The Indonesian Coffee Industry

The purpose of this paper is to outline the salient features of the Indonesian coffee industry, and to examine the economics of smallholder coffee production on Sumatra and the other Outer Islands. The evidence presented demonstrates that the return to smallholder coffee production on these islands, both real and relative, has been very favourable throughout the last twenty-five years and it is suggested that significant economic rents are accruing to smallholders. The paper argues that it is the availability of these economic rents which stimulates the growth of coffee output. The conclusion is that coffee exports are a promising source of foreign exchange for Indonesia, and that in the light of the recent rise in coffee prices on world markets and suspension of ICO quotas, Indonesia should embark upon a vigorous promotion and extension campaign.     

Institutionalisation without internalisation. The cultural dimension of French-German conflicts on European Central Bank independence

When accepting the Maastricht treaty, the members of the Euro-zone agreed on the establishment of a very independent European Central Bank (ECB). Over the years, however, French political leaders systematically brought forward proposals undermining the ECB’s independence, much to the dismay of their German counterparts. This pattern of political disagreement on central bank independence has again surfaced during the current sovereign debt crisis, and has contributed to the discord amongst the Euro-zone members on the causes and proper solutions to the problems. This article conducts tests of various factors generally expected to influence the preference for central bank independence. It shows that economic explanations are unable to account for the persistent differences amongst European member-states on this issue. In contrast, national differences in political and economic culture and especially a nation’s score on the dimension Power Distance—its acceptance of centralisation of power in political leaders or institutions—does show a correlation with the different levels of internalisation of the norm of central bank independence. These findings show that institutionalisation of economic norms does not imply their internalisation by the political and the economic elite. In the broader context of current European politics, this may mean that even if European leaders will be able to come up with a common institutional answer to the current crisis, more profound convergence of their underlying economic and political cultures is needed for the successful and sustainable implementation of these solutions.     

东部10省市科技与经济竞争力差距研究

评价东部10省市科技与经济竞争力,分析其差距、主要影响因素及区域整体科技与经济竞争力的相关性。结果表明,省市间科技和经济竞争力差距明显;科技产出是影响科技竞争力差距的主要因素,对外开放和民营经济是影响经济竞争力差距的主要因素;区域整体科技与经济竞争力存在着显著的正相关,但民营经济与科技竞争力则负相关;科技发展不同程度地滞后于经济发展;提高科技创新能力和民营经济发展质量是各省市面临的共同课题。     

Epidemics, health and disease in a small, isolated environment

Some health consequences of the interaction of man and his environment on the three small Pacific atolls that constitute Tokelau are examined. The demographic history of Tokelau is described. The pattern of health, with emphasis on certain infectious diseases, illustrates the way in which small isolated islands react to such exposures. The strength of the community approach, which has achieved greater compliance than can usually be expected in larger communities, will be illustrated by referring to certain treatment programmes instituted over recent years.Atolls, such as Tokelau, are very different in their characteristics from other types of islands. Therefore, much of what will be presented will only be applicable to such a small isolated traditional society. There are, however, some general observations and lessons which will have much wider application.     

Globalization and patterns of economic development

Globalization and Patterns of Economic Development. — One of the most important challenges facing economics is to understand why globalization spurs economic growth to a greater extent in some parts of the world than in others. While part of the answer rests with differences in national economic policies, such policy differences are only part of the story. Differences in physical geography and resource endowments also cause countries to experience very different patterns of economic development in the global economy. In this article, five different patterns of economic development are described, and it is illustrated how they are related to the underlying geography, economic policies, and resource endowments of a country.     

广东省各城市技术效率的实证分析

广东省是中国经济发展的第一大省,但其城市的经济发展水平却存在很大的差距。本文是从投入产出的角度分析广东省21个地级市的经济技术效率,并通过技术效率的分解提炼出城市在经济发展过程中经济效率低下的原因。分析发现依靠技术进步以及技术创新来提高经济发展速度的广东省城市相当少,并且达到DEA技术效率有效的城市集中分布在珠江三角洲地区,西部城市虽然没有都达到DEA有效,但总的来说,它们的效率值仍然比较高;东翼和北部地区的城市技术效率都相当低下,其中,东翼城市的纯技术效率以及规模效率都比较低,而北部地区相当低的规模效率是导致技术效率低下的主要原因。     

中国经济韧性的南北差异及形成机理

文章运用熵权TOPSIS法测度1997-2020年中国经济韧性综合指数及分维度指数,借助Dagum基尼系数分解探究南北方经济韧性的区域差异以及差异来源,运用二次指派程序实证考察经济韧性南北区域差异的形成机理。研究发现:(1)经济韧性总体水平虽不高但呈现波动中缓慢增长趋势,结构韧性和创新韧性指数低于经济韧性综合指数,是经济韧性提高的短板;南方地区经济韧性综合指数、规模韧性指数、结构韧性指数、创新韧性指数、开放韧性指数均高于北方地区,而制度韧性指数和社会韧性指数均低于北方地区。(2)经济韧性综合指数空间差异整体呈缩小趋势;区域间差异是经济韧性空间差异的主要来源。(3)创新韧性差异和开放韧性差异是南方地区经济韧性差异形成的主要原因;结构韧性差异和制度韧性差异是北方地区经济韧性差异形成的主要原因;创新韧性差异、规模韧性差异以及开放韧性差异对经济韧性差异的作用强度由北向南增强,而结构韧性差异、社会韧性差异和制度韧性差异对经济韧性差异的作用强度由北向南减弱。研究创新:基于规模韧性、结构韧性、创新韧性、开放韧性、制度韧性和社会韧性六大维度构建经济韧性综合评价指标体系,并对其空间差异及形成机理进行探讨分析。文章丰富了经济韧性评价体系的构建,为揭示我国经济韧性南北的区域差异现状、探索协同发展路径提供重要借鉴。     

A programme for agriculture in island plantation economies

Small-island plantation economies have some structural characteristics, related to their size, which differentiate them from large continental plantation economies. Namely, they are more specialized, more dependent and less flexible than the latter.Those economic characteristics generate a particular political structure in which the plantation interest is predominant. This makes their adjustment to the present decline of some of the main traditional plantation crops difficult and painful, since most of their economic policy measures are not long-run policies to insure competitiveness, but are short-run expedients to save uncompetitive crops.The Caribbean islands, where one finds some of the oldest plantation economies, are a case in point. While the traditional export crops of the area, i.e. bananas, cane and pineapple, have been declining over the last 15 yr or so, the policies adopted by government towards the agricultural sector have proved inoperative.In this article, we analyze the weaknesses of these policies and we outline a programme for the agricultural sector.     

Does institutional freedom matter for global forest carbon sinks in the face of economic development disparity?

Mitigating global warming is the responsibility of all countries. Moreso, the role of forests in sequestrating carbon is very crucial. Most environmental organizations are active in protecting the environment according to their objectives. This paper investigates the relationship between institutional freedom and forest carbon sinks by using a panel threshold model with 139 countries to verify the U-shaped relationship between forest carbon sinks and economic development. The U-shaped curve between forest carbon sinks and economic development is the same as the environmental Kuznets curve. The impact of institutional freedom on forest carbon sinks under different economic development thresholds is analyzed. Institutional freedom harms forest carbon sinks when the country experiences lower economic growth. Further analysis shows that when economic development is high, there are positive effects, and the beneficial effects of institutional freedom on the forest carbon sink gradually enhance as the threshold value increases. The article clarifies the relationship between institutional freedom and forest carbon sinks and also provides implications for making forest management strategies and climate mitigation policies.     

Some distinguishing characteristics of island states

A sample of island countries is compared with a sample of continental countries matched pairwise by GDP per head in an attempt to ascertain in what ways islands have a distinct character, disregarding economic factors as far as possible. A number of distinguishing features are found.     

Labour policy in the plantation islands

This article studies the evolution of labour policy in the context of the political economy of plantation islands. In order to analyse the relationship between labour policy and various institutional factors (social, political and economic), the author discusses the development of the plantation system — its origins based on slavery and indentures, and subsequent changes resulting from problems of cultural pluralism, labour productivity, falling world market prices, and a general process of economic modernization. He concludes with a discussion of the changes in industrial relations and government labour policy which emerged after the Second World War as a result of the changed constitutional status of the islands as well as the population explosion.     

Fixed Cost Magnitude,Fixed Cost Reporting Format,and Competitive Pricing Decisions: Some Experimental Evidence*

Although neoclassical economic theory predicts that fixed cost magnitude and fixed cost reporting format will not influence short‐term pricing decisions, these factors systematically affected pricing decisions in a duopoly experiment. Increasing fixed cost magnitude (a pure sunk cost in this study) across experimental conditions caused participants to first lower, then raise, competitive prices. Consistent with the psychological phenomenon of loss aversion, this change in pricing behavior reduced the frequency of reported losses. This study further reveals that the accounting format for reporting fixed costs influenced pricing behavior. Specifically, participants receiving capacity costing feedback reports established increasingly lower selling prices relative to the prices established by participants receiving contribution margin feedback reports. Given that a very simple cosmetic reporting manipulation produced increasingly significant competitive pricing differences in a market setting, this study provides evidence that functional fixation is not necessarily eliminated by market forces.     

经济转型路径分化研究

根据转型国家在转型的目标、转型的方式、转型的顺序等方面所表现出的差异,转型国家经济转型的路径发生了分化。分析这些转型国家转型进程,不难发现既存在使转型国家的转型路径趋同的力量;又存在着分化的力量,使得各国的转型路径不尽相同,甚至有很大的差异。     

Women's Economic Status in Rural China: Household Contributions to Male–Female Disparities in the Wage–Labor Market

Rapid industrial growth in China coupled with economic reforms in the rural areas has created a growing demand for rural women's labor, though often at substantially lower wages than those earned by men employed in the same sector. An analysis of data collected in rural Guangdong province suggests that households may contribute to the observed male–female market wage differential through their influence in the formation of individuals' reservation wages. Under these circumstances, external employment opportunities, while no doubt serving to increase the household's overall level of income, may, on their own, be a less effective mechanism for raising the economic status of women. On the contrary, market wage signals may serve to reinforce, rather than to ameliorate, sex-based differences that arise within the household.     

中日两国私营企业主的诞生与成长比较

企业主的诞生与成长对一国经济的发展具有非常重要的意义。比较中国私营企业主与日本企业主，虽然在年龄分布、性别与文化构成等方面两国的私营企业主存在较大的差异，但在创业时必须面对资金来源有限、市场拓展难、人才缺乏等方面的困难上又具有共同性。表明中小企业融资难不是我国独有的问题。     

Economic growth and child poverty reduction in Bangladesh and China

This paper analyzes child poverty in Bangladesh and China during periods of rapid economic growth. It compares the extent as well as profile of child poverty in both countries. Comparisons on the extent of child poverty over time and across countries are made using a decomposition framework attributing child poverty differences to differences in three components: mean child income, demographic circumstances and the distribution of child income. Child poverty is found to be more extensive in Bangladesh than in China, and is very much a problem for rural children in both countries. The results show that economic growth can reduce child poverty but does not always do so. For understanding changes over time and across countries in the extent of child poverty, it can be necessary to also consider changes/differences in the distribution of child income as well as in the demographic composition.     

日本与印尼海洋经济合作探析:战略动因、主要路径与现实挑战

在日本印太战略与印尼"全球海洋支点"战略构想分别推进的背景下,两国在海洋基础设施建设、离岛与海洋能源开发等方面形成了较明显的"供需关系",海洋经济合作遂成为推动双边关系发展最重要的动能之一。日本与印尼通过首脑、高官互访机制对合作予以顶层设计,划定了合作路线图。在此基础上,日本也逐步完善了融资、信息共享等配套机制,并与印尼加速重点项目的推进。然而,两国合作同样面临诸多挑战。除了日本与印尼关于海洋经济合作的定位、合作动机等方面存在差异外,印尼国内若干因素仍对两国合作造成了诸多掣肘。对于中国而言,"后疫情时代"应考虑如何有效地将"21世纪海上丝绸之路"与日本印太战略、印尼"全球海洋支点"战略构想对接,以实现三方共赢。     

Pieces of eight,pieces of eight: seamen's earnings and the venture economy of early modern seafaring†

Historians have generally argued that between the medieval period and the eighteenth century seafarers transformed from collaborative adventurers with a share in their vessel to the first international wage‐earning proletariat. This interpretation has drawn upon relatively limited statistical analysis of mariners’ wages, and underestimates the variety of seafarers’ remuneration and economic activities besides wages themselves. This article undertakes a more sustained analysis of seventeenth‐century wage data drawn from the papers of the English High Court of Admiralty, and uses the same evidence to examine other forms of income, both customary payments as part of shipping, and small‐scale trade. Seafarers of all ranks carried their own commodities on all shipping routes, offering an opportunity to increase their income considerably. This evidence confirms that the maritime labour market was hierarchical, and that very often seafarers were poor labourers facing economic insecurity of many kinds. However, it refines the previous interpretation by emphasizing the presence of skilled workers even among the lower levels of this labour market, and by introducing a new dimension to mariners’ economic agency: they were not simply wage‐workers, but also independent participants in a venture economy.     

企业国际化与产业集群国际化比较研究

文章认为,经济国际化是当今世界经济发展大趋势。作为一个国家或地区经济国际化发展的主要载体,企业国际化水平或产业集群国际化水平正成为一国或地区经济国际竞争力的重要表现。文章通过比较分析指出,企业国际化和产业集群国际化之间有着共同的内涵和相互促进作用,但在先后次序、主体构成、风险和绩效等方面也有重要差别。     

璋瓦皆喜 喜意各表——生儿与育女的家庭养老差异研究

文章利用2013年中国健康与养老追踪调查（CHARLS）数据实证分析成年子女性别及教育对家庭养老影响的差异。研究结果表明：相对于男性而言,无论是居住距离还是是否同住方面,女儿更疏离于原生家庭,但是受教育水平提高有助于拉近其与原生家庭的地理距离;教育水平的增加显著降低了男性看望父母、与父母联系的频率,而随着教育水平的提高,女性相对于其兄弟会更多地看望父母、与父母联系;个体与父母经济距离方面并不存在显著的性别差异。文章认为提高女性的受教育水平,不仅有助于女性自身福利的提升,也有助于促进老年人福利的改善。