Economic impact assessment of mega infrastructure pipeline projects

The economic development features for the decades after the Second World War provide evidence that investments to new infrastructures are a key driver in strengthening the national economy and enhancing nation’s productivity, as it creates economic benefits and additional income. However, the decision for fund allocation and investments in mega infrastructure pipeline projects often must be made in conditions that are much more fraught with uncertainty. The key question in such decisions is if the economic impact caused by the new project could be able to essentially boost the economy by creating new jobs and generating new income on one hand; and which are the business sectors expected to archive the benefits of this investment. This article deals with the estimation of the mega infrastructure pipeline project economic effects in economy. The methodological framework is based on input–output approach providing quantitative estimations about the economic impact of the project in terms of new income and jobs. The numerical application deals with the assessment of a cross-border crude oil pipeline project, connecting the ports of Burgas (Bulgaria) and Alexandroupolis (Greece), establishing a new transportation corridor for the crude oil from Black Sea to Southeast Mediterranean.     

试析人民币对外升值与对内贬值并存

2002年以来,人民币出现了对外升值和对内贬值并存的现象。在国际美元贬值和国内流动性过剩的背景下,这一货币现象得到了强化。当然,这一货币现象是实际经济运行的反映。主要线索是,中国的出口导向型经济强势增长,国际收支持续顺差带来巨额外汇储备,并进而推动国内货币供应量的扩张。当汇率和资本流动都受到管制时,压抑的对外升值趋势会成为对内贬值的直接原因。而对内贬值的概念已不是传统意义上的CPI上涨,而是包括资产价格膨胀在内的广义通货膨胀。这对于宏观经济平衡和货币政策制定者来说,都是一场新的挑战。     

Government interventions and the size of the informal economy. The case of Iran (1971–2007)

Literature on the informal economy can mainly be divided into two different contrasting theories. According to the dual labor market theory (DLM), which considers the informal economy as a spare sector providing jobs for formally unemployed resources, unpleasant economic situations force people to act informally. Legalists, on the other hand, blame government interventions such as minimum wages or price control policies for pushing rent-seeking firms toward the shadows. This study using an Error-correction Multi-Indicators Multi-Causes (EMIMIC) model, a systematic method consisting of structural and measurement equations, shows that these two theories are complementary rather than substitutes for one another. While long-term trends are explained by legalists, DLM theory is also suitable for explaining short term changes. Iran’s economy in the period 1971–2007, which was characterized by government interventions, is chosen for this purpose. These interventions are measured by Principal Component Analysis. Finally, an index of the size of Iran’s informal economy is also reported.     

The Viability of Keynesian Demand Management in an Open Economy Context

This paper explains why, in an open economy context, Keynes-type demand management policies appear to have lost their ability to create jobs domestically. Instead stimulatory policies tend to create an import deficit (as jobs are created abroad) and the ear of inflation domestically. The paper then suggests remedies that will resurrect Keynes-demand management policies to stimulate expansion without experiencing balance of payment problems or domestic inflation.     

Globalization,labor standards,and women's rights: dilemmas of collective (in)action in an interdependent world

This paper challenges the idea that a “social clause” to enforce global labor standards through international trade agreements serves the interests of women export workers in poor countries. Drawing on fieldwork in Bangladesh and empirical studies, the author argues that exploitative as these jobs appear to Western reformers, for many women workers in the South they represent genuine opportunities. Clearly, these women would wish to better their working conditions; yet having no social safety net, and knowing that jobs in the informal economy, their only alternative, offer far worse prospects, women cannot fight for better conditions. Moreover, global efforts to enforce labor standards through trade sanctions may lead to declining employment or to the transfer of jobs to the informal economy. Lacking measures that also address the conditions of workers in this informal economy, demands for “the social clause” will reinforce, and may exacerbate, social inequalities in the labor market.     

Trade union power and jobs: theory and policy

This paper looks at the relationship between trade union power and jobs in a capitalist economy. It is argued that trade unions, as they threaten profitability, may hinder the functioning of capitalist economies. But, any adverse effects of trade unions on jobs arise because of the constraints imposed on trade union activity by the state and capitalists. In alternative forms of economic organization, trade unions are not likely to reduce the number of jobs. The implications of this argument for policy towards trade unions are also discussed.     

Lost in transition: the costs and consequences of sectoral labour adjustment

Abstract This paper uses an equilibrium search and matching model to study Canada’s sectoral labour adjustment in 2002–2006 during an increase in global commodity prices and exchange rate appreciation. I estimate economically significant adjustment costs for the aggregate economy in this episode and demonstrate that difficulty in transferring skills between jobs for individual workers can be an important contributor to these aggregate costs. The analysis also demonstrates that the level of unemployment benefits impacts the economy’s sectoral composition, its aggregate productivity, and the speed of its adjustment to shocks.     

Deindustrialization in the UK: a comparison analysis with Japan

As a mature economy, the UK has experienced continuous decline in manufacturing competitiveness under the process of deindustrialization. On the other hand, the service sector has been developing a comparative advantage and creating new jobs. This article attempts to recognize the change in inter-dependence between industries, particularly the manufacturing and service sectors, in the process of deindustrialization. Using partitioned multiplier effects, I analyse the extent to which deindustrialization, particularly expansion in the service sector, has benefited the UK economy. I show that the contribution of the service sector to the UK economy has not been significant.     

Durkheim's sociology,Simiand's positive political economy and the German historical school

During the nineteenth century, French political economy eluded the historical method. In the light of such context, the way Emile Durkheim and François Simiand interpreted the contribution of the German historical school is worth considering. Following Durkheim's sociological approach, Simiand occupies center stage when it comes to examining how much this historical method has to offer to ‘positive political economy’ considered as an alternative to ‘orthodox political economy’ and to the new conception of economic history which was finding its way through the Annales' school.     

Age discrimination in the UK labour market. Does race moderate ageism? An experimental investigation

Governments encourage people to work longer in order that pension promises are sustainable as populations age. This approach presupposes that older workers are welcome in the market. This study undertakes a correspondence test to investigate whether ageism is prevalent in the UK at the initial stage of the hiring process. This study adds to the literature by investigating whether race can moderate the relationship between age and labour market outcomes. The results suggest that older people are penalized in the labour market. They have lower access to vacancies and sorting in lower-paid jobs. A minority racial background exacerbates both penalties. These new results call for anti-ageism and anti-racial policy actions in the workplace.     

国外生产性服务业的发展经验及对我国的启示

生产性服务业的发展对于促进产业结构升级、提高国民经济运行质量、扩大就业、带动国民经济快速发展有着重要的意义。针对我国生产性服务业发展滞后的现状,文章在借鉴发达国家美国、英国和日本以及发展中国家印度的生产性服务业发展经验的基础上,对我国生产性服务业的发展提出了一些建议。     

The dynamics of moonlighting in Russia1

This paper uses the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) to analyse the dynamics of moonlighting by the working‐age population. We find that moonlighting is transitory and that a desire to switch jobs expressed in the past is positively related to moonlighting in the present and to actual job changes in the future. We also find that workers who moonlighted as self‐employed in the past represent 26.5 percent of the new self‐employed. These results suggest that moonlighting in Russia can be seen as an effective incubator for setting up new self‐employed businesses, thereby providing long‐term benefits for the economy.     

The Sullying Effect of Recessions

Previous work has established that recessions involve a "cleansing" effect, so that in downturns, only high productivity jobs remain. But empirical evidence suggests job quality is procyclical: jobs created in recessions are likely to be low-paying and temporary. This paper modifies previous models by adding on-the-job search, which leads to an additional "sullying" effect. Calibration of the model suggests this offsetting sullying effect is likely to be much larger than the cleansing effect, and can account for the procyclical match quality we observe in the data.     

Job quality and the economics of New Labour: a critical appraisal using subjective survey data

This paper assesses the record on job quality during the earlyterm of office of the New Labour government by interpreting,from a political economy perspective, changes in a variety ofsubjective measures of job quality taken from several differentdata sources. We find some improvements in job quality overthe period 1998–2004; however we argue that these improvementshave arisen not because of New Labour's policies towards theworkplace but because of low and falling rates of unemployment.Despite recent improvements, a large number of workers in Britainremain in low quality jobs and, without a radical change ofpolicy direction, sustained and substantial progress in thequality of work will remain elusive.     

发展海洋经济促进天津市经济高质量发展的若干建议

海洋是高质量发展战略要地。大力发展海洋经济是培育经济新动能、促进我国经济迈向高质量发展的重要路径。海洋区位与资源是天津最大的先天优势和资源禀赋，面对速度下滑、结构偏重偏旧的经济状况，天津应依托全国海洋经济发展试点地区、海洋经济创新发展示范城市、海洋经济发展示范区等国家级战略平台，从战略高度重视海洋经济，不断深化海洋强市发展战略；以海水资源利用、高端海洋工程装备、北方航运中心等为重点加快海洋产业集聚，培育经济新动能，并通过强化产业政策支持，为海洋经济发展营造良好发展环境。     

关于高校人事管理契约化的思考

契约关系是高校管理体制中保证高等教育质量的一个基础关系,契约化管理是人事管理适应市场经济体制,推行真正的聘任制,人事管理法制化、规范化的必然要求。契约化管理已成为人事工作尤其是高校人力资本投资、化解风险、获取回报不可缺少的必要手段。     

生产性服务业是经济中心的核心要素——基于上海和香港的实证分析

经济圈发展模式已被众多国家和区域广泛采用。经济中心对区域经济的发展具有重要作用,而生产性服务业是经济中心发挥作用的决定因素。从一定意义上讲,生产性服务业是经济中心的核心要素。通过对生产性服务业对经济中心核心要素作用的探讨和对这一作用进行实证分析,得出的结论是,生产性服务业能够优化经济中心的产业结构,增加经济中心整体就业水平,提高经济中心的核心竞争力;同时,能够为经济中心吸引高素质人才。因此,经济中心城市核心作用的体现需要大力发展生产性服务业。     

Individual incentives by adjusting work hours: Bellamy's egalitarian economy

Edward Bellamy proposed an ideal egalitarian economy in which production is carried out as a nonprofit government service, income is shared equally by all individuals independently of work exertion, and relative work hours are used as incentives to allocate labor to different jobs. This economy is shown to possess an equilibrium consistent with full freedom of individual choice of occupation and consumption, to be achieved through a fully decentralized titonnement process. However, individuals have an obligation to work which deprives them of their freedom to choose between income and leisure, so that the scale of output is indeterminate and may be nonoptimal unless a social-welfare function is introduced.     

平台企业加速数据要素向新质生产力转化的逻辑与进路

如何推动数据这一新型要素向新质生产力转化成为推进高质量发展的重要议题。然而,数据要素的供给、流通和使用仍存在卡点堵点,突出表现为缺少有效的生态连接主体和价值共创机制。平台企业是数据要素向生产力转化、推动数字经济创新发展的有力主体,但鲜有研究关注到平台企业如何发挥资源、技术与场景等优势,以新机制加速数据要素向重大场景转化,催生新质生产力。本研究立足于数据赋能新质生产力的新使命、新要求和短板痛点,基于场景驱动创新理论,系统论述平台企业牵引多维场景和多元主体构建数据要素创新联合体这一新质主体,推动形成数据要素“收-存-治-易-用”价值链良性循环,加速数据要素向新质生产力转化的理论逻辑。进一步,结合典型实践提炼总结平台企业构建数据要素赋能新质生产力转化“生态飞轮”的4个实践路径,旨在以平台企业这一新质主体,探索新型生产关系,推动数据要素这一新型生产要素向新质生产力转化,释放数据要素放大、叠加、倍增价值,赋能千行百业万企场景创新,培育加快发展新质生产力的新动能。     

The Impact of Enterprise Zones on Job Creation in Mississippi

The designation of enterprise zones has been touted as an effective tool in efforts to reduce poverty, but scant evidence exists to support this. In 1983, Mississippi passed legislation authorizing the creation of enterprise zones in the most distressed counties of the state as a way of directing new jobs toward those areas. This study examines the effect of enterprise zone designation on the creation of jobs in new or expanding manufacturing establishments. Using a model estimated from panel data, the study found that qualifying as an enterprise zone had a positive effect on a county's rate of job creation. (JEL O180 , H710 )