Market equilibrium in the presence of green consumers and responsible firms: A comparative statics analysis

This paper analyzes how the interaction between green consumers and responsible firms affects the market equilibrium. The main result is that a higher degree of responsibility of consumers and/or firms may both increase and decrease the total abatement and the social welfare. In general an increment in the degree of CSR of a firm entails an increase of its total clean-up and a reduction of the aggregate abatement of its rival. When the rival firm has a high degree of CSR this second effect is stronger than the first and total abatement falls down. At the same time, when the degree of consciousness of consumers and/or firms is very high, responsible firms overprovide environmental quality: in such case a further increment in the level of social responsibility of a market actor may trigger an increase of firms’ total clean-up but a reduction in social welfare.     

On the efficiency of indirect taxes in differentiated oligopolies with asymmetric costs

This paper shows that unit taxation can be welfare superior to ad valorem taxation in asymmetric and differentiated oligopolies if the goods are sufficiently differentiated, the cost variance is sufficiently large and the ad valorem tax rate is sufficiently high. Moreover, this result holds under either Cournot competition or Bertrand competition.      

Quality certification standards in competitive markets: When consumers and producers (dis)agree

A quality certification standard in a competitive setting can improve welfare but may affect consumers and producers differently. In a competitive model with quality preferences of the vertical product differentiation type, we find that producers prefer a higher (lower) quality standard than consumers if individual demand functions are log-convex (log-concave).     

Helping "light green" consumers walk the talk: Results of a behavioural intervention survey in the Swiss electricity market

While many consumer surveys show very positive attitudes towards renewable energy, the share of consumers actually purchasing green electricity is still in the single-digit percent range in most countries. What can be done to help consumers with positive attitudes towards green electricity to “walk the talk”, i.e. to behave consistently with their preferences? We developed a psychological model based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to design a large-scale behavioural intervention survey with 1163 Swiss electricity consumers. Our results show that by providing information targeted at the key factors influencing the intention to purchase green electricity, namely attitudes towards purchase, social norms and perceived behavioural control, a significant increase in green electricity market share can be achieved. Our results show that price is not the only barrier to purchasing green electricity, and that information to increase the perceived benefit of buying green electricity as well as targeted communication to overcome inertia among retail electricity consumers are equally important factors.     

最优货币政策规则的选择及在我国的应用

本文首先根据我国的实际数据 ,建立和估计混合型模型 ,并以此作为研究货币政策规则的基本框架。然后在随机模拟的基础上 ,以社会福利为基准 ,计算和比较三种货币政策决策方式对社会福利的影响 ,这三种决策方式是完全承诺的最优货币政策规则、最优的Taylor规则及相机抉择。同时计算与福利损失等价的通胀率变化 ,结果表明 ,最优的Taylor规则能够很好地近似完全承诺的最优货币政策规则 ,这为进一步改进我国货币政策的决策和操作提供了一个指导方向。其次 ,对我国目前的货币政策决策和操作存在的问题进行分析 ,特别是对目前我国盯住货币供应量的体制所存在的问题进行分析 ,并提出改进的方案     

Comparing Tax and Tax Reallocation Payments in Financing Rail Noise Abatement Programmes: Results from a Stated Choice Valuation Study in Italy

The paper examines the use of stated choice experiments (SC) to assess the economic value of alternative rail noise reduction interventions on the Brennero railway in Italy. The paper formally tests the econometric robustness of the SC estimates under three payment regimes: (a) a regional tax, where consumers must trade off welfare gains due to noise reduction for part of their income; (b) a transport tax reallocation scheme, where consumers must trade off a part of the tax payments that are currently spent on the public transport sector; and (c) an administration tax reallocation scheme, where consumers must trade off a part of the tax payments that are currently spent on the administration sector. The test results are varied. On the one hand, the SC estimates are found to be statistically different for the tax reallocation and the tax introduction regimes. This confirms previous valuation research results, and thus reiterates the hypothesis that states the inequality between marginal values of private income and public money. On the other hand, the SC estimates are not found to be statistically different for the two proposed tax reallocation regimes, suggesting that, in the case study investigated here, the marginal value of public money does not depend upon the budget source.     

我国地方税主体税种选择趋势研究

当前,我国地方税体系仍然存在一些不容忽视的问题,比如,现行地方税主体税种的定位不明晰、权限受限制、辅助税源贫乏、收入不确定、税制不规范等等问题,这些问题导致了我国地方税收入增长乏力,地方税体系缺乏与经济增长密切相关的内生增长机制,同时也极大地妨碍了我国地方税体系收入功能和调节功能的发挥。因此,分析当前我国地方税主体税的现状和问题,比较各自利弊,并探讨我国地方税主体税种的选择具有重要的理论意义和现实意义。     

Labour mobility and wage inequality in the presence of endogenous foreign investment

This paper examines the impact of labour mobility and increased competition on skilled–unskilled wage inequality and foreign investment. Unlike the existing literature this paper considers a model where foreign investment is endogenously determined. The paper shows that in the shortrun, inflow of either skilled or unskilled labour has no effect on wage inequality but increased competition increases wage inequality. Inflow of either type of labour increases foreign investment but the impact of increased competition on foreign investment cannot be unambiguously determined. Inflow of skilled labour increases wage inequality in the longrun and its effect on foreign investment is positive. Increased competition in the longrun increases wage inequality, foreign investment and welfare.     

Liberalisation,competition and ownership in the presence of vertical relations

This contribution analyses a market with an upstream bottleneck monopoly and a downstream activity that may either be vertically integrated or separated. Separation always reduces the consumer surplus, and the total surplus unless there are large cost reductions. Downstream competition from a public or private network monopoly would crowd out other firms, also when public ownership is associated with more modest objectives than welfare-maximisation. A market is therefore less likely to remain a mixed oligopoly than without vertical relations. However, private firms would survive in a moderately welfare-improving mixed oligopoly with cross-subsidisation and access charges equal to marginal costs.

我国构建绿色税收体系的可行性分析

税收政策作为政府调控经济的重要方式,应该符合低碳经济发展的需要,构建促进低碳经济发展的绿色税收体系是至关重要的。基于此,分析了我国建立绿色税收体系的必要性和可能性,探讨了实施绿色税收在我国是否可行。     

Using Non Market Valuation to Inform the Choice Between Permits and Fees in Environmental Regulation

The purpose of this short note is to open an exploration regarding the use of non market valuation to help guide the selection of economically efficient pollution control instruments. As long as non market valuation techniques can correctly estimate the slope of the marginal benefit of abatement curve, this information along with engineering cost estimates of the unit costs or slope of the marginal abatement cost will provide useful information to policy makers in choosing between fees and permits. An illustrative review of the literature suggests that both stated and revealed preference methods have estimated slopes of marginal benefit functions for reducing several pollutants. To investigate the efficiency of permits versus fees, an illustrative review of corresponding marginal abatement costs is also made. For air pollutants affecting visibility, the slope of the marginal benefit curve is far greater than the slope of the marginal abatement costs, suggesting permits as the efficient instrument. For nitrates in groundwater used for drinking, the marginal benefit curve is flatter than the rather steep marginal abatement cost, suggesting fees/taxes would be a more efficient economic instrument. We hope this note stimulates more emphasis in non market valuation on estimating the slope of the marginal benefit function to enhance environmental economists ability to make policy recommendations regarding the choice of pollution instruments for specific pollutants.      

On the use of labels in credence goods markets

We analyze credence goods markets in the case of two firms. Consumers know that the quality of the good varies but do not know which firm is of high quality. First, we show that the high quality producer may be unable to monopolize the market, or even to survive in some cases, in situations where it is efficient and trusted by all consumers. Second, although a label restoring full information improves welfare, it may also reduce both firms’ profits by intensifying competition. Since even the high quality producer may not wish to label its product, in such cases the label must be mandatory. Third, an imperfect label which moves everybody’s beliefs closer to the truth without restoring full information may produce adverse results on market structure and welfare, either by increasing or by reducing the variance of beliefs.      

垂直管理与属地管理:行政管理体制的选择

经济分权和政治集中的中国式分权在推动经济持续高速增长的同时,也带来了环境污染加剧和安全事故频发等问题。为缓解这些问题,中央陆续在一些政府部门实行垂直管理。本文运用契约理论建立理论模型对比研究了垂直管理体制和属地管理体制的优劣。研究发现,垂直管理体制在实现地方监管部门否决坏项目上优于属地管理体制,的确能减弱地方政府的干扰;但当监管任务的绩效难以考核时,垂直管理体制不仅不能改变属地管理体制下监管部门通过坏项目的情况,还挫伤了地方政府发展经济的积极性,结果对中央政府来说反而更糟。最后本文还刻画了适合进行垂直管理的部门特点,并为未来的行政管理体制改革作出推测。     

Prices vs. quantities: Public finance and the choice of regulatory instruments

Since Montgomery [1972. Markets in licenses and efficient pollution control programs. Journal of Economic Theory 5, 395-418] and Weitzman [1974. Prices vs. quantities. Review of Economic Studies 41, 477-491], it has generally been assumed that, in a full-information setting, tradable quotas and taxes are equivalent regulatory instruments. We demonstrate that, if the government is movitated by public-finance concerns, this equivalence holds only if quotas are short lived. Moreover, the government prefers quotas with the shortest possible lifetime, or, what is equivalent in our setting, taxes.     

长株潭郊区农民绿色消费的调查与分析

绿色消费是以自然、和谐、环保以及健康为宗旨,包含多项内容的综合的现代消费模式,也是长株潭城市群构建“两型社会”的必然要求。由于各种因素的制约,长株潭郊区农民的消费习惯和行为方式与绿色消费有一定的距离。在“两型社会”建设的背景下,在长株潭郊区农民中普及绿色消费、树立正确消费观念的条件已经成熟。本文提出了一些普及绿色消费的政策建议。     

Testing the efficiency of the futures market for crude oil in the presence of a structural break

The efficiency of the futures market for crude oil has been the subject of significant study, with the basis regression representing a popular methodology. However, the parameters of this model are subject to a structural break, casting doubt on any conclusion regarding the efficiency of the futures market. To address this problem, this article employs a simple generalization which is capable of testing the efficiency of a futures market in the presence of a structural break. Using this approach, strong evidence of inefficiency is found in the one month futures contract for West Texas Intermediate for the period between 1985 and 2013, which is otherwise not detected.     

Animal spirits and optimal monetary policy design in the presence of labour market frictions

Using a New Keynesian DSGE model with labour market frictions, we compare outcomes for backward-looking animal spirits expectations with rational expectations after technology and demand shocks. For optimal monetary policy, major differences arise only for technology shocks, and discretionary policy performs better than commitment policy under animal spirits expectations. If Taylor rule parameters are chosen to best replicate optimal monetary policy outcomes, inflation targeting is only appropriate for technology shocks, particularly for large labour frictions, while targeting only economic activity is appropriate for demand shocks. Fault tolerance analysis shows high costs from failing to identify true animal spirits expectations and technology shocks.     

网络购物中消费者权益保护法律问题研究

随着互联网技术的不断普及,网络购物作为一种新型的购物模式已经为广大的消费者所接受.网络购物给我们的生活带来了极大便利,但也增加了消费者购物的风险,容易侵犯消费者的合法权益.在对网络购物的基本理论进行阐述之后,详细分析了网络购物中消费者的知情权、隐私权和求偿权受到侵犯的现状,最后提出完善我国网络消费者权益保护的措施,以期望网络消费者合法权益受到应有的保护,促进我国网络购物市场健康有序的发展.     

绿色食品与黑龙江农业二次开发

本文对绿色食品的内涵作出了界定；分析了黑龙江发展绿色食品的前景与对策，提出了绿色食品应作为黑龙江省农业二次开发的战略重点．形成优势产业群。     

碳达峰目标下国家生态文明试验区碳强度预测及减排潜力研究

基于ARIMA-BP神经网络模型并在碳达峰目标下预测国家生态文明试验区的碳强度;同时,运用非径向方向距离函数、共同前沿理论及共同前沿非径向曼奎斯特二氧化碳排放效率指数(MNMCPI)对减排潜力进行深入探讨。研究发现：(1)由ARIMA-BP神经网络模型所得碳强度预测序列均方误差(MSE)为0.005,平均绝对百分比误差(MAPE)为1.95%,显示了较高的精度;国家生态文明试验区碳强度2028年相较于2005年下降67.5%,提前实现国家2030年碳强度比2005年下降65%以上的目标,其中：贵州碳强度下降幅度最大,2030年相较2005年下降77.5%,福建、江西、海南下降幅度均在65%以上。(2)国家生态文明试验区减排潜力呈波动下滑趋势,2016—2030年均减排空间达26.59%,约21649.33万吨CO₂。到2030减排潜力达21.9%,为2016—2030年最低值,由于减排潜力与碳排放效率负相关,碳排放效率越高则减排潜力越小,这意味着国家生态文明试验区碳排放效率得到优化。(3)通过探究CO₂排放效率变化,间接分析区域内减排潜力变化...