Economic evaluation of a transport development programme for small‐scale cane‐growers

The cost‐benefit analysis procedure is used to determine the viability of a programme aimed at improving transport infrastructure for small‐scale cane‐growers. Two mill areas were evaluated, namely Amatikulu and Sezela, situated on KwaZulu‐Natal's north and south coasts respectively. Three models were constructed, as the Sezela area was subdivided into the Kwa‐Hlongwa (labour‐intensive) and Cabhane (plant‐hire) projects. The results reflecting the tangible costs and benefits indicate economic nett present values of R8,18 million, R7,91 million and R1,91 million for Amatikulu, Cabhane and Kwa‐Hlongwa respectively. In view of the results obtained in the base models and sensitivity analyses, indications are that the benefits of the programme will outweigh the costs by a considerable margin, making the programme a viable investment decision.     

美国医疗保险模式对我国医疗保险制度的启示

美国是世界上社会保障制度比较成熟的发达国家,其医疗、养老、失业、生育以及老年残障保险等方面均走在世界前列.关于医疗保险的形成与发展,应追溯到20世纪20年代.当时,美国受经济发展水平、政治制度和历史文化传统因素的影响,形成了以商业医疗保险为主体、公共医疗保险计划为补充的医疗保障体系,在这种制度背景下,它不但促进了美国社会保障事业的快速发展,也推动了整体国民素质的提升.     

An economic evaluation of tourism: A case study of accommodation facilities in southern Maputaland

This article presents the most relevant findings of a case study on tourist accommodation facilities in the Southern Maputaland Biosphere Reserve. The aim of the study was to gather information on the benefits and costs associated with the operation of existing tourist accommodation in the subregion. Twenty private tourism operations ranging from upmarket game lodges to bed and breakfast facilities were sampled. The results present a comparison of indicators of the economic impact and efficiency of tourism, such as revenue generation, annual rates of return on investment, employment creation and wage levels between various types of tourism operation as well as between tourism as a land use option and the alternative of agriculture. They also highlight the economic importance of the protected areas to the local tourism industry.     

An economic analysis of fertility

Summary In this article, the results of an empirical application for ten countries of Willis' economic theory of fertility are presented. In a further analysis for The Netherlands the model developed by Willis is confronted with some alternative models. It is concluded that among the models considered the Willis model is the most satisfactory one. However, in conformity with Leibenstein's propostition that economic factors are only relevant with respect to the question whether parents want more than two children, Willis' model proves to offer only an explanation for the question whether a married couple which has already two children wants to have a third child.He is indebted to Mr. F. Aldewereld and Mr. L.F.M. Groot for computational assistance and to Mr. T.J.J. Doodeman, Mrs. Y.K. Grift and Mr. J.J. Schippers for their comments on an earlier draft of this article.     

Environmentally adjusted evaluation of regional economic growth

Issues in the construction of sustainable development indicators for the constituent members of the Russian Federation are discussed. To this end, the value of environmental pollution damage and the value of natural resource rent for all the constituents of the Russian Federation are defined. Environmental pollution damage and natural resource rent are viewed as two types of “unearned” income. The calculation of indicators of the gross regional product cleared of such incomes made it possible to evaluate more correctly the economic results and to define the level of innovative development of regional economies.     

西部开发中农业经济发展思路

农业经济发展在西部开发中的重要地位 农业经济的发展对于西部开发具有全局性重要意义。从理论上来讲，一个地区工业化的进程，应遵循基本的发展规律：在工业化的初期，依靠农业养活地区人口，并为工业积累资金，同时也为工业发展提供劳动力。随工业化进程的推进，农业基础地位的表现形式也是不断变化的。西部开发也应该首先充分提高农业经济水平，以求为经济发展打下良好基础。     

马来西亚经济形势分析

本文通过分析马来西亚经济状况、发展措施、面临的主要问题,认为马来西亚经济已经复苏,发展知识经济的策略对经济长远发展也很有意义,但在刺激国内工商活动、恢复外资信心、减少外部制约和防范金融危机等问题上,似乎绩效有限,这将使马来西亚的经济发展面对许多不确定因素。     

加快黑龙江县域经济发展研究

加快黑龙江县域经济发展面临很多新问题,相当多的县(市)结构调整任务十分艰难;县级财政运行困难,靠上级补贴和转移支付度日的县已占全省县(市)总数的75%;取消农业税和粮食购销体制改革使县域经济发展面临新挑战.它涉及体制、机制等深层次矛盾.为加快发展县域经济,应选择好能真正实践"三个代表"重要思想,敢于正视困难和具有科学发展观的人担任县(市)党政一把手,实行县(市)主要领导任职提名和财政"省管县";落实"五个统筹"战略,编制好"十一五"规划;立足当前,加快产业结构调整,千方百计完成"十五"计划后两年的任务;强力推进县级财源建设.     

The choice of sugar cane processing technique for Pakistan

This paper, after reviewing previous work on choice of sugar processing technique, presents an analysis of five combinations of product and scale for sugar manufacture in Pakistan. Engineering problems associated with small-scale and indigenous sugar processing techniques are identified and analysed. Economic evaluation using net present value and internal rate of return indicates that improved, small-scale gur processing is the most attractive option while providing a sugar product useful to the rural majority.     

An economic rationale for a system of loglinear asset demand functions

Summary In this paper we derived a system of asset demand functions from an expected utility maximization model, in which the utility function satisfies both the decreasing absolute risk aversion as well as the increasing relative risk aversion criteria. The rates of return are assumed to be distributed as a multivariate log-normal distribution. It is shown that a system of log-linear asset demand functions follows from the exact model as an approximation and performs better than similar types of linear asset demand functions which follow from a negative exponential utility function.I am grateful to Professor A. R. Bergstrom and Mr. R. E. Bailey for their comments on an earlier draft. Comments from the referee of this journal helped me to improve my presentation. I am also grateful to Professor R. Bandyopadhyay for his comments. I am solely responsible for any errors.