Economic Policy and the Third Way

The Third Way has been criticised for its lack of a distinctive economic policy. This paper develops a set of policy interventions consistent with both economic efficiency and social solidarity.     

In Search of the Fourth Way: A Commentary on the Books by Fred Argy and Mark Latham

This paper is a critique of the new books by Mark Latham and Fred Argy, the first of which in particular is said to herald the 'Third Way' in Australian politics. It considers the implications for new policies of economic power and the redefinition of economic welfare, and concludes that if this is the Third Way then we are in need of a Fourth Way.     

制度创新—民营企业三次创业的一道坎

对制约民营企业发展的因素进行分析,认为制度缺陷是中国民营企业失去发展动力的根源。为此,民营企业应从产权制度、组织制度和管理制度三个方面创新,以适应经济发展形势。     

行业协会:反垄断的第三种途径

人们常常将反垄断法的实施方式局限于公共实施和私人实施。在反垄断视域下,行业协会主要被作为反垄断规制对象进行研判,至多也就是作为私人实施的附属力量。这种状况,无论是对作为第三部门重要组成部分的行业协会自身发展,还是对反垄断法的实施而言,都是非常不利的。行业协会作为反垄断的第三种途径,有其必要性与正当性,其可在作为"法庭之友"、反垄断诉讼、竞争信息收集与整理、垄断争议防范和处理等方面发挥独特地作用。     

Editorial Introduction: Is There a Third Way?

This policy forum is based on two books published in 1998, one by Fred Argy and one by Mark Latham.     

Inflation And Efficiency In A Search Economy*

We present a model in which purely monetary inflation systematically affects efficiency, welfare, and relative prices. The model focuses on the microeconomics of trade in search markets under inflation. Inflation, by increasing the cost of holding money, undermines the market's ability to sustain long‐term customer relationships. Because those relationships generate the most efficient transactions patterns, overall welfare unambiguously declines.     

The Third Way and the third sector: New Labour's economic policy and the social economy

This paper reviews the relationship between Labour's economicpolicy and the third sector. Since 1997, the third sector hasreceived significant government support and has gradually movedfrom the economic periphery towards the centre such that itis now instrumental in the delivery of a range of governmentpolicies. It operates alongside both the private and publicsectors in delivering employment, education, health and socialcare, housing and environmental policies. The impact of thishas been seen in measures of social exclusion, poverty, theenvironment, social capital, as well as GDP and employment.Future policies should strive to maintain and develop the distinctivecapabilities of third sector organisations and the balance betweeneconomic, social and environmental objectives.     

In Search of the Global East: Thinking between North and South

ABSTRACT

Carving up the world into Global North and Global South has become an established way of thinking about global difference since the end of the Cold War. This binary, however, erases what this paper calls the Global East – those countries and societies that occupy an interstitial position between North and South. This paper problematises the geopolitics of knowledge that has resulted in the exclusion of the Global East, not just from the Global North and South, but from notions of globality in general. It argues that we need to adopt a strategic essentialism to recover the Global East for scholarship. To that end, it traces the global relations of IKEA’s bevelled drinking glass to demonstrate the urgency of rethinking the Global East at the heart of global connections, rather than separate from them. Thinking of such a Global East as a liminal space complicates the notions of North and South towards more inclusive but also more uncertain theorising.     

国防工业发展的新思路

本文引入国防产业链的概念,分析国防产业链的组织结构、链接形态和规制模式,提出我国国防工业发展的新思路.     

对“新农保”政策的评估与建议——基于“第三条道路”理论视角的分析

社会养老保险长时间只局限在城镇居民,如今对于农民的社会养老保险,开始有了新的进展——“新农保”政策。目前此项政策还处在试点阶段,对于这样一个只在局部区域试行展开的政策,实践之同时亦需要在理论层面对其进行评估,以使其能够更好更顺利的实行并推广。“第三条路”理论核心是强调变革与创新,恰适用于分析“新农保”政策的设计。通过理论分析得出,“新农保”政策在目标的设定上符合积极福利路线,政策内容中体现出了“第三条道路”所持的公平、公正的理念和对风险管理的意识,对于政策今后的前瞻性评估,“新农保”在宣传、工作人员培训以及操作程序所遵循原则方面还需加强。     

科技全球化背景下大国开展国际合作的方式及启示

表明科技全球化是世界经济与科技发展到一定水平后所形成的又一个世界性浪潮。而当前若干科技大国从事国际科技合作的当前动态与重要做法特别值得发展中国家关注,并从中获得有益的启示和借鉴。     

In Search of Fiscal Interactions: A Spatial Analysis of Chinese Provincial Infrastructure Spending

Using a dataset for 31 Chinese provinces from 1998 to 2006, this paper provides a spatial Durbin panel analysis to test for fiscal interactions among China's provinces in their public spending on infrastructure. We find significant positive interactions across Chinese provincial governments. Further analysis attempting to distinguish between the possible sources of such fiscal interactions reveals evidence of expenditure competition instead of yardstick competition.     

From the Shadow Price of Capital to the Marginal Cost of Funds: In Search of the Implementation of a Principle

The “folk principle” for multi‐period project evaluation states that if all the costs and benefits of a project are expressed as withdrawals from and increments to private consumption at different time points, then the appropriate discount rate is the consumer's rate of interest. The shadow price of capital (SPC) approach intends to implement this principle, but faces serious practical difficulties. By taking a utility‐based perspective, this paper explains why the SPC approach cannot fully implement the folk principle even theoretically. Then, it derives, as a complete implementation of the folk principle, a multi‐period cost‐benefit rule that is based on the concept of the marginal cost of funds.     

The Discovery of the Third World

Corporatism in the academy continues to invite controversy just as it did nearly a century ago. Thorstein Veblen articulated many of the early concerns in Higher Learning in America ([1918] 1965). Many current commentaries on the subject echo Veblen's sentiments but appear to be oblivious of his tremendous intellectual legacy. This sad state of affairs may be a product of the severe reaction of early critics to Higher Learning followed by years of scholarly indifference. Nevertheless, the modern critiques of corporatism in the academy attest to the remarkable prescience of Veblen and his unique evolutionary perspective. Furthermore, critical opinion to the contrary, Higher Learning lacks neither logical consistency nor methodological integrity. Instead, Veblen's thoughts on the limits of pragmatic utilitarianism offer valuable insight into the ongoing controversy surrounding corporatism and higher learning.