Firm heterogeneity, productivity and spatially bounded knowledge externalities

In this paper, we argue that conceptually disentangling the ‘context versus composition’ aspects of regional growth is a multilevel issue. By applying multilevel models (also called random-effects models), we show (1) the importance of considering firm-specific characteristics simultaneously with region-specific characteristics, as we find that a large part of what is traditionally assigned to the impact of the region should be assigned to firm-specific characteristics and (2) that existing single-level methodologies can be problematic, as they are vulnerable to the charge of estimating significance levels that are too liberally assigned and promote exaggerations. This is illustrated empirically by showing that single-level approaches would lead to the conclusion that innovation spillovers are highly significant in a setting of Dutch urban growth differentials, while multilevel analyses shows less liberally assigned significance levels. We conclude that multilevel-effect models better fit research questions that combine firm and spatial characteristics simultaneously, especially because they allow firm-specific characteristics to be differently linked to their regional contexts.     

中国最优居民消费率的估算及变动机制分析

1978年以来,我国居民消费率的变动特征表现为长期波动下降。为判断居民消费率的运行情况,根据代表性家庭效用最大化估算出最优居民消费率。研究表明,1978-1990年,实际居民消费率与最优居民消费率基本吻合; 1991- 2000年,实际居民消费率平均低于最优居民消费率7.8个百分点;2001-2010年,实际居民消费率平均低于最优居民消费率18.3个百分点。对居民消费率偏低贡献率的分析表明,城镇居民消费率偏低是导致整体居民消费率偏低的主要原因。通过考察预期收入、利率和效用函数改变对最优居民消费率的影响,分析了居民消费率的变动机制。     

重庆直辖前后农村居民消费与收入纵向对比实证分析

本文运用Keynesian的绝对收入假设消费函数模型，充分考虑重庆直辖前后的差异，将消费与收入的数据分为直辖前和直辖后两个阶段分别进行协整检验并建立误差修正模型，然后对两个阶段所表现出的显著差异进行纵向对比分析，最后提出当前形势下刺激农村居民消费扩大的政策建议。     

Production Externalities and Urban Configuration

We formally explore Jacobs' idea that uncompensated knowledge spillovers are crucial for agglomeration by modeling location-dependent interfirm production externalities in a general-equilibrium linear-city framework. Good and factor allocation, firms' and households' locational choice, and wages and land rents are all endogenously determined. The unique equilibrium urban configuration may be concentrated (with monocentric firm locations), dispersed (with completely mixed firm/household locations), or a combination, depending on the population of firms, transportation cost, and firm-interaction parameters. Due to distance-dependent production externalities, firms will be clustered together in any equilibrium, thus ruling out the possibility of any multicentric urban configuration. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: D51, R12.     

The "Invisible Hand"

The argument of the "Invisible Hand" is that the system of free enterprise benefits society in general even though it is not the aim of any particular economic agent to do that. This article proposes an analysis of why this is so. The key is that the morality of the market forbids only force and fraud; it does not require people to do good to others. Nevertheless, when all transactions are voluntary to both parties, that is exactly what we can expect to happen. This is both because the sum of the benefits of innumerable transactions, which are beneficial to both parties, is very great, but also and especially because of Positive Externalities. People use the particular products and services they get in market exchanges in ways that benefit others in ways not at all foreseen by the agents to those transactions at the time. These externalities range from the benefits of invention and ingenuity to the exercise of charity and philanthropy, all of which flourish in developed capitalist societies.     

Supervisor and Market Analysts: What Should Research be Seeking?

This article is primarily directed towards examining the desirability of incorporating market signals in the process of supervision of commercial banks by regulators and insurers. But the ideas developed here can also be applied to the general problem of using market information to assess the solvency and safety of any financial or non-financial institution.Market prices and yields of securities anticipate actions by regulators, central banks, and other players due to the fact that such actions may materially influence the risk and the expected return associated with investment decisions pertaining to those securities. It is well known that the yield curve of government securities such as T-bills, T-notes and T-bonds reflect the market's consensus regarding the actions that the Federal reserve may take as they pertain to the valuation of such securities. The extent to which the market has already discounted the future actions of the central bank will no doubt play a role in the way in which the central bank may think about its actions, its actual effect and how it relates to its intended effects.The extent to which market prices can provide useful guides depends on the underlying market structure and the practices in the industry.While markets may do lot of the hard work in aggregating and incorporating future actions, the task of supervision and regulation can never be put on automatic pilot. Ideally, supervisory policies should effectively combine the market signals with initiatives that serve to maintain the safety and the soundness of the underlying markets. I will begin by exploring the extent to which equity prices may be used as a signal of bank credit risk. I will then explore the advantages and disadvantages of using subordinated debt securities to derive a market signal.     

外部性与产业增长——来自中国省级面板数据的研究

本文利用我国29个省、市、自治区25个产业的面板数据研究了外部性对于地区产业增长的影响,结果发现:在全国样本范围内,专业化水平与产业增长之间存在着负向关系;竞争程度与地区产业增长之间存在着正向关系;多样化程度与产业增长之间存在着一种非线性关系,当多样化程度较低时,多样化不利于产业增长,而当多样化水平较高时,多样化则会促进产业增长。在分地区分产业的分析中,产业多样化水平对经济增长的作用在很大程度上取决于产业的性质(高度规模经济产业或低度规模经济产业)及产业的地理区位(沿海地区或内陆地区)。     

论低消费和高投资状况下我国财产税改革

我国目前低消费和高投资的经济状况不能长期持续下去。通过调整税收政策,使我国的宏观税基更多地依赖于储蓄或投资而不是消费,有利于提高消费率,改善消费和投资之间的比例,使经济增长具有长期的可持续性。财产税对财产存量征税,使我国的宏观税基更多地依赖于储蓄而不是消费,有利于降低储蓄,刺激消费。因此,通过财产税改革,增强财产税在我国税制结构中的地位,扩大财产税的征税范围和税基,加强财产税的累进性,开征新的财产税税种如遗产与赠与税,有利于提高消费率,改善消费和投资的比例。     

Sensory Aspects of Package Design

Packaging is a critical aspect of the marketing offer, with many implications for the multi-sensory customer experience. It can affect attention, comprehension of value, perception of product functionality, and also consumption, with important consequences for consumer experience and response. Thus, while it was once viewed as being useful only for product preservation and logistics, package design has evolved into a key marketing tool. We introduce the layered-packaging taxonomy that highlights new ways to think about product packaging. This taxonomy has two dimensions: the physicality dimension, which is composed of the outer–intermediate–inner packaging layers, and the functionality dimension, which is composed of the purchase–consumption packaging layers. We then build on this taxonomy to present an integrative conceptualization of the sensory aspects of package design as they affect key stages of customer experience.     

Consumer avoidance of specially priced items during social coupon redemption

Social coupons (SCs) (e.g., Groupon) differ from traditional or regular coupons (RCs) in that they require consumers to make a prepayment to receive substantive discounts. As the general rule of SCs prohibits double-promotion, SC consumers tend to engage in certain avoidance behaviors when experiencing another promotion (i.e., specially priced for selected items). The results across two scenario-based experiments reveal that SC consumers (vs. RC consumers) have a greater tendency to avoid specially priced items when redeeming a coupon for hedonic consumptions, but not for utilitarian consumptions. Such avoidance is due to one’s motivation to minimize the perception of deal waste.