Eco‐labelling and the Trade‐Environment Debate

In this paper we consider the effectiveness of eco‐labels as a substitute for alternative, but trade‐restrictive, environmental policies. Specifically, while there are concerns that eco‐labelling requirements increase the cost of international trade, due to their potential for misuse as technical trade barriers, little attention has been given to the environmental benefits of eco‐labelling. We show that incentive problems inherent in eco‐labelling policies make it a very weak tool of environmental policy. Despite this, we argue that eco‐labelling schemes may remain popular, owing to the lack of alternative WTO compliant environmental policies. We also use this framework to consider the economic and political conflicts facing the EU with regard to its policies on genetically modified organisms.     

Multilateral,Regional and Bilateral Trade‐Policy Options for the United States and Japan

We have used the Michigan Model of World Production and Trade to simulate the economic effects on the United States, Japan, and other major trading countries/regions of the Doha Round of WTO multilateral trade negotiations and a variety of regional/bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) involving the United States and Japan. We estimate that an assumed reduction of post‐Uruguay Round tariffs and other barriers on agricultural and industrial products and services by 33 per cent in the Doha Round would increase world welfare by $686.4 billion, with gains of $164.0 billion for the United States, $132.6 billion for Japan, and significant gains for all other industrialised and developing countries/regions. If there were global free trade with all post‐Uruguay Round trade barriers completely removed, world welfare would increase by $2.1 trillion, with gains of $497.0 billion (5.5 per cent of GNP) for the United States and $401.9 billion (6.2 per cent of GNP) for Japan. Regional agreements such as an APEC FTA, an ASEAN Plus 3 FTA, and a Western Hemisphere FTA would increase global and member country welfare but much less so than the Doha multilateral trade round would. Separate bilateral FTAs involving Japan with Singapore, Mexico, Chile and Korea, and the United States with Chile, Singapore and Korea would have positive, though generally small, welfare effects on the partner countries, but potentially disruptive sectoral employment shifts in some countries. There would be trade diversion and detrimental welfare effects on some non‐member countries for both the regional and bilateral FTAs analysed. The welfare gains from multilateral trade liberalisation are therefore considerably greater than the gains from preferential trading arrangements and more uniformly positive for all countries.     

The Trade‐Off between Foreign Direct Investments and Exports: The Role of Multiple Dimensions of Distance

To serve foreign markets, firms can either export or set up a local subsidiary through horizontal foreign direct investment (FDI). The conventional proximity–concentration theory suggests that FDI substitutes for trade if distance between countries is large, while exports become more important if scale economies in production are large. This paper investigates empirically the effect of different dimensions of distance on the choice between exports and FDI. We find that different dimensions of distance affect exports and FDI differently. There is clear evidence of a proximity–concentration trade‐off in geographical terms: the share of FDI sales in total foreign sales increases with geographical distance. The positive relation between import tariffs and FDI intensity provides further evidence for a trade‐off resulting from trade costs. On the other hand, the share of FDI decreases with language differences and cultural and institutional barriers. The latter dimensions of distance thus affect FDI more strongly than exports.     

RTAs' Proliferation and Trade‐diversion Effects: Evidence of the ‘Spaghetti Bowl’ Phenomenon

This paper investigates the trade‐diversion effects of regional trade agreements (RTAs), so‐called spaghetti bowl phenomenon (SBP), in multilateral trade. The SBP is due to the proliferation of RTAs. Thus, I investigate the relationship between the number of RTAs concluded by a country and the additional trade value attributed to a RTA. Using bilateral trade data in a sample of 119 countries, from 1995 to 2012, my main finding reveals a negative trade effect between them, confirming the existence of SBP in multilateral trade. However, results could not conclude the evidence of a negative effect of overlapping RTAs, involving the existence of SBP, within North–North, North–South or South–South trade. But, the additional trade value attributed to a RTA concluded with EU countries or US seems to confirm significantly a trade‐diversion effect because of the number of RTAs signed by these countries.     

Modes of production in home maintenance: accounting for the choice between formality,off the books and self‐provisioning

Households depend on the existence of a home, and therefore, maintenance plays an important social and economic role. Formal outsourcing is often overestimated here and alternative modes, such as informal outsourcing and do‐it‐yourself (DIY), are overlooked. This paper estimates and accounts for the choice of one mode of production in Flemish households. First, the different modes of production are quantified according to two different methods. Further, an explanation of the choice made is constructed. The complexity of maintenance work has an impact as well as the dimensions of social and cultural capital. Factors such as dexterity, occupational acquaintance with maintenance work, social trust and social contacts play a role. Finally, a model of a sequence of decisions is tested. This ramification mechanism shows that the primary choice is formal commissioning or not, inspired by technical complexity. The second choice between off‐the‐books outsourcing and DIY is influenced by the capital resources of the households.     

Trade‐Policy Issues and Policy Options for Japan and the United States: Introduction and Overview

This symposium includes papers that analyse a number of issues that are likely to play a key role in the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations. These issues are analysed from the perspective of US‐Japanese economic relations. In these papers, the economic effects of the WTO negotiating options available to both countries are explored. A final paper examines the important issues raised by the free trade agreements (FTAs) that have or will soon be negotiated by the United States and Japan. Brief summaries of the papers are provided. With all the advantages that have accrued to Japan from the multilateral trading system, it is not surprising that for many years Japan, alone among the world's major economies, stayed aloof from regional trading arrangements. The very past success of the multilateral trading system has made further progress at this level far more complex and has pushed many countries, Japan included, to look to new and deeper regional trading agreements as a more productive path. But it should not be forgotten that while FTAs may be easier to conclude, their benefits are modest compared with what can be gained from a successful Doha Round, and the costs from new distortions imposed on regional trade can be very significant for some of the world's poorer economies. Every good reason remains for Japan to continue to wish to be a pillar of the WTO and of the new Doha Round.     

A Sraffian (no) trade‐off between autonomous demand and transfer payments

This paper explores the matrix demand multiplier in Sraffian frameworks and shows that it involves an autonomous demand‐transfer payments curve, which exhibits formal similarities with the well‐known consumption (wage)‐growth (profit) curve in steady‐state capital and growth theory.     

A Comparison of Buyback and Trade‐In Policies to Acquire Used Products for Remanufacturing

We study how acquisition policies for used products as a source for a remanufactured consumer product affect system performance. We introduce a consumer choice model of new product purchase and used product return, which is consistent with the classic Bass diffusion model of sales over time. We capture new and remanufactured product sales, the evolution of the install base, and consumer return and repurchase decisions over the life cycles of new and remanufactured product. Our analyses lead to two main findings on the acquisition policies. First, if the buyback price is less than the margin of a new product, then a trade‐in policy is likely to yield higher profit than a buyback policy. Second, we show that the profitability is highest when the time lag between the introduction of a new product and initial demand for a remanufactured version of the product is at or near the sweet spot, which is the age of the product at which the costs of acquisition and remanufacturing are at minimum. Further, when the time lag between the introduction of a new product and initial demand for its remanufactured version is near the sweet spot, then simple pricing methods are close to optimal.     

Trade‐related Job Loss,Wage Insurance and Externalities: An Ex Ante Efficiency Rationale for Wage Insurance

The extension of adjustment assistance to those who have suffered trade‐related job displacement is widely supported on both sides of the economics of globalisation debate. The form that such assistance should take, namely wage insurance, is also the subject of wide agreement. Nevertheless, the formal economic rationales offered for such a policy are varied, including political economy arguments, equity arguments and market failure/ex post efficiency arguments. This note proposes an ex ante efficiency‐based rationale for the provision of adjustment assistance in the specific form of wage insurance. Job displacement imposes pecuniary externalities on displaced workers, which, in a complete markets setting, induce only shifts along the ex ante Pareto‐efficient frontier. However, when markets are incomplete, pecuniary externalities become welfare‐relevant. Without the possibility of diversifying or hedging the risk of pecuniary external diseconomies of job displacement using contingent claims, welfare is reduced ex ante. Wage insurance – whether publicly underwritten, privately underwritten (as in Shiller's (2003 ) ‘livelihood insurance’), or supplied on a mixed public/private basis – completes the market for contingent claims, allowing workers to diversify or hedge the risk of trade‐related pecuniary external diseconomies. By facilitating risk sharing, wage insurance removes an impediment to ex ante Pareto efficiency. Moreover, wage insurance affects not only post‐displacement behaviour by increasing the incentive to reacquire employment quickly, but it also affects pre‐displacement consumption and investment behaviour, in particular, lowering the threshold at which workers will be willing to undertake irreversible investment in industry‐specific skills.     

农村妇女孩子数量与质量偏好转化现状研究

利用2001年"中国农村妇女生育意愿与生育行为调查"河南省数据,既考证了现有的孩子数量与质量转变理论在河南农村地区的适用性,也为研究中国农村人口转变现状及其进程提供了实证依据.研究指出,妇女对孩子数量与质量偏好之间存在着显著的替代关系,这一关系总体上较为稳定、普遍和独立;被调查的农村地区人口转变已经具备了较为稳定的微观基础.     

农村妇女孩子数量与质量偏好转化现状研究

利用 2 0 0 1年“中国农村妇女生育意愿与生育行为调查”河南省数据 ,既考证了现有的孩子数量与质量转变理论在河南农村地区的适用性 ,也为研究中国农村人口转变现状及其进程提供了实证依据。研究指出 ,妇女对孩子数量与质量偏好之间存在着显著的替代关系 ,这一关系总体上较为稳定、普遍和独立 ;被调查的农村地区人口转变已经具备了较为稳定的微观基础     

Food Label Use,Self‐Selectivity,and Diet Quality

Food labels provide measurable benefits by improving diet quality of Americans by as much as four to six points on a 100‐point Healthy Eating Index scale. Among nutritional panels, serving sizes, nutrient content claims, list of ingredients, and health claims, the use of health claims on food labels provides the highest level of improvement in diet quality. The data source for this analysis is the 1994 to 1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes for Individuals (CSFII) and the accompanying Diet and Health Knowledge Survey (DHKS).     

Consumer creativity influenced by hope,integral emotions and socio‐economic status

Low socio economic stratum (SES) consumers face constrains that engender creativity as they try to solve consumption problems using the scant products and services available by repurposing such products. This research investigates mechanisms by which hope and integral emotions interact with SES to influence consumer creativity. Experiments with low and high SES participants in an emerging economy show that when hope is enhanced, positive integral emotions are directed to creativity by all consumers, but when hope is diminished, positive integral emotions are not consistently directed to creativity. SES exerts a moderating role when hope is diminished, and only high SES participants are able to cope with the absence of hope by redirecting dominance feelings to creativity. Results suggest that increasing hope among low SES consumers can enhance their creativity, and that hope can be enhanced through actions undertaken by companies and public organizations.     

Income Distribution and Monopoly: Price and Quantity Patterns with Intra‐ and Inter‐class Income Dispersion

We analyze the direction of the co‐movements of price and output in a monopolistic market when an expansive shock occurs. Price and quantity patterns are shown to depend on the consumers' income distribution. In particular, a low degree of income dispersion is associated with price and quantity reacting in opposite directions to demand shocks.     

Initial internationalization of Chinese privately owned enterprises—the take‐off process

In the first quarter of 2010, China showed the highest quarterly growth (12%) of any country ever. Although privately owned enterprises (POEs) are an important factor behind this immense growth, knowledge about how they have become key exporters is scarce and largely overlooked, especially regarding how they started to go abroad. Two major take‐off processes from the domestic market to the foreign market are studied. The critical importance of the development of the local emerging market behind the possibilities of taking off is stressed, as well as how firms change between indirect and direct export modes. The research is based on an abductive case study research approach, where primary data is collected through interviews in the Yangtze River region. The case study involves six privately owned family firms run by strong and dominating entrepreneurs. Major empirical and theoretical conclusions, including nine propositions, summarize the article and indicate areas for further research. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

以质量求生存 以质量求发展

以质量求生存,以质量求发展,以质量求效益,这是2015年质量月活动的宣传口号,一个企业的发展首先企业员工和管理者必须有创新意识,其次是不断改进产品质量,以创新提升质量,品牌促进发展,质量和信誉是企业的生命,企业以质量求生存,同时也以信誉促发展。     

Debt problems,home‐leaving,and boomeranging: A register‐based perspective on economic consequences of moving away from parental home

This article analyses the development of financial problems after leaving one's parental home, and considers how financial problems are associated with likelihood of boomeranging (i.e., adult children returning to parental home). The 9‐year follow‐up study focused on a nationally representative sample of Finnish young people between the ages of 15 and 25 who moved out from their parental home between 2006 and 2009 (n = 9,196). The measure of debt problems was based on monthly data on debt enforcement, a legal matter which may bring serious consequences for the debtors. The primary within‐individual, longitudinal analyses showed that debt problems increased directly after leaving parental home. Education and family background were significant predictors of debt problems in the four years after leaving parental home. Early leavers had significantly more debt problems than later leavers. Debt problems were associated with a higher likelihood of moving back to parental home. The results imply that it is important to support economic decision‐making during early adulthood.     

On the relation between linearity‐generating processes and linear‐rational models

We review the notion of a linearity‐generating (LG) process introduced by Gabaix and relate LG processes to linear‐rational (LR) models studied by Filipovi? et al. We show that every LR model can be represented as an LG process and vice versa. We find that LR models have two basic properties that make them an important representation of LG processes. First, LR models can be easily specified and made consistent with nonnegative interest rates. Second, LR models go naturally with the long‐term risk factorization due to Alvarez and Jermann, Hansen and Scheinkman, and Qin and Linetsky. Every LG process under the long forward measure can be represented as a lower dimensional LR model.