Development Theory and the Multilateral Development Banks: An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Strategies Used in International Development Finance

Abstract . Although they are leading institutions in the world of modern development finance, the multilateral development banks have not been very explicit in outlining the development theories upon which they base their loan operations. This paper assesses the utility of the three prime theories employed by these institutions: the project approach, the macroeconomic (gap theory) approach, and the social welfare (or income distribution) approach. It indicates the questions to which each approach addresses itself, and it indicates weaknesses and theoretical inadequacies of each as a primary or sole development tool. Only a balanced and careful use of all these sometimes contradictory approaches will permit the multilateral lending institutions to fulfill their multifaceted obligations.     

Instrumentalism, the Principle of Continuity and the Life Process

A bstract . Instrumentalism and the instrumental logic , as developed and reconstructed by John Dewey, Clarence Ayres , and Jacob Bronowski , is a mode of philosophy exceedingly critical of dualistic, teleological, tautological, and atomistic individualistic biases in philosophy and in economic theory. Instead, it has emphasized processual, contextual, and evolutionary systems of analysis, accentuating conceptual linkages, topological connectivity and joint relationships as a basis of rejecting conceptions of scientific neutrality and intellectual "instruments" forged in an insulating and compartmentalizing style. The principle of continuity becomes the key to the truth process and its directly associated theory of instrumental value. Applying this instrumental philosophy to the critical analysis of the utility theory of value underpinning orthodox economic theory not only exposes the theoretical and philosophical failures of the utility approach but also highlights the strengths of the instrumental logic as a reconstructive tool. The "life process of mankind" is most enhanced by distinguishing truth from falsity and by applying warranted knowledge to the examination of social and economic problems and the power institutions which give them an exacerbated life.     

Private Property in the Context of Community

The dominant philosophy of private land ownership—that private property exists for the benefit of its owner and that use and ownership should be determined by market forces—is not the only philosophy in the American tradition. Classical republicanism's proprietarian perspective was equally in favor of private property, but held that private property exists for the benefit of society. This article begins by presenting the proprietarian view of private property rights, drawing on the legal scholarship where this perspective has been revived. Next, I use the case of contemporary land reform in Scotland to exemplify the rationale for this perspective. Lastly, I attempt to import the lessons of Scottish land reformers without importing their model, instead considering ways in which private land ownership might be embedded in non‐market institutions in the United States.     

Determinants of property rights institutions: survey of literature and new evidence

Why do some countries have better institutions than others? More specifically, what accounts for variation in the quality of property rights institutions in different countries? In this paper, I empirically assess four different theories relating to the determinants of property rights institutions: (1) the economic approach, which maintains that property rights institutions are created when the benefits of their creation exceed their costs; (2) the cultural approach, which stipulates that institutional variation reflects the differences in the beliefs of political leaders about what institutions create benefits for society; (3) the historical approach, which contends that cross-country differences in property rights institutions are the by-product of historical accidents; and (4) the political approach, which defends the premise that institutions are voluntarily chosen by the individuals who control political power, and these individuals choose institutions with the objective to maximize their personal payoffs rather than the benefits of the society as a whole. In order to test the veracity of these theories, I undertake a cross-sectional analysis of 142 countries (including 116 developing and 26 developed countries) over the period 1970–2005. The results of this analysis provide several interesting insights. Firstly, they indicate that the political approach appears to be the most relevant explanation for cross-country variation in property rights institutions: not only is this approach the most statistically robust, it also provides the best fit with the property rights index. The results of non-nested hypothesis test à la Davidson and MacKinnon (1981) confirm this analysis. Secondly, regardless of econometric specification and country sample, democracy is positively and significantly linked to property rights institutions. Thirdly, the data also reveal that while legal origin does significantly affect property rights institutions in developing countries, it appears to have no effect in developed countries. Fourthly, my analysis demonstrates that, in contrast to the full sample case, an increase in GDP per capita does not significantly contribute to the improvement in the quality of property rights institutions in Africa.     

Human resource strategies,workplace reform and industrial restructuring in Australia and New Zealand

In recent years, Australia and New Zealand have pursued two different routes of labour market reform. New Zealand opted for a radical experiment in the deregulation of industrial relations and other areas. Australia pursued a co-operative and co-ordinated approach to reform within the centralized arbitral system. Both reform initiatives were designed to stimulate improvements in organizational performance and cost competitiveness. In this paper, we argue that there are three main types of strategies that management can use to reduce labour cost and improve performance: productivity-enhancement, costminimization and work-intensification strategies. We argue that the former is a long-term sustainable strategy whereas the latter two are negative short-term strategies that may have deleterious longer-term effects. This paper reports the results of a cross-national survey in New Zealand and Australia into the extent of adoption of these management strategies. The results are presented by industry, employment size, mode of operation and countries as a whole. The research findings indicate that New Zealand's decentralization has encouraged a higher degree of employer experimentation with both positive and negative workplace change strategies, especially in the private sector. Australia's more centralized system limited the use of cost-minimization strategies but not productivity-enhancing strategies in the public and not-for-profit sector. The research found evidence of work intensification in both countries.     

Markets, Culture and Institutions: The Emergence of Large Business Groups in Taiwan, 1950s–1970s

Business groups are a special type of enterprise system existing in almost every market economy. Member firms do not operate as isolated units in the markets but have institutionalized relationships with each other and work coherently as an entity. Groups play a central role in economies in which they operate. For Taiwan, the largest 100 groups produced one third of the GNP in the past 20 years. Why does this organizational form exist in the first place? This paper reviews three relevant theories, market‐centred theories, culturalist perspective, and the institutional approach, and employs the data of 150 Taiwanese groups for the answer. The market‐centred theories and the institutional arguments are examined statistically and the latter is supported by the data. Following this evidence, the Boolean comparison of group firms with non‐group firms confirms that lacking a coherent core in ownership and management makes firms unable to respond to institutional incentives promptly. Finally, the structure of family ownership network in business groups refutes the cultural perspective which argues that the equal inheritance pattern of family property drives entrepreneurs to establish separate firms rather than single hierarchies. While both markets and culture play a distinct part in the story, it is regulatory institutions that lead to group formation.     

事业单位分类改革背景下财务管理体系框架研究

随着事业单位分类改革的推进,社会公益类事业单位的财务管理也成为改革的重中之重。本文深入分析了公益类事业单位的改革趋势及事业单位改革给财务管理工作带来的新挑战,在其基础上提出了建立公益类事业单位财务管理体系的框架。     

Co‐evolution in Strategic Renewal Behaviour of British,Dutch and French Financial Incumbents: Interaction of Environmental Selection,Institutional Effects and Managerial Intentionality*

abstract How do incumbent firms and environments co‐evolve and how are firm‐level adaptation and selection at industry level interrelated? Can and do large established organizations renew themselves to adapt to their environment? Three single‐lens theories, relating to environmental selection, institutional theory, managerial intentionality, and a co‐evolutionary perspective are used to investigate strategic renewal of incumbent firms. We derive propositions and distinguish between three dimensions of strategic renewal and develop metrics to investigate our propositions in a multi‐level, multi‐country, longitudinal study of the European financial services industry. Our results provide the following insights. From an environmental selection perspective, we found incumbents have a preference for exploitation renewal actions. Country institutional environments appear to explain to what extent incumbents prefer internal and/or external renewal actions. Managerial intentionality seems to explain outlier behaviour and firm‐specific frequency and timing of renewal actions. From a co‐evolutionary perspective, interaction effects explain deviations from predictions derived from the single‐lens theories applied in this paper.     

公共管理视角下事业单位行政管理的改革方向

事业单位行政管理工作效率、质量都与事业单位的自身发展有着紧密的联系,且对事业单位的未来发展方向产生重大影响。基于此,论文以公共视角为研究出发点,深入分析事业单位行政管理工作改革的必要性,找寻当前行政管理改革工作存在的问题,从而基于公共视角管理来提出具体的行政管理工作的改革方向,以期为事业单位行政管理工作的发展提供一定的参考建议。     

事业单位会计报表存在的问题及改进建议

近年来财政部进行了五项财政改革,旧的《事业单位会计制度》已经不适应事业单位的发展,《事业单位财务规则》(征求意见稿)的出台,对于事业单位来说是一件划时代的事情。虽然新的征求意见稿与旧的《事业单位财务规则》相比有完善之处,但会计报表方面仍存在一些问题。文章通过对会计报表中的资产负债表、收入支出表、是否编制现金流量表及附注存在的一些问题进行分析,并提出一些改进建议。     

政府会计制度改革和行政事业单位绩效关系分析

论文首先介绍了我国政府会计的发展历程,在诠释了政府绩效的基础上,从完善行政事业单位绩效评价体系、摸清行政事业单位“家底”和提升行政事业单位管理效率三个层面探讨了政府会计改革对行政事业单位绩效的影响。最后,结合以上分析,提出了政府会计制度改革提升我国行政事业单位绩效的对策建议。论文的研究有助于明晰政府会计制度改革和行政事业单位绩效之间的内在关系。     

RISE OF VAR MODELLING APPROACH*

Abstract This paper surveys the rise of the Vector AutoRegressive (VAR) approach from a historical perspective. It shows that the VAR approach arises from a fusion of the Cowles Commission tradition and time series statistical methods, catalysed by the rational expectations (RE) movement, that the approach offers a systematic solution to the issue of ‘model choice’ bypassed by Cowles researchers, hence essentially inheriting and enhancing the Cowles legacy rather than abandoning or opposing it. By tackling model choice, however, the VAR approach helps reform econometrics by shifting the research focus from measurement of given theories to identification/verification of data‐coherent theories.     

城市竞争力与政府改革

运用行政管理学、经济学的相关理论,通过对城市及城市政府的再认识,以及城市竞争力与城市政府关系的探讨,提出了基于城市利益最大化的城市政府改革理念,对城市政府的改革进行了深层次的分析,力图为城市政府的相关改革提供一种新的思路.     

科研项目经费预算改革的困境及解决对策

目前,国家越来越注重科研机构建设,为开展社会公益项目研究活动提供了基础保障。在科学技术的快速发展中,社会各界对科研项目经费投入力度持续增加,越来越关注项目经费作用的充分发挥。但是,很多科研机构的科研经费管理模式需要进一步创新,缺乏一定的自主性,相关部门需要针对立项、验收全过程进行改革,做好全面审核、监督工作,促使科研人员自主支配项目经费。论文重点分析了科研项目经费预算改革的困境及解决对策。     

Coevolution of Institutions and Corporations in Emerging Economies: How the Salim Group Morphed into an Institution of Suharto's Crony Regime

abstract We investigate whether large family groups in emerging economies can proactively change their environment. We use a coevolutionary approach, which accounts for the influence of context on the entrepreneur and for the freedom of the latter to modify it. We find that entrepreneurs can shape institutions to their advantage, illustrated by the Salim Group, which achieved growth by aligning with and influencing politicians, eventually ‘morphing into an institution’. We unravel unique coevolutionary patterns, which we use to extend existing theories. Our first contribution is to initiate a new line of inquiry in coevolution theory, focusing on individual companies coevolving with institutions. Secondly, we document factors that increase and decrease strategic choice for family groups in emerging economies. Thirdly, we find that the Salim Group became part of the crony Suharto regime. The group became both an institutional entrepreneur and an entrepreneurial institution, demonstrating that companies and institutions are not necessarily mutually exclusive.     

Managerial and organizational learning in Hungarian–Western mixed management organizations

The radical changes in Eastern Europe which aim to transform these economies into market economies put the issue of organizational and individual adaptation at the centre of attention. Hungarian-Western mixed management organizations are regarded as effective tools for helping this adaptation process. This paper examines, through the example of five joint ventures, what practices are to be changed and what problems arise in terms of organizational and individual adaptation and learning. For the theoretical framework, the author draws together the insights of four types of learning approaches with structural contingency theory, strategy-structure and strategic choice theories, institutional theory of organizations and organizational change theories. The paper finds that there are changes in the organizational routines and procedures as a response to changes in the contingent factors. Westerners do not, however, necessarily play a positive role as agents of change in introducing strategic thinking among Hungarian managers. This problem relates to the phenomenon of new paternalism which also makes it easier for Westerners to cope with the problems of not being able to change the old philosophies of their Hungarian staff.     

浅谈高职大学语文的情景教学

情景教学法突破了以往唯智主义教学方法的框框,将言、行、情三者融为一体,其核心是激发学生的情感,培养兴趣,使学习活动成为学生主动、自觉的活动。情境教学法因其形象直观、注重教学对象的情绪情感反应而优于一些传统教学方法,在教学改革实践中倍受关注。符合以学生为主体,教会学生做人、学习和创新的现代教育观,大学语文也因其丰富的形象和情感资源运用情境教学法得天独厚。本文作者从自己的教学实践中谈谈在大学语文教学中如何运用情景教学。     

基于AdaBoost的电信客户流失预测模型

随着电信业改革的深入和竞争的不断加剧,各大电信企业的客户流失率逐步攀升。在深入分析电信业客户流失问题的基础上,针对目前研究多采用单分类器模型的不足,提出了一种基于组合分类器的电信客户流失预测模型。实证结果表明该模型能有效提升预测准确率,为今后的研究提供了新的研究思路。     

Bank valuation in new EU member countries

This paper studies the role of institutional reforms in affecting bank valuation in new European Union (EU) member countries. It takes advantage of the dynamic nature of institutional reforms in transition economies and explores the causal effects of those reforms on banks’ Tobin's Q over the period of 1997–2008. Using a difference-in-difference approach, the paper shows that Tobin's Q increases substantially after these countries reform their legal institutions and liberalize banking. However, it decreases after stock market reforms. After further examination of the interactive relationships between different reforms and bank valuation, it is observed that when the banking reform is well implemented, legal reform can have a stronger impact on banks’ Tobin's Q. On the other hand, banking reform and security market reform has a substitutive relationship. The analysis also suggests that foreign ownership, market power, and asset diversification significantly affect Tobin's Q. These results are robust even after simultaneously controlling for equity risk.     

What is Antidumping Policy Really About?

Dumping is whatever you can get the government to act against under the antidumping law. J. Michael Finger (1993, p.viii). Antidumping policy has become one of the most important instruments for protection in the international trade system, but at the same time it is the subject of an intense, though rather chaotic, debate. This paper provides an overview of the antidumping literature and the current issues. First it describes the origins of antidumping policy and provides some basic statistics on its current use drawn from several empirical studies. Next the paper discusses the economic foundations of antidumping law by examining the traditional and modern theories of dumping, as well as the industrial organization literature on price discrimination and predatory pricing. It is demonstrated that those economic foundations are weak. The paper also considers the fairness rationales for antidumping policy. Finally, it addresses the criticisms of antidumping laws, in particular in the context of the current antidumping versus competition policy debate, and discusses a variety of proposals for reform that have been made. The paper shows that the 1997 'cease fire' agreement between Canada and Chile is a promising approach toward reform of antidumping policy.