Stochastic Technology, Risk Preferences, and Adoption of Site-Specific Technologies

A model of farmer decision making is developed to determine the extent to which uncertainties about soil fertility and weather affect the value of site-specific technologies (SSTs) using jointly estimated risk and technology parameters. Uncertainty can lead risk-averse farmers to apply more fertilizers and generate more pollution than in the certainty case. Ignoring uncertainty and risk aversion would overestimate the economic and environmental benefits of SSTs and underestimate the subsidy required to induce adoption. Accounting for uncertainties and risk preferences might explain the low observed adoption rates of SSTs. Improving the accuracy of SSTs would increase the incentives for adoption.     

Estimating Willingness to Pay for Improved Water Quality in the Presence of Item Nonresponse Bias

This article deals with the problem of item nonresponse in contingent valuation surveys using a payment-card method, by applying a grouped-data sample-selection estimation technique that is capable of imputing the missing values conditional upon a respondent's decision to answer a willingness-to-pay question. The advantage of the technique lies in its ability to utilize all of the information in the sample, permitting a more efficient estimation in the presence of item nonresponse bias. The major determinants of willingness to pay appear to be household income, number of children, education, perception of existing water quality, and identification with environmental issues.     

对《形状和位置公差》新标准的理解和应用

通过对《形状和位置公差》新、旧国际的对比，综述了新、旧标准间的不同之处、便于迅速了解和应用新标准。     

Price rigidities and institutional variations in markets with posted prices

Summary Standard laboratory posted-offer markets respond slowly and incompletely to demand shocks. In these one-sided markets, where sellers control the setting of prices, very little information is transmitted via the process of exchange. For this reason, traders have trouble distinguishing randomness in their own experience from changes in market fundamentals. This paper reports the results of twelve laboratory markets conducted to assess whether some common variants to standard posted-offer rules can correct the adjustment deficiences. Although discounting, multiple postings and excess demand information all improve performance, we find that response remains poor, and efficiencies low.Support for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation (SBR 9319842 and SBR 9320044), and the University of Virginia Bankard Fund. Data are archived at FTP address: fido.econlab.arizona.edu. We wish to thank Charles Plott and Shyam Sunder for useful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. The usual disclaimer applies.     

网络营销创新定位、运行模型及案例分析

网络营销的创新性质包括创新程度和创新效益两个方面。创新程度反映网络营销创新的影响力度,是过程性指标;创新效益反映网络营销的经济效应,是结果性指标。将创新度和效益度垂直相交构成一个二维平面,并将其分别划分为高低两个级别段,可形成四个定位模块,即触网型创新、网络实验型创新、网络营销专家和运营网络型创新。一般情况下,企业网络营销创新往往从触网型创新出发。进而上升到运营网络型创新阶段,但在网络营销实践中,某些创新运动并不是严格地起于触网型创新,而止于运营网络模型,更有逆向运行的情况存在。     

论政府在经济发展中的生态责任

当前人类面临人口过度膨胀、环境污染严重和资源枯竭等一系列发展的难题，并已成为社会发展的障碍，这些结果的出现并不是短时间造成的，而是长时间积累的结果；既有主观上的原因、客观上的原因和管理上的原因。①主观原因。长时间以来，人们一直认为人类是自然的主宰，自然界是人类征服的对象，自然界的一切都是人类的，人们有一种必定胜天的信念。在这种理念的支配下，人们做出了各种各样违背自然发展规律的蠢事；比如填海造田、毁林造田、过度放牧、滥杀动物、排放有毒有害的废水废气以及过度开发各种矿藏等，人类的这些行为大大超过了自然界这个生态系统的恢复能力，     

公共部门效率理论及实践

目前比较流行用“经济人”概念分析政府行为,但吴俊培教授在《公共部门效率理论及实践》一文中认为,把政府假设为“经济人”是不真的,在市场经济中,“经济人”是“人”的一部分,但不是全部。政府和市场一样,应该是“经济人”和“非经济人”的统一。公共部门效率不应该是纯粹经济学意义上的效率,其职责的主要目标是维持社会的公正和正义。在实践中,政府为了完成国内生产总值(GDP)的增长,甚至有招商引资的任务。这种做法不是淡化而是强化了部门利益,与公共部门的职能定位是不相符的。     

罕见的怀孕犀牛化石

9月29日,山东山旺国家地质公园古生物化石陈列馆展出一件世界罕见的长2.7米、高1.7米,怀有身孕的无角犀牛化石。这件怀胎待产的犀牛化石是在保护地质遗迹、修建硅藻土页岩剖面时发掘出土的世界上第一件完整而又怀孕的犀牛化石,距今约1800万年。上世纪七八十年代山旺山东鸟、齐鲁泰山鸟等鸟类化石的发现,填补了中新世时期的空白,从而成为国际上中新世生物建阶的重要依据,被称为“世界古生物化石宝库”。2001年末,“山旺国家自然保护区”被批准为国家地质公园后,国家先后投入2000万元对1.2平方公里的山旺国家地质公园核心区域的地质遗迹进行了…     

China’s Labor Market on Crossroad

I.IntroductionSincethelate1990s,China’slabor market has comeundergreat pressure,asreflected by anincreasing unemployment rate,and adeclining labor force participation rate.The causesofthe severe unemployment are threefold.First,due to the macro-economic downturn andrapid industrial structural change in the late1990s,state-owned enterprises(SOEs),whichlost their comparative advantage and competitiveness,have been unable to fully utilizetheir production capacity,and have become loss-makers.Se…     

企业控制机制:控制权争夺的边界和效应

公司兼并和收购市场中企业控制权机机制、控制权争夺的价值、控制权争夺的福利效应、大股东在公司控制权争夺中对公司政策产生影响。外部性排除了负有义务的股东完全取得接管收益的可能性,无论控制权争夺的结果如何,股东财富在控制权争夺其间是增加的。从股东的福利效应方面来说,控制权争夺的失败也就是股东财富的损失。大股东提高了预期利润,并且他们所占股份越多,则提高越大。董事会的失误导致了敌意接管的出现,可由公司控制的外部市场对董事会的疏忽作用进行弥补。