Statistics for Studies of Human Welfare

Developments in the recent past have substantially increased our ability to measure, compute, and communicate. We take the view that a corresponding improved understanding of processes in the life sciences will come about only through more intensive studies of properties of statistical methods and algorithms and transparent, open source computing environments.     

寿险合同持续期的实证研究:一个契约的视角

本文将寿险合同持续期,作为研究的对象。以契约经济学的方法,分析保险合同,将影响持续期的因素分为:投保人特点、保险人行为以及契约外部环境。运用来自山东某人寿保险公司的保单数据,研究了各类因素对持续期的影响。极大似然估计的结果显示,三类因素对寿险合同持续期都有显著影响。其中,服务质量、职业风险以及定期存款利率对契约持续的影响最大。另外,收入、年龄、同业竞争,也对持续期有显著影响。     

Perceived incentives to transdisciplinarity in a Japanese university research center

As a method of investigating complex socially relevant phenomena, transdisciplinary research (TDR) is gaining increasing centrality as a model of knowledge production. However, it is being discouraged by a scientific reward system based on disciplinary logic. The disincentive is even stronger for junior scholars who should be developing the capabilities necessary for achieving long-term scientific excellence.Building on theories of the coordination of scientific communities and using the case of a research center of Kyoto University investigating the boundary between cell and material sciences, we aim to disentangle the interplay between institutional incentives and intrinsic motivation in the prioritization of TDR over monodisciplinary research.We find that, despite strong interest in TDR among scientists and the center's mission to promote this orientation, only a minority of scientists prioritize this approach. Choice of research strategy is associated with its perceived benefits for idea generation, publication opportunities, intellectual effort required, the costs of team coordination, and satisfaction with organizational resources. Furthermore, the propensity to prioritize TDR drops among scientists beginning their careers.Therefore, we recommend the development of evaluation schemes grounded in activity-based measures and the granting of permanent positions to scientists pursuing TDR.     

Examining the relationship of work–family conflict to job and life satisfaction: A case of hotel sales managers

The study was designed to clarify the ambivalent relationships between work–family conflict (WFC) and measures of satisfaction. Both the direct and indirect effects of WFC on job and life satisfaction were investigated. Job satisfaction was also separated into two components: affective reaction and cognitive appraisal. Data were collected by a field survey of 121 sales managers from 26 hotels in China. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) indicated a critical role of one's affective reaction to his/her job in the relationship between WFC and life satisfaction. Specifically, the present study found that both work interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) have significant negative association with an individual's affective reaction to his/her job, while only FIW reduced the cognitive appraisal of a job. Further, affective reaction, rather than cognitive appraisal, had a significant positive correlation with life satisfaction. Finally, FIW was negatively associated with life satisfaction. The results suggest the strategic role of family friendly human resource polices in hotels.     

论社会保障的生命周期及中国的周期阶段

从国家保障、福利国家、强制储蓄和社会保险等主要的社会保障模式中 ,可以看到由产生、成长、高峰、衰退和消亡等阶段组成的社会保障体制的生命周期。中国的新社会保障体制在其生命周期上已经完成产生阶段 ,正处于成长阶段的中期 ,经过另外三十年左右的努力 ,将可以进入高峰阶段。为此 ,中国需要在社会保障体制的改革和建设中对农村保障、养老保障、失业保障和医疗保障诸方面 ,付出一系列特殊而具体的努力     

论儒道释文化对中国城市园艺生命造境的审美观照

中国城市园林造境艺术蕴含着最直接、最生动、最玄妙的宇宙思维模式,而城市山林、壹中天地、法天象地、俯仰乾坤的造园格局正是古典因林造境艺术的精神写照,其创作原理是凭借各种自然构成要素的整合、重构、升华,以达求人化自然、融通宇宙、天人合一的审美境界.它无疑代表了东方城市园林造境文化苑囿的最高旨归,也是世界城市景观设计理念中最丰富的文化遗产,并充分彰显着中国传统儒道释文化生命哲理的审芙观照.     

企业需求、企业能力与企业社会责任的匹配探讨——一种新的企业履行社会责任的理论分析框架

本文首先研究了企业履行社会责任的模式并提出了企业社会责任的层次模型;其次,将企业需求与个人需求在企业生态学的范畴下进行了类比,提出了企业需求层次模型,并将企业需求归纳为企业履行社会责任的动力;再次,本文运用企业生命周期原理,将企业成长状况看作是衡量企业具有一定的履行社会责任能力的体现;最后,通过将企业需求、企业能力与企业社会责任进行匹配探讨,揭示了企业履行社会责任的动力和能力原理及其可能的行为,并得出了一些有意义的结论。     

IMPROVING HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: A LONG‐RUN VIEW

Abstract The pessimistic flavour of the Human Development Reports appears to be in contradiction with their own numbers as developing countries fare comparatively better in human development than in per capita GDP terms. This paper attempts to bridge this gap by providing a new, ‘improved’ human development index (IHDI), informed by welfare economics. The IHDI is presented here alongside the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) HDI for the world and its main regions since the late 19th century. Social dimensions in the IHDI are derived, following Kakwani (Journal of Development Economics 41 (1993), pp. 307–336), with a convex achievement function, whereas a geometric average is employed to combine its dimensions (longevity, knowledge and income). Thus, the IHDI does not conceal the gap between rich and poor countries and casts a much less optimistic view than the conventional UNDP index, while it fits with the UNDP concern for international differences. The paper's findings highlight main weaknesses in human development dimensions of present‐day developing countries.     

USING HAPPINESS DATA FOR ENVIRONMENTAL VALUATION: ISSUES AND APPLICATIONS

Abstract.  In addition to standard methods of environmental valuation, a novel approach has recently emerged which models individuals' self-rated happiness as a function of their incomes and the prevailing environmental conditions. The estimated relationship is used to calculate the trade-off people would be willing to make between income and environmental conditions, i.e. the increase in income necessary to compensate individuals for any given decline in environmental quality. While the basic idea is simple, the theoretical and empirical details may be complex, and they may vary from application to application. This paper discusses the relevant conceptual and methodological issues and reviews applications to air and water pollution, noise nuisance, climate parameters, and natural hazards.     

西方对外直接投资理论的演进及评述

对外直接投资反映了一个经济体中某一居民实体(直接投资者)在另一经济体的某一企业(直接投资企业)中获得永久利益的目的,同时这种永久利益意味着直接投资者和直接投资企业之间存在着一种长期的关系以及对该企业的管理产生了重大影响。西方学者对该问题的研究主要按照三条路径演进:渐进的演化路径、间断的演化路径和经过临界点的演化路径。本文主要将西方对外直接投资理论中目前引用率较高的观点分别按照其演进方式进行归纳、介绍和评价,认为有必要在学习西方对外直接投资理论的基础上,结合我国的经济实践,建立适合中国国情的对外直接投资理论。