequently, Ofgas introduced a series ofpro-competitive policies. It, however, invoked aseries of strategic behaviour by the incumbentshipper, British Gas. The effectiveness of thesemeasures are analysed here with respect to theevolving competitive process. The issues it raised,especially when formulating future regulatory policiesand theories, are also considered.     

国际电力市场解读与我国电力市场发展

以英国电力市场循序渐进的发展历程为例,与美国加州电力市场危机作对比,分析了国外电力市场改革的经验与教训,并由此提出了我国电力市场改革在竞争、监管与垄断、电力规划、电价机制、电力投融资等方面应注意的事项.