The sceptic as an economist's philosopher? Humean utility as a positive principle

Whereas in philosophy David Hume was long regarded as a negative thinker to be criticized rather than read, many thinkers interested in social and economic theory from Adam Smith onwards found key concepts, distinctions and problems as developed by Hume useful and inspiring. This applies not only to his seminal contributions to technical problems in economics. It is argued that the way in which Hume employed ‘utility as a positive principle’ (most notably in his ‘experimental’ moral theory) is of pivotal importance in this context. It allows for:

a. distinguishing between internal motifs and external circumstances and constraints; and for

b. making explicit the abstract logic of social interaction structures, mechanisms and processes.

Both are necessary conditions for employing the logic of social situations and mechanisms in the explanation of social institutions and economic processes. It moreover prepares the ground for the use of simplified or cartoon-like models of individual agency in economic and social theory, but also for its critique. On this basis, Hume's influence on various strands of social and economic thought, but also the specific differences with regard to more ‘rationalistic’ approaches (such as Hobbesianism or important versions of neoclassical economics) can be assessed more clearly.     

Textbook Treatments of the Financial Market in the IS-LM Model

Intermediate macroeconomics textbooks introduce financial markets into the IS-LM analysis but typically as a beginning-of-period consideration. Here the financial market is introduced in an end-of-period model.     

Using a Simple Contest to Illustrate Mechanism Design

This article describes a simple classroom activity that illustrates how economic theory can be used for mechanism design. The rules for a set of contests are presented; the results typically obtained from these contests illustrate how the prize structure can be manipulated in order to produce a particular outcome. Specifically, this activity is designed to show how changing the prize structure can impact both the contestants’ average efforts and the effort level of the hardest-working contestant. The activity can be run in a 50-minute class, has instructions that fit on a single piece of paper, and, although it can be run in large classes, requires only six students.     

国有企业思想政治工作创新机制的路径选择——基于企业社会责任视角

《中共中央关于加强和改进企业思政治工作的通知》中阐述了思想政治工作是企业现代化管理不可缺少的重要组成部分。国有企业作为中国国民经济的重要支柱,长期以来非常重视思想政治工作。通过对国有企业思想政治工作发展历程的回顾,发现其思想政治工作亟待创新,并从三个方面分析了其创新的原因。通过辨析企业思想政治工作和社会责任之间的逻辑关系来说明在国有企业思想政治工作中引入社会责任是一个重要创新。最后提出利用企业社会责任来创新国有企业思想政治工作的路径选择。     

Idea Competitions under scrutiny: Acquisition,intelligence or public relations mechanism?

Idea Competitions (ICs) are becoming a popular mechanism chosen by firms to perform Open Innovation. They are a way to engage with external sources of knowledge such as individual entrepreneurs and small firms who are asked to submit ideas and compete for a prize. However, little is known about the success of ICs as acquisition mechanisms. The researchers conducted interviews in five multinational companies to evaluate the effects of using ICs as an acquisition mechanism. Although still preliminary, the results of this study show that the success of ICs as an acquisition mechanism remains uncertain because their output (i.e. the number of ideas acquired) is often low compared to the input (i.e. the number of ideas submitted) and effort required to run them (e.g. to vet ideas). Across the cases observed, ICs appear to be more successful at identifying and acquiring early-stage ideas, particularly those outside the current business focus. The study shows that ICs deliver other functional benefits such as improved intelligence and public relations and that these need to be considered as part of the evaluation of the IC's success. The paper concludes by discussing the conditions in which ICs are implemented and the implications for Open Innovation theory.     

企业价值网低碳共生演化的序参量控制机理研究——“后危机时代”工业发展模式转型研究

每一次经济危机都会带来产业结构的大调整,并诱发工业发展模式的大转型。本文基于协同学的研究视角,选取了企业价值网作为研究对象,研究在后危机时代企业价值网实现低碳共生演化的序参量控制机理,进一步揭示企业价值网微观运行机理,为企业及政府在后危机时代实现企业价值网的低碳共生演化和低碳发展模式转型提供决策理论依据。     

Economic modeling to evaluate the impact of chronic myeloid leukemia therapy management on the oncology care model in the US

Abstract

Objective: To develop an economic model to evaluate changes in healthcare costs driven by restricting usage of branded tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) through substitution with generic imatinib among chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients in a typical Oncology Care Model (OCM) practice, and examine the impact on Performance-Based Payment (PBP) eligibility.

Methods: An Excel-based economic model of an OCM practice with 1,000 cancer patients during a 6-month episode of care was developed. Cancer types and proportions of patients treated in the practice were estimated from an OCM report. All-cause healthcare costs were obtained from published literature. It was assumed that if a practice restricts usage of branded TKIs for newly-diagnosed CML patients, 80% of the market share of branded imatinib and 50% of the market shares of 2^nd-gen TKIs would shift to generic imatinib. Among established TKI-treated patients, it was assumed that 80% of the market share of branded imatinib and no patients treated with 2^nd-gen TKIs would shift to the generic.

Results: Four CML patients were estimated for a 1,000-cancer patient OCM practice with a total baseline healthcare cost of $51,345,812 during a 6-month episode. If the practice restricts usage of branded TKIs, the shift from 2^nd-gen TKIs to generic imatinib would reduce costs by $12,970, while shifting from branded to generic imatinib lowers costs by $25,250 during a 6-month episode. Minimum reductions of $3,013,832 in a one-sided risk model and $2,372,010 in a two-sided risk model are required for PBP eligibility; the shift from 2^nd-gen TKIs to generic imatinib would account for 0.4% and 0.5% of the savings required for a PBP, respectively.

Conclusions: This analysis indicates that the potential cost reduction associated with restricting branded TKI usage among CML patients in an OCM setting will represent only a small proportion of the cost reduction needed for PBP eligibility.     

对完善高职院校岗位绩效薪酬设计的若干思考

高职院校岗位绩效薪酬设计要遵循按劳分配、效率优先、兼顾公平的原则,引进360度绩效考核法,建立科学合理的绩效考评机制,强化薪酬的激励功能,以激发教职工工作的积极性和创造性。     

地方政府保障房供给的合作性努力与自私性努力：一项实证研究

地方政府具体落实保障房供给政策,其行为取向是保障房有效供给的决定性因素。构建改进的多任务委托代理模型,研究激励约束机制与地方政府付出的努力,以及与保障房供给行为取向之间的关系。研究结果表明：其一,地方政府的合作性努力水平与激励强度正相关。其二,约束机制缺失时,地方政府的自私性努力水平不随外部性强度的变化而变化;存在有效约束机制时,自私性努力水平与惩罚强度负相关。因而,增加保障房有效供给,既要激励地方政府的合作性努力,也要约束地方政府的自私性努力。