Grain price stabilization in India: Evaluation of policy alternatives

Stabilization of prices is an important element of food policy in India as in most other countries — both developing and eveloped. However, since the magnitude of grain stocks held for this purpose as well as the costs of physical storage have become prohibitively high, there is now a need for finding cost-effective alternatives including non interventionist and market-oriented methods for price stabilization. In this paper we consider the case of rice and wheat which are staple foodgrains in India. We make a comparison between alternative price stabilization policies including that of holding buffer stocks in terms of their impact on domestic price stability, producer and consumer welfare and government costs. A multi-market equilibrium framework is used where private storage, consumption, supply and prices of rice and wheat are determined simultaneously. Indian exports and imports are assumed to affect world prices. The alternative price stabilizing mechanisms are ranked according to both the criteria, welfare and price stability achieved. The main findings are as follows. The ranking of alternatives varies with the criterion used. Greater price stability need not necessarily imply greater welfare. The option of variable levies on private external trade turns out to be the most inexpensive and that of domestic buffer stocks the costliest in achieving price stability. Further, the efficacy of buffer stocks and subsidy to private storage in stabilizing prices is lower under free trade as compared to the case where the economy is closed to private external trade.     

国际私法调整对象之剖析

国际私法是一门充满争论的法律学科。对国际私法调整对象这一基本问题学术界也存在激烈争论。本文回避了对国际私法调整对象作出“一言以蔽之”式的定义,而力求对该问题的不同方面进行阐释。     

福建与台湾合作建构私募股权基金初探

私募股权基金是推动产业格局整合的核心推动力.近年来，国内私募股权投资基金得到了迅猛发展，但福建省发展私募股权基金的脚步较为滞后。福建省应以《关于支持福建省加快建设海峡西岸经济区的若干意见》和《两岸金融监管合作备忘录（MOU）》为契机，与台湾合作发展私募股权基金，推动闽台金融合作先行先试。     

农村民间金融组织及其规范

农村民间金融组织的发展缓解了农村金融资金供需矛盾,弥补了官方金融的供给不足.但由于所掌握信息的有限性以及规模和范围上的劣势,使其在发展和运行过程中仍然存在一定的问题.因此,必须通过完善政策法规,加强监督管理和体制创新等措施进行规范.     

鼓励我国民营企业境外投资的税收政策研究

民营企业境外投资对我国经济发展具有重要意义。本文认为目前我国涉及民营企业境外投资的税收政策不够完善,政府有必要通过制定相关税收法规,加强国际税收协调,完善纳税服务体系等措施鼓励民营企业境外投资。     

Private Car Ownersip Jumps 16% in 6 Months

More than 13 million cars in China were privately owned by the end ＆June up 16% over the end of last year, according to the Ministry of Public Security.     

Price competition during and after promotions

We provide a framework for setting regular prices and using promotional discounts in a duopoly where long‐term promotional effects are present and the firms' pricing and promotional strategies are common knowledge (e.g., as in online markets). We show that at equilibrium, the two firms may not promote and instead adopt an Everyday Low Price (EDLP) strategy. Consumers' tendency to stockpile promoted products, the level of brand loyalty and product differentiation, and the possibility of a postpromotional sales increase critically influence regular prices, price discount rates, and profits. Under some conditions consumer stockpiling intensifies promotional competition and reduces firms' profits while the possibility of attracting new consumers reduces the need to heavily promote and ensures better profits. Managerial implications are discussed. Copyright © 2007 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于期权博弈的PPP项目特许权期决策模型

运用期权博弈方法,从无政府担保基本情形出发,构建 PPP 项目特许权期决策模型,考量政府参与风险分担对特许权期的影响。结果表明,收益波动率一定的情况下,特许权期随着政府最低收益担保期望价值的增加而减少;而在政府最低收益担保期望价值一定的情况下,特许权期随着收益波动率的增加而增加。鉴此,政府应根据项目的风险收益情况实施弹性特许权期制。     

双寡头竞争平台的商业模式选择研究

通过建立模型,并将负的组内网络外部性和正的组间网络外部性引入到模型中,研究双寡头竞争平台的商业模式选择。研究结果表明,当消费者给商家带来的正组间网络外部性效应与商家带给消费者的正组间网络外部性效应二者之间的差距足够大时,两个平台均会选择双边市场模式;而当二者之间的差距异常小时,两个平台将选择单边市场模式;但是当二者之间的差距介于中间水平时,其结果就主要取决于平台产品或服务的差异化程度以及商家之间负的组内网络外部性强度。     

Credit Conditions in Pakistan: Supply Constraints or Demand Deficiencies?

This paper attempts to pin down the key drivers of demand for and supply of real private sector credit in Pakistan. I use both the equilibrium and disequilibrium econometric frameworks, specifically tackling the issue of lack of consistency and/or efficiency of joint estimators in the former via the three‐stage least squares technique. On the demand side, I find that higher economic activity provides stimulus to credit whereas inflation dampens it. The stock market seems to play a dual role: as a source of alternative financing, a bullish market negatively impacts credit while, as an indicator of economic expectations, it provides a positive impetus. On the supply side, banks' lending capacity is found to be the major driver of credit while government borrowing has a crowding‐out effect. Pakistan currently faces supply constraints, which might put an additional check on capacity utilization by firms, thus damaging growth prospects. The results have important policy implications.