A science-driven market-based instrument for determining the cost of environmental services: A comparison of two catchments in Australia

An auction-based approach (or MBI for “market-based instrument”) was used to purchase environmental services from landowners and to establish a long-term economic resource (forest plantations) in two catchments in the state of Victoria (Australia). The policy goal of the MBI was to encourage the conversion of cleared land to forest plantations. It was desired to achieve this while also reducing the amount of land affected by dryland salinity with minimum impact on water available for irrigation. Operationally, interested landowners identified areas on which they would be willing to establish forest plantations, and stated the amount of money they would require from the government to undertake plantation establishment; this constituted a landowner bid. The proposed planting area associated with each bid was processed through a quantitative hydrological model to estimate off-site impacts on dryland salinity and the change in water yield resulting from the conversion of individual non-forested areas to forest plantations. Landowner bids were then accepted or not based on the economic trade-offs among dollars requested by a landowner, reduction in water yield, and decrease in dryland salinity. To enable a comparison of costs, the MBI was independently trialled in two catchments. For both, the cost to government of a hectare of plantation and/or a hectare of salinity benefit was calculated a number of ways. Assuming the existence of a calibrated hydrological model, costs associated with distributing money via such an MBI were publicity, fieldwork, processing the bids through the model, probity, legal, and administration. In the Gippsland catchment, the total cost to establish forest plantations was $5340 per ha whereas it was $1635 per ha in the Corangamite catchment. No salinity benefit was obtained in Gippsland, but in Corangamite, if considered in isolation of the economic forest plantation benefit, the cost per hectare of salinity benefit was $5020.Operational aspects of the MBI are presented and discussed and a comparison is made to the expected costs of a conventional, non-science driven approach to landowner incentives.     

浅析票据抗辩事由的有效性

票据抗辩制度是从保护票据安全出发进行考虑的,从静态安全出发规定成立抗辨事由就得以抗辨;从动态安全出发对票据抗辨进行限制,以保护票据权利人的票据权利。票据抗辨事由的有效性是抗辩成功的关键,只有具备有效的抗辨事由,才具有抗辨的效力。有效的抗辩事由包括：对抗不特定债权人的法定事由、对抗特定债权人的法定事由、对抗特定债权人的约定事由、票据抗辨限制中对人抗辨事由因持票人的恶意而重新变为有效性抗辩事由。     

地勘基金是管理资源的经济手段

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全球电子支付产业的发展状况

目前,全球电子支付产业正处于高速发展期,具有电子支付工具层出不穷、分工日益专业化以及向综合化发展与渗透的特点。纵观全球电子支付产业的发展历程和现状,可以看出电子支付产业发展的格局与趋势为:产业分工继续细化,在各分工领域基本形成了垄断竞争局面,但各领域的参与主体又在不断向其他领域进行渗透和融合。     

浅谈空白支票之法律问题

由于有关票据法的理论研究在我国刚刚起步,我国票据的规定只对空白支票予以认可,而没有涉及到 空白汇票、本票。我国票据法对空白票据方面的立法与西方各国票据法律制度相比还存在差距。鉴于票据在经 济中的重要地位,一方面应逐步完善空白支票的规定,另一方面,逐步将空白票据制度从支票领域扩展到票据法 领域,使我国票据法律制度尽快与国际接轨。     

环境政策的市场兼容工具述评

本文从经济学角度分析了环境政策市场兼容工具的优缺点,指出市场兼容工具必须与法规工具结合,才能起到重要作用。     

提高高校大型精密仪器使用效益的探讨

大型仪器设备是高校学科建设和学科发展的必要条件,但目前使用效益不高。加强机制创新,强化立项、购置管理,调动实验人员的积极性,是提高大型精密仪器使用效益的重要措施。     

对当前货币调控工具选配的思考

当前货币政策工具选配面临前所未有的复杂局面,不应放弃货币供应量目标,应继续采取数量型工具和价格型工具配合使用,将信贷规模控制作为当前货币调控重要环节,积极培育市场化基准利率,加快利率市场化进程,尽快实现货币调控方式的转变。