Einige neuere Entwicklungen in der Messung der industriellen Konzentration

Zusammenfassung In der Diskussion verschiedener Konzentrationsma?e zeigt die Informationsentropie in der Form des normierten Entropiema?esE optimale Eigenschaften. Gleich demC-Index und demRosenbluth-Index reagiert sie wettbewerbstheoretisch „richtig“, weist aber wegen ihrer axiomatischen Fundierung zus?tzlich die Disaggregations-Eigenschaft auf. Zur ersten Orientierung über Konzentrationstendenzen hat sich der Konzentrationskoeffizient trotz mancher Nachteile als nützlich erwiesen. Einige Ergebnisse werden am Beispiel der Automobilproduktion Kanadas und der BRD gezeigt.

---

Summary Among the discussed measures of business concentration the standardized entropy-measureE reveals most favourable properties. Alike the indexes ofHirschman and ofRosenbluth it reacts ‘as expected’ in terms of the theory of industrial organization. In addition,E makes disaggregation feasible because of its axiomatic basis. For purposes of observing concentration at a first glance the method of concentration ratios proves to be a useful tool despite conceptual shortcomings. Some findings are shown for the Canadian and the West-German passenger-car industry.

     

The role of the family in development

It is important for the development planner to view the family as a flexible organizational unit of individuals who have different roles, privileges, rewards, options, and obligations. In developing countries the criteria for distributing resources and responsibilities within families are not the same as the Western criteria of development needs and requirements. Neither do sex and age, particularly among the poor, determine the roles people play in the family. Women play important productive roles in developing countries and a critical role in the cultivation of all crops, subsistence and cash, in sub-Saharan Africa. Children also make important contributions. Although all family members must work hard, scarce resources and immediate needs frequently result in unequal distribution of resources and access to services. All members of low-income families in developing countries are involved in the struggle for survival, for no 1 income source is adequate. The family's decision-making process is implicit in all its distribution of both responsibilities and resources. If wives in poor households are able to retain control of their earnings, they can have more power. In sub-Saharan Africa, where the women have a major agricultural role, their power bases are broader.