Declining Discount Rates: The Long and the Short of it

The last few years have witnessed important advances in our understanding of time preference and social discounting. In particular, several rationales for the use of time-varying social discount rates have emerged. These rationales range from the ad hoc to the formal, with some founded solely in economic theory while others reflect principles of intergenerational equity. While these advances are to be applauded, the practitioner is left with a confusing array of rationales and the sense that almost any discount rate can be justified. This paper draws together these different strands and provides a critical review of past and present contributions to this literature. In addition to this we highlight some of the problems with employing DDRs in the decision-making process, the most pressing of which may be time inconsistency. We clarify their practical implications, and potential pitfalls, of the more credible rationales and argue that some approaches popular in environmental economics literature are ill-conceived. Finally, we illustrate the impact of different approaches by examining global warming and nuclear power investment. This includes an application and extension of Newell and Pizer [‘Discounting the benefits of climate change mitigation : how much do uncertain rates increase valuations?’ Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 46 (2003) 52] to UK interest rate data.     

以新的发展观看西部生态经济开发的创新模式

以新的发展观来看,西部经济发展必须从系统、协调和可持续发展的理念出发,以跨越式的发展方式、市场化的发展道路,形成人与经济、人与自然协调发展的生态经济的目标模式。这就需要在西部形成一套生态经济开发的创新机制,这个创新机制包括观念创新、理论创新、制度创新和实践创新。     

区域经济发展综合效益及其协调程度研究：以陕西省“八五”时期为例

本文提出“综合效益协调度”和“综合效益协同度”两个新指数。分别用来衡量综合效益发展水平及发展过程的协调程度。同时,选取具有较好代表性的指标群,对陕西省各地市“八五”期间经济发展的综合效益水平、综合效益协调程度、综合效益递增幅度及递增过程中的协同程度等进行了分析。并指出存在的问题和可能的对策。     

Economic principles and fundamental model of the sustainable utilization of ecological resources

1. Introduction The mainstream of present economy is the green eco-economy, including green products, green production, green consumption, green market, green industry, and so on. These are the concrete demands of sustainable development for economic life. With the development of economy, society and science and technology and the increase of the population, the abundant ecological resources become more and more scarce [1]. So the quantity and quality of eco- logical resources can’t increasin…     

三峡库区发展高效生态农业的途径和对策

论述高效生态农业在三峡库区建设和移民安置中的战略意义。从三峡库区实际出发，分析库区高效生态农业发展的现状和难点、机遇和方向。指出高效生态农业的发展不仅能给库区移民带来显著的经济效益，促进库区农业、环境、社会的持续发展，而且能确保三峡工程建设顺利进行和长治久安。并针对目前库区农业存在的问题，提出了库区农业高效生态化及产业化的发展对策。     

物流企业实现规模效益的途径探讨

针对当前物流企业规模较小、效益较差的现状，本文提出通过扩大企业规模的措施，以实现规模经济，提高企业效益。     

城市绿化的价值取向分析与质量提升路径

一切非自然的植被恢复都是人工绿化.任何城市绿化景观表象的背后,往往都反映着这个城市在绿化建设方面的某种精神追求和文化品味.因此,城市绿化景观既是物质文明现象,又是一种精神文化现象.分析目前城市绿化现状,其隐含的价值取向无非有三种趋向,即:景观绿化;生态绿化;人文绿化.未来的城市绿化质量提升有三条路径.     

生态园林城市规划理论研究

分析了生态园林城市的概念及提出背景;对园林城市、生态园林城市、生态城市建设理论模式进行了辨析;探讨了生态园林城市规划理念,即整体协调发展理念、综合要素统筹理念、有限目标理念、城市开敞空间管制理念、科学指标体系理念;指出生态园林城市实现生态化的主导途径为城市结构生态化和城市功能生态化;提倡在继承、发展和保护的基础上规划生态园林城市的主体--生态园林绿地系统.     

On the cost-benefit of the regionalisation of the National Health Service

In this paper we analyse in formal terms the desirability of the regionalisation of a National Health Service. The policy consists of a devolution process, i.e. the increase in the health services provision to be decided by a region and financed by an increase in its revenues. The change is a marginal one, as it regards the part of supply of the health services exceeding a minimum standard, which for purposes of equity is maintained uniform in the national territory. As the central government is responsible for this component of the provision of health care (a federal “mandate”), the level of the said component is chosen by this authority and financed by federal taxation. Moreover, the government also applies an equalisation scheme based on the difference between a standard level of tax revenues and the revenues which the region is deemed able to raise for this purpose. Within the theoretical context of welfare improving reforms with distortionary taxation, we derive two conditions which focus on the regional, as well as the social, convenience of regionalisation. Received: May 5, 1999 / Accepted: January 21, 2000