Democracy and dynamic welfare optima

We show that there exists a rule of deciding on random election dates, such that the solution of a welfare optimum computed on an infinite horizon, coincides with short-run economic policies chosen by a democratically elected government.     

Mathematical formulation and exact solution for landing location problem in tropical forest selective logging,a case study in Southeast Cameroon

In Central Africa, creating forest roads and skid trails is one of the most costly and environmentally damaging operations for the forest's ecosystem. An optimized road network is essential for reducing construction costs and improving the sustainable management of timber resources. The location of landings is vital in the development of a future forest road network. In this study, a binary integer programming model similar to the uncapacitated facility location problem is formulated to optimize the locations of the landings. The model is applied to selective logging in Central Africa and tested on an annual logging zone in Southeast Cameroon. The results are compared to that of manual road planning, the currently used method.     

Reforming the training system in France

The French system of continuing vocational training was set up in 1970 by an intersectoral collective agreement that was then followed by legislation. More than 30 years on, the economic and social context has changed and the system now faces new challenges. In 2001 and again in 2003 the social partners embarked upon new negotiations in a bid to redesign the system. Analysis of the negotiation process and of its outcomes reveals both the persistence of societal characteristics and the emergence of significant innovations, particularly in the individualisation of training. This dual trend is explained by the characteristics of the actors involved as well as by the weakness of the state.     

Are green products over-priced?

This article investigates conditions under which high prices, in conjunction with low levels of pollution, signal environmentally clean products. It is shown that, when consumers cannot ascertain the environmental performance of products, the price must be distorted upward to signal a clean product. A clean producer saves less from emitting pollution and so raises price and restricts output with less reluctance than does a dirty producer. The theoretical result of over-pricing is consistent with the evidence that “green” products receive higher prices than conventional products. However, optimistic prior beliefs of high-environmental performance may cause signaling to fail.      

A new entrepreneurial drive in large and small manufacturing firms in Japan

Japan's per capita GDP growth has been decelerating for at least three decades, despite groping towards better ways of accommodating individualistic Smithian market forces. Japan has made great progress in opening markets and fostering profit seeking, yet it has not reaped the benefits anticipated so far. Facing the most severe economic downturn of the post-war period, it is now rethinking the fundaments of its economic and management system. The necessity of developing competitive advantages in new industries has been identified but a crucial question is how they will affect the way industry has organized itself to maximize quality, efficiency and flexibility. It is said that an entrepreneurial culture was not needed during the post-war period in Japan because a group-based industrial organization could generate about the same dynamism and outcome. Nevertheless, this time, a venture-type business culture may be a key factor in the renewal of the Japanese economy to put it back on a sustainable growth path. The objective of the article is to make a critical assessment of the trends in entrepreneurship in Japan, using secondary data. They are complemented by partial results of two surveys made by the author, the first one in 1997 in ten electronic companies on intrapreneurship schemes, and the second one in 1998 in 40 small companies in the Hiroshima prefecture, centred on human resource management. To these are added information obtained through interviews in the small business agency, MITI, and a number of universities on business-university research collaboration schemes.