数字经济背景下ICT货物贸易的影响因素分析——以"一带一路"沿线国家(地区)为例

本文在阐述“一带一路”沿线国家(地区)ICT(信息通信技术)货物贸易现状的基础上,利用2007~2019年贸易流量数据与空间杜宾模型,实证分析贸易格局与国家产业基础、资源禀赋、营商环境等因素的关系。研究发现:(1)“一带一路”沿线国家(地区)ICT货物贸易呈现出两边高-中间低的空间格局,产业基础是主要影响因素,并存在正向的空间溢出效应;(2)改善本国营商环境、提高城市化水平、扩大经济体量是每个沿线国家(地区)改变其ICT贸易格局的有利举措。同时需要注意对外直接投资、汇率及关税的调节作用,重视经济合作组织的影响;(3)我国应充分发挥贸易的直接和间接效应,积极拓展ICT产业新型基础设施建设,满足人们日益增长的带宽需要及通信需求。     

China׳s information security standardization: Analysis from the perspective of technical barriers to trade principles

There have been many attempts for ICT standardization in China. Among them, this paper deals with information security standards. Although information security is often mentioned regarding China?s ICT standardization, it has been rarely examined per se. While most studies on China?s ICT standardization focus on economic aspects (e.g. increased bargaining power) or the government?s role, this paper draws on legal aspects. We select WAPI and ZUC for case studies, and examine their legal aspects, particularly from the perspective of WTO?s TBT (technical barriers to trade) principles. We have found that China?s standardization strategy becomes international-bound and, in fact, the manner in which the Chinese government handles standardization projects has become refined, flexible, and communicative with foreign stakeholders. We see that the changes are responses to the trade concerns raised by foreign stakeholders in various TBT Committee meetings and bilateral meetings. In addition, the Chinese government appears to become market-oriented even in the field of information security where it previously maintained a rigid stance on the ground of national security. This paper points out that the changes are attributed to growing external pressure from foreign governments and firms as well as to internal efforts toward innovation based on indigenous technology.     

Money secrets: How does trade secret legal protection affect firm market value? Evidence from the uniform trade secret act

Research summary : We investigate the impact of trade secret legal protection on firm market value in the context of acquisitions. On one hand, market value may increase because trade secret assets become better protected from rivals. On the other hand, market value may decrease because trade secret protection reduces information about the target and its competitors available to potential buyers, increasing uncertainty about its value. Buyers will discount their offers in expectation of being compensated for riskier deals. Using a sample of private equity investments in the United States, we find that trade secret protection has a positive effect in industries with high mobility of knowledge workers, but a negative effect in industries with (1) high resource–value uncertainty and (2) high poor‐investment risk. Managerial summary : We argue that an increase in trade secret legal protection might not unequivocally benefit firm owners when selling their business. A stronger trade secret protection increases the market value of firms in industries with high workers' mobility, but it decreases the market value of firms in industries with uncertain resource value and/or high risk of poor‐acquisition investments. Based on the contingent effect of trade secret protection, companies may want to adjust their strategic decisions, including where to locate or relocate, based in part on whether they will derive benefits or suffer losses when trade secrets are better protected. Finally, our study should help policymakers understand more fully the economic impact of government policies associated with trade secrets. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Patent hold-out and licensing frictions: Evidence from litigation of standard essential patents

The theory of patent “hold-out” posits that frictions in the market for licensing standard-essential patents (SEPs) provide incentives for prospective licensees to opportunistically delay taking licenses with the goal of avoiding or reducing royalty payments. We construct measures of pre- and in-litigation hold-out from information disclosed in U.S. cases filed 2010–2019. Relying on both SEP and a matched control set of non-SEP disputes, we explore whether frictions in the market for licensing are associated with hold-out. We find some evidence of an association between hold-out and both SEP portfolio size and enforcement uncertainty; however, we find no evidence associating pre- or in-litigation hold-out with the international breadth of SEP rights.     

New new technologies: the future and the present of work in information and communication technology

This paper outlines a selection of technological and organisational developments in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector and analyses their likely challenges for workers and trade unions around the globe. It addresses the convergence of telecommunications and information technology, the related developments of ubiquitous computing, ‘clouds’ and ‘big data’, and the possibilities of crowdsourcing and relates these technologies to the last decades' patterns of value chain restructuring. The paper is based on desk research of European and international sources, on sector analyses and technology forecasts by, for instance, the European Union and Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development, and some national actors. These prognoses are analysed through the lens of recent research into ICT working environments and ICT value chains, identifying upcoming and ongoing challenges for both workers and unions, and outlining possible research perspectives.     

Declared essential patents and average total R&D expenditures per patent family

The sharp increase in SEP declarations and declaring firms emphasizes the necessity for understanding firms’ innovation investment behavior in standardization. This paper empirically investigates whether declared standard-essential patents (SEPs) and the declaring firm’s business model (operationalized as a firm’s location in the value chain) are associated with a firm’s innovation investment behavior. To this end, we measure firms’ innovation investment behavior through average total research and development (R&D) expenditures per filed patent family for publicly listed firms from 1999 to 2018. Our sample mainly includes major SEP family declarants. We rely on a binary business model taxonomy differentiating upstream and downstream firms. Within that setting, total R&D expenditures rise with increasing fragmentation of declared SEP families, suggesting that firms adjust their R&D investments to declaration developments in standard-setting organizations (SSOs). We also show that upstream firms have significantly lower total R&D expenditures than downstream firms, which could indicate structural differences in their intellectual property (IP) and R&D management processes. Our results can help SSOs and regulators better understand firms’ innovation investment behavior.     

ICT interaction with trade,FDI and financial inclusion on inclusive growth in top African nations ranked by ICT development

The significance of ICT (information and communication technology) framework in efforts to attract foreign investment (FDI), sustain commerce, and boost financial inclusion for enhanced inclusive growth has revolutionized the global system recently. Furthermore, earlier researches on the connection between ICT and growth concentrated more on general expansion than on the kind of growth that is evenly distributed and has broader societal implications than merely growing the size of the overall economic pie. This study critically analyzes the connection between ICT diffusion and inclusive growth, considering the interactive impacts of trade openness, FDI, and financial inclusion on inclusive growth in top African nations ranked in terms of ICT development, so as to close the existing literature gap. An improved-GMM (generalized method of moments) technique, founded on panel data-set spanning the years 2000–2020, is used in the study. By employing PCA (principal component analysis) to measure inclusive growth, ICT diffusion, and financial inclusion indices, the study contributes to the body of prior research. The model also accounts for the heterogeneous impact of the interactive term between ICT diffusions and trade openness, FDI, and financial inclusion on inclusive growth. Overall, results indicate that while ICT diffusion, trade openness, FDI, and financial inclusion significantly and positively enhance inclusive growth at both the individual and interaction levels, inflation hinders it. The study suggests that policymakers should establish measures to advance ICT development, encourage trade openness, attract foreign direct investment, and improve financial inclusion because these measures have tendencies to support inclusive growth by opening up a number of opportunities.     

China 5G: Opportunities and Challenges

China has become a forerunner in the global ICT ecosystem since a catching-up policy was adopted more than two decades ago. Breaking technology dependence has been a focal point over the course of the development. Before the Sino-US trade tensions began in 2018, Chinese telecom companies had been poised to take leadership in the emerging 5G industry. Now, both China and its Western counterpartsface opportunities and challenges. This special edition is aimed to encourage and integrate academic inquiries into related theoretical and policy issues.     

Impact of data trade restrictions on IT services export: A cross-country analysis

Trade in digital goods and services have witnessed increasing growth in recent years, accompanied by a corresponding increase in data flows across national boundaries. At the same time, governments around the world have enacted data policies that restrict such cross border data flows in their effort to claim sovereignty over data generated from within their countries. However, scholars have long proclaimed that any restrictions to the Internet and associated digital trade will have serious economic consequences. Given this context, we analyze the impact of data policies that impose restrictions on digital trade, specifically on cross border data flows. We construct Market Data Restrictions Index (MDRI), that measures the data restrictions faced by an exporting country from their trade partners. We use a variation of random effect model on a panel data set consisting of 60 countries that contribute to more than 50 percent of IT services export during the period 2006–2017. The results indicate that apart from variables such as Foreign Direct Investment, and Service Value Added, the MDRI of partner countries has a moderate negative effect on IT services export. If countries move from liberal policies to stringent data restrictions, the economies of the country that exports its ICT services to these partner countries is affected substantially. Hence government regulators shall be cautious in imposing stringent data restrictions as it affects global digital trade.     

Comparison of Chinese and Korean companies in ICT global standardization: Essential patent analysis

The latecomers from Asia—China and Korea—started to participate in information and communication technology (ICT) global standardizations as they accumulated technological capabilities. We observed the current situation of ICT global standardizations in those countries by analyzing the mobile communications standards, WCDMA and LTE, and derived interesting findings and meaningful implications from the analysis. First, this paper provides evidence of the differences in Chinese and Korean standard strategies; China is creating its own standard whereas Korea goes with global standardization. Second, this paper shows the subsequent results of the different strategies. In detail, we conducted an analysis based on (declared) essential patents in WCDMA and LTE. The results indicate that China and Korea hold a significant number of essential patents and their numbers compete with those of leading countries. However, the analysis shows that Korea accumulated domestic knowledge that enables the country to actively participate in standardization,but China still heavily relies on foreign knowledge, probably because China is attempting to create its own standard and accumulating knowledge takes a long time despite its efforts.Our findings have several implications for leading countries and other following countries.     

参与全球生产网络对我国制造业价值链提升影响的实证研究——基于出口复杂度的分析

本文通过102个主要国家的SITC五位码贸易数据计算了我国2001—2009年24个制造业行业的出口复杂度(ESI),以此衡量各行业在全球价值链中的地位,并实证检验了全球生产网络对我国制造业价值链地位的影响。研究发现,总体而言,全球生产网络促进了我国制造业价值链提升,资本密集度和高技术资本密集度也可以显著提高价值链地位,但经济自由度、研发对我国制造业价值链提升的积极作用并不显著。进一步的研究发现,全球生产网络对我国制造业价值链地位的影响存在显著的行业差异性,具体表现为,与以零部件贸易为主的行业相比,全球生产网络对价值链提升的积极影响在以半成品贸易为主的行业中更为显著;在资本技术密集型行业中,全球生产网络有助于提升我国制造业的价值链地位,但在劳动密集型行业和资本密集型行业中这一作用并不明显。     

Female participation in African labor markets: The role of information and communication technologies

This article investigates the effects of information and communication technologies (ICT) on female labor force participation in a sample of 48 African countries. We specify and estimate linear regression and dynamic panel data models with fixed effects (FE) and system-generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM) estimation over the period 2001–2017. The three main results are that ICT use (mobile phone and internet) significantly stimulates female labor force participation in Africa; this effect is enhanced by financial development and female education; the effect of ICT on female employment in Africa is strongest in the industrial sector. These results remain robust to the provision of social, cultural, and institutional variables.     

Total factor productivity enablers in the ICT industry: A cross-country firm-level analysis

Advancements in productivity in the digital economy constitute an important engine for economic growth. What drives productivity dynamics in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector? This study examines the productivity dynamics of ICT firms across countries from the perspective of corporate balance sheets. We study the effects of intangible assets and leverage on productivity growth using firm-level panel data from five industrialized countries. We find that intangible assets positively affect the total factor productivity in the ICT sector. The positive effect of intangible assets on total factor productivity growth is larger for ICT manufacturing firms than for ICT service firms. We also find that leverage has a positive relationship with total factor productivity development in the ICT sector. In addition, our empirical results substantiated that productivity is catching up to the technological frontier. Furthermore, larger firms and/or younger firms generally show higher total factor productivity growth than their peers. Economies of scale are more prominent in the ICT service sector than in the ICT manufacturing sector. Our findings contribute to the understanding of cross-country productivity dynamics in the ICT sector at the firm level in the digital economy.     

The joint effects of information and communication technology development and intercultural miscommunication on international trade: Evidence from China and its trading partners

It is expected that advancements in communication technology can promote international trade by reducing transaction costs, improving efficiency, and moderating information asymmetry. Moreover, intercultural miscommunication caused by cultural differences generates costs from communication breakdowns during international trade. Using bilateral trade data from China and its major trading partners, this study not only provides further empirical evidence to support these claims but also examines the joint effect of those two factors on international trade, which have not been addressed in the literature. This study reveals the mixed results of the joint effects of intercultural miscommunication and the three factors of communication technology (access, use, and skills). More specifically, individualistic behaviours and masculine attitudes contribute the most to the negative effect on the relationship between international trade and communication technology access and use. In contrast, communication technology skills interact with intercultural miscommunication in different ways.     

The effect of government 5G policies on telecommunication operators’ firm value: Evidence from China

To lead the world's fifth-generation mobile communication networks (5G) market, China introduced several policies to support 5G industry development that will impact telecommunication operators, the main implementers in this industry. Thus, this study examines the impact of the government's 5G policy announcements on telecommunication operators' firm value in China, where the state exerts a strong influence on industry development. We find that government policy announcement in general affects telecommunication operators' stock returns negatively, and when the government announces policies with a higher level of interference, the decline in firm value is more pronounced. To understand the comprehensive impact of 5G technology on telecommunication operators, we also examine the effect of institution-driven corporate technology R&D and investment activities on firm value. We find that the firms' 5G activities also decrease their firm value, and this effect is more significant than government policy announcements. These results imply that the market has a negative evaluation of the introduction of 5G technology due to its immaturity and uncertainty. This study provides a basis for understanding the market's views on 5G technology and development policies.     

Antecedents and consequences of logistics value: And empirical investigation in the Spanish market

In business practice and the academic study of logistics, the incorporation of concepts such as quality followed by value has been truly revolutionary. In addition, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has substantially modified the way inter-company relationships are managed. This has meant that logistics is no longer considered a routine, merely operational activity but a strategic variable which is a deciding factor in achieving customer satisfaction. There are, however, still a large number of companies which continue to ignore the differentiating potential of logistics and consider it to be a routine activity. Our contribution comes within the framework of this new perspective which is analysed on the basis of an emerging concept: logistics value. The objective of this study is to contribute to the knowledge on what logistics value consists of and how it is formed, in business to business (B2B) relationships in particular. On the basis of a theoretical framework obtained from the literature review of perceived value from a trade-off perspective, we carry out an empirical analysis to determine the antecedents and consequences of logistics value. Our results, through SEM analysis show that ICT, the benefits derived from supplier-customer relationship, logistics service quality and the sacrifices associated to logistics service delivery in terms of costs, contribute to creating logistics value which is the antecedent to the classic satisfaction-loyalty chain.     

新兴经济大国中间产品创新驱动全球价值链攀升——基于中国经验的解释

本文在全球价值链分工框架下,基于中国的实践,提出新兴经济大国中间产品创新驱动全球价值链攀升的机制与路径,即利用低成本的比较优势获取发达经济体中低端中间产品外包,通过国内生产体系的规模经济与范围经济,引致国内中间产品的创新,实现进口替代,进而引发技能偏向性技术进步以及来自发达经济体的知识溢出与研发合作。上述机制共同推动着中国向全球价值链高端持续攀升。实证检验发现,中国制造业中间产品创新对全球价值链分工地位的影响存在显著的滞后效应和累积效应,对间接出口国内附加值率的提升作用、对高技术制造业的促进作用更明显;进口技术溢出对中国制造业全球价值链攀升有一定的负向效应,但随着中间产品创新能力的不断提升,负向效应明显下降;在向全球价值链高端攀升的过程中,随着中国制造业高技能劳动力和本土市场规模的不断增长,中间产品创新对全球价值链攀升的正向影响增强。本文的政策含义是,持续深化对外开放,尤其是促进创新、知识和科技服务贸易自由化;提高国内创新体系效率;扩大高技能劳动力教育供给与国际研发合作;提高国内中间产品R&D投入强度,逐步降低对G5发达经济体中间产品的依赖,释放国内巨大市场规模的效应,持续推动中国制造业向全球价值链高端攀升。     

Price Commitments in Standard Setting under Asymmetric Information*

Standards may create market power for the holders of standard essential patents (SEPs). To address these concerns, the literature advocates price commitments, whereby SEP holders commit to the maximum royalty they would charge were their technology included in the standard. We consider a setting in which a technology implementer holds private information about profitability. In this setting, price commitments increase efficiency not only by curbing SEP holders' market power, but also by alleviating distortions in the design of the royalty scheme. We derive conditions under which price commitments can be implemented using a simple royalty cap as used in practice.     

Do ICTs drive wealth inequality? Evidence from a dynamic panel analysis

Surprisingly, little is known about the cross-country effect of information and communication technology (ICT) on wealth inequality. At the same time, there is some tentative evidence suggesting that information and communication technology is positively correlated with income inequality. However, whether and how ICT affects wealth inequality is less explored, particularly because of the lack of reliable data on wealth inequality. This paper, therefore, fills this gap and contributes to this new literature by investigating the effect of ICT on wealth inequality in a sample of 45 developed and developing countries over the period 2000–2017. ICT is measured with six different indicators (including internet penetration, mobile penetration, ICT service exports, the ICT index, ICT quality, and ICT quantity), while wealth inequality is measured with three different indicators (comprising billionaire wealth to GDP, the Top 1% wealth share, and the Top 10% wealth share). The empirical analysis is based on the Generalised Method of Moments, and the results show that ICT increases wealth inequality. Furthermore, we show that democracy mitigates the increasing effect of ICT on wealth inequality. This result suggests that improving democracy in both developed and developing countries is an effective mechanism for mitigating the effects of ICT on wealth inequality. Therefore, we encourage efforts to implement democratic institutions that ensure respect for citizens' freedoms, greater democratic accountability, and executive constraints that allow for a more egalitarian distribution of wealth.     

参与生产分割对中国工业价值链及收入的影响研究

生产分割对一国价值链的提升和收入增长具有重要的促进作用,本文考察了参与生产国际分割对中国35个工业行业的价值链水平、收入增长以及投入要素的报酬收入的影响。结果表明:生产分割与贸易出口等指标对因变量具有显著效果,生产分割对技术部门的价值链促进作用所引起的差距比资本部门明显,生产分割使得技术部门、资本部门的收入增长差距均加大,另外生产分割也促进了高密集度资本投入要素的报酬收入增长,同时还拉开了高技术与低技术劳动力投入要素的报酬收入增长之间的差距。