Patterns and determinants of manufacturing plant location in interwar London

Greater London constituted Britain's most important interwar centre for new manufacturing plants. Using a new dataset of plants established throughout London from 1919 to 1938, this article examines intra-metropolitan location patterns, together with the factors that led to heavy concentrations of plants in particular localities. Traditional sectors characterized by batch production are shown to be concentrated in sectorally specialized inner London industrial districts, benefiting from Marshallian externalities. Meanwhile, industries experiencing a transition towards standardized production became concentrated in new industrial areas along outer London's arterial road network, encompassing a diverse range of sectors using similar production methods and mainly accruing inter-sectoral 'Jacobs' externalities.     

Delivering quality accommodation for small businesses in London despite market difficulties

Public policy on the subject of small business support generally concentrates on tackling market failures in delivering finance, innovation, technical development, skills and entrepreneurship. However, in growing city regions such as London, the difficulty in obtaining good quality fit-for-purpose accommodation can be an important factor inhibiting the growth of otherwise successful business. The rate of business formation is very high in London, but paradoxically, the very vibrancy of the economy creates a real estate market that can be hostile to the needs of small businesses, particularly those which achieve rapid growth. This article will consider the factors that cause this situation and will then outline some practical examples of how they can be overcome by smart public sector intervention.     

PRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY IN THE IVORIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY USING A DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS APPROACH

The African industrial structure is characterized by firm‐size heterogeneity with the coexistence of small, if not micro, enterprises in the informal sector and large formal organizations operating with modern technology. In this paper, using the Data Envelopment Analysis production frontier methodology, we investigate the technical efficiency of Ivorian manufacturing firms in four sectors of economic activity: textiles and garments, metal products, food processing, and wood and furniture. Efficiency scores are adjusted to take into account the impact of the external operating environment. These scores are then broken down into three elements: the purely managerial effect, the impact of the scale of production, and a technological effect capturing the potential gain that could result from the adoption of modern technology by small informal organizations. Not only formal activities prove to be more efficient in scaling their production but also, they greatly benefit from their modem technology.     

Firm agglomeration and local poverty reduction: evidence from an economy in transition

We examine the linkages between firm agglomeration and the welfare of households in Vietnam. We measured firm agglomeration by per capita firm output at the district level and household welfare by per capita income, expenditure, and poverty. We find that firm agglomeration helps households move from the informal sector to the formal sector. As a result, there is a positive effect of firm agglomeration on per capita income, per capita expenditure, and poverty reduction, albeit of a small and time‐decreasing magnitude. The effect of firm agglomeration on per capita expenditure tends to be higher for households with men, younger, and more educated heads than households with women, older, and less educated heads. Households in rural areas and those that do not have crop land are more likely to benefit from firm agglomeration than those living in urban areas and having crop land.     

我国农副产品产业化经营探索

农副产品产业化是目前世界发达国家普遍采用的一种先进科学的社会化体制,也是一种最为合理高效的现代化经营方式。本文论述了我国城市农副产品产业化发展的必然性,分析了城市农副产品产业化发展中的现实障碍,提出了促进城市农副产品产业化发展的因应对策。     

中国工业行业创新能力差距的分解

中国工业行业创新能力存在较大差距，这在一定程度上对于整个国家的区域经济协调发展是不利的。本文首次利用万广华发展的以回归为基础的分解框架，估计了影响创新能力差距的各个因素对整个差距的贡献率。本文发现，工业行业创新能力差距呈现逐年上升的趋势，行业资本规模、企业平均规模、科研投入对于创新能力差距具有显著的贡献，而外商直接投资的贡献不明显。     

Trade policy uncertainty,development strategy,and export behavior: Evidence from listed industrial companies in China

On the basis of new structural economics theory and heterogeneity of firm viability, this study analyzes the effect of trade policy uncertainty on firm export behavior using panel data of Chinese listed companies in the industrial sector. Empirical results show that the high uncertainty of trade policy significantly inhibits the extensive and intensive margins of firm export, while heterogeneity effect occurs across firms with different levels of viability. The development strategy that violates comparative advantage strengthens the negative impact of trade policy uncertainty on firm export. Despite their correlation with viability, the type of ownership, total factor productivity, and long-term loan are not suitable proxies for firm viability. Under high uncertainty of trade policy, export market diversification can alleviate the restraining effect of development strategy on firm export, whereas firms in regions with high industrial-oriented development tend to be vulnerable to cost shocks, thus reducing export market diversification. Findings present important implications for emerging market countries to enact better international trade and economic policies.     

Multiplant Firms and Innovation Adoption and Diffusion

A new theoretical explanation is provided for the empirical observation that large firms usually adopt sooner, although there are notable exceptions. The analysis focuses on the adoption of an innovation of uncertain profitability by a large firm with two plants and a small firm with one. Marginal production costs are increasing in each plant, and economies of multiplant operation are possible. These have conflicting effects on the incentive to adopt. The large firm benefits more from adopting a success. However, if an adopter must shut down a plant to learn about the innovation, the loss of multiplant economies reduces the large firm's incentive to adopt. Absent multiplant economies, the large firm is more likely to lead a diffusion because its greater return from a success dominates. However, the small firm is more likely to lead a diffusion if there are multiplant economies and the large firm's learning cost disadvantage dominates.     

中央环保督察和企业进入:来自企业注册数据的证据

本文利用2013-2018年中国所有新建企业的注册信息,构建中国所有城市月度分行业的企业进入数据,并利用双重差分模型识别第一轮中央环保督察如何通过影响新企业进入进而影响中国的产业结构调整。结果表明,环保督察显著减少了民营、高污染行业的企业进入数量。此外,部分生产性服务业企业进入数量也受到环保督察的冲击。在督察组退出督察省份之后,其影响有随时间增强的趋势。环保督察促进了新建企业平均投资规模的增长,在一定程度上提高了行业集中度。考虑到环保督察政策常态化,本文有利于理解中央环保督察政策对产业的影响,并为环保督察政策的制度化和进一步完善提供依据。     

新基建发展对产业升级的影响机制研究

新基建作为现代化基础设施体系的重要组成部分，已经成为中国经济高质量发展的重要支撑。基于2015—2021年中国71个城市的面板数据，构建双向固定效应、中介效应和调节效应三种回归模型，实证检验新基建发展对城市产业结构水平的影响及内在机制。研究发现：新基建发展能促进产业高级化水平，改善不合理的产业结构状态，提升产业合理化水平；新基建通过发展物联网和激励城市研发创新两种间接路径对产业结构转型升级产生积极影响；新基建对产业结构水平的影响受到地方政府干预行为的调节作用，在地方政府合理的行政管理下，新基建对产业转型升级的积极作用更为明显；新基建发展对产业结构水平的提升作用具有区域异质性和城市规模异质性，在中西部地区和大城市地区的作用效果更为明显。     

The market as a commons: A further comment

Summary The Copes model, where an open access market is expected to result in nonoptimal levels of capacity and output, is demonstrated to be applicable where there is simultaneity of production and sale of output. Particular reference is made to the service sector, where customers are regarded as necessary inputs into the production activity of a service sector firm and as necessary for sales (output) of the firm to occur. It is further shown that the criticisms of the Copes Model leveled by Gordon and Stegman in terms of market rent, the nature of the free entry supply curve, and the equilibrating role of price do not hold in our analysis of service sector activities.     

Greening of Chinese industrial sector: Stakeholders' responsiveness to non-governmental environmental monitoring

By merging all the industrial enterprises above designated size (over 300 thousand in 2013) at both the city level and the industry level, we examine the green transformation process of China's industrial sector for nearly 300 prefecture-level cities between 2004 and 2013. Since about 40% of these cities are under non-governmental environmental monitoring by means of releasing the pollution information transparency index (PITI) annually, we then empirically evaluate the green responses of Chinese industrial sector to the non-governmental environmental monitoring from a randomized natural field experiment by employing a difference-in-differences (DID) approach. The results indicate that the PITI release by a third party could significantly contribute to the green transformation of local industrial sector, and the effects are stronger in cities with more stringent environmental regulation and higher levels of economic development and marketization. Moreover, production factors appear to be reallocated from the polluting sectors to the non-polluting sectors to green the industrial sector. Specifically, more and more capitals and labors are invested in the non-polluting sectors in the cities with the PITI disclosure. Existing firms may exit the market, and forthcoming polluting firms are nipped in the bud.     

技术集聚报酬递增机制的部门工资差异化垄断竞争模型

报酬递增是技术集聚形成的一种重要机制,这种机制可以通过空间经济学的模型予以严格的解释。经典的迪克西特与斯蒂格利茨模型(DS模型)有着企业数量趋于无限大的假定,杨小凯与海吉拉模型(YH模型)放弃了这个假定但没有考虑不同部门之间的工资差别。本文对YH模型进行了拓展,建立了一个包含部门工资差别的报酬递增模型,具有更强的现实解释力。     

中国石化行业产业安全测度研究

石油化工行业在国民经济的发展中有重要作用,是我国的支柱产业之一,尤其是在全球竞争力加剧的新时期,作为一国的能源产业,其发展是否稳健关乎着整个国民经济的健康运行。通过搜集2008—2017年相关石化部门生产数据从产业发展环境、产业国际竞争力、产业对外依存度、产业控制力和产业发展能力五方面构建指标体系,运用主成分分析的方法测算我国石化行业的产业安全度系数值,并分析测算结果,提出相关建议。     

Innovation, competition and the structure of local production networks: Initial findings from the Hertfordshire project

This paper reports the initial findings of an ESRC-funded study in Hertfordshire into how award-winning innovative firms organise their production arrangements. The study is a pilot project which was based on three initial operational assumptions: first, that innovation is not entirely an aspatial phenomenon; second, that modern production structures are taking new forms — variously described as post-Fordist, or flexible specialisation (flex-spec) — particularly in areas which are rich in commercial research and development (R&D) activities; and, finally, that as a consequence innovative firms in these areas commonly form production linkages with each other to create local production networks (LPNs).

The research was carried out in the county of Hertfordshire just to the north of Greater London. Hertfordshire was selected because, according to a number of measures, it is one of the key areas for R&D in the UK. On the basis of our initial, limited empirical sample of firms in Hertfordshire, a key finding of the research was that a significant majority of the innovative firms sampled — both large and small — were not actually organised in LPNs in any recognisable way and that local post-Fordist production was either extremely limited in its operation or, more commonly for most firms, was non-existent — instead, these firms normally acted as local, relatively free-standing entities which were much more likely to be in competition with other local firms, than form production linkages with them.     

Canal carriers and creative destruction in English transport

Canals played a key role in the industrial revolution by creating the infrastructure for inland waterway transport. Public carriers responded to canals and the growing demand for transport by innovating in service speed, quality, and reliability. How did their innovations affect the transport market, especially road carriers? One hypothesis is that road and canal carriers complemented one another, offering services with different speeds and prices. Another sees them as competitors with canal carriers winning based on their lower operating costs. We test these hypotheses using London trade directories, which detail road and waterway services from London to most towns and cities from 1779 to 1827. Our main results show that introducing the standard canal barge service between London and a major city had no effect on the number of road carrier services supplied to that same city-pair. By contrast, introducing an express canal service, known as the fly boat, significantly reduced road carrier services supplied. Fly boats are found to have weaker competition effects if the ratio of waterway to road distance was greater and on short and long route distances. The results provide new insights on the importance of speed and service innovation during the industrial revolution.     

浅析古代陶瓷产业集群对景德镇区域经济发展的影响

20世纪90年代之后,在景德镇这一以瓷器闻名天下的城市,陶瓷产业的发展开始陷入困境。如何振兴陶瓷产业是景德镇发展地方经济必须予以解决的关键问题。而区域经济发展的核心是培育和推动具有竞争优势的产业集群。对于景德镇而言,发展陶瓷产业集群,应当学习当前国内外发达陶瓷产区的经验,但更应研究古代景德镇陶瓷产业发展史中的成功之处。     

国家现代农业产业园建设与共同富裕

促进农村共同富裕是当前扎实推动共同富裕最艰巨最繁重的任务,2017年以来正式启动的国家现代农业产业园建设具有强农富农使命,但其对地区共同富裕的影响尚不明确。文章以“总体富裕”和“成果共享”两个维度构建地区共同富裕指标体系,使用2015—2020年中国地级市面板数据,利用国家现代农业产业园建设作为准自然实验,从农业生产效率和劳动力转移就业角度研究了国家现代农业产业园建设对农村共同富裕的影响。研究发现,国家现代农业产业园建设有助于推进地区共同富裕的实现,尤其是中西部地区和处于经济发展中间水平地区。同时,国家现代农业产业园建设的“成果共享”效应大于“总体富裕”效应。进一步地,在机制检验方面,文章发现,国家现代农业产业园建设提高了地区农业全要素生产率,促进了农民群体就业从第一产业向第三产业转移,提升了弱势群体收入,从而促进了发展包容性,切实推进了共同富裕。因此,文章提出：加快国家现代农业产业园总量扩容,扩大覆盖面,严格考核,切实发挥其包容性发展效应;加快形成省市区联动的现代农业产业园建设体系,为农村共同富裕注入持续动力;现代农业产业园建设应注重农业的高质量发展和外延式发展;各地区应因地制宜依托...     

Politics of the development of small and medium‐sized firms in Japan

Since the 1980s, small and medium sized firms in Japan have adjusted themselves remarkably to the market changes of the post‐Fordism industry, and have significantly contributed to the country's economy. This paper emphasizes the interaction of the state and local producers in building a social environment for nurturing the development of small and medium‐sized firms in Japan. An important role assumed by the state is the creation of local firm‐supporting institutions which have been the foundation of constructing regional industrial system. These local institutions were effectively utilized by the local producers of small and medium sized firms. In this process, central political power and local economic power fused in organizing ‘production’ in a new way of horizontal collaboration.     

Has a private sector emerged in China's industry? Evidence from a quarter of a million Chinese firms

This paper assesses the progress of China's transition towards a market economy by examining the structure of ownership, productivity, and profitability, as well as the concentration of production across firms, industries, and regions. It does this by analyzing a database of firm microdata of the quarter of a million industrial companies in operation during the 1998–2003 period. Results show that the private sector now accounts for more than half of industrial output, compared with barely more than a quarter of it in 1998, and operates much more efficiently than the public sector. Higher productivity has fed through to improved profitability, motivating greater regional specialization of production. These changes are consistent with what would be expected in a market-based economy and suggest that reforms are making rapid progress.