Self-reinforcing Agglomerations? An Empirical Industry Study

We test for the existence of endogenous agglomeration forces, using structural econometric models. After showing generally how to establish the existence of agglomeration forces empirically, we undertake an industry study of the maritime industry in Norway. The results suggest that there are significant economies of scale in the maritime industry. These economies of scale are mainly found in sub-groups of a set of nine maritime industries. This indicates that the maritime industry consists of two self-reinforcing agglomerations, but that there are few mechanisms actually keeping the two together.
JEL classification: C 33; D 24; O 47; R 11; R 12     

基于GIS的区域化外部经济研究

集聚一直是经济学家和地理学家关注的对象,随着社会经济条件的变化,集聚已不再仅限于狭小、紧凑的地域空间范围内,出现了松散的多中心城市、城市群及都市连绵带等城市区域化的表现。集聚与外部经济从来都是伴生的,但在讨论外部经济的作用时,一直以来都是局限于单中心、单区位的空间,无法解释当今的城市区域化现象。立足于经济学家和地理学家对外部经济动态研究的结论,从空间动态性的角度研究外部经济,提出外部经济不再局限于＂点＂状,而是存在着区域化外部经济的设想,即在某一个区域范围内的相关企业能获得与外部集聚经济有关的特定好处,并利用GIS方法对两个不同空间结构模式的城市——芝加哥和洛杉矶所在的州进行了实证研究,证实了区域化外部经济的存在及其作用范围。     

Can labour market institutions explain high unemployment rates in the new EU member states?

This article studies the question whether labour market institutions can explain the large differences in unemployment rates in the new member states. It investigates several labour market institutions and concludes that they are on average no more rigid in the new member states than in the old ones. However, there is a lot of heterogeneity both in terms of institutions and unemployment rates. The impact of labour market institutions on performance is empirically examined for a panel of European countries. These results are used to assess to what extent labour market institutions are responsible for the diverse unemployment experiences in the new member states. Labour market institutions can explain only a small part of these differences. Other causes of unemployment seem to be more important.

The determinants of foreign direct investment into European transition economies

Using a panel dataset of bilateral flows of foreign direct investment (FDI), we study the determinants of FDI from Western countries, mainly in the European Union (EU), to Central and Eastern European ones. We find the most important influences to be unit labor costs, gravity factors, market size, and proximity. Interestingly, host country risk proves not to be a significant determinant. Our empirical work also indicates that announcements about EU Accession proposals have an impact on FDI for the future member countries. Journal of Comparative Economics 32 (4) (2004) 775–787.     

基于聚集经济的产业集群理论模型

为了扩大产业集群规模,我国地方政府竞相出台各种优惠政策,极力降低企业的准入门槛.从理论上看,上述政策的作用是有限的.本文在分析集群企业成本和市场均衡的基础上提出了扩大集群规模的两种方法,认为提高聚集经济才是最根本的方法.     

Modelling income distribution using the log Student’s t distribution: New evidence for European Union countries

Income distribution remains a crucial topic in economic analysis, among other reasons, due to the increase in inequality in recent years, as one of the effects of the Great Recession. In this context, proposing parametric models that represent the full distribution through a small number of parameters arouses great interest as an instrument for economic analysis. This paper studies the ability of log Student’s t distribution to model the size distribution of income due to its potential to reproduce the effect of a mode around low-incomes as well as its precision in capturing the degree of kurtosis of empirical distributions. These characteristics make the log-t an ideal analysis tool, for instance, for exploring the effects of anti-poverty policies. The model has been fitted to income data for the EU25 and for several years. The conclusion is that the log Student’s t distribution offers the best fit in the vast majority of cases.     

International Economies of Scale and the Gains from Trade

In this paper, we present a two-country trade model with external economies of scale that emerge on an international level but are partially localized in each country. First, we show that the larger country exports the good produced in an industry with external economies of scale in the trading equilibrium. Second, we investigate the welfare effects of trade for the following two cases: (I) the case where external economies are completely localized in autarky; (II) the case where external economies are internationally effective in autarky. In case (II), it is shown that trade can be welfare-decreasing for both countries.     

An Instrumentalist Critique of “Cost-Utility Analysis”

This paper seeks to explain the causes of turbulence in foreign exchange markets in selected transition economies (Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia,Macedonia, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine) over the period 1995-2006. It uses a set of categorical regression (CATREG) models. It considers the influence of macroeconomic, social development, institutional and external variables, based on first, second or third generation previously released theoretical models, bringing a new innovative and wider approach to the field. It finds that the insights developed by second and third generation models complement rather than substitute for the explanation provided by first generation models in the case of transition economies.     

中国制造业集聚的实证研究：基于企业规模异质性视角

本文基于中国制造业集聚的数据,从企业规模异质性视角出发,检验中国制造业集聚经济效应。首先考察影响制造业集聚的一般因素,然后重点考察了企业规模因素对集聚经济的影响机制。研究发现：除了运输成本优势、劳动力成本等影响制造业集聚的一般因素之外,企业规模异质性也对集聚经济效应产生影响。最后通过构造隐含企业规模因素的集聚经济新变量,对企业规模异质的集聚经济效应进行检验。本文的研究发现,小型企业的专业化经济和竞争效应大于大中型企业。这一结论不仅反映了不同规模企业对制造业集聚影响的差异,也说明了小型企业对制造业集聚的重要性。     

Economies of density, scale and scope in the water supply and sewerage sector: a study of four developing and transition economies

Using panel data, we estimate measures of density, scale and scope economies in four countries that differ substantially in their levels of economic development and in their piped water and sewerage coverage: Brazil, Moldova, Romania and Vietnam. We find evidence of economies of scale in Moldova, Romania and Vietnam. In Brazil, we cannot reject the null hypothesis of constant returns to scale. The results of this study show that the cost structure of water and sewerage utilities varies significantly within and between countries and over time.      

专业化产业区的起源与演化——一个历史与理论视角的考察

在最近十年中 ,中小企业在特定地理空间大规模集聚形成的专业化产业区是浙江经济发展和产业组织发展的一种最为重要的形式。本文探讨了专业化产业区的生成机制 ,基本假设为任何两个产业的发展都存在产业特定性要素和重叠性要素的竞争 ,而产业特定性要素在特定地理空间的大规模集聚解释了专业化产业区的起源与演化。     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed:
Gregg S., Robins Banking in Transition. East Germany after Unification
Carmelo, Mesa-Lago Market, Socialist and Mixed Economies. Comparative Policy and Performance – Chile, Cuba and Costa Rica
Anders, Åslund and Georges de, Ménil Economic Reform in Ukraine: The Unfinished Agenda     

Outsiders in economic integrationThe case of a transition economy

We use a spatial model of endogenous growth to investigate the likely impact of discriminatory integration between two advanced insider countries on their own welfare as well as on the welfare of an outsider transition economy. A first point is that, since convergence in per capita income levels depends on relative market access and local market size, piece-wise integration causes insider-outsider divergence. Nonetheless, outsiders can gain in absolute terms if integration fosters the global growth rate. We also show that exclusion from a regional agreement and on-going transition have unpredictable joint effects on the structural adjustment, which might even exhibit a swinging behaviour. Such swings may imply large adjustment costs, which can be reduced by careful integration design. With this respect, the asymmetric phasing-out of trade barriers built into the Europe Agreements seems to work in the right direction. Finally, we point out that the predictions of the model in terms of direct investment and terms-of-trade dynamics are broadly consistent with some actual developments in transition economies.