Determinants of energy use in the informal food sector

Although enterprises in the informal food sector require energy to transform, cook and process food, energy-use patterns in this sector are not well understood by policymakers and the local-level authorities who regulate their trading activities. This paper reviews relevant literature and presents empirical data collected in Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa on the use of traditional and modern energy sources by informal food sector operators. Our sample includes male- and female-operated enterprises in the urban centres of three African countries where the informal food sector is important, not only for providing the convenience of affordable and readily prepared meals, but also as a source of income for women and men in developing countries. Multiple fuel-use and energy-stacking strategies are common among informal food enterprises and policy needs to acknowledge this if it is to intervene in ways that will benefit both enterprises and regulators.     

Impacts of China-US trade conflicts on the energy sector

This paper uses a multi-country input-output model to simulate the impacts of the recent China-U.S. trade war. We first examine in detail the list of products subject to additional tariffs, and then use the model to estimate the economic impacts of the trade conflict. Based on the direct and indirect impacts on the energy sector of each country, we then extend the analysis to the issue of global energy demand. Our empirical results indicate that both China and the U.S. suffer from the conflict, although the impacts on China are greater Both countries experience a reduction in energy demand and a general economic slowdown. Although certain countries may benefit from the China-U.S. trade conflict in short-run, a general negative impact on the global economic prospects can affect all. Moreover, a short-term marginal impact on the global energy market is found, but as the consequence of long-term uncertainties and indirect economic impacts, further reductions of global energy demand are expected.     

Man in the public sector

Summary This paper addresses the question of how to model government behavior. The central thought is that in principle the same behavioral model should apply to the behavior of individuals in the private sector as well as the public sector. The paper starts, therefore, with an outline of the contours of a general model of individual behavior. Use is thereby made of the so-called interest function approach that I developed inOn the Interaction Between State and Private Sector (Amsterdam, North-Holland, 1983) and which is somewhat further elaborated in this paper. The model is subsequently applied to the behavior of the individuals that make up the government organization, bureaucrats and politicians. The potential importance of the approach is indicated by a short survey of the theoretical and empirical results obtained with it so far.     

“十二五”节能目标下我国电力行业的碳减排潜力分析

能源发展"十二五"规划对我国火电节能减排和能源结构调整都提出相应的目标,本文基于此,在2011-2015年的发电水平上测算出节能减排和发展清洁能源下的节能潜力和碳减排潜力。其结果表明,"十二五"期间电力行业的节能目标和能源目标都提早实现,实际节约标准煤20.3亿t,CO2总减排量达44.5亿t。     

The government sector,the export sector and growth

Summary A three-sector, two-input growth model is developed which potentially allows for the separate identification of government and export sector productivity differentials and externality effects. Using data from a limited sample of OECD countries (which are the only countries for which reliable capital stock data are readily available), we find that the export sector is more productive than the rest of the economy, but that neither an externality effect nor a productivity differential can be detected in the case of the government sector.The author wishes to acknowledge financial assistance from a Research Grant from the Division of Commerce of the University of Otago which funded the participation of William M. Jones as research asistant in this work. Thanks are due to Annette Godman for secretarial assistance. The referees of this journal made extensive comments on an earlier version of this paper, and the present version is substantially better thanks to them. Remaining errors are, of course, my responsibility.     

Investment appraisal in the public sector

Recent developments, such as privatization and the private financeinitiative, have raised the issue of which assets should beowned by the public sector and whether assets have differentvalues in the public and private sectors. In order to answerthe questions, we first note that the allocative considerationsthat usually motivate government intervention need not requirethe direct provision of services by the government using government-ownedassets. We then argue that the government should own the assetsused to provide the services where the private sector fearsexpropriation by the government, or where ownership conferson the private sector such power as to preclude efficient allocations.Finally, we argue that the discount rate for governments' projectsequals the expected return on comparable investments in thecapital markets. The government should, however, discount pre-taxcash flows at the pre-tax discount rate, for it receives alltax revenues.     

Fostering the capital-goods sector in LDCs

The conventional arguments in favour of the production of capital goods by LDCs are based on comparative advantage, the possibility of designs appropriate to indigenous factor proportions, and the externalities conferred on other sectors. These and other arguments are inducing the governments of many middle-income countries to more intensively foster the development of the machinery sector. This paper examines the analytic and empirical bases of the conventional arguments and finds a considerably more complex picture than that contained in earlier studies.     

Pricing in the hotel and catering sector

Summary A model explaining gross margins in the hotel and catering sector is developed. A cost-mark-up model for the retail sector is used as a starting point. Although we have to reject the hypothesis of mark-up pricing in the hotel and catering sector, the model proves a useful instrument to discriminate between such influences as sales composition, costs and their various components, scale and demand conditions on price setting. Our empirical evidence stems from the Dutch hotel and catering sector (1977 through 1981).We are extremely grateful to the Central Bureau of Statistics (particularly the Department of Interior Trade and Commercial Services) in Voorburg, The Netherlands for permitting the use of their data under certain secrecy conditions.     

Economics of the public sector

Likierman, A. 1988: Public Expenditure: Who Really Controls it and How? London: Penguin, £4.99.

Helm, D. (ed) 1989: The Economic Borders of the State. Oxford: Oxford University Press, £35.00 cloth, £15.00 paper.

Collard, D. (ed) 1989: Fiscal Policy: Essays in Honour of Cedric Sandford. Aldershot: Avebury, £35.00 cloth.

Hare, P. (ed) 1988: Surveys in Public Sector Economics. Oxford: Blackwell, £37.50 cloth.     

On modelling the informal sector

A recent plea by Robert Hackenberg to develop new conceptual models in order ‘to take full account of the new realities of the urban informal sector’ and ‘rid the field from divergent connotations’ is questioned. It seems that existing models easily lend themselves to analysis of the formal-/informal-sector interactions and that divergent conditions necessarily lead to ‘contradictions’. Thus, the existing arsenal of models cannot be held responsible for ‘analysis paralysis’. New research on the informal sector, rather than aiming at ultra-generalizations, should concentrate on issues such as identification of the determining factors of the urban production technologies and the nature of linkages and elasticity of substitution between formal and informal production.     

Privatization and the private sector

From the perspective of someone who has observed the private and public sectors in emerging economies for many years, it is interesting to recall that in the past it was the World Bank that supported the development of state-owned utilities and industrial enterprises in developing countries, especially Latin America. It is also in Latin America that the World Bank became a convert to and promoter of privatization. A key lesson of privatization in emerging markets is the importance of competition, not only in the sale process but in the subsequent operation of privatized enterprises. Protective devices, such as core shareholders and areas off-limits to foreign investors, are counterproductive. Privatization has spawned a new generation of entrepreneurs and been especially beneficial to the development of domestic capital markets.     

The rise of the service sector in China

This paper analyzes the underlying mechanisms that explain the rise of the service sector in China. Along with China’s unprecedented growth, the rapid expansion of its service sector is one of the fastest among emerging countries. However, the literature has yet to offer a clear understanding of such expansion. We show that distribution services first grow with the manufacturing sector, followed by personal services as per capita income rises. Motivated by this growth pattern, this paper provides a theory that describes 1) the complementarity between distribution services and the manufacturing sector, and 2) the substitution between personal services and home production. Empirics show that the personal service sector is the key to account for the early and rapid rise of the service sector in China. Quantitatively, high productivity growth and high capital intensity in the personal service sector, and labor market frictions are the most important channels. By revealing the growth pattern of the service sector in the early stages of development, the paper thereby contributes to the growing literature on the rising importance of the service economy.     

Recession and the informal sector in South Africa

Despite the recent avalanche of writings investigating the informal sector, scant consideration has been accorded to the impact of an economic recession upon the growth and complexion of the informal sector.The object of this paper is to reflect upon the likely consequences of economic recession upon the South African informal sector in light of the extant international literature. Two different sets of processes are identified as impacting upon the growth and composition of the informal sector. The first suggests that the growth of the informal sector is the consequence of the lack of expansion of the formal sector. The second argues that much of the expansion in the informal sector is directly linked to its integration with formal sector enterprises. Under recessionary conditions, it is suggested that the growth of the informal sector may occur as a refuge from destitution but that the complexion of the informal economy will shift and be dominated by activities of a more ‘socially unacceptable’ nature.     

助力广阳湾智创生态城建设 科大讯飞发出重庆“智慧之声”

2021年10月,重庆举行广阳湾智创生态城规划发布会,正式发布广阳湾智创生态城长江以南约115平方公里范围的规划情况和未来蓝图。在这幅蓝图里,“智慧”是其中重要的关键词之一。在广阳湾智创生态城范围内,近年来聚集了以科大讯飞为代表的一大批智慧企业,为智创生态城建设打下了扎实的产业基础。     

Prison Industries and the private sector

In 1979, Congress passed the Prison Industry Enhancement (PIE) Act to promote private production within prisons. As of June 1994, 31 states had instituted PIE projects. Using a public choice model, this paper attempts to explain the likelihood that a stat ewould choose to participate in PIE. Using logistic regression, the study finds that states with stronger unions, democratic governors, and high unemployment will be less likely to allow PIE projects. Alternatively, states that exhibit a progressive prison management will be more likely to allow PIE projects.     

加快第三产业发展实现经济结构优化——安徽省第三产业发展中存在的问题及对策

本文对安徽省第三产业发展中存在的问题进行了剖析 ,结合安徽省情 ,为加快安徽第三产业发展 ,实现经济结构优化提出了对策