Public Procurement at the Local Level in Austria: The Economic Consequences of Compulsory Competitive Tendering for Public Services

This paper looks at possible problems concerning the economic effects of the introduction of an compulsory competitive tendering for general economic interest services at the local level. It examines the framework in Austria and some fundamental problems of competitive tendering. An obligation binding local authorities to put general economic interest services up for competitive tender, as currently intended by the European Commission (i.e. service concessions), would have considerable medium- and long-term effects on both the process of municipal service provision and the economic position of municipal (public) enterprises. The paper concludes that, from an economic point of view, procurement through competitive tendering does not appear to be effective or tenable for all general economic interest services in (all) different areas. The introduction of compulsory competitive tendering for service concessions in all areas of public services is therefore something best forgotten.     

The Protection of the Public Interest in the Context of Competitive Tendering

Public contracts increasingly have to be awarded through a procedure of public competitive tendering. State and other public bodies awarding public service contracts use this mechanism to require bidders to meet specific public interests, for example, certain environment standards, the promotion of women, or the employment of long-term unemployed persons. Such requirements impose upon bidders criteria not explicitly related to the contract, the implementation of which increases the project's cost and thus precludes the selection of the most economic offer, contrary to what is required by European recommendations. However the European Court of Justice has accepted such practice by Member States, considering it their right to organize themselves, within certain conditions, which are reviewed in this paper.     

Long-term Impacts of Competitive Tendering of Public Services on Market Structures

The EU intends to use calls for tenders to serve in the general economic interest, with a view to replacing administration by the market. Service providers and contracting authorities are expected to enter into lasting partnerships, based on incomplete contracts and flexible outputs. These partners in public service contracts are very different economic entities and to what extent calls for tenders will see the intended services delivered depends considerably on the partners' negotiating abilities and behaviour towards one another. Possible outcomes in different market situations are discussed under both static and dynamic circumstances.     

Competition and Costs: Evidence from Competitive Tendering in the Scottish National Health Service

This paper estimates the impact of competitive tendering on cleaning costs in Scottish National Health Service hospitals. Unlike previous studies, which have relied on cross‐sectional data, a five‐year balanced panel of 176 hospitals is used to estimate a series of fixed effects regression models. These panel estimates suggest that previous studies have likely over‐estimated the cost‐savings associated with competitive tendering. The findings also suggest that the lower costs associated with competitive tendering have more to do with auction theory than with any intrinsic efficiency of the private sector.     

关于建设黑龙江省公共服务型政府的对策思考

公共服务型政府建设是贯彻落实科学发展观的必然要求,关系着经济、社会和政治协调发展,是政府行政模式的根本性方向性的调整.及时采取有力措施,深化黑龙江省的服务型政府建设则是确保社会主义市场经济条件下政府充分发挥其在经济社会发展中的作用,更好地为人民、为社会服务的必然选择和正确选择.     

Competitive Tendering and Optimal Size in the Regional Bus Transportation Industry: An Example from Italy

When defining how to implement tendering procedures for the regional bus transportation industry, one of the main problems local authorities have to face is setting the area size to be assigned as franchised monopoly.
This paper's aim is to analyse the topic by combining some empirical results and evidence from recent developments in the Italian regional bus industry. The empirical results show that the bus transportation sector is characterized by the presence of economies of density and scale. These results imply that the best strategy for introducing competition in the bus industry is a competitive tendering approach for an area of given dimension and not necessarily a route-by-route tendering. However, it seems that the criterion applied by local authorities in Italy is much more related to political issues—such as jurisdictional boundaries of a municipal or provincial area—than a desire to promote the exploitation of economies of scale and density.     

新疆私营企业若干问题研究

新疆私营企业在发展中取得了一定的成绩，但也存在一些问题，如私营企业内部管理中家族化与专业化的矛盾；产权关系的矛盾；生产规模与经济效益的矛盾；化素质与管理需求的矛盾；融资渠道与资金需求的矛盾。导致私营经济发展滞后的外部环境因素主要有法律地位得不到相应的保护；发展私营企业的市场环境建设滞后；对私营企业的管理工作不够协调等。针对以上问题，本提出了私营企业发展的出路。     

公共物品的特许经营

公共物品性质使公共物品的提供和管理天然具有垄断性，公平和效率难于兼顾。委托代理制在解决公平和效率问题上仍然有缺陷。竞争性特许经营是解决公共物品提供的优化方式。     

公共财政与基本公共服务均等化

基本公共服务均等化是公共财政"公共性"的重要体现,也是科学发展观在社会领域的基本体现。文章首先探讨了基本公共服务均等化的理论内涵,接着就我国目前公共财政促进基本公共服务均等化的现状及存在的问题进行分析,最后,提出了促进基本公共服务均等化的对策。     

论我国突发性公共事务的财政投入方面存在的问题与对策

我国突发性公共事务的财政投入中,存在着总量投入不足、预备费流量式管理、事前投入不足和缺乏监督和效益评价机制问题。影响突发性公共事务的财政投入的几个重要因素有:财政支出总规模、公共性财政支出增长结构、财政职能和应急预算的非制度化等。     

税费改革与我国义务教育财政体制改革研究

税费改革极大地影响着义务教育经费来源渠道、收入规模及其投资规模和结构，使义务教育投资更依赖于县(市)级财政预算内资金投入，而当前的“分税制”财政体制下县级财政收入非常有限，县级财政无法承担义务教育投资与财政收支、经济同步增长的重大责任。因此，伴随着税费改革和农村经济政策改革措施的实施与落实，保障我国义务教育发展的最重要的措施应该是改革义务教育投资体制，将义务教育发展责任上移，实行建立以中央为主的义务教育财政投入新机制。     

关于我国农村的村民自治制度和土地制度的几个问题

农村的土地制度和农村的民主制度建设有着非常密切的关系。大家知道,人民公社制度是1984年被废除的,真正试行村民自治条例从1987年开始。从那时至今,已近14年了,并且取得了很多有益的成果。1998年经修订的村民自治条例,不仅在人大常委会经过了三审制度,而且在全国各大报上刊登出来,广泛征求人民的意见。这样,这个制度从规章本身的修改来看,是慎重和成熟的,所以限得的成效就比较明显。但从村民自治自身来看,仍存在三个不可回避的问题。     

公共服务均等化论略

政府为社会提供均等化的公共产品与服务是现代市场经济的必然要求。长期以来,我们实行的是城市偏向型公共产品供给制度,造成农村公共产品供给短缺、供给成本分担不合理、公共产品收益分享不公平、供给决策机制不规范等问题,影响了农村经济社会的发展,导致城乡经济社会发展进一步失衡。因此,必须根据公共财政的要求,实行城乡统筹的公共产品供给制度,以促进公共服务均等化目标的实现。     

公用事业行业市场竞争机制构建之我见

我国公用事业行业市场竞争机制构建过程中出现了各种问题。本文在探讨公用事业行业构建市场竞争机制的必要性和可能性的基础上,提出构建公用事业市场竞争机制的基本内涵应包含明确政府的职能定位和增加产业内竞争企业数量、潜在竞争者、替代品竞争者等方面。     

服务外包影响企业竞争优势的内在机制研究

作为企业发展的一种战略,服务外包可以培育和提升企业核心竞争力以获取持续竞争优势。在回顾企业竞争优势来源的基础上,文章梳理了服务外包在提升企业竞争优势中的作用,分析了服务外包对企业成本竞争优势、差异化竞争优势以及可持续竞争优势的影响渠道,揭示了服务外包影响企业竞争优势的内在机制,旨在为企业通过服务外包提升竞争优势提供政策建议。     

公共服务均等化的基本逻辑

公共服务均等化实际上是公民社会和市场经济发展到一定阶段纳税人权利意识凸显出来的必然要求和具体体现.公共服务均等化理念的产生及其实施背后有着深刻的政治、经济和社会逻辑.不同国家的社会经济状况各不相同,因而会对公共服务均等化不同维度的逻辑进行强调,这一状况使得不同国家的公共服务均等化在标准的选择以及制度安排上出现差异.在公共服务均等化已成为我国社会经济生活的重要目标的情况下,弄清楚公共服务均等化的基本逻辑是非常重要的.     

完善公共财政制度逐步实现公共服务均等化

本文论述了目前我国政府在提供教育、公共卫生、社会保障和社会福利等公共服务方面的缺位问题,分析了提供公共服务不足的体制性原因,即基层财政的财力与事权不相匹配,探讨了地区公共服务水平差距扩大的重要原因,即财政转移支付制度本身存在缺陷.在此基础上,提出改革建议:完善财政体制,规范转移支付制度,试行纵向转移与横向转移相结合的模式,逐步取消税收返还,将其并入一般转移支付形式,科学界定专项转移的标准,控制其准入的条件和规模,完善转移支付的法制化建设.     

中国与美国、欧盟农产品税制比较

本文通过对中国、美国、欧盟农产品税制的比较分析,提出了加入世界贸易组织以后中国农业面临的挑战以及我国农产品在税收体制上面临的一系列问题,从税收体制上提出了提高我国农产品国际竞争力的政策选择。     

城市公共建设投资间接管理的若干理论问题研究

本文根据投资体制改革的取向,提出了城市公共建设投资间接管理的概念,阐述了间接管理的涵义和功能。设计了作为间接管理主体的投资管理公司的构造;并且提出了间接管理运作的四大机制,从而为推进城市公共建设投资的间接管理作了理论铺垫。     

均等化基本公共服务的路径分析

公共服务中的基本公共服务是一个社会中人们生存和发展必需的基本条件,平等享受公共服务是公民的权利,政府应从制度上规范和保证这种权利的实现。目前我国地区间、城乡间基本公共服务提供的非均等化问题日益突出,成为影响社会公平和稳定的重要因素。健全公共财政制度、深化财政管理体制改革、完善均等化转移支付制度以及健全公共服务均等化的激励与约束机制等措施,是逐步实现均等化基本公共服务的主要路径选择。