Balancing the risk of ‘Lazearian’ interrupters and the benefits of educational and social peers: tracing parental preferences for class-size reduction

Using Danish survey data from a choice experiment, parental preferences for class-size reduction are estimated. While parents with children in large classes are willing to pay for class-size reduction, parents with children in small classes are reluctant and even express negative utility for further class-size reduction. We interpret this as parents balancing the risk of ‘Lazearian’ interrupters and the benefits of educational and social peers when forming their preferences for class size.     

Effects of carbon emission reduction policies on transportation mode selections with stochastic demand

We are witnessing more frequent extreme weather events due to the global warming. There is an urgent need for governments, industries, general public, and academics to take coordinated actions in order to tackle the challenges imposed by the climate change. It is essential to incorporate the environmental objective in the transportation mode selection problem as transportation is a main contributor to carbon emissions. With this in mind, our paper studies the retailer’s ordering and transportation mode selection problem using stochastic customer demand and investigates the optimal ordering and transportation mode selection decisions under different carbon emission reduction policies. Our analytical results reveal that there are some important transportation mode shifting thresholds under different carbon emissions reduction policies. These findings do not only help firms to make optimal decisions under different carbon emission reduction policies but also support policy makers to develop effective policies on carbon emissions reduction.     

Kernel-type estimators for the distortion risk premiums of heavy-tailed distributions

A new kernel-type estimator for the distortion risk premiums of heavy-tailed losses is introduced. Using a least-squares approach, a bias-reduced version of this estimator is proposed. Under suitable assumptions, the asymptotic normality of the given estimators is established. A small simulation study, to illustrate the performance of our method, is carried out.     

Revisiting carbon disclosure and performance: Legitimacy and management views

With corporate disclosure of carbon emissions rapidly increasing, the long-standing question remains whether carbon disclosure has any influence on the improvement of carbon performance. Previous studies of environmental disclosure and performance have predominantly focused on whether disclosure is a substitute for poor performance. Little attention has been devoted to the more important question about how changes in disclosure may lead to subsequent changes in performance over time. Following the rationales taken by the legitimacy and management perspectives, we revisit the relationship between carbon disclosure and performance, with a focus on changes that disclosure may (or may not) create. Using a change analysis of Global 500 companies and their carbon emission and disclosure data released between 2008 and 2012, this study finds that the change in carbon disclosure levels is positively associated with a subsequent change in carbon performance (examined through direct and indirect carbon emission intensities). Thus, regardless of whether disclosure has been used as a legitimising tool for prior poor performance, this study confirms that carbon disclosure motivates companies and creates an ‘outside-in’ driven effect for subsequent change and improvement in carbon performance. However, the association between changes in carbon disclosure and performance is relatively weaker in high energy-intensive firms.     

节能减排的调控机制创新研究

资源与能源的无节制消耗,致使全球环境污染和资源枯竭。我国对资源和能源的巨大消费受到全球瞩目,能否及时有效地出台节能减排的政策措施,并尽快达到国际节能减排标准,不仅是国际社会的期望,也是关系到我国科学发展的大计。文章从节能减排、资源节约和资源环境保护相互关系的认识入手,提出政府应采取法律、价格、财税、金融相互协调的综合手段和配套措施推进节能减排。     

中国汽车产业的外向发展与节能减排

中国汽车产业的产销量一直呈现良好的上升趋势。但在金融危机下,受国内外环境和政策的影响,中国汽车产业产销量的增速有所放缓,汽车的价格受市场竞争程度和供求状况等因素的影响出现了波动。为了保证中国汽车产业的平衡发展,更好地实现可持续发展,需要加快汽车产业节能减排的步伐。     

港口物流机械风载荷计算方法研究

风载荷的研究在港口物流机械的设计和计算中占据着重要的地位,主要是因为它对起重机结构强度和稳定性的影响极其重要。而风载荷的确定通常由风力系数、挡风折减系数、有效迎风面积以及相应条件下的风压确定。     

碳排放约束视角下产业智能化对区域经济差距的影响研究

本文利用2003~2019年中国省级面板数据,从碳排放约束视角出发,实证考察了产业智能化对区域经济差距影响的差异性和产业智能化影响区域经济差距的机制。研究表明,产业智能化对缩小全国、东、中和西部地区省域间经济差距具有显著的正向效应;进一步考虑碳排放约束,发现碳排放约束正向调节了产业智能化对区域经济差距的正向效应,西部地区由于自身产业结构和区位因素,抑制了产业智能化对区域经济差距的正向效应;最后,对产业结构升级的两个子维度在产业智能化和区域经济差距间的中介效应检验,发现产业结构升级的中介效应存在,且主要是通过产业结构高级化实现,产业结构合理化发挥的作用较小。     

不同碳排放达峰情景对产业结构的影响——基于动态CGE模型的分析

依据2017年投入产出表数据,运用可计算一般均衡理论,构建包括13个中间产业部门和5个能源产业部门的动态CGE模型,考量不同碳排放达峰情景对于产业结构的影响。结果显示：碳减排政策能促进产业结构优化,包括农业、轻工业和服务业等在内的低碳产业部门在总产出中占比增加,高耗能产业部门如非金属矿物加工业、金属加工业等在总产出中占比下降;对能源产出结构影响显著,高碳能源如煤炭、石油在能源产出比例下降,低碳能源如天然气在能源产出比例增加,其中可再生能源比例上升幅度最大。鉴此,应完善碳交易市场运行配套政策和环境,加大技术创新力度,促进产业结构和能源结构优化升级。     

中国失业保险制度改革方向:纳入社会救助——基于历史背景与功能定位的分析

失业保险在建立和长期发展过程中,具有缓和劳资矛盾、天然双向平滑经济波动、提供失业保障和平滑个人收入的基本功能。但随着各国劳动保护及福利制度的发展,失业保险在政治和经济方面的功能减弱,且其失业收入损失补偿功能常常引发失业陷阱,于是各国进行了以促进积极就业为导向的改革。中国失业保险制度曾经为经济体制转型起到了“减震器”的作用。随着劳动保护和社会保障制度的发展和政府就业政策的完善,在二元就业结构、户籍制度、公共部门人力资源管理制度及政府承担就业促进任务的影响下,我国失业保险的政治、经济、失业人口收入补偿、就业促进功能未能有效发挥。在比较了若干改革方案后,本文认为,取消失业保险并将其功能并入社会救助体系是新时代背景下我国失业保险制度的最优改革路径。