Intermediation in Search Markets

In markets, in which exchange requires costly search for trading partners, intermediaries can help to reduce the trading frictions. This intuition is modeled in a framework with heterogeneous agents, who have the choice between intermediated exchange and search accompanied by some bargaining procedure. The equilibria of such a game are characterized. In the case of a monopolistic intermediary, the tradeoff between the bid-ask spread and the costs of delay during private search determine the intermediary's clientele. In equilibrium the monopolist charges a positive spread. Traders with large gains from trade prefer to deal with him, whereas traders with relatively low gains from trade engage in search. In case of competition among intermediaries, the classical Bertrand result obtains, and bid and ask prices converge to the (unique) Walrasian equilibrium price. Thus, in the confines of the model, the Walrasian auctioneer of the market under consideration can be replaced by competing intermediaries. In addition a multiplicity of subgame perfect Nash equilibria emphasizes the coordination problems inherent in models of intermediation.     

Arts Vouchers to Replace Grants

The annual jostling among arts producers for Arts Council grants is symptomatic of a regressive system which taxes the poor to subsidise the leisure of the better-off Edwin West (right), Professor of Econmics at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, argues for a voucher system to subsidise the less-well-off individually, and examines how apprehensive art bureaucrats torpedoed a British pilot scheme     

试论认证认可结果采信长效机制的构建

当前,我国认证认可结果采信不足的问题还比较严重。文章在分析了其多方面的原因的基础上,提出了提高认证认可结果采信的对策,主要包括科学合理地设计认证认可制度、合法规范地实施认证认可活动、严格有力地监管认证认可活动和结果等。     

Honest versus Misleading Certification

This paper questions the honesty of third‐party certification in the market for a good whose environmental quality is not observable by consumers. The certifier maximizes a weighted sum of its own revenue and social welfare. The higher the relative weight placed on revenue, the stronger the certifier's incentive to mislead consumers. Certification is analyzed as a costly signaling mechanism that, besides displaying labels, transmits information through market prices. Honest certification requires that prices credibly signal environmental quality to prevent cheating. I show that certification can only be honest when the certifier is driven more by social welfare than by profit. In the reverse case, the certifier cannot help jamming the price signal, thereby granting unreliable labels.     

Certification and socially responsible production

In many markets, consumers are unable to distinguish between goods that are produced in a socially responsible way and goods that are not. In such situations, socially responsible production is not a profit-maximizing strategy, even if the premium that consumers are willing to pay exceeds the costs. Only firms that are genuinely motivated by social responsibility would then produce in this way, and there would be too little socially responsible production. Improved opportunities for voluntary certification could potentially reduce this problem by allowing firms to signal their type. We examine how the possibility of certification affects the share of socially responsible production. Our main result is that increased certification may reduce the share of socially responsible production by reducing prices in the market for uncertified products and thus crowd out socially responsible producers who do not certify. This provide a mechanism through which certification might have adverse effects on socially responsible production, even when the certification process is perfect and when there is perfect competition among the producers.     

我国计量认证问题探析

1我国计量认证现状 我国自1987年颁布《中华人民共和国计量法实施细则》后，开始对检验机构进行计量认证考核评审。20年来，我国实验室资质认定评审工作不断发展，经过计量认证，依法授权，验收合格的产品检验机构的专业范围已涉及到农业、林业、畜牧业、机械、轻工、石油、化工、医药卫生、信息产业、建工建材、水利、公安、交通、铁道、环保、海洋、节能、质检等国民经济的各个领域。截至2006年底，全国计量认证证书共发出21121张，获证实验室达2万余家。这些实验室分别承担了产品监督检验、质量仲裁检验、商贸验货检验、药品检验、卫生防疫检验、工程质量检验、环境检测、地质勘测、节能监测和进出口检验等大量检验检测任务，为政府执法部门打击假冒伪劣商品提供了有力的技术保障。为审判机关裁决因产品质量引发的案件提供了准确技术依据，为商业贸易双方提供了公正的检验结果。为工农业生产和工程项目出具了科学准确的检测数据。     

Social Intermediation in Base‐of‐the‐Pyramid Markets

Our study explores the structuring decisions made by intermediaries seeking to alleviate poverty by connecting base‐of‐the‐pyramid markets with more developed markets. Using intermediation theory to ground our study, we collected qualitative data on 29 social intermediation projects located within Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Our findings suggest that ‘socializing’ intermediation theory to more accurately explain and predict structural outcomes across more diverse contexts requires three key modifications: (1) the attenuation of opportunism, which creates an internalizing social force; (2) the accommodation of non‐monetary objectives, which creates an externalizing social force; and (3) the perception of transaction capabilities as tractable, which serves as a guidepost for reconciling these two opposing social forces.     

Social Structure and Intermediation: Market‐making Strategies in International Exchange*

ABSTRACT Information gaps between markets create opportunities for international trade intermediaries to negotiate cross‐border exchanges. Faced with the prospect of eventually being eliminated from these exchanges, intermediaries must continually search for new opportunities to mediate international exchange. In this paper an original explanation is derived from the core principles of structural hole theory to explain how these market‐making firms operate in the tension found between the inevitable decay of existing exchange relationships and the uncertainty of finding replacement sources of income.     

服务业Qualicert认证与ISO 9001质量管理体系认证的比较研究

文章分析了以Qualicert服务认证和ISO9001质量管理体系认证为代表的两种不同类型的产品认证与体系认证的内在特点、共性和区别，认为体系认证和服务认证之间并不存在排斥关系，而是互补关系，在一个服务组的组织机构中二者并存是一种完美的搭配。     

服务业Qualicert认证与ISO 9001质量管理体系认证的比较研究

文章分析了以Qualicert服务认证和ISO9001质量管理体系认证为代表的两种不同类型的产品认证与体系认证的内在特点、共性和区别,认为体系认证和服务认证之间并不存在排斥关系,而是互补关系,在一个服务组的组织机构中二者并存是一种完美的搭配.     

浅析德国认证体系新规下的高等工程教育专业认证

随着我国高等职业教育改革的发展,德国高等工程教育专业认证越来越受到国内学者的重视。2018年1月1日,全德范围内将开始实施认证体系新规。新规下的高等工程教育专业认证将经历一系列重大变化,同时也将呈现出一些新的问题。     

C-TPAT安全标准与认证

文章介绍了C-TPAT安全标准的内容、实施要求及认证程序。     

韩国新认证体系KC认证介绍

文章介绍了韩国自2009年1月1日开始实行的新认证体系KC（Korea Certification）认证,包括认证产品范围,认证程序、申请认证所需要的文件、检测机构、工厂审查、认证标志及该认证所带来的影响等内容。     

农产品认证制度的经济学分析

本文运用经济学的普遍原理,分析了农产品认证运行机制,指出:农业标准化和信用机制是农产品认证制度有效性的基本保障,农业标准化和信用机制间存在相互联系、相互促进的内在激励反馈循环;信用机制实现了节约信息交易成本和建立中介交易系统的职能;农产品认证实现了信用整合和信用传递功能。     

关于质量管理体系认证的几个问题

加入WTO后，我国的质量管理体系认证工作获得了飞速的发展。这对于提高我国企业的管理水平，特别是质量管理水平，无疑具有重大意义。但是，在这股“认证热”中，却也出现了一些值得注意和研究的问题，需要我们认真对待。１认证机构违规操作的问题应当说，目前出现的“认证热”，虽然有一定的客观必然性，但与认证机构积极开发市场不无关系。我国的认证机构过多，竞争相当激烈，在开发市场中不可避免地会出现一些问题。例如认证机构本身的“官方”或“半官方”身份，有逼迫企业之嫌；认证机构与咨询机构存在的或明或暗的“母子”关系，使…     

我国台湾的食品GMP认证制度

１食品GMP概况１．１食品GMP的概念GMP是英文GoodManufac－turingPractice的缩写，中文的意思是“良好作业规范，或是优良制造标准，是一种特别注重制造过程中产品质量与卫生安全的自主性管理制度。当它用于食品工业管理时，称作食品GMP。１．２食品GMP的发展食品GMP于２０世纪６０年代诞生于美国，受到消费者及食品业者的普遍欢迎。我国台湾在１９８９年引进食品GMP自主管理制度，并大力推广。目前除美国已立法强制实施食品GMP外，其他如日本、加拿大、新加坡、德国、澳大利亚、中国等国家均采取自愿认证方式。美、日及我国台湾…     

福建认证咨询中心简介

福建认证咨询中心(英文缩写FCCC)是由福建省质量技术监督局筹建，1993年经国家技术监督局批准备案、福建省工商管理局登记注册，省内成立最早、规模最大的从事各类认证咨询的专业机构．旨在为省内外企事业单位建立各类管理体系及申请各类认证提供咨询指导服务。     

生态农业的参与式认证体系研究

本文对生态农业的参与式认证做详尽介绍,根据国外农民田间学校(FFS)、农作物系统发展(FSD)、农业知识信息系统(AKIS)三种运作模式,结合我国各试点实际情况,分析得出我国生态农业参与式认证体系存在的问题:农民素质偏低、推广机制存在严重问题、推广以政府为主导农民参与度较低。根据以上问题提出建议:充分发挥农民主导作用、对推广人员进行在教育、加强政府保障指导作用。本文的创新点在于,紧密联系我国时代这个背景,为生态农业参与式认证中国化提出可行性建议。     

对质量认证中几个问题的探讨

概述了质量认证的基本内容、目的和作用，指出当前认证宣传中的错误以及纠正措施。     

特殊行业质量管理体系认证及其发展趋势

自上世纪五六十年代质量管理日益为各行各业所重视以来．建立既能够实现质量目标,达到顾客满意．又使产品的整个生产过程得到有效控制的质量管理体系逐渐为发达国家所关注和实践。从70年代后期起．国际标准化组织专门成立了TC176技术委员会．旨在吸取各国成功的管理经验．尤其是在借鉴了发达国家行之有效的管理标准基础上．