Peer heterogeneity,school tracking and students’ performances: evidence from PISA 2006

This paper analyses the interaction between school-tracking policies and peer effects in OECD countries. Using the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 data set, we show that linear peer effects are slightly concave-shaped in both early-tracking and comprehensive educational systems, but generally stronger in the early-tracking one. Second, and more interestingly, the effect of peer heterogeneity goes in opposite directions in the two systems. In both student- and school-level estimates, peer heterogeneity reduces students’ achievements in the comprehensive system while it has a positive impact in the early-tracking one. This reversal effect is robust to different definitions of early-tracking system, to the inclusion of pseudo-school fixed effects and to the exclusion of outlier countries. Finally, peer effects are stronger for low-ability students in both groups of countries.     

中国制造企业服务化转型的同群效应研究

本文基于 2007-2021 年中国A股制造业上市公司样本数据,研究我国制造企业服务化转型同群效应的存在性、产生机制及其影响因素问题.结果表明,企业服务化转型存在地区同群效应,结论经过一系列稳健性检验后仍然成立.学习模仿是企业服务化转型同群效应的产生机制,市场竞争程度是影响服务化转型同群效应的重要因素.进一步研究发现,企业服务化转型的同群效应存在异质性,固定资产比重低或客户集中程度高的企业,开展服务化转型的同群效应更显著.     

Quasi-Experimental Evidence of Peer Effects in First-Year Economics Courses at a Chinese University

The authors of this article implement a quasi-experimental strategy to estimate peer effects in economic education by exploiting the institutional setting in a large public university in China, where roommates are randomly assigned conditional on a student's major and province of origin. They found significant impacts of peer academic quality, measured as roommates’ average scores on the national College Entrance Exam, on first-year economics students’ scores in first-year microeconomics, macroeconomics, and accounting courses. They also found nonlinearity in peer effects: Roommates’ academic ability has significant effects for academically weak students but not for academically strong students.     

Recent Developments in Empirical Industrial Organization

This article is an annotated bibliography of recent empirical research in industrial organization, with emphasis on material subsequent to that covered by the Handbook of Industrial Organization.     

An Evaluation of a Developmental Economic Education Project Given Limited Data

The Joint Council on Economic Education's Developmental Economic Education Program (DEEP) has been subjected to evaluations, both on a nationwide basis and in terms of the effects of a given project in a local area. Usually, the results have been positive, but too few of the evaluations have employed rigorous statistical analysis. Furthermore, the lasting effects of the program have not been sufficiently considered. The authors of this article recognize important limitations in their study, but present interesting evidence of the possible impact of the DEEP project in one city (Minneapolis) and suggest the policy implications of their findings.     

Gender and culture: do they matter for norms?

In a natural experiment, we observed that the influence of a norm depended upon the gender and cultural background of participants. Both gender and cultural background contributed to the effect of peer pressure that partly controlled against the act of cheating among participants as they completed a group task. Furthermore, both factors served to describe the characteristics of hardworking individuals in the group. We therefore conclude that the effectiveness of a norm in a group is expected to depend upon the presence of hardworking individuals therein.     

Better peers,better scores? A study of twin junior high school graduates in Taiwan

Using data of twin students graduating from junior high schools between 2002 and 2004 in Taiwan, we estimate the effects of peers on high school joint entrance examination performance. To alleviate the potential endogeneity of peer educational achievement, linear models with twin fixed effect and instrumental variables are estimated. Quantile, quantile with twin fixed effect and quantile with instrument variables regressions are also implemented to determine whether estimated peer effects differ at various locations of the testing scores’ conditional distributions. Positive and statistically significant peer effects are found to exist at the mean and at different quantile levels.     

The impact of skilled immigrants on their local teammates’ performance

We use the Bosman ruling, which invalidated restrictions on the maximum number of foreign players allowed on professional football teams, to identify a causal positive impact of foreign players in German Bundesliga clubs on the individual performance of their domestic teammates.     

Choice of specialization: do peers matter?

Social influence is an important factor in learning and decision-making. We estimate peer influence on student choice of specialization using data on undergraduate students of a Russian university. Information about individual social ties has been gathered from a questionnaire survey. We show that specialization choice is significantly influenced by friends as well as by study partners. The strongest effect is produced by friends who are study partners and those who have similar academic achievements. Reciprocal friendship ties have a stronger influence on the choice than nonreciprocal ones. Also, the decision is affected by classmates with similar academic achievement. The results allow us to better understand the mechanisms of peer effects in the specialization choice.     

适度消费与环境保护

本文从经济活动的消费入手,揭示过度消费对环境造成的巨大危害并分析其原因,进而提出适度消费的观点和实行适度消费的两点建议。     

女性消费者的消费情感分析

女性消费者心理活动是一个完整的过程，其中除了认知过程和行为过程外，还包括情感过程。几乎每个女性消费者都自觉不自觉的体验过“冲动购买”，女性的这种行为在本文中认为是情感作用下的决策。本研究的重点是女性消费者的情感，包括女性消费者对商品情感过程、女性消费者的情感的影响因素，旨在为企业为女性消费者提供更好的服务。     

消费条件模型和各地区消费条件指数

本文建立了一个消费条件模型来考察影响我国人均消费水平变化的各种因素 ,包括交通运输和通讯等基础设施条件、城市化水平、消费者信用手段的发展、社会保障体系的发展 ,以及收入分配差距等等。模型发现城市化水平是在收入水平以外对人均消费影响最大的变量。交通运输和通讯设施条件也对消费有重要影响。银行卡普及率和养老保险的普及有正的影响 ,而以吉尼系数表示的收入差距可能具有负影响。基于模型取得的对消费影响的经验参数 ,作者建立了一个中国各地区消费条件指数 ,对各省市自治区的消费条件状况进行刻画。这对于进一步研究消费变动的未来趋势将有重要意义     

消费模式转型:国际金融危机视角下的反思

美国长期奉行的过度消费模式是本次国际金融危机的重要诱因.这种过度消费模式的形成既有其传统习惯的原因,也有其理论渊源和政府政策的引导.反观中国的消费模式,尽管已经发生或正在经历转型,但总体来说还是一种谨慎型消费,正是这种谨慎型消费,成为了中国抵御本次国际金融危机的一道屏障.在国际金融危机背景下中国应加快消费转型的步伐,大力促进适度消费,以实现经济又好又快发展.     

我国居民消费偏低的原因和对策研究

近些年来，随着我国经济的快速发展，虽然国民生产总值不断提高，但居民收入增长缓慢，收入差距逐步扩大，整个社会消费倾向偏低，导致消费率偏低。提高消费率有利于解决内需不足引发的一系列问题，提高全国人民的生活水平和质量，为构建和谐社会奠定坚实的基础。