Forefronts of the Sharing Economy: Uber in Cape Town

The sharing economy, often phrased as ‘platform capitalism’, enables firms such as Uber and Airbnb to monetize, through specific technologies of mediation, the networks, the assets and the precarious labour of those who are described as ‘the entrepreneurs of sharing’. This article explores the urban geographies of ride‐sharing in the marketization of Uber in Cape Town, South Africa. I use empirical evidence collected during the first phase of its operations in the city, between 2013 and 2015, to show how Uber relied upon the developmental entrepreneurialism of Cape Town to embed its ride‐sharing market locally, and how the drivers enacted multiple technical, economic and ethical regimes within and without the constraints of the software platform. The research presented in this article thus contributes to understanding how the discourses of millennial development, with its promises of entrepreneurial empowerment, are adopted by global sharing‐economy firms to enact their markets in the global South. It also reveals how a different genealogy of Uber's urban transactions offers an alternative perspective on the normative rationalities of the sharing economy and on the diverse economies that exist in relation to platform capitalism in the global South.     

Uber Drivers and Employment Status in the Gig Economy: Should Corporate Social Responsibility Tip the Scales?

As the gig economy continues to grow, the legal status of its workers remains a source of confusion and controversy. Uber and other transportation network companies (TNCs) typically disclaim employee status, depriving drivers of social insurance among other benefits. Further, such companies typically deny liability to third party victims for damages due to auto accidents, sexual assaults, and other negative outcomes arising out of their business. Legal and regulatory systems in the U.S. and elsewhere continue to struggle with how to determine and apply a consistent standard as to employee classification. We argue that corporate social responsibility should figure prominently in the equation. Private companies already are required to cover social costs of doing business in a variety of contexts (e.g., workers compensation, family leave, public and workplace accommodations for disabled individuals), and it makes sense that they also should be required to underwrite other important implications associated with employee status as part of their responsibilities to society. This is especially so where, as with Uber and other TNCs, a company’s core profit-making operations include activities that carry the direct potential for causing substantial harm both to individual clients and to the public at large.     

Drivers and barriers to environmental supply chain management practices: Lessons from the public and private sectors

This study explores the factors that drive or hinder organisations to implement green supply chain management initiatives. A literature review identifies the main categories of internal and external drivers of green supply chain management practices, including organisational factors, regulation, customers, competitors and society, but there is little indication of suppliers as drivers for green supply chain management. Internal barriers include cost and lack of legitimacy, whereas external barriers include regulation, poor supplier commitment and industry specific barriers. An explorative study is conducted based on interviews from seven different private and public sector organisations. Encouragingly, across the organisations, more drivers than barriers to environmental supply chain management are identified. Organisations seem to be more influenced by external rather than internal drivers. The barriers to environmental supply chain management experienced by organisations tend to be both internal and external.     

技术性贸易壁垒发展研究

伴随着国际贸易竞争的激烈程度加深，传统的以关税为代表贸易保护方式逐渐被具有更强的隐蔽性的技术性贸易壁垒所取代。技术性贸易壁垒由于自身的灵活性和隐蔽性，成为继关税保护和配额制以及许可证保护后最难应付的贸易保护主义手法，也成为近年来发达国家限制进口的最常使用的手段。面对发达国家各种复杂的技术性贸易壁垒手段，我国如何能够冲破这种壁垒保护己经成为今后国际贸易发展必须面临的问题。本文从技术性贸易壁垒的发展趋以及我国今后应该采取的应对措施方面对技术性贸易壁垒加以阐述。     

Intermediated surge pricing

Although Uber and Lyft are known for their flexible “surge pricing,” they are surprisingly rigid in another way: each firm takes a constant percentage of passenger fare whether or not there is a surge. In this paper, I investigate the possible reasons for, and the impact of, this rigidity. I study a market in which a profit‐maximizing intermediary facilitates trade between buyers and sellers. The intermediary sets prices for buyers and sellers, and keeps the difference as her fee. Optimal prices increase when demand increases, that is, shifts right. If a demand increase is due to an increase in the number of ex ante symmetric buyers, then the intermediary's optimal percent fee decreases. If, instead, a demand increase is due to a reduction in the elasticity of demand, then the intermediary's optimal percent fee increases. In either case, if the intermediary keeps a constant percent fee regardless of shifts in demand, as is the case with Uber and Lyft, then surge pricing (i.e., the ratio of price during high demand to price during low demand) is amplified on one side of the market and diminished on the other side.     

武汉光电子产业标准与专利现状及推进策略研究

在全球市场竞争中,技术标准已成为企业抢占国际分工的关键环节及重要手段。在信息产业领域,专利借助技术标准这一载体与平台,逐渐成为国际贸易的游戏规则及非关税壁垒,谁控制了专利,谁就可以控制国际市场和国际贸易,技术标准与专利的结合是发展的必然趋势。文章在调研的基础上,对武汉光电子产业的的标准与专利现状进行了分析,并结合实际问题,站在企业的视角,对企业最为关注的专利进入标准的问题,提出了在实际操作过程中应注意的一些问题及对策建议。     

绿色贸易壁垒与我国外贸出口发展对策

绿色贸易壁垒也称环境贸易壁垒,属于非关税壁垒的一种。由于绿色贸易壁垒的内容具有歧视性,它通常是发达国家根据国内环保水平和标准设置,当然不利于发展中国家的出口贸易。绿色贸易壁垒不像配额、许可证等非关税壁垒,虽然限制贸易,却还有一定透明度,因此危害更大。文中分析了绿色贸易壁垒的本质、绿色贸易壁垒对我国出口贸易的影响并提出了相应的对策。     

绿色贸易壁垒对我国外贸的影响及对策研究

随着各国环保标准的日趋严格,绿色贸易壁垒成为当今国际贸易中贸易保护主义的一种新形式。我国作为一个贸易大国,绿色贸易壁垒波及到我国外贸出口的所有领域,并严重影响到我国对外贸易的发展。因此,系统地研究绿色贸易壁垒,通过分析对中国经济可持续发展的影响,提出构建我国的绿色贸易壁垒应对策略,具有重要的理论和现实意义。     

绿色贸易壁垒的特征、影响及对策

随着世界贸易自由化的进一步发展,一种新的贸易保护策略——绿色贸易壁垒随之而来,绿色贸易壁垒是近年来发达国家限制发展中国家产品进入其国内市场的重要贸易保护措施之一。我国作为发展中国家,出口产品深受绿色贸易壁垒之害。     

技术性贸易壁垒是影响我国出口贸易的最大障碍

加入WTO后,我国出口贸易成绩斐然。但是,越来越多的非关税壁垒对出口贸易也造成重大阻碍,其中最大的威胁来自技术性贸易壁垒,这是当前影响外贸发展的最大障碍,必须高度重视。本文总结了十年来出口贸易的成就,分析了技术法规、技术标准与合格评定程序三种技术性贸易壁垒,阐述了技术性贸易壁垒对我国出口产品在国际市场上竞争力的影响所在,指出应通过建立国家级的管理技术性贸易措施的协调机构来应对技术性贸易壁垒。     

论环境与国际贸易问题及我国贸易政策的调整

环境与国际贸易是经济发展中一对相互矛盾相互促进的两个方面,而近几年来由环境带来的环境壁垒却对国际贸易产生了很大影响。为使两者协调发展,各国的贸易政策必须及时进行调整。文中分析了环境与贸易的关系和环境对贸易的影响,以及国际贸易中所产生的环境壁垒的深层根源。在此基础上,对我国的对外贸易政策提出切实的建议。     

Possibilities for remote participation in trade unions: mobilising women activists

This paper argues that trade union activism within the new era of information and communication technologies (ICTs) offers the potential for unions to become more inclusive of under‐represented groups. Traditional conceptions of activism, participation and democracy within trade unions require physical presence at meetings at times and in spaces incompatible with caring responsibilities and atypical hours of work. This restricts the participation of women and other ‘atypical’ workers in trade unions. The paper explores the complexities of electronic forms of union activism in practice, indicating that while some positive features are experienced, there are also a range of obstacles, barriers and possible negative consequences.     

创新检验检疫 积极应对后危机时代技术贸易壁垒

随着经济全球化和贸易自由化进程的加快,关税壁垒作用日益减弱,技术性贸易措施成为更隐蔽、更难以对付的贸易壁垒,成为各国保护产业和促进对外贸易发展的重要手段,也对我国对外贸易健康发展造成了极大的阻碍。作为站在国家贸易最前沿的以技术为依托的检验检疫部门,在新的形势下,如何发挥自身优势,采取扎实有效的应对措施,打破国外技术壁垒,将技术性壁垒给我国出口贸易造成的损害最小化,促进我国对外贸易的健康发展,是本文讨论的重点。     

绿色贸易壁垒对我国农产品出口的影响及对策

经过关贸总协定八轮多边贸易谈判以及WTO成立以来就关税减让所做出的努力,世界总体关税水平大大降低。非关税壁垒特别是绿色贸易壁垒正以其鲜明的时代特征日益成为国际贸易发展的重要关卡,而且已经成为中国农产品出口的最大障碍。文章认为,研究绿色贸易壁垒对我国农产品出口的影响、成因及对策,有着重大现实意义。     

HIGH COTTON: WHY THE USA SHOULD NOT PROVIDE SUBSIDIES TO COTTON FARMERS

Trade theorists agree that barriers to trade are declining. Still more progress could be made if trade barriers and government interventions were eliminated. One area in which government interference can and should be vastly reduced is that of agricultural production in general and US cotton production in particular.     

低碳贸易壁垒的内容、影响及应对措施

发展低碳经济,减少碳排放,是延缓全球气候变暖的迫切需要。以低碳经济为代表的新技术革命也是全球经济复苏的引擎和下一轮经济增长的动力。制定碳标准,征收碳关税,一方面起到了监督减排责任的作用,但另一方面也成为新的技术性贸易壁垒。低碳贸易壁垒是在应对气候变化的大背景下产生的一类新型贸易措施,贸易保护主义将来更多是以低碳壁垒等技术性壁垒出现。由碳关税和低碳壁垒衍生的税收成本和技术标准的提高,将给包括中国在内的新兴经济体的出口产品增加生产成本,影响其出口贸易的发展。为应对世界经济和贸易格局向低碳化演变及发达国家设置低碳贸易壁垒对出口造成的严峻挑战,中国必须实施贸易低碳化战略,加快转型步伐。     

农产品贸易技术壁垒及对策探析

随着全球经济自由化,技术贸易壁垒(TBT)越来越复杂、越来越严格。本文就目前存在的一些问题,提出了将如何应对农产品的贸易技术壁垒的对策建议。     

TRADE POLICY AND CITY PRIMACY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

This paper examines the relationship between trade policy and city primacy in developing countries. A general equilibrium model was constructed and center‐periphery relations are analyzed, accounting for tensions between agglomerative and distributive forces. By applying the theoretical model through numerical simulations, we analyzed how trade policy affects the interactions between these forces. We distinguished between import tariffs and export trade barriers. The results suggested that trade liberalization can reduce the dominance of mega‐cities in developing countries, but only when improvements are made to internal and external factors inhibiting their export trade. These include improving domestic transport infrastructure and reducing barriers to exports from developing countries by developed nations.     

技术性贸易措施损害风险评估体系的实证研究

技术性贸易措施的风险评估,是开展准确预警的重要前提,目前相关的理论与实践较为缺乏。本文在指标评价法的基础上,采用德尔菲法、层次分析和模糊综合评价等数学方法,探索建立了技术性贸易措施损害的风险评估体系,并进行了实际验证,具有实践与指导意义。     

以中国—东盟自由贸易区建成为契机,提升德宏沿边开放水平

中国—东盟自贸区通过扩大市场准入、消除贸易投资壁垒,实现双方经济一体化效益的共享。德宏位于连接东亚经济圈、东南亚经济圈、南亚经济圈的结合部,主要面对的是东盟成员缅甸。在中国—东盟自由贸易区建设中具有不可替代的地缘优势。中国—东盟自贸区的制度设计,为提升德宏沿边开放水平提供了机遇,为德宏地缘优势转化为贸易优势,贸易优势转化经济优势搭建了平台。