Index Number Concepts,Measures and Decompositions of Productivity Growth

This paper explores the definitions and properties of total factor productivity growth (TFPG) indexes, focusing especially on the Paasche, Laspeyres, Fisher, Törnqvist, and implicit Törnqvist ones. These indexes can be evaluated from observable price and quantity data, and certain of these are shown to be measures of TFPG concepts and theoretical indexes that have been proposed in the literature. The mathematical relationships between these and quantity aggregates, financial measures, and price and quantity indexes are explored. Decompositions of the productivity growth indexes are also given. The paper concludes with a brief overview of some limitations on our analysis.     

Incentive Indexes for Regulated Industries

A range of performance measures are suggested and evaluated in the context of regulated industries with multiple inputs and/or multiple outputs. These measures are intended to induce optimizing behavior, i.e., to induce unit cost minimization or productivity growth maximization. Intertemporal and practical implementation issues are also considered.     

颠覆性技术从边缘力量如何成为未来主流？ ——基于技术－应用－生态的视角

颠覆性技术会对主流技术轨道以及行业市场格局乃至国际竞争规则产生颠覆性效果,如何从边缘力量成为未来主流,对于科技自立自强具有现实意义。基于创新理论构建技术-应用-生态（TAE）框架,对颠覆性技术的演化路径及其作用机制进行分析。研究表明,颠覆性技术由边缘力量到未来主流是一个系统变革,具有由萌生→丛生→递归的技术生成动态演化轨迹、由初始场景→中阶场景→目标场景→未来场景的应用跃迁路径,以及树状→环状→网状的创新生态变革过程,并受到技术的融合发展、技术－应用的深层互动,以及后发优劣势动态转换的竞争机制等综合作用,从边缘力量到未来主流存在技术分叉、应用跃迁、生态协同三大后发优势转换的临界条件。最后从重视技术科学、加强需求侧管理、优化创新生态、把握政策时机等方面得到政策启示。     

Decompositions of profitability change using cost functions

The paper presents a decomposition of a production unit’s cost ratio over two periods into explanatory factors. The explanatory factors are growth in the unit’s cost efficiency, output growth, changes in input prices and technical progress. In order to implement the decomposition, an estimate of the industry’s best practice cost function for the two periods under consideration is required. Profitability at a period of time is defined as the value of outputs produced by a production unit divided by the corresponding cost. Using the earlier work by Balk and O’Donnell, the paper provides a decomposition of profitability growth over two periods into various explanatory factors that are similar to the cost ratio decomposition except that change in outputs explanatory factor is replaced by two separate factors: an index of output price growth and a measure of returns to scale.