我国省份之间的要素流动和边际生产率的差异分析

本文讨论了我国各省份之间的生产要素配置的有效性问题。首先 ,在估计各省份的生产函数的基础上 ,给出了各省份资本存量和劳动的边际回报率的大小。其次 ,本文引入了刻划边际回报差异程度的指标———离差指标。通过分析发现 ,从 1 970— 1 989年 ,资本存量的边际生产率的差异水平在缩小 ,从 1 989年起 ,边际生产率的差异水平保持在一个稳定水平 ;劳动的边际生产率的差异从 1 970— 1 993年也在缩小 ,但是 ,从 1 994年开始 ,劳动的边际生产率的差异水平反而开始上升。最后 ,本文对出现的资本存量和劳动的边际回报率差异的变化趋势进行了初步的解释。     

交易成本对易货经济的影响——瓦尔拉斯均衡“不成立”的一种情形

本文首先用一种新的解析几何方法在易货经济 (即两种商品的纯交换经济 )条件下的一般均衡框架下揭示了价格与消费者的马歇尔需求之间的函数关系。在此基础上 ,由个人承担的交易成本被直接置入。然后 ,本文证明 :如果交易成本的固定项不为零 ,供、求函数将不连续 ;如果同时有非无穷小比例的人口进行同步化决策 ,那么瓦尔拉斯均衡将会被破坏     

On the evolutionary edge of altruism: a game-theoretic proof of Hamilton’s rule for a simple case of siblings

We offer a game-theoretic proof of Hamiltons rule for the spread of altruism. For a simple case of siblings, we show that the rule can be derived as the outcome of a one-shot prisoners dilemma game between siblings.JEL Classification: A13, C70, D64Correspondence to: Oded Stark, ZEF, University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Strasse 3, 53113 Bonn, GermanyWe are indebted to an anonymous referee and to Uwe Cantner for helpful comments and suggestions. Partial financial support from the National Institute on Aging (grant RO1-AG13037) and from the Humboldt Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.     

Virtual integration and endogenous growth in the world economy

This study develops a three-country model of endogenous growth that captures the role of the interconnection of country-specific communications networks (i.e., virtual integration), which affects the productivity of R&D activity through an increase in stock of knowledge capital. The number of countries connected to internationally interconnected networks is found to determine the structure of dynamic comparative advantages. That is, countries with interconnected networks have a dynamic comparative advantage in differentiated products that require communication and activities. In the connected countries, researchers gain from efficient activity through the utilization of the greater stock of knowledge capital. The author acknowledges the comments from the participants at the 56th International Atlantic Economic Conference, held October 16–19, 2003, in Quebec City, Canada. The author is also grateful to the anonymous referee of this journal for helpful comments and suggestions.     

区域中小企业技术创新能力测度模型及实证分析

将企业技术创新理论、区域创新环境理论和系统理论有机结合,依据企业技术创新的基本内涵和发展趋势,结合中小企业技术创新的一般特点和规律,开发利用全国工业企业首次创新调查资料,研究构建了区域中小企业技术创新能力测度模型;并以湖南为实例,进行了模型的实证检验与案例的评价分析。最后,依据评价结果,有针对性地提出了进一步提升湖南中小企业技术创新能力的政策建议。     

Testing the null hypothesis of no regime switching with an application to GDP growth rates

This paper presents tests for the null hypothesis of no regime switching in Hamilton’s (Econometrica 57:357–384, 1989) regime switching model. The test procedures exploit similarities between regime switching models, autoregressions with measurement errors, and finite mixture models. The proposed tests are computationally simple and, contrary to likelihood based tests, have a standard distribution under the null. When the methodology is applied to US GDP growth rates, no strong evidence of regime switching is found. I thank Don Andrews, Peter Phillips, Yuichi Kitamura, Anat Bracha, Patrik Guggenberger, Orit Whiteman and three anonymous referees for useful comments and suggestions.     

Does Technological Innovation Really Reduce Marginal Abatement Costs? Some Theory,Algebraic Evidence,and Policy Implications

The existing literature models innovation in pollution control as a reduction in marginal abatement costs. We show that this assumption is inappropriate for production process innovations such as fuel switching. Algebraically, we examine the effects of different innovation types on marginal abatement cost curves, showing that some desirable innovations increase marginal abatement costs. Empirically, we estimate marginal abatement costs for sulfur dioxide by measuring the output distance function for electric power in Korea. Regression results confirm that production process innovations did raise marginal abatement costs in this case. One policy implication: economic instruments do not always provide stronger innovation incentives than command-and-control policies.      

Market Shares and Concentration in the EU Auditing Industry: the Effects of Andersen’s Demise

This paper describes and analyses changes at the concentration level of the audit services markets in 15-EU member-countries. The sample consists of 2,862 clients of auditing firms for the period 1998 to 2004. The findings of the research show that concentration in the aggregate sample increased over time. Concentration in the audit markets of the EU-15 member-countries exhibits substantial variation across countries while average concentration, before and after Arthur Andersen’s dissolution, has increased in 12 and declined in three countries. Results segmented by economic sectors indicate that the concentration increased in all sectors except Energy, which is the sector with the highest concentration. Overall, the empirical results suggest that there are complexities in our understanding of auditing services markets for competition purposes.

The unanimity rule and religious fractionalisation in the Polish-Lithuanian Republic

This paper analyses the role of the unanimity rule—known as liberum veto—in medieval Poland. We argue that the primary effect of the liberum veto was that it secured religious freedom and established domestic peace in an otherwise deeply divided and fractionalised country. What is more, this institution succeeded in doing so during an era which was characterised by violent religious conflicts and rise of absolutist monarchies throughout the European continent. Even after 1652, when the liberum veto seemed to have practically paralysed the decision-making of Polish-Lithuanian parliament, there were still reasons—related to religious issues—why its use could have been preferable to less inclusive voting rules. It can be argued, however, that the use of unanimity was not warranted in questions related to defence, especially in situations of national emergency, although it is questionable to which extent the sole presence of the liberum veto was susceptible to bring about the demise of the Polish-Lithuanian Republic.

Is Pragmatism Good for Anything? Towards a Theory of Impractical Economics

This article discusses the relationship between classical pragmatism, political economy and economic policy. Classical pragmatism is contrasted with vulgar meanings and uses of the term pragmatism. Classical pragmatism aims at a deep, substantive theoretical understanding of real-world economic systems and supports application of well-warranted claims to knowledge to improve the human condition. The article reviews the contributions of the founder of pragmatism, Charles Sanders Peirce, to the areas of ontology and epistemology as well as their further development by contemporary classical pragmatist philosopher Susan Haack. Hilary Putnam’s argument that we can have ethics without ontology and objectivity without objects is then critiqued. We need ethics based on an ontology that is rooted in actual human experience; this provides better guidance for evaluating policy proposals. The paper concludes by discussing the affinity of classical pragmatism with different approaches to political economy and policy.