Deposit insurance and bank regulation in a monetary economy: a general equilibrium exposition

Summary. It is commonly argued that poorly designed banking system safety nets are largely to blame for the frequency and severity of modern banking crises. For example, underpriced deposit insurance and/or low reserve requirements are often viewed as factors that encourage risk-taking by banks. In this paper, we study the effects of three policy variables: deposit insurance premia, reserve requirements and the way in which the costs of bank bailouts are financed. We show that when deposit insurance premia are low, the monetization of bank bailout costs may not be more inflationary than financing these costs out of general revenue. This is because, while monetizing the costs increases the inflation tax rate, higher levels of general taxation reduce savings, deposits, bank reserves, and the inflation tax base. Increasing the inflation tax rate obviously raises inflation, but so does an erosion of the inflation tax base. We also find that low deposit insurance premia or low reserve requirements may not be associated with a high rate of bank failure.Received: 2 January 2002, Revised: 1 March 2003JEL Classification Numbers: D5, E5, G1.B. D. Smith: Sadly, our co-author, colleague and dear friend, Bruce D. Smith, died on July 9, 2002.     

Using a balanced scorecard to improve the performance of an emergency department

The performance of the emergency department significantly improved after implementing the balanced scorecard including hours of continuing education attended by the staff, staff job satisfaction, the rate of incomplete laboratory tests within 30 minutes, the average monthly inappropriate return rate, and hospital profit. The results can assist administrators plan for the future. Although this was a pilot program for implementing a balanced scorecard in an emergency department, the indicators used in this study may also be reasonable for a hospital that has limited resources.     

Comparing Cournot and Bertrand equilibria in an asymmetric duopoly with product R&D

We compare the Cournot and Bertrand equilibria in an asymmetric duopoly with product R&D competition. If a firm’s marginal cost is lower than that of its rival, then this firm (its rival) is referred to as the more (less) efficient firm. Under each mode of competition, there are three types of equilibria: blockaded-entry, deterred-entry, and accommodated-entry. Moreover, the presence of R&D investment makes it harder for the less efficient firm to survive. Cournot competition entails a unique equilibrium, whereas Bertrand competition may yield two equilibria. It is harder for the less efficient firm to survive under Bertrand competition than under Cournot competition. Versus Cournot competition, Bertrand competition yields higher industry output, and it shifts production from the less efficient firm to the more efficient firm. This result, together with the known size effect, explains the following three findings. First, the more efficient firm has a normal output ranking, whereas the less efficient firm may demonstrate an output reversal. Second, the more efficient firm may demonstrate a R&D reversal, whereas the less efficient firm has a normal R&D ranking (its Cournot R&D effort exceeds its Bertrand R&D effort). Third, Bertrand competition is more welfare-efficient than Cournot competition.     

Municipal Finance in Poland,the Slovak Republic,the Czech Republic and Hungary: Institutional Framework and Recent Development

The recent process of political and economic transition in eastern European countries has not only contributed to the decentralisation of political structure but also significantly enhanced the fiscal autonomy of municipalities in these countries. In this context many similar types of public activities have recently been assigned to local governments, and some taxes were also declared to be local taxes. To be sure, this type of fiscal decentralisation has caused some additional problems, particularly for safeguarding the quality of publicly provided goods and services and for co-ordinating intergovernmental fiscal transfers between the central and local governments. For instance, some criticise that many small-sized municipalities in the transition economies have suffered from financial bottlenecks and have not been able to receive sufficient financial support from the central government. However, such a fiscal devolution trend appears to continue. This study primarily deals with issues surrounding the impact of national fiscal policy and the regulatory framework on local governments' expenditure behaviour and their ability to mobilise necessary revenues under the particular consideration of the institutional and administrative co-operation with the central government and of the less well-developed financial market in Poland, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic and Hungary.     

区际分工转型中的西部地区产业结构转变

要素禀赋状况决定的区际产业分工逐步由自然资源-技术型向自然资源-技术-资本-人力资本型转变.这将西部地区置于区际利益分配过程中相对不利的地位.立足资源优势,在现有垂直型产业分工的基础上,以专业化和市场化为导向,展开与发达地区的水平型分工,构造合理的垂直-水平型产业分工格局,是促进西部地区产业成长,提高区际竞争力的重要方面.     

基于CBR的建筑生产安全诊断系统研究

为提高建筑生产安全诊断工作效率与系统化程度,给出了基于CBR的建筑生产安全诊断系统流程。在系统分析建筑生产安全隐患影响因素的前提下,设计了面向建筑生产安全诊断的案例表达技术,并研究了面向建筑生产安全诊断的案例匹配技术、案例调整技术与案例维护技术。实验结果表明,随着案例库规模的增加,平均案例匹配率有所提升、平均案例调整率有所降低。CBR适于解决诸如建筑生产安全诊断等非结构化问题。     

International diffusion of embodied and disembodied technology: A network analysis approach

This study proposes a quantitative method for investigating the structure of international technology diffusion. By using network analysis, this study defines the structural configuration of each country within the international diffusion network by measuring its degree, closeness, and betweenness centralities. In addition, this study distinguishes between embodied technology diffusion, measured by multilateral trade, and disembodied technology diffusion, measured by patent citations, in individual countries. This study empirically tests a sample data set of international technology diffusion taken from 48 countries. The empirical results show that the structural configuration of countries exhibits similar patterns in both embodied and disembodied diffusion networks. Significant global stratification patterns exist in the capability of national international technology exportation and brokerage advantages. Moreover, this study distinguishes four blocks of countries that play different roles in international technology diffusion: the leading countries provide a source of technological knowledge; an intermediate group diffuses the knowledge acquired from the source; a third group is in the process of initiating the export of technological knowledge; and a final group of countries absorbs technological knowledge without reciprocal exportation. Finally, this study identifies two types of catch-up strategies that newly industrialized or developing countries can use to move up the international technology stratification.     

完善高职院校教师培训保障体系的思考

高职院校教师培训是高职院校创新与发展的重要因素,是提高高职院校教师综合素质的最有效的途径。保证高职院校的教育质量,促进其健康快速发展,关键在于进行卓有成效的教师培训。该文结合第一批国家示范性高等职业院校关于教师培养培训的经验及探索,对高职院校教师培训保障体系进行了研究,以期为高职教师培训的实施提供可行的政策建议。     

“免疫系统”理论视野下的国家审计

"免疫系统"理论的形成与提出是审计理论的创新,在今后相当长的一段时期内具有理论研究价值和现实指导意义.在"免疫系统"理论新视野下,国家审计应在借鉴免疫系‘统的自发性和自适应性的基础上,确保其独立性和强制性,完善审计机制;发挥防御、自稳、监督职能和防护性、建设性、调控性等作用,维护国家安全.作为经济社会运行中的"免疫系统",国家审计的内在机理是及时发现问题、依法处理问题、充分利用成果、依法报告工作.而不断增强并充分发挥国家审计的"免疫系统"功能的措施有:积极探索务实高效和充分保障审计独立性的体制机制;努力完善国家审计联系制度和审计结果公开制度;持续改进各部门的协调机制及国家审计的创新机制;大力加强基础建设,夯实可持续发展的根基.     

大学生职业生涯辅导策略探讨

近年来,我国高校毕业生的人数连续上升,面对大学生严峻的就业形势和来自社会各方面的诸多问题,文章在分析大学生就业现状的基础上,探讨和分析了职业生涯辅导发展历程,提出职业生涯辅导发展策略。