Repeated Dichotomous Choice Formats for Elicitation of Willingness to Pay: Simultaneous Estimation and Anchoring Effect

Repeated dichotomous choice contingent valuation data are generated from responses to a succession of binary questions regarding alternative prices for an environmental good. In this paper we propose a simultaneous equation model that allows for endogeneity and error correlation across the responses at each stage of the bidding process. The model allows us to study the evolution of anchoring effects after the second dichotomous choice question. Estimation involves the Bayesian techniques of Gibbs sampling and data augmentation, and the application focuses on the preservation value of a natural area. The results for a data set involving up to four successive dichotomous choice questions show that restricted multiple-bounded models are rejected by the data with the general model. In addition, willingness to pay tends to stabilize after the second stage in the elicitation process for the general unrestricted model. When taking anchoring effects into consideration, it is revealed that individuals’ responses in the latter stages are influenced by the sequence of bid prices offered in earlier questions. Nevertheless, they do not have a significant effect on welfare estimates.      

Does china income FSDs follow Benford? A comparison between Chinese income first significant digit distribution with Benford distribution

Since Benford’s law is an empirical phenomenon that occurs in a range of data sets, this raises the question as to whether or not the same thing might be true in terms of the Chinese income distribution data. We focus on the first significant digit (FSD) distribution of Chinese micro income data from the 2005 Inter-Census sample, which corresponds to 1% of Chinese population and other micro income data from the China family panel studies (CFPS) and Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS). We use information theoretic-entropy based methods to investigate the degree to which Benford’s FSD law is consistent with the FSD of Chinese income data and our findings suggest consistency between the Chinese FSD income distribution and Benford’s distribution. The close connection between the two distributions has implications for the quality of the sample of Chinese micro data.     

空乘专业学生急救实训方法

急救在空中乘务工作中是非常重要的一项技术,它直接关系到飞行安全和旅客的安全。根据当前空乘专业学生急救教学的实际以及就业反馈情况,分析急救实训教学改革的必要性,通过研究急救实训教学中培养和提高空乘专业学生急救能力的可行性实训方法,对空乘专业学生核心能力培养提供积极的探索。     

多媒体在大学英语教学中的利与弊

随着计算机技术的发展,多媒体教学已经逐步取代了传统的教学方式。多媒体英语教学为提高大学英语教学质量、培养实用型人才提供了有利条件,但同时也存在一些弊端。深入探讨多媒体教学方法,对提高大学生英语水平具有重要意义。     

A panel data approach to the demand for money and the effects of financial reforms in the Asian countries

Alternative panel data estimation methods are used to estimate the cointegrating equations for the demand for money (M1) for a panel of 14 Asian countries from 1970 to 2005. The effects of financial reforms are analyzed with estimates for two sets of sub-samples and two break dates. Our results show that money demand function has been stable and financial reforms are yet to have any significant effects. Since there is no evidence for instability in the demand for money, the central banks of these countries should use money supply, instead of the rate of interest, as the monetary policy instrument.     

我国农业巨灾保险的发展瓶颈及破题之策

在个别地区和省份开展的试点工作中,制约农业巨灾保险发展的因素凸显,成为其向全国推广的障碍。以发展农业巨灾保险的意义为切入点,认为必须正视当前我国农业巨灾保险发展所遇到的瓶颈,并相应地提出破题之策。     

Measuring Women's Quality of Life: A Discussion of Alternative Approaches

This paper reports our experiences with the application of a number of alternative approaches to a study of women's economic circumstances and quality of life in a typical western city. The important work of, especially, Martha Nussbaum on the capabilities approach to evaluations of “quality of life” has highlighted pitfalls associated with the use of a narrow informational base in studies of women's lives and has emphasized the value of qualitative methods in these evaluations. However, to date, most discussions of the relevance of plural approaches to studies of women's lives have been conducted in the context of developing countries. This paper contributes a practical, current example of the relevance of such approaches to assessments of the lives of women in western countries as well. The research findings reported in the paper also cast further light on the importance of several, related themes in the literature on the capabilities approach, namely the importance of understanding how women's aspirations and expectations change with their economic and social experiences; and the importance of appreciating the social uses of language and how this affects the way in which women describe their lives.     

应用战略成本管理的对策研究

战略成本管理是一种将战略管理理论导入成本管理的一种先进成本管理理念,战略成本管理是从全局性和长远性来看待成本管理中的战略问题。美国著名学者波特的成本领先战略、差异化战略和集聚化战略理论,为企业在日益复杂的市场竞争环境下保持持久的成本竞争优势提供了理论基础。     

财政学教学改革探讨

财政学作为一门专业基础课,其基本理论和分析方法对我国建立和完善社会主义市场经济体制具有重要的意义,一直以来都是教育部确定的高等学校经济类专业的核心课程。因此,精通教学内容、完善教学方法、运用教学技巧,教授学生掌握财政学的理论体系和精髓是财政学教师义不容辞的责任。文章分析了该课程的特色及在目前教学中普遍存在的一些问题,并提出了财政学教学改革的若干建议。     

Determination of derived importance of a tourism destination: A comparison of indirect methods

Two types of attribute importance, stated and derived, have been studied in marketing and tourism studies using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). Derived importance is thought to have an advantage over stated importance in reducing survey fatigue and social desirability biases, and thus is more predictable to an outcome variable. Derived importance is also used in a Relevance-Determinance Analysis to determine higher-impact core attributes or in an Importance Grid Analysis to explore the asymmetric relationship between attributes and overall satisfaction. Since derived importance is usually estimated through statistical methods, it is necessary to determine which method is the most appropriate. However, few studies have examined the appropriateness of indirect methods. To fill this research void, this paper judges the appropriateness of three statistical methods (i.e. multiple regression, partial correlation, and simple regression) based on data collected from Savannah, GA, using a new approach by which results of derived importance were compared against diagnostic attributes in the “keep up the good work” quadrant of IPA. Diagnostic attributes are attributes with higher stated importance and higher predictability of an outcome variable. Results show that urban forests and cultural heritage are such attributes, and simple regression is the best to infer attribute importance.