福建省新一轮林改的引导与示范效用分析——集体林权改革研究之三

作为全国首个开展新一轮林改的试点省份,福建省在改革中所采取的一系列措施及其所取得的成效,对于其他拟开展或正开展林改的省份而言都具有重要的引导和示范效用。主要包括:林地使用费的收取和使用办法、林权抵押贷款的做法、生态公益林管护机制和多渠道筹资的做法,以及林改在增加林农收入和促进林区"三农"问题的解决,兼顾效率与公平的关系及提升林区公共福利水平,乃至在推进林区民主进程等方面的引导和示范效用。     

The effects of China's airline mergers on prices

This paper looks at the effects of some of the recent airline mergers in China. Overall, no significant airfare increases are found in a sample of markets served by the merged China Eastern and China Southern after 2002; indeed in most of the markets directly affected airfares declined. This was despite the absence of antitrust laws and enforcement over the period. However, market power was possibly exercised after the mergers in China Eastern's hub-to-hub networks.     

The Australian merger guidelines: A comparison with the U.S. merger guidelines

Modern Australian antitrust had not begun when the first U.S. merger guidelines appeared in 1968. Even now, twenty five years later, no similarly detailed, formal administrative guidelines have been developed in Australia. This paper reviews the way in which the AustralianTrade Practices Act 1974 handles mergers and market definition, and considers how the Courts and the Trade Practices Commission, Australia's sole antitrust enforcement agency, have handled market definition and evaluated mergers. The key role played by the Trade Practices Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body, in influencing the Australian approach to mergers and market definition is highlighted. Contrasts are made with the 1992 American guidelines, and reasons for the different approaches are suggested.     

The impact of government purchases on market performance in Australia

This paper discusses the role which federal, state and local governments can play as large buyers in influencing the behavior of sellers in markets. While the available data make it impossible to draw unambiguous conclusions, the evidence is consistent with the possibility that theAustralian Commonwealth (federal) Government has used its market position as a large buyer to encourage competitive behavior, especially in highly concentrated industries. The local preference buying policies of state and local governments, however, may have augmented the effects of market power. The results suggest strongly that omission of variables representing the buying side of markets will lead to misspecification of structure-performance models, and indicate that government purchases could at appropriate times be used in addition to antitrust action, in order to improve market performance.     

The Welfare Goal of Antitrust Laws in Asia: for whom should the law toil?

It is argued that an antitrust law should include a clear, long‐term, economy‐wide welfare goal. For any country—especially for developing countries—legislating to promote the competitive process, it is essential to include in the law a clearly‐specified objects clause to guide administrative and judicial conduct. Without a clear objects clause, firms, competition agencies, and the courts will not have any guidance as to the government's overarching goal when it passed the legislation. This uncertainty will lead to inefficient regulation; will run the risk of special interests being accommodated; and will lead to the likelihood of false positives and negatives being made by regulators and the courts. We review the antitrust laws in some Asian economies and find that most of them have not incorporated a clear objects clause in their statutes.     

The effect of push and pull factors on an adjusted index of product and geographic diversification

This paper adjusts published product diversification data for vertical integration and geographic diversification. The resulting index is found to be significantly positively affected by R&D effort as measured by scientific input, while engineering input is negatively linked with diversification. It is also shown that profit and growth prospects in other industries have a ’pull‘ effect on diversification.