Assessing the welfare effects of congestion charges in a real world setting

The standard textbook analysis shows that drivers as a group lose from congestion charges. However, it omits taste heterogeneity, shorter travel times far out in the larger network arising from less blocking back of upstream links and the possibility for drivers to reschedule. Taking account of these factors, using a dynamic scheduling model with heterogeneous users we find that all three add significantly to the benefit of the Stockholm congestion charges and that drivers as a group benefit from these charges even without recycling of revenues. This paper also provides an update on the consumer benefits of the Stockholm charges.     

House price determinants in Athens: a spatial econometric approach

In this paper, we try to identify the price determinants in the biggest real estate market of Greece, the metropolitan area of Athens. For that purpose, various spatial econometric models are used to explore their prediction ability and we are displaying the variations in property prices for the wider area of Athens. These models have been compared based on different criteria such as model fit, the Akaike information criterion and variance of the residuals. Our results indicate that, in our case, the spatial general model is the most appropriate simultaneous autoregressive model when dealing with spatially autocorrelated prices of housing properties data, in terms of our selection criteria.     

地方财政行为是否驱动了中国贸易 收支的动态调整*——基于异质性动态调整模型的分析

本文利用1997-2013年中国省际层面的面板数据，借助异质性动态调整模型从动态视角考察了地方财政行为对中国贸易收支调整速度的影响。研究结果显示：（1）平均而言，在地方财政行为的驱动下，中国实际贸易收支向最优水平动态调整的速度约为0045。总体表明，地方财政行为对中国贸易收支的驱动性影响较弱，引致实际贸易收支向最优水平调整的速度也较为缓慢。（2）财政支出分权的强化会制约贸易收支的调整速度，贸易收支调整呈现“相对惰性”。财政收入分权的提高和预算内财政支出的扩张能够加快实际贸易收支向最优贸易收支调整的速度，助力贸易收支实现平滑调整。预算外财政支出和财政收入的变化对调整速度则不会产生显著性影响。（3）贸易收支的调整速度呈现显著的区域异质性。本文的结论表明，现阶段中国要实现贸易收支的平衡调整路径，中央及地方政府必须把握好财政行为与贸易收支的动态联动关系。     

Quantitative Analysis of Foreign Trade and Environmental Efficiency in China

This article analyzes the relationships among trade, the economy, and environmental quality in China. First, in the context of these relationships, the Super-SBM model is used to calculate the environmental efficiencies of thirty Chinese provinces and cities to obtain the degrees of regional disparity. Second, China’s provincial panel data from 2003 and 2012 are used to establish an influential factor indicator system of environmental efficiency. A section-weighted fixed effect model then provides insights about influential factors such as spatial heterogeneity. Third, the article establishes a variable coefficient model to identify the relationships among the objects of the study and divides the Chinese regions into four types. The suggestions include enhancing environmental and business regulations to ensure equilibrium between trade, the environment, and local economies.     

The influence of neighborhood environment and household travel interactions on school travel behavior: an exploration using geographically-weighted models

Professional and popular interest in active school transportation (walking and cycling) is matched by an emerging literature on this topic. This paper explores school travel behavior of 11-year old children in Toronto, Canada. In particular, the effects of the neighborhood environment and caregiver-child travel interactions on travel mode choice were studied. Results indicate that the built environment near both home and school locations was associated with the odds of walking. However, predicted built environment effects were less accurate in some neighborhoods. Availability of adults at the time of school travel likely encouraged driving. School transportation interventions that broadly consider school and neighborhood-oriented policies and enable independent mobility may increase walking rates. Presence of spatial autocorrelation in the prevalence of walking suggests that more research is required to understand inter-household similarities in behaviors that are spatially structured.     

The Role of Human Capital,Market Potential and Natural Amenities in Understanding Spatial Wage Disparities in Chile

Abstract

This paper presents an empirical framework for analysing spatial wage inequality in Chile. Chile is primarily characterized by two stylized facts: the high spatial concentration around the metropolitan area and the key role of natural resources in the country. The paper considers both elements in a competition between NEG (new economic geography) and a theory based on natural resource endowment, with both theories incorporating human capital via a multilevel analysis. The results show the poor performance of NEG for Chile and indicate that natural resources are the principal cause of spatial wage variability in Chile.

RÉSUMÉ La présente communication illustre un cadre d'analyse empirique de l'inégalité spatiale entre les salaires, au Chili. Le Chili est caractérisé principalement par les deux faits stylisés suivants : une concentration spatiale élevée autour de la zone métropolitaine, et le rôle essentiel que jouent les ressources naturelles dans ce pays. Cette communication se penche sur ces deux éléments dans le cadre d'une compétition entre deux théories : d'une part la nouvelle géographie économique (« NEG »), de l'autre une théorie fondée sur la dotation en ressources naturelles, ces deux théories incorporant le capital humain par le biais d'une analyse à multiples niveaux. Les résultats démontrent les mauvais résultats de NEG pour le Chili, et indiquent que les ressources naturelles sont la principale cause de la variabilité spatiale des salaires au Chili.

EXTRACTO Este estudio presenta un marco empírico para analizar la desigualdad espacial de los salarios en Chile. Chile se caracteriza principalmente por dos hechos estilizados: la alta concentración espacial alrededor del área metropolitana y la función clave de los recursos naturales del país. El estudio considera ambos elementos en una competición entre la NEG (Nueva Geografía Económica) y una teoría basada en el legado de recursos naturales, donde ambas teorías incorporan el capital humano a través de un análisis de múltiples niveles. Los resultados muestran un bajo rendimiento de la NEG en relación con Chile e indican que los recursos naturales son la causa principal de la variabilidad espacial de los salarios en Chile.

摘要: 本文提出了一种分析智利区域工资不均的经验框架。智利主要有两大特点: 大城市地区高度空间聚集和农村地区自然资源作用巨大。本文在对NEG (新经济地理学) 和基于自然资源储藏量的理论进行比较时, 考虑了这两个因素, 同时还通过多层次分析纳入了人力资源因素。结果显示智利NEG性能很差, 表明智利区域工资差异的主要原因是自然资源。     

An alternate approach to modeling the slack season provision of guided tours to tourists

We discuss an approach to modeling the slack season provision of guided tours to tourists that accounts for the twin phenomena of stochastic demand and tourist heterogeneity but is different from the way in which this problem has been modeled in the extant tourism literature. Our discussion uses the theory of discrete-time Markov chains and it models the slack season from a tourist demand perspective. Specifically, we first study a case in which the wait plus tour or the excursion time of an arriving tourist is exponentially distributed with a fixed mean. Next, we focus on a scenario in which the excursion time is exponentially distributed with one of two possible fixed means and these two means arise with specific probabilities.     

数字经济对区域经济高质量发展的影响研究

推动数字经济发展,是我国在当下推动经济转型,促进高质量发展的重要战略。本文基于2012~2019年省级面板数据,构建双向固定效应模型,运用基准回归、异质性检验和分位数回归的方法进行实证研究发现,数字经济助推经济高质量发展的同时还存在地区差异,对西部影响最大,中部影响最小,而数字经济的发展水平又受到产业结构、技术创新等因素影响。因此,本文针对不同地区差异分别提出建议,从而促进持续更新发展理念,以创新驱动发展,优化产业结构为数字经济提供良好环境,以期推动数字经济建设发展。     

Unemployment disparities and regional wage flexibility: comparing EU members and EU-accession countries

This paper provides empirical evidence on regional labor market flexibility in Europe and, in particular, in the EU-accession countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Whereas substantial regional disparities in unemployment are found for pre-accession EU member countries as well as for accession countries, an empirical analysis taking account of spatial effects shows that regional wage flexibility is significantly higher for accession countries. Moreover, unemployment disparities are found to be less persistent in the accession countries.

农村金融机构经营效率测算及影响因素的空间计量分析——兼论农村金融机构改革

农村金融改革的目标之一在于提升农村金融机构的经营效率,但相关研究较少考虑不良贷款约束,对农村金融机构经营效率及其影响因素的空间计量也很少涉及。基于此,本文以较具代表性的沿海地区G省为例,运用非径向EBM-Undesirable模型从多个视角测算分析了农村金融机构的经营效率,并基于空间相关性检验和空间计量模型,对经营效率进行了空间效应分析与影响因素估计。结果显示:农村金融机构经营效率总体水平较高,但起伏较大;农商行效率高于农信社,但2015年后差距有所缩小;经营效率具有空间相关性,经济水平、产业结构、行业竞争、资产规模和盈利能力是驱动因素,隐形风险是阻碍因素。鉴此,本文提出了加快推进农商行治理能力建设和产品服务创新、将经营效率作为农信社改制的重要参考指标、监管部门和省联社给予针对性经营指导、深化邻近协同经营等政策建议。