Agriculture's terms of trade: issues and implications

The article addresses (1) the issue of what agricultural commodity prices should be compared to if we are concerned with the welfare of agriculturalists, (2) the general absence of product quality adjustment when analysis is undertaken comparing agricultural to manufactured goods prices, (3) the extent to which energy prices are or will be the driver of both manufactured and agricultural prices, and (4) the importance of considering agriculture's terms of trade (TOT) against the service sector, since the service sector is typically the largest in the economy. It reflects on the basic question of whether the widespread perception “that agriculture's TOT secularly decline” is correct.     

基于个体为本模型的中国碳排放核算模型构建

为合理测算中国碳排放总量, 提出了以单个人为基础的碳排放核算模型。个体碳排放量受其物质资本与人力资本、消费倾向与投资倾向影响,而计算中国碳排放总量还应考虑人口增长的影响。对个体资本投资倾向提出合理假设,进而构建人口增长模型。最后,根据各省GDP分布情况,赋予模型一个初始财富值,核算出中国碳排放总量。     

Measuring a boom and bust: The Sydney housing market 2001–2006

The Sydney housing market peaked in 2003. The period 2001–2006 is, therefore, of particular interest since it captures a boom and bust in the housing market. We compute hedonic, repeat-sales and median price indexes for five regions in Sydney over this period. While the three approaches are in broad agreement regarding the timing of the turning point in the housing market, some important differences also emerge. In particular, we find evidence of sample selection bias in our hedonic and repeat-sales data sets (with the former focusing more on better quality dwellings and the latter more on lower quality dwellings). These sample selection biases could in turn cause bias (in opposite directions) in our hedonic and repeat-sales indexes. Median indexes may likewise be biased as a result of an apparent decline in the average quality of dwellings sold in the latter part of the sample. We also find evidence of convergence in prices across regions during the boom and divergence in the subsequent bust.     

基于扩展线性支出系统(ELES)的城镇居民消费需求分析——以广西为例

从基本消费需求、需求的收入弹性、边际消费倾向及增量投向系数等角度,运用ELES模型对2010年《广西统计年鉴》提供的城镇居民收入、消费支出等数据进行分析,探讨优化城镇居民消费结构的途径。     

金融发展、交通设施与居民消费———基于半参数可加模型的实证分析

本文利用半参数可加模型实证分析了金融发展水平、交通设施条件与中国居民消费的关系,实证结果表明：（１）金融系统的规模扩张与居民消费存在显著的正向线性关系,而金融系统效率的改善对居民消费则主要表现为倒“Ｕ”型的非线性影响。（２）公共交通和道路设施条件与居民消费的线性关系不同,前者为正,而后者为负,但两者的非线性影响大体一致,均表现为“Ｎ”型趋势。并对如何提升居民消费水平提出了相应的政策建议。     

消费的环境库兹涅茨曲线存在吗?——基于空间杜宾模型的实证分析

基于消费者责任角度,文章研究了我国消费的环境库兹涅茨曲线,并与生产的环境库兹涅茨曲线进行比较,通过理论分析和实证研究发现：污染转移是消费的环境库兹涅茨曲线和生产的环境库兹涅茨曲线形状产生差异的重要原因;消费的环境库兹涅茨曲线的形状因污染物的不同而发生变化;消费结构对消费的环境库兹涅茨曲线影响较大;高消费地区耐用品消费比重上升导致污染排放增加。     

Variations in farm consumption and their relationship to income: an empirical investigation of Illinois farm households

Empirical tests of household consumption have yielded mixed results regarding the validity of the life cycle/permanent income (LCPI) hypothesis. A significant problem with such studies is the difficulty in finding sufficient micro-level data on household expenditures. By using the recent rich quantity of such data in the Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) data for Illinois farms from 1995 to 2009, the study reported here for farm households should provide more consistent results regarding the LCPI hypothesis. Applying an empirical model based on the LCPI hypothesis, this article identifies the determinants of farm consumption and the relationship to income. This study provides evidence that current income changes are not significant in explaining the consumption changes of farm households, thus supporting the LCPI hypothesis for farm households.     

消费不足、投资过度与偏向性金融政策

自1996年以来,中国消费产出比与投资产出比分别经历着一降一升的过程,致使经济最终呈现了两个重要性特征：消费不足和投资过度。本文通过在动态随机一般均衡模型中,构建投资偏向性金融政策和内生化趋势性差异特征的方式,分析消费和投资经历的阶段性变化及两个特征的成因和后果。利用中国1996年1季度至2014年4季度的六组季度数据作为观测变量,采用贝叶斯方法估计模型参数,并利用脉冲响应和方差分解等方法分析议题。结果表明：（1）持续稳定有效的投资偏向性金融政策是促成消费产出比快速下降、投资产出比快速上升的主因,进而造成消费不足与投资过度;（2）生产技术进步不仅可以促使消费产出比上升,同时有效抑制了投资过度;（3）家户部门消费偏好的变化和投资的短期调整,是解释投资产出比和投资消费比波动的主因。为此,建立和完善市场化投资环境,促进创新活动,可以有效地抑制过度投资并提高消费产出比。本文研究对科学理解中国经济波动及变化趋势,实现平稳可持续发展具有重要的理论价值和现实意义。     

Service recommendations and customer evaluations in the international marketplace: Cultural and situational contingencies

As the international service market continues its phenomenal growth, understanding the nature of effective interpersonal interactions between service providers and their customers is increasingly important. However, cross-national theory and research on this topic remain limited. In response, the following study employs data from China and the United States to test whether the cultural congruency of benefits emphasized by the service provider interacts with the customer's value orientation and/or consumption objective to affect evaluations of service quality. Results indicate that the cultural congruency of provider recommendations affects evaluations. Preliminary evidence also suggests that this effect is moderated by consumption objective.     

Changing consumption patterns in rural Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Despite rapid urbanization, more than 75% of the people still live in rural areas. The density of the rural population is also one of the highest in the world. Being a poor and low‐income country, however, Bangladesh's main challenge is to eradicate poverty by increasing equitable income. The gross domestic product of Bangladesh is growing steadily, and the country has outperformed many low‐income countries in terms of several social indicators. Bangladesh has achieved the Millennium Development Goal of eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary school enrolment. A sharp decline in child and infant mortality rates, increased per capita income, and improved food security have placed Bangladesh on the track to achieving the status of a middle‐income country in the near future. All these developments have influenced the consumption patterns of the country. This study explored the consumption scenario of rural Bangladesh. Data were collected through direct observations and semi‐structured interviews. Information regarding the consumption of food, clothing, housing, education and medical facilities were collected, and qualitative methods were applied to the data analysis. The findings of this study suggested that the consumption patterns of rural Bangladeshis are changing over time along with economic and social development.