Exchange rate regimes and import pricing

To what extent exchange rate variations are passed through into import prices has been on the research agenda over the past decade. Research efforts have focused on the very existence of pricing to market and on differences in pass-through behaviour between industries. Much less research has been devoted to the factors behind variations in pass-through behaviour within industries, and to changes in this behaviour over time. The change of exchange rate regime in Sweden in 1992 is used here to illustrate how the interaction between alternative exchange rate regimes, fixed and floating, and pricing behaviour affects pass-through behaviour. The study concentrates on the passenger car industry.     

关于LNG接收站储罐运营周转率的探索

LNG接收站储罐运营周转率是预测和规划中国的LNG接收站建设数量、储罐总容量的重要参数.LNG接收站储罐总容量一般根据正常周转需要、安全储备需要和季节用气储备需要经模拟测算确定.在分析总结中、日、韩三国LNG接收站储罐运营周转率情况的基础上,按中国未来储罐运营周转率平均水平8～12测算,当中国的LNG年进口量达到1.38亿吨时,若以当前中国大部分LNG接收站单站储罐总容量48万立方米为建站标准,则中国需规划建设60～85座LNG接收站;若以韩国的LNG接收站平均单站储罐容量250万立方米为标准,中国只需规划建设11～16座LNG接收站.从中国的LNG接收站应有的战略定位和功能考虑,中国应建设一些特大型LNG接收站并系统性地规划布局沿海LNG接收站建设.     

Telecommunications productivity,catch-up and innovation

This study examines telecommunications productivity, technological catch-up and innovation in 74 countries for the period 1991–1995. A summary of partial productivity indicators is presented, and total factor productivity (TFP) growth is calculated using the Malmquist productivity change index. Decomposition of the Malmquist index provides preliminary evidence that developing countries can enhance productivity through catch-up. An econometric model is estimated that relates innovation to market size and two measures of market structure, viz., market concentration and private ownership. Model estimates support the Schumpeterian hypothesis that market size is conducive to innovation. However, the hypothesis that concentration (the dominant carrier’s share of international message telephone service (IMTS) traffic) is positively related to innovation is rejected. Finally, the model suggests that increased private ownership of the dominant local-exchange carrier can enhance innovation.     

Land rights,agricultural productivity,and deforestation

This paper studies the relationship between land tenure for smallholder agriculture and deforestation. We combine high resolution satellite data on deforestation with rich household and commune-level, biannual panel data from Vietnam. We study two margins of tenure security, whether a household has any land title (extensive) and the share of a household’s land held in title (intensive). Using a household-fixed effects model, we find the increases in crop production and land investment associated with holding land title are driven by the intensive margin. We then aggregate the survey data to the commune-level and find evidence that marginal increases in extensive tenure (share of households with any land title) increase deforestation holding constant the average intensive tenure (average share of land held in tenure among those with land title). We find some evidence that increasing the intensive margin of tenure (holding constant the extensive tenure) decreases deforestation. These results present a more nuanced view of the tenure-deforestation relationship than is prevalent in the existing literature.     

Market constraints,misallocation, and productivity in Vietnam agriculture

We examine important changes in agriculture in Vietnam in the context of ongoing structural changes in the economy. We use a household-level panel dataset and a quantitative framework to document the extent and consequences of factor misallocation in agriculture during the period between 2006 and 2016. Despite rapid growth in agricultural productivity and a reallocation of factor inputs to more productive farmers, we find that misallocation across farmers remains high and increased during the period. Reallocation of factor inputs has not been strong enough to accommodate substantial changes in farm productivity over time. Our analysis also reveals important differences between the north and south regions.     

Assessing the effects of mergers and acquisitions on firm performance,plant productivity,and workers: newl evidence from matched employer‐employee data

Empirical studies of mergers and acquisitions typically focus on firm‐level financial performance. In contrast, we use human capital theory to model these events as transactions that simultaneously have cross‐level, real effects on workers, plants, and firms. Our empirical analysis is based on longitudinal, linked employer‐employee data for virtually all Swedish manufacturing firms and employees. We find that mergers and acquisitions enhance plant productivity, although they also result in the downsizing of establishments and firms. Firm performance does not decline in the aftermath of these ownership changes. We conclude that such transactions constitute a mechanism for improving the sorting and matching of plants and workers to more efficient uses. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Agglomeration and social return to R&D: Evidence from French plant productivity changes

This paper investigates the effect of inter-firm and intra-firm spillovers on the productivity of firms, using French data. The Luenberger Productivity Indicator (LPI) is used to estimate the productivity and to break it down into several components (e.g. efficiency, biased technical progress, scales effects, etc.). Using this approach, negative productivity changes are found due to the unfavourable economic situation over 2000-2002. Diverse forms of intra- and inter-firm externalities are then investigated through a Maximum Likelihood Random Effect (MLRE) model. Spillover effects due to spatial agglomeration - influencing Total Factor Productivity (TFP) and its correspondent components, technological and efficiency changes, are found.     

关注·交流·合作--访伦敦国际石油交易所首席执行官理查德·沃德先生

2004年2月10日中午,伦敦国际石油交易所(IPE)首席执行官理查德·沃德(Richard Ward)先生刚下飞机,就在下榻的北京中国大饭店接受了本刊记者的专访。与本刊记者见面是沃德先生来华访问期间安排的第一项“工作”。     

Cultural diversity in China: Dialect,job embeddedness,and turnover

China is a large and diverse country. Although increasing attention has been given to ethnic Chinese research sites in recent years, researchers have seldom given much thought to the diversity present among Chinese communities. For example, clear regional attributes are embodied by the many different dialects of China. Dialect has long been recognized as a basis for establishing personal relationships, but its impact on other individual outcomes is less well understood. In this paper, we propose that in China, Chinese people’s frequency of speaking in their local dialect is related to their identification process with an organization or a community, which could in turn influence their decision to stay with their organization. The theoretical and practical implications of utilizing regional and cultural differences in large countries such as China are also examined.     

调整优化增效益开拓创新求发展

无锡纺织把握国家将纺织工业作为国企扭亏解困突破口的历史机遇,解放思想,开拓进取,在大力实施棉纺压锭的同时,通过调整产业和产品结构,优化了资源配置,通过实施全球经贸战     

A search theoretic model of productivity, science and innovation

Building on macroeconomic research on technology searches in response to diminishing technological opportunities, we develop an industry-level search theoretic model of productivity, knowledge sources, and innovation. We argue that increasing the use of science in technology development increases the novelty of ideas in the innovation search distribution and thus increases the likelihood of finding productivity improvements. We also propose that this relationship will hold outside the traditional science-based industries (pharmaceuticals, chemicals), and that there is no similar relationship between productivity and non-science patents. Random effect analyses of 32 US manufacturing industries during 1985–1997 support these hypotheses.     

Control,collaboration, and productivity in international joint ventures: theory and evidence

This study analyzes the following unresolved questions: In international joint ventures (IJVs) in a developing country, how could different IJV structures address control and collaboration considerations, and what is the likely effect of such different structures on IJV productivity? Theoretically, we suggest that the ambiguity surrounding these questions reflects the tendency of researchers to view control and collaboration as opposing objectives, studying one or the other; in contrast, we provide a more integrative perspective that blends the two objectives, focusing on common underlying issues relating to enhancing partner commitment, ensuring partner knowledge contributions, and reducing partner risks. We address the most salient design consideration for IJV partners, that is, IJV ownership structure, to posit that joint consideration of the control benefit of a higher foreign ownership level in IJVs and the collaboration benefit of a more balanced IJV ownership structure results in an expected inverted U‐curve relationship between foreign ownership and IJV productivity. Additionally, we posit and test how three environmental contingencies, by affecting the need for control and collaboration in IJVs, would further influence the specific shape of the inverted U‐curve relationship. We find strong support for our theory using an extensive longitudinal dataset of over 5,000 IJVs in China from 1999–2003. We discuss the value of our approach and findings both for researchers and for IJV partners seeking the dual benefits of control and collaboration. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Innovation,R&D productivity,and global market share in the pharmaceutical industry

In this paper, we estimate two empirical models using a pooled, cross-section sample of international pharmaceutical firms for the period 1987 to 1989. The first model tests the relationship between R&D productivity and a vector of firm-specific characteristics. The second model tests the determinants of global market share. The empirical analysis reveals three findings. First, we find evidence that there are diminishing returns in the pharmaceutical R&D process. Second, we find that firm size has a positive effect on average R&D productivity and a positive impact on the marginal R&D productivity for plausible R&D staff sizes. And third, we find evidence that R&D productivity and the number of sales employees have a positive effect on the firm's global market share.The views presented in this paper reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. International Trade Commission or any of its individual commissioners. We thank William Comanor, Daniel Gropper, Daniel Hamermesh, Susan Pozo, Paul Thistle, and Mark Wheeler for their comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of this paper. We assume all responsibility for any errors contained herein.     

Firm heterogeneity and worker turnover

Previous empirical analyses of job mobility focus on worker rather than firm characteristics. This paper exploits a unique data set on enterprise employment. We describe sectoral differences in turnover rates and in the persistence of turnover. We also present evidence of persistent turnover differences at the level of the individual firms—a result that is expected if firms have managers with differing ability to screen workers. When we consider the consequences to the firm of such turnover, we discover that high turnover firms are less likely to survive.     

淘汰落后产能 抑制产能过剩和重复建设

2009年我国粗钢产量5068亿;同比增加0.68亿t; 增长13.5%.我国粗钢产量占世界的比例已由2001年的17.8%上升到46.6%.纳入中国钢铁工业协会统计的68户大中型钢铁企业,2009年实现销售收入22441亿,同比下降10.1%;实现利税1255亿,同比下降33.3%;实现利润554亿元,同比下降31.4%;亏损企业8户,亏损面11.8%;亏损额63亿元,同比增加35.1%.     

Labour productivity change: Drivers, business impact and macroeconomic moderators

This paper focuses on the operational drivers of labour productivity changes. We consider two sets of drivers: (a) current working practices and (b) changes in working practices through management programs. The relationship between these two sets of drivers and productivity changes are analysed. We also investigate the importance of productivity growth by looking at the impact of labour productivity changes on business performance changes. Finally, the moderating effects of industry and country on the use of drivers of productivity changes are examined. Data from an international survey, IMSS-IV, are used for the analysis.     

Agricultural labour productivity,food prices and sustainable development impacts and indicators

In the last few years high and unstable food and agricultural commodity prices and concerns about population growth, increasing per capita food demands and environmental constraints have pushed agriculture and food production up national and international political, policy and research agendas. Drawing on both theory and empirical evidence, this paper argues that fundamental impacts of links between agricultural productivity sustainability and real food price changes are often overlooked in current policy analysis. This is exacerbated by a lack of relevant and accessible indicators for monitoring agricultural productivity sustainability and real food prices. Two relatively simple and widely applicable sets of indicators are proposed for use in policy development and monitoring. Historical series of these indices are estimated for selected countries, regions and the world. Their strengths, weaknesses and potential value are then discussed in the context of the need for better sustainable agricultural development and food security indicators in any post 2015 successors to the current MDGs.     

Small firm births and macroeconomic fluctuations

Using different definitions of what constitutes a small firm, this paper analyses the effect of business conditions on the start-up of small firms. It is found that small firm births exhibit a pro-cyclical behaviour, irrespective of the threshold used to define a small firm. The smallest new firms, however, seem to be less responsive to the opportunity cost of capital. Finally, no relationship was found between entry of small firms and industry growth and profiability.     

Oligopolistic competition,IT use for product differentiation and the productivity paradox

Empirical studies suggest that the huge investment in information technologies (IT) of the past two decades has led to no significant increase in productivity; this phenomenon is known as the ‘productivity paradox’. It has been argued that the paradox might result from oligopolistic competition: because of strategic interaction, each individual firm might find it profitable to invest in cost-reducing IT, but total investment might then be excessive from the industry’s point of view. I confirm this view and strengthen it by allowing IT investment to be also devoted to product differentiation which makes the productivity paradox more likely. The emergence of Web-based electronic commerce provides an illustration of the forces identified in the model.