The Downside of Knowledge Spillovers: An Explanation for the Dispersion of High-tech Industries

Both theoretical work on knowledge spillovers and regional policy initiatives often assume that there exists a general and unanimous advantage for firms to cluster. But opposed to the benefit is the disadvantage of sharing knowledge with other (rival) firms. This paper highlights the “downside” associated with knowledge spillovers and presents a four-stage game of location choice where spillovers result from labour poaching and where the strategic interaction between firms may make them avoid co-location with spillovers. The model provides an explanation for the dispersion of German high-tech industries found in a companion paper.     

A panel data approach to the demand for money and the effects of financial reforms in the Asian countries

Alternative panel data estimation methods are used to estimate the cointegrating equations for the demand for money (M1) for a panel of 14 Asian countries from 1970 to 2005. The effects of financial reforms are analyzed with estimates for two sets of sub-samples and two break dates. Our results show that money demand function has been stable and financial reforms are yet to have any significant effects. Since there is no evidence for instability in the demand for money, the central banks of these countries should use money supply, instead of the rate of interest, as the monetary policy instrument.     

我国软实力实现路径初探

党的十七大首次面向全党全社会提出了发展国家软实力的战略任务,提高国家软实力是发展中国特色社会主义的战略选择。提升软实力,必须深入研究软实力的科学内涵,正确认识软实力建设的经验规律,紧紧抓住四大突破口,实施三大战略,全面推进中国的软实力建设。     

Back to Buchanan? Explorations of welfare and subjectivism in behavioral economics

In light of behavioral findings regarding inconsistent individual decision-making, economists have begun to re-conceptualize the notion of welfare. One prominent account is the preference purification approach (PP), which attempts to reconstruct preferences from choice data based on a normative understanding of neoclassical rationality. Using Buchanan’s notion of creative choice, this paper criticizes PP’s epistemic, ontological, and psychological assumptions. It identifies PP as a static position that assumes the satisfaction of given ‘true preferences’ as the normative standard for welfare. However, following Buchanan, choice should be understood dynamically as a process whereby preferences constantly regenerate. Accordingly, the meaning of welfare emerges from an ongoing quest for individual self-constitution. If this holds true, then rationality axioms cannot serve as a priori normative standards. Instead, creative imagination and learning processes must remain central to any understanding of welfare in economics.     

Robust political economy

This paper introduces the idea of “robust political economy.” In the context of political economic systems, “robustness” refers to a political economic arrangement's ability to produce social welfare-enhancing outcomes in the face of deviations from ideal assumptions about individuals' motivations and information. Since standard assumptions about complete and perfect information, instantaneous market adjustment, perfect agent rationality, political actor benevolence, etc., rarely, if ever actually hold, a realistic picture and accurate assessment of the desirability of alternative political economic systems requires an analysis of alternative systems' robustness. The Mises-Hayek critique of socialism forms the foundation for investigations of robustness that relax ideal informational assumptions. The Buchanan-Tullock public choice approach complements this foundation in forming the basis for investigations of robustness that relax ideal motivational assumptions. JEL Code B53, P16, P26     

大亚湾核电站供应商的选择和评价

供应商的选择和评价是供应商管理的重要环节。供应商分级管理的目的是将电站有限的资源集中用于较重要的物项或服务上,分级的基础是物项或服务的质量分级和质保分级。对不同等级的供应商采用不同的选择方法,潜在供应商要经过资格预审、源地评审过程才能成为公司的合格供应商。对合格供应商提供的物项或服务的质量需进行表现评价,根据评价结果要求供应商进行改进或对不合格的供应商进行淘汰,从而不断提高供应商提供的物项或服务的质量水平。     

我国海外投资的战略选择

随着国际直接投资的迅猛发展，我国海外投资事业也在不断扩展。但是，目前存在的问题除了投资规模偏小，分散经营和缺乏高素质跨国经营人才外，主要是缺乏战略性思考。本文主要从投资主体、投资地区、投资产业三个方面提出我国海外投资的战略选择，旨在于使海外投资事业有更进一步的发展。     

吸引科技总部落户：大城市科技创新的战略选择

科技总部作为一种能够将科技创新与经济发展高度融合的载体,吸引科技总部落户已经成为大城市实现科技创新和经济转型的一种重要的战略选择。在探讨科技总部内涵的基础上,剖析了吸引科技总部落户的影响因素和支撑条件,论证了发展科技总部对于推动大城市的科技创新和经济发展的重要战略意义,并以打造华北地区科技总部为目标,尝试提出了天津吸引科技总部落户的战略构想。