Regulatory ‘Balancing’ and the Efficiency of Green R&D

We identify and analyse several dynamic implications of setting environmental standards such as to balance marginal costs and benefits. The adoption of such a regulatory approach is shown to effect (i) the speed of improvement of abatement technologies; (ii) the direction (in a sense to be defined) of that improvement; (iii) its source and the distribution of the rents from it; and (iv) the rate of development of defensive (averting) technologies. Existing views are thoroughly synthesised in the context of a simple diagrammatic model, several new results are derived and at least one conventional wisdom questioned. The message of the analysis for legislators and regulators is that cost–benefit balancing should be done with care.     

A DEA Approach to Understanding the Productivity Growth of Malaysia's Manufacturing Industries

This paper seeks to explain the productivity growth performance of Malaysia's manufacturing sector using a panel data of 28 industries from 1981–1996. Here, the data envelopment analysis technique is used to calculate and decompose the Malmquist index of total factor productivity (TFP) growth into technical change, change in technical efficiency and change in scale efficiency. This allows the identification of the sources of productivity growth which is crucial for policy formulation. It was found that the annual TFP growth of the Malaysian manufacturing sector was low at 0.8% and this was driven by small gains in both technical change and technical efficiency, with industries operating close to optimum scale.     

银行保险的制度变迁理论分析以及对我国的启示

20世纪80年代以来,无论是一直实施混业经营的欧洲,还是近几年重新走上混业经营之路的美国,银行保险都成为一种潮流和趋势。银行保险业务的产生及发展,既源于微观领域经营环境和竞争环境的变化,也源于宏观领域制度管制的放松和信息技术的迅猛发展,更源于银行保险经济学机理带来的范围经济和协同效益。银行保险作为一种制度创新的产物,更多地体现为从销售渠道创新到业务产品创新,再到组织模式创新的金融一体化的制度变迁过程。本文从制度变迁理论的角度对银行保险的产生动因以及演变发展进行分析,以期对我国银行保险的走向提供借鉴。     

The potential benefits of herbicide-resistant transgenic rice in Uruguay: Lessons for small developing countries

In many developing countries, the potential benefits from adopting a transgenic variety developed by a multinational corporation are limited by the crop’s small production base. This paper presents an ex-ante evaluation of the economic impact of herbicide resistant transgenic rice in a small developing country, Uruguay. To fully account for the multinational’s market power, the firm’s seed markup is assumed to affect the adoption rate for the variety. Stochastic simulation techniques are employed to understand how potential benefits may vary with changes in technology, yield, costs, and adoption parameters. The results indicate a $1.82 million mean net present value for producers from the development and utilization of transgenic rice in Uruguay and $0.55 million for the multinational. These relatively small multinational firm benefits suggest that a firm will not undertake significant efforts to develop transgenic varieties adapted to local conditions without either strategic partnerships with local institutions or access to wider regional markets.     

The REIT Modernization Act of 1999

This article examines two effects of the passage of the REIT Modernization Act (RMA) of 1999: its impacts on REIT shareholder wealth and changes in REIT systematic risk in the period following its passage. The results indicate a modest positive wealth effect associated with the legislative events leading to its enactment. Our estimates of the wealth gain probably underestimate the true wealth gain because of the partially anticipated nature of the legislative process. We also document a significant decline in the systematic risk of REITs subsequent to the passage of the RMA. The evidence suggests that this decline is not attributable to a provision of the RMA that allows REITs to establish taxable subsidiaries.     

对我国企业家制度的几点思考——基于国有企业的视角

企业家是稀缺资源,是推动国民经济发展的主要力量。企业家制度及企业家队伍建设是我国国企改革中一个重要的环节。2003年国务院国资委成立以来,对企业家制度进行了一系列的设计和安排,企业家队伍建设也取得了一定的成效,通过对这些制度的思考提出一些看法。     

含相变储能热泵的综合能源系统优化调度

利用相变储能装置的储能特性,针对热量传输过程中的热延迟与热衰减,建立了考虑热惯性特征的含相变储能热泵的综合能源系统优化调度模型,并采用预测平均评价PMV指标来量化热负荷弹性。运用Dymola与Matlab联合建模,以经济运行总成本为目标函数,对比分析三种不同场景下综合能源系统的削峰填谷能力、可再生能源消纳能力、环境效益与安全性,对冬季典型日进行24小时运行策略优化。算例分析结果表明,考虑热惯性与热负荷弹性的含相变储能热泵的综合能源系统具有更好的经济性与抗故障能力,相较于含常规储热水箱的综合能源系统经济运行总成本降低了6.6％,抗供热故障时间延长3.51h。     

广州市用水量变化规律分析

结合广州市部分经验调度工况的结果,从宏观角度分析广州市的用水量变化规律及其影响这种变化规律的内在因素和外在因素。分析不同节假日、不同工作时段的用水量变化规律,为优化调度提供参考依据,最终达到节省能源消耗,提高生产效益和经济效益的目的。     

我国建国后死刑政策分析及建议

死刑的制定、实施乃至存废都与死刑政策密切相关。新中国成立后,我国死刑政策的发展大致经历了三个阶段。当今世界各国死刑政策已经或者逐步向着死刑当废的方向发展,在这一背景下,我国未来的死刑政策宜作相应调整。     

试论大学政治理论课的改革思路

在高等院校,思想政治理论课是维系马克思主义在意识形态领域的主流地位的重要工具。那么,目前政治理论课面临什么样的现实处境?应该如何改善政治理论课的现状。笔者根据在学生中的调查提出了一些个人观点。