Sustainability and externalities: Is the internalization of externalities a sufficient condition for sustainability?

In an important contribution in Ecological Economics, van de Bergh (2010) correctly concludes that sustainability does not imply zero externalities. However, he continues with the Delphic statement "(Delphic statements were uttered by the renowned oracle of ancient Greece at Delphi. They were phrased in such a way as to be self-fulfilling because alternative interpretations covered every possibility.)" "Without externalities the problem of sustainability vanishes". If this statement refers to an impossible economic process that produces no externalities then he is right. However, it might be interpreted as stating that whenever environmental policy internalizes environmental externalities then sustainability will be ensured. In this note, I assert that in the real world where externalities prevail, their internalization or neutralization in the traditional way cannot lead to sustainability. Only if internalization takes a very specific form that results in the inviolable preservation of environmental rights of future generations in pure biological terms can sustainability be ensured. After revised the original commentary I resubmit it. The issues raised by the editor have been carefully considered.     

The economic and environmental performances of rural districts in Italy: Are competitiveness and sustainability compatible targets?

This paper analyses the economic performances of the rural system and the level of land sensitivity to degradation in Italy. Three indicators (district value added, share of agriculture on total product, and a composite index of land sensitivity) were used to classify 784 Italian local districts into eight performance classes. Four classes share a combination of high environmental quality (in terms of land degradation), high (or low) economic performances, and high (or low) productivity of the primary sector. The remaining four are characterised by a combination of low (and declining) environmental quality, high (or low) economic performances, and high (or low) productivity of the primary sector. The eight classes were grouped into four ‘environmental quality’ types and four ‘target performance’ categories to discriminate among high- and low-performance districts by considering twelve additional variables within a Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA). 148 high environmental performance districts (18% of total) were identified mainly across the Alps and Apennine while 314 districts (41%) were classified in the lowest performance class and concentrated in flat areas of southern Italy. The districts with high environmental performances were characterised, on average, by medium to low district value added, moderately low economic weight of the primary sector, and tourism specialisation. Districts with high economic performances and low environmental performances were characterised by high sensitivity to LD, low district value added, high share of agriculture in total product, and the lowest productivity of labour in all economic sectors. In these districts the risk of entering a downward spiral of rural poverty and environmental degradation is potentially high.     

我国西部大开发战略实施效果的阶段性评价与改进对策

利用统计数据,选取宏观经济水平、工业化发展进程、居民生活质量和生态发展状况等四大类指标对中国西部大开发战略实施10周年的政策效果展开系统评价。研究发现,尽管西部大开发战略促进了西部地区社会经济发展指标的全面好转,但东西部之间区域经济发展不均衡的系统格局并未改观,反而呈现进一步恶化趋势。因此提出了未来10年西部大开发战略向纵深推进的具体对策,比如增强东西部地区间产业联结与优势互补、强化西部各省域间经济发展的联动效应、西部投资应注重"点面结合、以点带面"等。     

旅游目的地网络营销系统与旅游产业发展耦合分析

为研究各省区市的旅游目的地网络营销系统与旅游产业发展水平的耦合关系,采用SPSS17.0统计软件,利用多指标综合评价的主成分分析法(PCA),对我国大陆31个省区市的旅游产业发展水平进行综合定量评价;然后,运用多层次分析法,结合问卷调查数据,对大陆各省区市旅游目的地网络营销系统进行定量评价,得出各省区市旅游目的地网络营销系统综合评价值;最后,对旅游目的地网络营销系统与旅游产业发展进行耦合分析,达到帮助旅游目的地制定正确的旅游网络营销及产业发展政策的目的。     

基于交通视角的新疆城市等级体系演变研究

通过主成分分析、集中度系数、非均衡系数以及改进的重力模型对新疆各城市的交通运输综合水平、复合流量的集中程度和基于复合流量的城市引力及引力节点分析,得出结论:①1985—2005年新疆城市交通运输综合水平变化明显,国道和北疆铁路沿线城市发展水平较高,发展水平较低的城市主要集中在南疆,且比较分散;②集中度系数波动明显,乌鲁木齐、克拉玛依、昌吉、阿克苏等城市对新疆客货流影响较大,而区域非均衡系数较低,呈现明显缩减的趋势;③受绿洲城镇发育程度和自然地理条件影响,各等级节点数量变化不大。乌鲁木齐、克拉玛依、昌吉、石河子在不同年份对新疆各城市的影响较为明显,节点等级较高。④基于交通视角的城市体系呈现出交通运输中心区域不断强化,二级节点城市变化明显,经过20年的演变,基本形成了以乌鲁木齐都市圈为核心,以石河子为次级中心,以喀什和米泉为三级中心,以克拉玛依、伊宁、乌苏、库尔勒为重要节点的城市体系。     

对阻碍环渤海地区发展障碍的重新认识

对通常认为的阻碍环渤海地区经济发展的几个问题,通过相关数据分析论证,提出：①环渤海地区更多的是地理区域概念,政府推动和学者呼吁缺乏内在的基础和动力。②在一定程度上,阻碍环渤海地区的发展问题之一是缺乏经济的龙头。但京津合作成功后能够在多大范围内发挥龙头作用,取决于其经济核心的能量和它所提供的服务内容。振兴环渤海地区的主要作用在于其对中西部和东北地区发展的带动作用。③与祈望政府协调相比,加快环渤海地区发展的关键是加快政府职能的改革,提高政府工作效率,改善投资软环境,以聚集更多有活力的企业。     

“双核”结构区旅游发展模式研究——以潮汕地区为例

"双核"结构是区域经济发展中出现的一种空间结构形态。文章在分析潮汕地区潮州—汕头"双核"空间结构现状的基础上,提出了构建潮州—汕头"双核"结构区的旅游空间发展模式和具体旅游开发模式。认为在海西经济区旅游大发展的背景下,潮汕地区必须构建合理的发展模式,即:以汕头为区域旅游发展的主核心点,以潮州为次核心点,双核形成旅游发展核心区;以揭阳、汕尾为连接节点,以梅州为拓展节点,通过聚合—扩散效应,形成粤东旅游发展的双核联动模式;并以厦深铁路为发展轴,对接两边的珠三角旅游区和厦漳泉闽三角旅游区,尽快实现有效合作,才能避免成为旅游过境地。这一研究对于类似结构地区的旅游业发展也具有一定的借鉴作用。     

专业村形成历程及影响因素研究——以豫西南3个专业村为例

专业村发展对于大范围提高农户收入具有重要作用。通过对豫西南3个样本专业村121户专业农户的调查分析,发现专业村是在利用当地资源的基础上,在能人的带动下逐渐发展形成的,其发展历程服从"S"型曲线创新传播规律。其中,资源等地理环境因素起基础作用,初期接受者或能人在发展过程中起核心作用,政府行为可加快其发展过程,农户尤其是家庭中的"顶梁柱"的财商对农户专业项目的发展及其时间早晚具有重要影响,多数农户对专业项目的接受是通过模仿方式实现的。在农区发展中,可将建设专业村作为重要途径。     

区域经济增长与建筑业技术效率耦合的空间差异

首先计算各地区的经济综合发展水平,然后基于随机前沿生产函数模型,计算1997—2007年不同地区的建筑业技术效率,最后借鉴物理学中的耦合度函数,测度出不同地区经济增长与建筑业技术效率的耦合协调程度,结果显示:我国各省区经济增长与建筑业技术效率耦合协调程度存在明显的空间差异,可分为优质协调、良好协调、中级协调、初级协调和勉强协调五种类型,且大部分省区处于初级协调阶段。     

A grey decision and prediction model for investment in the core competitiveness of product development

Because enterprises do not disclose their internal specific cost information to the public and, moreover, every firm has its own product character and financial constitutions, it is difficult to offer fixed guidelines for investment decisions. Thus, an enterprise may be uncertain when required to choose the most promising set of possible investments.The goal of this research is to use a grey relation analysis and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to probe the core product development and competitiveness of an enterprise from limited data and, furthermore, by constructing the grey model, GM(1,1), to validate the feasibility of this assessment of the core competitiveness and investment strategy. In this study, a precision mechanical manufacturer is taken as an example, and the forecast estimate from this method is compared to those of a linear regression and the actual values to demonstrate the feasibility of applying this methodology to investment decision making, hence, demonstrating the value of this research.