OBESITY AND MORAL HAZARD IN DEMAND FOR VISITS TO PHYSICIANS

In this article, we use count data regression with sample selection to analyze the effects and degree of moral hazard in demand for visits to physicians among groups of individuals with similar body mass index (BMI). Our results suggest that the effect of moral hazard on the demand for visits to doctors is increasing in BMI for men and for overweight and obese women. Moral hazard is highest among overweight men. (JEL I11, C25)     

CRIMES BY YOUTH: DETERRENCE AND MORAL COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW

We use a decision theory framework to evaluate the extent to which crimes by youth are explained by the "economic model of crime." We expand the model from the usual formulation including deterrence effects to investigate the impact of earned income and income supplements on individuals' crime participation. Additionally, we evaluate variables representing the forces of moral compliance and family attitudes. We find that moral compliance has a moderating effect on the decision to commit crimes, even by persistently criminal individuals.     

HYSTERESIS AND THE REGIONAL NAIRUs IN ITALY

This paper investigates the determinants of regional unemployment disparities in Italy. Relying on panel unit root tests and data over the 1977–2003 years, we reject the hysteresis hypothesis and then proceed to estimate the non‐accelerating inflation rate of unemployment (NAIRU) for each of the 20 Italian regions. Our estimates of the regional NAIRUs turn out to be fairly precise and allow us to draw two interesting conclusions. First, the hypothesis of constant regional NAIRUs between 1977 and 2003 is supported by the data. Second, we find that there is a significant degree of heterogeneity among the regional NAIRUs.     

EXPERIMENTAL WORK ON SUBSIDIES,MORAL HAZARD,AND MARKET POWER IN AGRICULTURAL MARKETS

Laboratory markets are created to capture the important features of agricultural commodity markets. Sellers make production decisions and hold inventories before goods are sold. In a posted‐bid auction environment, price supports create a moral hazard for sellers. Part of the price‐support subsidy is transferred to buyers in the form of lower prices, which are close to those predicted by the buyers' Cournot level. The subsidy program is expensive for this reason. Lump‐sum payments correct the moral hazard problem and are better at transferring income to sellers. However, transfers made at the beginning of each production period cause a decline in production levels. (JEL D44, C92)     

REPEATED MORAL HAZARD AND CONTRACTS WITH MEMORY: THE CASE OF RISK‐NEUTRALITY*

We consider a repeated moral hazard problem where both the principal and the wealth‐constrained agent are risk‐neutral. In each of two periods, the agent can exert unobservable effort, leading to success or failure. Incentives provided in the second period act as carrot and stick for the first period, so that the effort level induced in the second period is higher after a first‐period success than after a failure. If renegotiation cannot be prevented, the principal may prefer a project with lower returns; i.e., a project may be “too good” to be financed or, similarly, an agent can be “overqualified.”     

民营科技企业发展中的问题与对策

民营科技企业作为推动科技进步的一支重要力量,无论其企业数量、经营机制还是经济效益、管理水平都取得了明显的进展。但是,面对中国入世的新环境,民营科技企业的进一步发展又面临着诸多问题,急需在经营环境、国民待遇、政策扶持、激励机制、服务体系、管理创新等方面采取措施,以便抓住新机遇,谋求新发展。     

THE PUBLIC SECTOR PAY GAP IN FRANCE, GREAT BRITAIN AND ITALY

We investigate public–private pay determination using French, British and Italian microdata. While traditional methods focus on parametric methods to estimate the public sector pay gap, in this paper, we use both non-parametric (kernel) and quantile regression methods to analyze the distribution of wages across sectors. We show that the public–private (hourly) wage differential is sensitive to the choice of quantile and that the pattern of premia varies with both gender and skill. In all countries the public sector is found to pay more to low skilled workers with respect to the private sector, whilst the reverse is true for high skilled workers. When comparing results across countries, we find that where pay formation is more regulated (i.e. as in France and Italy) the public sector pay gap is smaller; whilst where market factors play a larger role in pay determination (i.e. as in Great Britain) the public sector pay gap is larger—particularly in the lower part of the wage distribution—and females are much better off in the public sector as compared to the private sector.     

改革开放30年来中国的城市化与城镇发展

改革开放30年是我国城市化发展与城市建设取得巨大成就的30年,30年来我国城市化水平不断提高,年均提升0.93个百分点,现已稳步迈人城市化加速发展时期,城市化发展速度比世界平均水平快2.14%,但城市化水平仍比世界平均水平低8.40%,花了近半个世纪进入城市化加速成长的中期阶段,约25年后进入城市化发展的成熟期.城市化发展道路的数度调整有力地推动着我国城镇化朝着健康方向发展,初步形成了产业分工合理、空间竞争有序、市场运行高效的城镇体系,城镇体系的合理化使城市群成为国家参与全球竞争与分工的基本地域单元,成为国家综合配套改革试验的先行阵地,主宰着我国经济发展的命脉.城市化研究的理论水平不断提高,相关研究机构与人才不断涌现.在取得巨大成就的同时,我国城市化进程中也不可避免的暴露出一系列亟待解决的现实问题,这些问题能否在新一轮发展中得以解决,直接影响着我国城市化发展的未来和美好前景.未来我国城市化道路的选择,将立足我国资源环境承载能力,以不断提高城市化发展质量为核心内容,形成由城市群和大、中、小城市、小城镇及城乡协调发展的健康城市化格局,形成资源节约、环境友好、经济高效、社会和谐的城市化健康发展新格局,走资源节约与环境友好的健康城市化道路.     

THE USE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND INNOVATION BY MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN CANADA

The objective of the paper is to determine how the utilisation of intellectual property rights (IPRs) by Canadian manufacturing firms is related to their characteristics, activities, competitive strategies and industry sector in which they operate. The principal source of information used in this endeavour is the Statistics Canada Survey of Innovation 1999.

The paper starts with an overview of other studies that looked at the use of intellectual property rights in Canada. Follows a conceptual framework presenting variables likely to explain the use specific IPRs by Canadian manufacturing firms.

The use of IPRs is to a great extent correlated with basic economic characteristics of firms, their activities and industry environment. A series of estimated logit regressions predict the probability that a firm will use a specific IPR instrument. Also estimated is the contribution of the use of IPRs to the probability that a firm innovates.

The decision of a firm to use IPRs is often not independent of the decision to innovate. To eliminate the potential endogeneity bias I estimate a two-stage logit model. A comparison of the single- and two-stage logit models shows that the nexus from the protection of intellectual property (patents) to innovation may be weaker than indicated by the single equation model.     

GIBSON'S PARADOX AND POLICY REGIMES: A COMPARISON OF THE EXPERIENCE IN THE US, UK AND ITALY

This paper compares the behaviour of long-term interest rates and prices in Italy, the UK and the USA, and seeks to shed light into what has become known as the 'Gibson Paradox'. We compare the various theoretical explanations for the observed positive correlation of interest rates and prices in the USA and the UK. Using both regression and frequency domain techniques, we demonstrate that there is little evidence for the occurrence of the paradox in the case of Italy. The key conclusion of the paper is that the comparative evidence from these three countries supports a gold standard interpretation of the Paradox.     

出口战略、代工行为与本土企业创新—来自江苏地区制造业企业的经验证据

对来自江苏省微观企业大样本调查问卷的实证分析表明:以代工方式切入全球价值链生产体系是我国制造业本土企业参与全球市场的主要手段之一;我国制造业企业对国外市场依赖程度的不同会对其创新活动产生倒U型非线性影响效应;完全依赖于国外市场的代工企业创新活动显著受到代工"俘获效应"和"锁定效应"的负面作用影响。进一步分析还发现,我国代工企业的关键设备引进等行为,可能是阻碍其自主创新能力形成的重要因素之一。