Institutions in building projects: Implications for flexibility and change

Building practice is often studied from a project management perspective, a view that stresses the temporary and unique aspects of the project organizations. However, the organization of building projects, as well as the buildings produced, varies little between projects. This homogeneity suggests that the building sector is subject to strong institutionalization. The findings of a building project case study are used to illustrate the different kinds of institutions in Swedish building. It is concluded that the strong institutions are related to a great need for coordination and communication in complex project organizations. The institutionalization could explain why initiatives generated by individual projects and companies seldom bring about long-term change in building.     

Estimation of income elasticities from Lorenz concentration curves: application to Canadian micro‐data

This study uses a method of estimating income elasticities of major Canadian expenditure groups. The technique is based on the implicit Engel functions derived from the Lorenz curve of permanent income and concentration curves of group‐specific expenditures. The methodology is applied to The 1996 Canadian Family Expenditure Survey. Results indicate that income elasticities for the majority of the broad expenditure categories considered in the study are inelastic and they increase monotonically with income.     

Financial Reporting and the Austrian Theory of Entrepreneurship

The Austrian School of economics, with its emphasis on the market as a process and the role of the entrepreneur as the catalyst of that process, sheds new light on the social role of accounting. This paper examines the implications of the School's teachings to financial reporting, including its insistence on relegating accounting to the role of retrospective economic calculation, and the use of current cash equivalents for asset valuation. The Austrian School's replacement of neo-classical general equilibrium theory with a dynamic model of the market process offers accounting researchers some relief of having to cope with the real world of error, discovery, and disequilibrium.     

社会福利函数的存在性与唯一性

本文提出了最低正义准则,并证明了唯一满足不相关选择的独立性、序数可比性和最低正义准则的社会福利函数是罗尔斯主义,唯一满足不相关选择的独立性、匿名性、比率不可比性和最低正义准则的社会福利函数是纳什社会福利函数。在常相对风险规避个体效用函数和纳什社会福利函数假设下,如果收入分配总是最优的,那么国民收入增长意味着每个人的收入都在增长,社会福利是国民收入的严格增函数,对称性最优所得税制意味着个体税后收入和社会福利都与起征点无关。     

GQ模型测算中国农村贫困的缺陷

贫困问题在中国受到很大关注,准确测度贫困无疑非常重要。本文针对很多文献利用GQ模型拟合洛伦茨曲线,进而测算中国农村贫困的做法提出了质疑。本文结论为,当某些居民的纯收入为负数时,采用GQ模型拟合洛伦茨曲线是有偏的,以此计算的贫困指数与实际贫困存在系统性偏差。依据我国农村居民收入的分组数据,GQ模型测算的贫困发生率高估了实际数值,而贫困缺口指数和平方贫困缺口指数则被低估了。     

不同主体收入差距对我国A股上市公司绩效影响的研究

融资结构对企业绩效影响已受到广泛关注和研究,但对企业内不同主体收入差距对企业绩效影响鲜有关注。本文研究表明:管理层薪酬差距、劳动资本收入差距、资本政府收入差距对企业绩效有显著正面影响,管理层员工薪酬差距对绩效只有很小或没有显著性影响;在每个绩效模型中,不同主体收入差距对绩效影响边际效应也不同;企业股份性质、所在地区、企业规模对收入分配差距的绩效影响有调节作用。最后据此提出政策建议。     

解析美国商业银行的非利息收入

过去20年间,美国商业银行业的投资银行、资产服务、资产证券化、保险业务和其他运营性收入的增长使得非利息收入在营业净收入的占比增加了15.4%。而且,大型商业银行的非利息收入在行业中的占比从82.9%增加到93.0%。本文从发展动因、收入构成、分类银行、综合影响方面分析了期间美国商业银行业非利息收入的发展变化,以期为中国商业银行业发展中间业务提供阶段性目标与路径参考。     

房地产价格对城镇居民收入差距的影响研究——基于区际差异化市场比较

运用聚类分析方法和五等法计算六大类别不同代表省市的基尼系数,依据2002~2011年省市面板数据考量6个不同类别省市房地产价格对收入差距的影响。结果表明:我国不同类别省市的房价波动对基尼系数的变动呈现出一定的差异性与区域性;第一、三类地区房价波动对城镇居民收入差距产生显著影响;第二类地区房地产市场投资投机活动不如第一、三类城市活跃,房价波动幅度比较稳定;第四、五类地区房价波动对收入差距的影响程度次于第二类地区;第六类地区房价波动幅度小,对收入差距不足以产生显著影响。     

Keeping the faith! Drivers of participation in spiritually-based communities

Spiritually based communities (SBCs) provide a range of economic and social benefits to society. Declining memberships prompt a need for greater understanding and insight into the factors that drive participation in these communities. This study provides a conceptual model depicting religiosity as the core driver of donation of time, money and attendances at religious services. The model further indicates that the impact of belief in a ‘higher being’ on participation in SBCs is moderated by age, income, time available for socialization, desire to make a social contribution, and need for social interaction. A preliminary investigation in Australia provides strong support for the model, serving as a starting point for a number of future studies on the behaviors of SBC members.