Technological Complexity, Wage Differentials and Unemployment

A model is developed to analyse the relation between wages and technological complexity, as characterised by the "O–ring" theory of production. In equilibrium, the adoption of a relatively complex technology induces the employer to pay higher wages. We argue that the model can explain increased within–group wage inequality as a consequence of increased technological heterogeneity among firms.
JEL classification : J 31; O 33     

Did globalization reduce unionization? Evidence from US manufacturing

How do globalized economic conditions affect labor market institutions such as unionism? We draw on recent theoretical and empirical work to explore a wider set of hypotheses regarding the decline in unionization. Using a comprehensive data set of US three-digit manufacturing industries from 1973 to 1994, we test the hypothesis that domestic and international competition directly reduces unionization. Using instrumental variable regressions, we demonstrate the relevance of product market competition variables for unionization. However, we are unable to account for the unionization decline over this period. This could reflect the lagged and complex effects of competition on unionization.     

重构乡村基层社会生活的实态--一个值得深入考察的徽州古村落宅坦

古村落宅坦位于绩溪西部的崇山峻岭之中 ,胡氏宗族在生存条件极为恶劣的情况下 ,组织族人改造环境 ,使之成为人与自然和谐相处的乡村社会。千百年来 ,在特定的时空条件下 ,经过一系列的社会变迁 ,古村落已形成宗族组织、文化科举和商业的良性互动 ,从而创造了古村落的文明。三者之间宗族居于核心地位。传统中国社会的动乱也会在这里引起反响 ,但是由于宗族聚居的格局使古村落乃至徽州社会具有特殊的应变力 ,直至近代仍保持自身的稳定。宅坦村有着丰富的资料遗存 ,为我们在宅坦从事田野考察、重构古村落的实态 ,提供了必要的前提。可以预见 ,宅坦必将以其丰富的人文内涵为世人所瞩目     

How does R&D intensity influence firm explorativeness? Evidence of R&D active firms in four advanced countries

Despite R&D is seen as a starting point of innovation, firms usually confront a trade-off in allocating limited R&D resources to either exploratory or exploitative activities. Relative to the latter, the former produces a more distinctive variation from the prior knowledge base and helps the firm tap into new opportunity. Given the increasing importance of firm explorativeness in the fast changing environments, the influence of R&D investment on firm explorativeness is not yet conclusive in the literature, not to mention whether the increased R&D investment induces firms to become more explorative. This study aims to generate insight into how and when firm explorativeness is determined by their R&D intensity. As a notion of the use of knowledge new to the organization, firm explorativeness is treated as the degree of using knowledge new to the organization in the pursuit of innovation. Based on a panel data of 1267 firm-year observations in four advanced countries during 1999–2003, the results reveal that a higher level of R&D intensity makes firms more exploitative and less explorative. Nevertheless, the negative relationship between R&D intensity and firm explorativeness is found to be alleviated in the presence of technological opportunity or financial slack. The configurational model sheds further light on the combined and relative weight of two moderators.     

政府科技激励与技术创新效率研究--基于行业要素禀赋的分析视角

本文基于随机前沿方法（ SFA）对1999-2011年中国37个工业行业的技术创新效率进行测量,并首次尝试从行业要素禀赋的分析视角,利用面板数据的系统广义矩估计（ SYS-GMM）,实证检验了中国政府在技术创新投入和产出方面的行为在整体上和分行业两个方面对技术创新效率的影响。结果表明,中国工业行业技术创新效率整体较低,政府对企业技术创新效率的科技激励作用存在明显的行业差异。从整体看,政府的直接资金支持并不利于整体行业的技术创新效率;从分行业看,政府科技投入只对高技术制造行业有效,对其他行业却带来了技术创新效率的“损失”。政府对知识产权的保护,不论是对整体行业还是分行业,均表现为正向影响,但是影响作用有限。     

Incubator,technology, and innovation centres in Switzerland: features and policy implications

Only since the early 1990s, when unemployment rates in Switzerland soared to unprecedented levels, has federal technology and innovation policy begun to design their activities with regard to employment and the establishment of new firms. Now, all across the country, private as well as public incubator facilities, technology and innovation centres have begun to spring up. This paper starts by describing the theoretical and methodological background of a survey of incubator, technology and innovation (ITI) centres. In a first step, all cantonal offices for economic promotion were asked to report and to describe incubator facilities, technology and innovation centres within their realm. In a second step a selection of centres were analysed in depth. The key findings are that: (1) ITI centres are most commonly established by a combination of public and private initiatives; (2) the main motive for the creation of ITI centres is to promote startups and the innovative potential; (3) most ITI centres offer space to rent and make available joint amenities; (4) ITI centres are predominantly in manufacturing, services, and development activities; their level of technology input is high or very high; and (5) the spatial reach of most of the ITI centre is on the region. Together with selected foreign experiences, some conclusions and recommendations for the operation of such centres are formulated.     

ICT technologies in Europe: A study of technological diffusion and economic growth under network theory

The sector of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is one of the key instruments for the development of an economy. The literature emphasizes its capacity for both increasing productivity and generating new sources of income and wealth (5 and 20 among others). Traditionally studies on the ICT sector have focused on the analysis of its economic impact, but not on its capacity as a “bridge” for information and knowledge flows across the economic network. Following Burt's approach (1992) on structural holes, the organization of the economic network defines where and for whom new opportunities lie. The structural hole methodology allows to analyze the capacity of the ICT sector as an enabler of technological diffusion and innovation. The results show that the European ICT sector not only is important for its intermediary role in the flow of information across the economic network, but also for its low level of dependency on other sectors.     

技术创新资源配置的双重调节论

文章对资源配置的市场调节、政府调节、双重调节机制,以及我国技术创新资源配置中的双重调节作用进行了理论分析,选择美国的自由市场经济模式、德国的社会市场经济模式、日本的政府协调型主导市场经济模式和韩国的政府干预型主导市场经济模式等技术创新资源配置模式为分析对象,通过对上述国家四种模式中的双重调节作用进行比较,基本结论是:创新驱动发展战略需要有效发挥对技术创新资源配置的双重调节作用;充分发挥市场在技术创新资源配置中的决定性作用,进一步加大市场化改革力度,发挥和完善市场机制的作用,推进技术创新资源的市场化配置,是我国深化科技体制改革的关键之一;充分发挥政府在技术创新资源配置中的导向性作用,以迅速提升我国技术创新能力。     

国外新经济理论的研究进展

随着技术变革的深入,新兴技术对经济发展产生的影响更为深入,产生了以知识和创新为核心的新经济,对传统经济理论提出了挑战。特别是金融危机之后,全球经济发展方式发生变革,对新经济理论与方法的研究具有重要现实意义。文章对国外新经济的产生与发展相关理论进行系统梳理与分析、从技术变革与新经济的关系、新经济的理论基础、新经济形态下经济发展方式的变化及其新经济理论的应用领域等方面剖析了国外新经济理论的研究进展,提出未来新经济领域可围绕国家创新体系的战略定位研究、技术变革发展方向的预测方法、技术变革推动经济增长与社会进步的过程分析、新经济理论框架对产业结构影响以及新经济背景对企业发展的影响等方面展开。     

中国银行业结构性全要素生产率增长研究

在深化银行业供给侧结构性改革背景下,如何科学评价银行业的结构性全要素生产率(TFP)增长具有重要意义。区别于早期针对个体样本的技术性TFP增长研究,本文通过构建并分解加总的Luenberger生产率指标对我国银行业以及不同类型银行的结构性TFP增长及来源进行有效评价。结果显示,研究期间,我国银行业的结构性TFP增长表现良好,其中,整体技术进步是主要驱动力;进一步分解发现,制度创新改善和加总的个体技术进步推动了银行业结构性TFP增长。在整体效率变化方面,加总的个体技术效率变化和结构效率变化都有待提高,其中,范围效率变化是抑制结构效率改善的主要因素。考虑不同类型银行,制度创新变化对所有类型银行的结构性TFP增长都影响显著,加总的个体技术变化对股份制和地区性银行的结构性TFP增长贡献更突出;加总的个体技术效率变化、结构效率变化、范围效率变化和规模效率变化对不同类型银行的结构性TFP增长作用有限。