Estimates of optimal public capital stocks in Japan using a public investment discount rate framework

The purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the optimality of the level of public capital in Japan. We use a methodological approach based on Burgess's (1988) procedure for calculating the public discount rate. This approach involves estimating a production function, but does not necessarily require utility function estimation. The results indicate that, although the Japanese economy experienced a public capital deficiency over the period 1960–1982, public capital moved toward optimal levels throughout the period. First version received: March 1997/final version received: June 1998     

政府发展性支出、产业集聚与绿色能源效率

为了探索政府发展性支出在产业集聚影响能源效率过程中的边界,本文从理论和实证两个角度验证了政府发展性支出在产业集聚影响能源效率过程中的调节机制和门槛效应,研究发现:(1)理论上政府发展性支出在产业集聚影响能源效率过程中存在调节效应,伴随着政府发展性支出的不断增加,产业集聚对能源效率的影响呈倒"N"型作用路径。表明过低或过高的政府发展性支出都会导致产业集聚扭曲,不能发挥其应有的正外部性,进而抑制能源效率的改善,只有适度的政府发展性支出才能发挥产业集聚应有的绩效,有助于能源效率的提升;(2)利用中国2004—2017年268个地级市的城市面板数据,在规避内生性问题的基础上,通过静态面板交互效应模型,验证了政府发展性支出在产业集聚影响能源效率过程中存在调节效应的理论假说;(3)采用面板门槛模型,验证了产业集聚影响能源效率的过程中存在政府发展性支出的双重门槛效应,门槛值分别为0.2517和0.2946,对不同政府发展性支出水平进行分组计量回归,结果与理论分析中产业集聚对能源效率的影响呈倒"N"型路径相吻合。表明,过高或过低的政府发展性支出趋向于抑制能源效率的提升,适度的政府发展性支出有利于能源效率的改善。     

Intergenerational transfers and the social discount rate

This paper investigates the relationship between intergenerational asset transfers and the choice of the discount rate for use in cost-benefit analysis in a model of a competitive overlapping generations economy constrained by a socially managed exhaustible resource. Provided that there are no distortions in capital markets and that all agents hold perfect foresight, cost-benefit techniques will result in a Pareto efficient resource allocation if the discount rate is set equal to the market rate of interest. But since the path of the interest rate depends on the level of intergenerational transfers, cost-benefit techniques do not ensure a socially desirable distribution of welfare between generations; a social optimum will result only if intergenerational transfers are properly chosen and enforced. Decentralized private altruism may result in intergenerational transfers that both present and future individuals would agree are too small if members of the present generation attach positive weight to the general welfare of future generations, not simply their personal descendants. In a world where intergenerational transfers are non-optimal, second-best policy-making may imply a constrained optimum that is inefficient. Together, these findings suggest that cost-benefit analysis is at best a partial criterion to policy formulation that should be used only in conjunction with ethical principles that define the proper distribution of welfare between present and future generations.     

Incentives for investment in energy efficiency: an econometric evaluation and policy implications

Technical studies suggest that there exist many opportunities to improve energy efficiency, and that a substantial proportion is profitable by current business standards. This study deals with the question why so many of these profitable opportunities are not used. Reasons for not implementing profitable opportunities are idetified, and their effect is estimated on the basis ofa survey among Dutch firms, designed specifically for this study. The reasons that prevail indicate what policy measures may accompany energy taxes in the pursuit of energy efficiency improvement. In addition, energy efficiency elasticities are estimated, as well as the factors that determine the elasticities. These too indicate opportunities for government policy, if it wants to improve the effectiveness of energy taxes.     

The government's time discount rate: Choices and consequences in a dynamic framework

This paper considers a closed macroeconomy where the monetary authority pursues an inflation target and policy outcomes are the consequence of a Nash game between fiscal and monetary authorities. The specification of the macroeconomic framework is characterized by nonlinearities which lead to multiple equilibria with differing stability properties. Employing a calibrated model and simulations derived using the Mathematica package, the stability properties of the economy and the likely choice of equilibrium are examined. Within this framework, the dynamic consequences of different time discount rates for the fiscal authority are investigated, both in a world of certainty and also in a world of uncertainty. It is shown that, in a world of certainty, it will be optimal to choose the fiscal authority's time discount rate equal to the market rate of interest. However, depending on the degree of uncertainty in evaluating the time discount rates of consumers and of the fiscal authority, it may be appropriate to bias the fiscal authority's discount rate above or below the expected interest rate.     

浅析企业如何合理运用商业折扣与现金折扣

在市场竞争激烈情况下，赊销已成为企业的一种重要的促销手段。有效的赊销政策，不仅能加强企业与各商家及消费者的感情沟通，提升品牌的知名度及销售量，还可以调整市场的供求关系，优化营销网络。如果赊销政策策划不严密，会出现企业资金周转不灵、客户拖欠货款的现象出现。这就要求企业管理部门系统评估赊销决策，要多角度考虑问题，以规范企业赊销活动。文章重点分析了商业折扣和现金折扣的税务处理与筹划，简述了现金折扣的计算与会计核算。     

Value for money in energy efficiency retrofits in Ireland: grant provider and grant recipients

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the Better Energy Homes scheme to provide a financial incentive for home owners to engage in energy efficiency retrofits. This study analyses data from the scheme and Building Energy Rating data for participants to the scheme to examine the value for money achieved by households. In addition, this research identifies which retrofit combinations provide greatest value for money, in terms of energy efficiency gains, for the grant provider. We utilize an error-in-variables approach to model the variation in benefits accruing to households of varying characteristics. We find that household and grant provider surplus can be maximized in the short term by retrofitting less energy efficient and larger homes, timber or steel frame homes and houses rather and apartments. The types of retrofits leading to the greatest surplus for both household and grant provider include cavity wall insulation paired with either a boiler with heating controls or heating controls only retrofit.     

工业智能化对中国工业碳排放效率的影响及空间效应研究

“30·60”的双碳目标提出后,工业智能化作为新一轮技术革命和产业变革的关键驱动力,对我国实现“碳达峰、碳中和”目标发挥重要作用。基于2006—2019年中国30个省份（因数据缺失,不包括西藏和港澳台地区）的面板数据,运用固定效应模型、中介效应模型、空间杜宾模型,多维度实证分析了工业智能化对中国工业碳排放效率的影响及空间效应。研究发现：(1)工业智能化发展能够提升工业碳排放效率;(2)工业智能化能够依靠技术进步和抑制能源强度提升工业碳排放效率;(3)空间效应上,工业智能化的发展能够提升本地区工业碳排放效率,但对周边地区工业碳排放效率的溢出、扩散效应还未显现;(4)工业智能化对工业碳排放效率的影响存在空间异质性,其发展能够带动东部地区工业碳排放效率的提升,而对中西部地区工业碳排放影响较小。研究结果有效补充了有关工业碳排放效率的影响因素及有关工业智能化的研究,为工业智能化驱动工业碳排放效率提升提供了可靠的实证依据,同时为工业的绿色发展提供了政策参考。     

基于投资效率的湖北固定资产投资结构分析

投资是湖北省经济增长最重要的推动力量,但湖北省投资增长处于非均衡发展的状态。为了避免湖北省投资因过热而浪费社会资源或者因投资不足造成经济增长的停滞,应按照投资效率原则对固定资产投资结构进行调整。通过阐述湖北省固定资产投资产业和行业结构基本情况,利用投资效率指标对湖北省固定资产投资结构的效率进行了分析,并对投资政策进行了评。在此基础上,提出湖北省今后一段时期固定资产投资的合理的产业和行业结构,为湖北省固定资产投向提供政策参考。     

中国工业企业绿色技术创新效率的测度与评价—基于超效率网络SBM-Malmquist模型分析

将绿色创新发展理念融入到工业企业技术活动中,已经成为突破环境和资源约束、推动工业可持续发展的关键。本文将能源消耗量、三废排放量等纳入研究框架,运用超效率网络SBM模型和Malmquist-Luenberger指数对中国各省份工业企业绿色技术创新效率进行测度与评价。结果表明：在2013—2018年间,工业企业绿色技术创新效率处于较低水平,省域间存在较大差异,但差异趋势逐渐缩小;我国工业企业绿色技术创新效率呈现出“东-中-西”依次递减的阶梯式空间分布格局,与东部地区工业企业绿色技术创新效率持上升的趋势相比,中西部效率水平不仅存在绝对水平明显偏低的特征,而且还表现出了增长幅度的差异;成果转化期的效率值低于科技研发的效率值,纯技术效率水平过低是造成两阶段效率不高的主要原因;我国Malmquist-Luenberger指数均大于1,整体发展态势良好,其中技术效率变化指数的增长主要依赖于纯技术效率变化指数。从三大地区层面来看,东部地区的ML(Malmquist-Luenberger)指数主要归结于技术进步（technological change,TC）指数的增长,而中西部地区的ML指数则主要依赖...     

Market-related reforms and increased energy efficiency in transition countries: empirical evidence

Energy efficiency improvement is a desirable response to growing climate change and security of energy supply concerns. This article studies the impacts of a varied set of macro-level market-oriented reforms as well as structural change on economy-wide measure of energy efficiency across a group of the transition countries. These countries experienced a rapid marketization process, which, since the early 1990s, transformed their economies from central planning towards market-driven models. We use a bias-corrected fixed-effect analysis technique to estimate this effect for the period 1990 to 2010. The results suggest that reforms aimed at market liberalization, financial sector and most infrastructure industries drove energy efficiency improvements. We find significant differences in improvements in energy efficiency between transitional Central European and Baltic States, South East Europe ones and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The reasons for these differences are also discussed.     

Social cost of CO2 abatement from energy efficiency and solar power in the United States

Frequently cited empirical analyses ask whether we should make the transition from reliance on fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and conclude that the transition is too costly so we should, instead, focus policy on how to adapt to global warming. This paper makes two improvements in the analysis. First, this empirical analysis accounts for existing low-cost alternatives that are substitutes for fossil fuels. Second, this empirical analysis incorporates existing estimates of externalities from fossil fuels. These two basic improvements in the analysis alter the conclusion; policy should focus on how rapidly and extensively to make the transition from reliance on fossil fuels to the alternatives. The corollary is that we should focus on the efficacy and cost of policy options that are designed to accomplish the transition.     

中国工业部门能源使用效率及其影响因素研究

本文对我国工业部门的全要素能源使用效率进行了测算,结果表明,考察期内全部样本行业的能效均值基本维持在50%至60%水平之间,能效水平总体不高.能源使用效率存在着较为显著的行业间差异,采掘业能效水平均值要高于轻工业和重工业.总体能效水平以2002年为拐点,出现了先上升后下降的变化轨迹.采掘业能效水平在考察期内有所波动,但基本能够维持在相对较高水平,重工业呈缓慢上升态势,而轻工业则在2002年以后出现了大幅下降.通过计算标准差,我们也未发现能效出现行业趋同.企业平均规模的扩大、市场竞争强度的降低、外资规模的增加对行业能效提高具有积极影响.     

The impact of trade openness on technical efficiency in the agricultural sector of the European Union

The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of trade openness on technical efficiency of the European Union’s (EU) agricultural sector. There are no systematic theories linking trade policy to technical efficiency; hence, the relation between trade liberalization and technical efficiency is fundamentally ambiguous. Stochastic frontier analysis is used to model the relationship between EU’s production resources and agricultural output, as well as the importance of trade openness on technical efficiency of a country. The data for 16 of the 28 EU members were available for the period 1980–2007 including land, capital, fertilizer, labour, agricultural GDP, foreign direct investments (FDI), exports and import data. Results indicate that trade openness has an immediate, negative impact on efficiency in the EU agricultural sector. Over time, however, trade openness does increase efficiency. The FDI outflows increase efficiency. This suggests that an initial reduction in capital supply forces EU nations to utilize other factor inputs more efficiently. However, there is the unexamined potential that over time the depletion of capital results in a decrease in efficiency. Finally, formerly communist member-countries of the EU are found to have the lowest technical efficiency scores whereas Southern European nations have the highest efficiency.     

Impact of the adoption of information and communication technologies on firm efficiency in the Tunisian manufacturing sector

This paper aims at measuring the impact of information and communication technology use on the efficiency of the Tunisian manufacturing sector at the firm level within a simple theoretical framework. We are using a firm-level panel data for the manufacturing sector in Tunisia to investigate whether adoption of ICT influences efficiency in factor use. The analysis is conducted through the use of a parametric method to measure technical efficiency. We estimate a stochastic production frontier and the relationship aims to explain technical efficiency differentials in a single stage as suggested by Battese and Coelli [Battesse, G.E, Coelli, T.J. (1995). A model for technical inefficiency in a stochastic frontier production function for panel data. Empirical Economics, 20, 325–332].The results have confirmed the presence of positive returns to ICT capital. We have found that the impact of ICT on efficiency is strong. Our results also suggest that it is important to carefully control for human capital related characteristics of employment when studying the effect of ICT. The evidence shows that achieving benefits from investment in ICT requires complementary investments and changes in human capital. This means that the combined use of ICT and human capital in a firm would enhance its efficiency beyond the direct effects of these factors taken alone.     

提升工业能效面临的关键问题及解决对策分析

提高能源利用效率是产业可持续发展的重要内容,从我国能源消费的产业构成分析,降低工业耗能是提高能效的关键。工业节能是一项系统工程,应强化能源节约和高效利用的政策导向,从结构、管理、技术、政策等多维角度,改进能源效率,保证实现产业节能约束性目标的科学性和严肃性。     

新旧动能转换背景下制造业产业升级评价研究

现阶段,我国经济发展进入新常态。经济发展模式开始由要素驱动、投资驱动向创新驱动转变, 用增长促发展,用发展促增长。新旧动能转换与产业升级是经济发展进入新常态的必然选择,新旧动能转换是产业转型升级的核心动力,产业升级是新旧动能转换的外在表现。基于2006-2017年山东省17个地市的面板数据,本文从需求、供给和环境三方面研究发现：山东省及其各区域正处于改造旧动能、培育新动能的关键时期,消费需求、人力资本和技术创新对产业升级有积极的推动作用。进一步对山东省的东、中、西部三个区域研究发现,产业升级具有区域差异性。     

区域比较视角下安徽省大中型工业企业创新绩效研究

基于《工业企业科技活动统计资料(2010)》与《安徽统计年鉴(2010)》的数据资料,运用数据包络分析的BC2模型,从区域比较的视角出发,对安徽省17个地市大中型企业的创新效率进行评价与分析,实证结果显示:除亳州、滁州、六安外,其余地市的大中型企业创新活动均处于无效状态,而且普遍存在创新效率低下,投入产出结构不合理,资源配置效率低的问题。进一步分析发现,创新活动的规模无效或规模不经济是导致整体综合效率DEA无效的根本原因。     

The impact of the net percentage growth rate in the number of small firms on differential state-level employment growth rates in the US: an exploratory empirical note

This brief exploratory empirical note seeks to identify key determinants of geographic differentials in the percentage growth rate of state-level employment in the US, with the primary focus being on the percentage net growth rate in the number of small firms (i.e., those with fewer than 20 employees) in each state, where this variable serves as a de facto reflection of ‘entrepreneurship’. In the interest of identifying other key factors that influence state-level employment growth rates, the effective income tax rate in each state, quality of life elements and labour market considerations are also included in the analysis. The study period runs from the year 2000 to the year 2007, ending just prior to the ‘Great Recession’. The estimation results imply that the state-level employment growth rate in the US was an increasing function of the percentage net growth rate in the number of small firms in each state. Thus, it appears that the small firms growth rate may in fact be a significant source.     

On the asymmetric effects of the real exchange rate on domestic investment in G7 countries

Two studies have assessed the symmetric and asymmetric effects of exchange rate changes on domestic investment. One included six emerging countries and the other one, 18 African nations. Both revealed that using nonlinear models to assess the asymmetric effects yield a more significant outcome compared to symmetric and linear models. We add to this small literature by showing the same using quarterly data from each of the G7 countries. Indeed, nonlinear models produced relatively more short-run and long-run effects of changes in the real effective exchange rate on domestic investment, though in an asymmetric manner.