Valuing Food Store Access: Policy Implications for the Food Stamp Program

Food stamp recipients may lack access to larger stores, reducing the availability of nutritious food. Reliance on smaller stores may have undesirable impacts. Policy alternatives include limiting food stamp redemption to larger stores and subsidizing store development. I estimate that limiting redemption to supermarkets and grocery stores, or supermarkets alone, results in losses ranging from $499.2 million to $1.05 billion, or $1.17 billion to $2.44 billion (respectively) annual loss in food stamp recipient welfare nationwide. The impact of improving access is also significant, ranging from $333.6 million to $931.2 million.     

Quality Competition and Social Welfare in Markets with Partial Coverage: New Results*

We use a vertical product differentiation model under partial market coverage to study the social welfare optimum and duopoly equilibrium when convex costs of quality provision are either fixed or variable in terms of production. We show the following new results. First, under fixed costs, the social planner charges a uniform price for the single variant that just covers costs of quality provision. Like the duopoly equilibrium, this socially optimal pricing entails a partially uncovered market, but a smaller share of the market is served compared with the duopoly equilibrium. Second, for the variable cost case, it is socially optimal to provide both high‐ and low‐quality variants, but market shares need not be equal. This differs from the result in fully covered markets. Third, in the duopoly equilibrium, the quality spread is too wide under variable costs relative to the social optimum. Under fixed costs, the duopoly produces two variants, but quality is too low relative to the social optimum, which has only one variant.     

Consumer value conflicts surrounding ethical food purchase decisions: a focus on animal welfare

Ethical attitudes in relation to meat purchases were studied among urban and rural consumers in Scotland. All subjects perceived at least some ethical issues in relation to animal production systems, in particular, systems keeping animals in close confinement. Welfare‐friendly production systems were viewed as adding value to a food, but this value was not necessarily realizable to producers if purchases occurred only when foods were on special offer. Statements made by individuals were often contradictory, revealing ambivalence, unresolved value conflicts and a general lack of involvement in the nature of meat production. A number of barriers to the establishment of stable attitudes and behaviours in relation to the ethical treatment of food animals were also identified. A key finding of the study is that individuals can hold two views on animal welfare. On the one hand, they may think as citizens influencing societal standards, and on the other, as consumers at the point of purchase. As citizens, they support the notion of animals being entitled to a good life; as meat consumers, they avoid the cognitive connection with the live animal. This paper explores both the citizen–consumer relationship and purchase strategies used by consumers to resolve value conflicts. Lessons for public and commercial policy are highlighted in the context of the Curry Report (2002) which advocates more effective market segmentation where markets are finely attuned to their customers, with the development of a number of assurance schemes discussed in the article.     

发达国家科技政策导向及其启示

当今世界,科技政策已成为许多国家尤其是美、日、欧等发达国家全力打造科技强国的基本的公共政策。文章从国家战略引导产业发展、国家政策促进产业发展、全力追求知识与技术创新、注重培养和吸纳优秀人才等4个方面对此进行了探析。     

中国户口制度改革的理论分析

随着户籍制度改革的深化 ,从完全禁止户口迁移到数量限制政策 ,再到征收费用政策和放开小城镇入户限制的逐步放松户籍管制政策 ,对经济发展的贡献日益增加 ,损害逐渐减轻。我国放开小城镇户籍限制的改革放活了地方经济。我国户籍制度改革进程是由经济内生决定的 ,城市经济发展的需要推进着户籍制度的改革进程。那些放开户籍限制的城市也没有出现人们担心的问题。放开户籍限制不会构成对城市就业、住房、治安、交通的压力 ,反而创造了发展的契机。     

论瑞典社会民主党构建和谐社会的探索

瑞典式社会主义和谐社会经历了诞生、发展到成熟的过程。1932年秋社民党通过竞选上台执政,开始功能社会主义福利国家的尝试；1944-1975年是和谐国家建设的全面展开和建成；1982-1990年“保卫福利、重振经济”和谐政策的调整；1990-2000年建设自由与平等基础上相互关联的社会共同体；以2001年1 1月社民党第34次全国代表大会为起点,重建民主的人道的更加和谐的社会主义福利国家。     

论产品责任发展风险救济制度——对《产品质量法》第41条的看法

《产品质量法》第41条规定了产品致害的生产者免责条款，即产品责任发展风险抗辩，但是并未明确规定此时应由谁来承担赔偿责任，因此不利于对受害人合法权益的保护。国家应建立产品责任的发展风险救济制度，将因产品发展风险而致侵权赔偿纳入国家补偿范围。     

中西方国家农产品流通比较

发达国家农产品流通主要是通过批发市场,多以公开拍卖的现代化销售方式进行;流通组织主体多元化,特别是农业专业合作社十分发达;政府的流通管理归口划一,行业协会发挥作用较大.同时,许多发达国家都把农产品的贮藏、保鲜、加工放在农业的首位,非常重视农产品加工及其深度利用技术,农产品质量检测体系健全.农产品流通支持政策也较多.相比之下,中国的农产品流通还有许多工作要做.     

布什政府的社会保障政策

党派对立不利于社会保障政策的稳定。美国克林顿政府的社会保障政策是财政预算余额的大部分用来补充社会保障资金,大力发展社区福利;美国布什政府的社会保障政策是通过减税来减少财政预算余额,社会保障私有化、发展灵活的职工养老金计划。     

公共经济视角下的国有企业改革分析

国有企业的发展状况表明,单纯从产权方面进行国有企业改革的理论研究和实践是有很大缺陷的,需要从新的视角去探索国有企业的改革思路。之所以从公共经济学的角度去分析国有企业问题,是因为国有企业或多或少具有公共产品的性质,政府对国有企业改革的态度及其行为反映了市场配置资源的能力和国有企业改革所引起的福利改变。