国际调停发生的讨价还价模型:一种定量检验

国际冲突是否经历调停是由调停的供给方(即调停者)和需求方(即争端方)共同决定的。与既有大多数研究强调影响调停发生的"深层原因"不同,作者借鉴理性主义解释视角,着重关注影响调停发生的"即时原因",即将调停的发生视为需求方讨价还价成功的结果。根据理性主义的解释,影响需求方讨价还价结果的主要障碍有私有信息(包括故意误传私有信息)、承诺问题和议题不可分割性三种,而第三方调停者的干预可以帮助需求方克服这三种障碍,从而增加调停发生的可能性。作者使用"国际危机行为"和"国际冲突管理"两个数据库数据,运用统计方法检验了调停发生的讨价还价模型。统计结果表明,当影响需求方之间讨价还价结果的三种问题得到有效管理时,国际冲突更容易经历调停。     

How better targeting of social spending affects social delivery in South Africa

Social spending has become a major tool of targeting resources to South Africa's poor. The poor now get considerably more than their population share of social spending, but the underlying distribution of income is so skewed that overall post-fiscal inequality has not improved much. Concentration ratios and curves show considerable shifts in social spending incidence in the period 1995 to 2006. However, the efficiency of that spending is low, resulting in limited social outcomes and consequently also limited gains to the poor from better targeting. This paper therefore calls for the South African policy discussion to shift to why the ever-increasing fiscal inputs and improved targeting of those inputs have not produced the desired social outcomes.     

The problems of development of a region under the conditions of the global crisis (Using the Vologda Region as an example)

The paper analyzes the effect of the crisis on the economy and social sphere of a region and substantiates the essence of measures whose implementation will enable the escape from the crisis state to be accelerated.     

Corporate conscience and foreign divestment decisions

The rational-agent frame of reference for the analysis of corporate strategic decision-making may be expanded to a moral-agent perspective where decision content is seen as comprising both commercial and ethical factors. Relevant factors may then be classified on the basis of the ethical decision principles to which they relate: rational-egoism, self-referential altruism or deontology. This approach is then applied to the problem of decision support for strategic divestment by MNCs. Alan E. Singer is Senior Lecturer in Business Policy and Decision Sciences at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He has written several articles which have been published in journals like Accountancy, Decision Sciences, Journal of Business Ethics and Management Research News.Nicholas van der Walt is Lecturer at the University of Canterbury.     

GRAMPIES: A new breed of consumers comes of age

The aging of the world's population, and the qualities those people bring to the over-60 market, have created a new breed. GRAMPIES, Growing Retired Active Monied People In an Excellent State, no longer constitute a dull and destitute gerontocracy, but an exciting target and challenge for the world's marketers.     

Asia's ‘little divergence’ in the twentieth century: evidence from PPP-based direct estimates of GDP per capita, 1913–69

This article uses expenditure-based purchasing power parities (PPPs) to estimate GDP per capita in comparable prices for 12 Asian countries for six benchmark years during the period 1913–69. The article finds that in 1913 levels of real GDP per capita in several countries were comparable to those in Japan. GDP per capita in Japan and other Asian countries diverged during and after the First World War. The article questions whether Asia's ‘little divergence’ between Japan and other Asian countries dates back to the late eighteenth century. It draws attention to the different resource endowments of Japan, China, and India compared to other Asian countries, and their implications for the development trajectories of Asian countries. The article demonstrates that using historical PPP estimates yields estimates of GDP per capita that diverge from those based on retropolations of the single 1990 PPP-converted benchmark year. It concludes that historical estimates of PPPs are needed to confirm analyses of comparative economic performance based on available GDP per capita data.     

Consumer value conflicts surrounding ethical food purchase decisions: a focus on animal welfare

Ethical attitudes in relation to meat purchases were studied among urban and rural consumers in Scotland. All subjects perceived at least some ethical issues in relation to animal production systems, in particular, systems keeping animals in close confinement. Welfare‐friendly production systems were viewed as adding value to a food, but this value was not necessarily realizable to producers if purchases occurred only when foods were on special offer. Statements made by individuals were often contradictory, revealing ambivalence, unresolved value conflicts and a general lack of involvement in the nature of meat production. A number of barriers to the establishment of stable attitudes and behaviours in relation to the ethical treatment of food animals were also identified. A key finding of the study is that individuals can hold two views on animal welfare. On the one hand, they may think as citizens influencing societal standards, and on the other, as consumers at the point of purchase. As citizens, they support the notion of animals being entitled to a good life; as meat consumers, they avoid the cognitive connection with the live animal. This paper explores both the citizen–consumer relationship and purchase strategies used by consumers to resolve value conflicts. Lessons for public and commercial policy are highlighted in the context of the Curry Report (2002) which advocates more effective market segmentation where markets are finely attuned to their customers, with the development of a number of assurance schemes discussed in the article.     

“Following” or “attracting” the customer? Japanese Banking FDI in Europe

Using firm-level Japanese FDI data on investment into 18 European countries between 1970–2000 in all industries (banking, manufacturing, wholesale/retail distribution, and business services), this study examines if the “follow the customer” (FTC) hypothesis holds for firm-level data. The results suggest that banks do follow their customers into a foreign market, as part of a larger strategy that goes beyond the FTC theory. The firm level data show that the majority of FDI into a host country occurs after the foreign bank has established operations. Policy implications of this finding include the suggestion that host economies liberalize their financial sector early in an effort to attract banking FDI which then will attract non-banking FDI rather than the reverse.     

糖料生产的扶持政策因应:滇省例证

近年来,国内糖料价格连年大涨,但价格上涨并未带动糖料产量增加,国内糖料生产反而连年下滑,食糖产量快速下降,糖价持续高涨,进口食糖量、价均创历史新高,形势较为严峻。对第二大糖料主产区云南省进行的专题调研表明,应通过大力开展甘蔗高产创建活动、积极推广机械化、给予糖料同等支持、加大对境外糖料甘蔗替代种植的支持和进一步完善糖蔗价格联动机制等加大对糖料生产的支持力度。     

高原牧区定位重构与战略转型:川西北证据

川西北高原牧区是我国八大牧区之一。由于自然条件、资源禀赋、基础设施、制度安排等多方面因素,发展较为滞后。川西北高原牧区的发展要从本地区自然环境的多样性出发,走包容多样性和多层次内容的发展道路;要以民生为本,以生态建设为中心,实现经济、政治、社会、文化、生态建设的全面跨越,发展阶段的战略性跨越,对外开放的进一步跨越,探索特色一、二、三产业打通+引领后现代生活方式的城镇和村庄建构的新模式。