Externalities of R&D Expenditures

Innovation is generally recognized as a major source of economic growth. R&D investments explicitly aim at generating innovations and creating knowledge. Since knowledge has certain public good properties, positive externalities are likely to exist. In this paper, we extend well-known concepts from the input-output literature (backward multipliers) to indicate at which commodities stimuli should be targeted to enhance R&D and its positive externalities in the economy as a whole. Next, we argue that there may also be negative externalities of R&D, due to increased prices. This issue can be studied by means of forward multipliers. Both concepts are applied to the United States, 1977-90.     

中国制造业技术创新与国际竞争力的实证分析

本文利用2000—2012年11个行业面板数据,对中国制造业技术创新与其国际竞争力进行实证分析。从制造业技术创新能力体系来看,创新投入能力、创新产出能力、引进与吸收消化再创新能力的提高均能够在一定程度上增强中国制造业国际竞争力,而适应创新竞争市场变化能力的效果不明显。从制造业技术创新支撑体系来看,政府和金融机构分别给予资金支持制造业进行技术创新时,对制造业国际竞争力提高具有促进作用,而同时给予支持时则存在着协调方面的问题。另外,制造业行业规模的扩大和市场的对外开放均有利于中国制造业国际竞争力的提高,而来自发达国家的RD外溢当期效果不明显。不同技术水平行业通过加强技术创新对其产品国际竞争力的带动作用存在显著的差异性。     

Did globalization reduce unionization? Evidence from US manufacturing

How do globalized economic conditions affect labor market institutions such as unionism? We draw on recent theoretical and empirical work to explore a wider set of hypotheses regarding the decline in unionization. Using a comprehensive data set of US three-digit manufacturing industries from 1973 to 1994, we test the hypothesis that domestic and international competition directly reduces unionization. Using instrumental variable regressions, we demonstrate the relevance of product market competition variables for unionization. However, we are unable to account for the unionization decline over this period. This could reflect the lagged and complex effects of competition on unionization.     

我国企业研发组织模式创新研究：分类、现状与趋势

面对日益激烈的市场竞争,企业要建立核心竞争优势,其研发创新必不可少。研发组织模式的选择在研发环节中扮演着至关重要的角色,它直接关系到企业的研发绩效和创新潜力。本文从研发组织形态、研发组织结构以及技术资金来源及投入三个维度对企业研发组织模式进行探索,并面向北京市中关村高新技术示范区内的企业展开访谈及问卷调查,分析了研发组织模式的发展现状及创新趋势。     

The dynamics of limited breaking out: the case of the Arab manufacturing businesses in Israel

This paper investigates the dynamics of breaking out in the Arab manufacturing business sector in Israel. Based on an ethnographic study and in-depth interviews, this paper develops a three-tier model delineating those characteristics that shape the entrepreneurs' response to structural constraints and their respective mode of operation in the context of resource disadvantage. The model demonstrates that the limited break out of ethnic entrepreneurs signifies selective access to the majority market. Through the model, the paper develops a comprehensive conceptual framework that incorporates two different sets of constraints stemming from the nature of the larger market and institutional setting and community characteristics. The limited breaking out can be explained largely by the dynamics of the interrelations among the institutional environment, the local resources, and the entrepreneurs' characteristics. This implies a Janus-face perspective of breaking out, in which the Arab entrepreneurs tend to use their resources both for the maintenance of their local market and for catering to special segments in the majority market that seek relatively cheap prices or specialized products. The paper concludes that the limited breaking out reflects institutional processes that militate against the minority's ability to fully integrate into the majority market.     

Agglomeration economies with consistent productivity estimates

This paper investigates the relative impact of microeconomic agglomeration mechanisms on plant's total factor productivity (TFP) using German establishment and employment-level data. Contrasting different strategies for estimating TFP from plant-level production functions reveals that unobserved output prices bias true productivity and lead to underestimated agglomeration economies. With the corrected TFP measure, the largest impact is found for labor market pooling, which is captured by the correlation of the occupational composition between one county-industry and the rest of the county. This main result is robust, even when the spatial units are resized from counties to larger labor market regions. Input linkages appear to be relevant only at this larger regional scale. Overall, agglomeration economies differ substantially across industries. Only for a subset of industries, some positive evidence is detected for knowledge spillovers.     

THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF VOLUNTARY ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE OF FIRMS: A CRITICAL REVIEW

Abstract.  New trends in studies on the governance of natural assets include substantial consideration of the role of voluntary initiatives. A traditional economic view states that there is a trade-off between being green and being competitive. According to that view, no voluntary environmental action is expected to occur. To undertake an in-depth analysis of the scope for voluntary action, this paper reviews empirical literature that analyzes the relationship between manufacturing firms' environmental initiatives or performance and economic results. This review moves beyond the general test of the 'pay to be green' hypothesis, preferring instead to systematize empirical results in more specific research questions. Empirical findings of the reviewed literature generally support that there is no penalty for being green. In addition, the typology of firms, the methods utilized for implementing environmental initiatives, the intensity of abatement efforts and stockholders' valuation of green firms have all been shown to have a sizeable influence on the actual economic results of environmental action or management. Consequently, the findings of this paper challenge the traditional strategic theory that predicts widespread free-riding; it holds major implications for environmental policy-making and environmental business decisions.     

Why Are Concavity Conditions Not Satisfied in the Cost Function? The Case of Japanese Manufacturing Firms during the Bubble Period*

This paper examines empirically the reasons why Japanese manufacturing firms frequently fail to satisfy concavity of the cost function in input prices. We focus on the ‘bubble period’ in the 1980s when land was in great demand and land prices soared. By estimating the translog cost function with land as one of production inputs, we find that violation of concavity mainly resulted from weak bank–firm relationship and massive transactions of land. We also demonstrate that elasticities of substitution between land and other inputs are estimated quite differently if the firms violating concavity are not excluded from the analysis.     

Environmental regulation, technological diversity, and the dynamics of technological change

Inducing technological progress is an important objective of environmental regulation. We investigate under which conditions regulation-induced technological progress pursues the best technological option. We analyze a setting with vertical and horizontal technological progress, cost uncertainty, time-limited patent protection, and a case that is typical for some emissi4on-intensive industries, like electricity generation or the chemical industry. Under taxes and standards, only the current least-cost technology is used and developed, implying a lock-in into a possibly inferior technology. Tradable permits yield slower progress but can facilitate the simultaneous development of technologies, rendering lock-ins less likely.     

完善我国企业研发人员股权激励税收优惠政策研究

科技研发人员肩负着科技兴国的重任,越来越多的企业研发人员作为股权激励对象为科技创新和研发产出创造价值。但现行对研发人员股权激励的税收政策却不尽完善。梳理我国股权激励情况及现行股权激励税收政策和规定,发现对研发人员股权激励适用税收政策并未体现对研发人员股权激励税收优惠政策,同时现有税收规定不甚合理,难以发挥长期激励作用。鉴于此,应建立健全研发人员股权激励税收政策体系,合理设计针对研发人员的股权激励税收政策,以列举以及实质推演的方式,按照持有时间长短等设定个人所得税税率等,发挥股权激励税收优惠政策对研发人员的长期激励作用。     

久菱牌3ZP-0.8型甘蔗中耕培土机的研发

3ZP-0.8型甘蔗中耕培土机是广西贵港动力有限公司新研发的机型。文章叙述3ZP-0.8型甘蔗中耕培土机关键部件的结构特点,并通过试验表明：该机适用于在行距为0.9～1.2 m的甘蔗行内进行中耕作业,达到碎土除草、起垄培土的目的。     

A political economy model of road pricing

In this paper, we use a simple majority voting model to study the introduction of urban congestion tolls. The model allows for different types of uncertainty and considers different uses of the toll revenues. The following results are obtained. First, we show that individual uncertainty with respect to modal substitution costs may imply that a majority votes against road pricing ex ante, although a majority would have been in favor after its introduction ex post. Moreover, if a majority is against road pricing ex ante, there will also be no majority for organizing an experiment that would take away the individual uncertainty. Second, political uncertainty with respect to the use of the revenues corroborates the finding that ex ante more voters will be against the introduction of tolls. Third, both types of uncertainty suggest that fewer voters are against road pricing when toll revenues are used to subsidize public transport than when they are redistributed to all voters. Importantly, the results of this paper are consistent with a number of recent empirical observations on efforts to introduce road pricing, including the systematic rejection of road pricing in referenda, the more favorable attitudes towards road pricing after than before its introduction, and tying the toll revenues to support public transport.     

北京R&D投入与经济增长的灰色关联分析

随着科技投入的加大,R&D投入也越来越被人们所重视。R&D投入不仅对所在区域科技与经济发展具有重要作用,而且对整个国家的科技与经济发展都具有推动作用。本文运用北京2001~2011年R&D经费投入与经济增长的有关数据变量进行灰色关联分析,并根据不同结构建立了相应模型,揭示了北京R&D经费投入与经济增长的关系。     

高校研发溢出效应分析——基于高新技术产业的实证

高校在我国区域创新系统中是一个比较重要的R&D研发主体,其研发活动能否在区域创新系统中形成良好的知识溢出和转移机制将成为该创新系统建构成败的关键。本文以高校R&D研发活动为对象,从知识溢出的地理空间效应出发,考虑不同研发支出的特点,测度其R&D活动对高新技术产业创新产出的影响以及溢出效应。得到的结论是:高校应用研究与基础研究活动对高新技术产业的创新产出产生了显著的正溢出,而试验与发展研究活动则没有明显的溢出效应。另外,科研机构虽然在R&D投入大于高校R&D投入,但是对区域内高新技术产业则没有显著的知识溢出效应。     

Does home owning smooth the variability of future housing consumption?

We show that the hedging benefit of owning a home reduces the variability of housing consumption after a move. When a current home owner’s house price covaries positively with housing costs in a future city, changes in the future cost of housing are offset by commensurate changes in wealth before the move. Using Census micro-data, we find that the cross-sectional variation in house values subsequent to a move is lower for home owners who moved between more highly covarying cities. Our preferred estimates imply that an increase in covariance of one standard deviation reduces the variance of subsequent housing consumption by about 11%. Households at the top end of the covariance distribution who are likely to have owned large homes before moving get the largest reductions, of up to 40% relative to households at the median.