Effects of work–family and family–work conflicts on flexible work arrangements demand: a gender role perspective

In recent years, a growing number of firms have adopted flexible work arrangements (FWAs) to help managers balance their work–family demands. Based on a sample of 1336 married managers in Korea, we found that work–family conflict increased the FWAs demand more for female managers than for male managers. When facing work–family conflict, the absence of family-supportive supervision increased the demand for FWAs, particularly among female managers. No such effect was found for family–work conflict. In addition, having a female supervisor led to an increased demand for FWAs from company managers. These results suggest that firms should pay close attention to gender difference and supervisory roles in predicting the demand for FWAs to alleviate work–family conflicts.     

How did wars dampen trade in the MENA region?

The article investigates the impact of wars on trade in the Middle East and North African region. Using an augmented gravity model that controls for the endogeneity problem in our estimation, we introduce a war variable and distinguish between different types of conflicts. The results show that wars have a significantly negative impact on exports, imports and trade. Civil conflicts hinder exports, imports and trade significantly. The disaggregated version of the gravity model shows that non-state conflicts have a detrimental effect on bilateral trade flows in manufacturing, and that none of the conflicts do affect trade in services. We also find that, on average, a conflict is equivalent to a tariff of 5% of the value of trade.     

都市圈与“省直管县”的冲突与协调

回顾了中国改革开放以来城镇化的发展进程,指出了城镇化当前的发展趋势,根据都市圈的形成机理和管理体制模式,针对当前省直管县体制改革,分析了都市圈发展和省直管县存在的矛盾和冲突,并提出了针对性的建议。     

时间框架效应对团队知识冲突的影响：案例研究

本文采用案例研究方法,选取ROUTE66项目团队作为研究对象,对时间框架效应影响知识冲突的机理进行了分析。研究发现,团队成员的冲突处理决策中普遍存在时间框架效应,但冲突处理决策组合受时间框架调整的影响却并不明显,时间框架效应通过影响团队知识冲突进而影响团队绩效水平。     

Why Greater Cash Holdings and Short-Term Debt Simultaneously Persist? The Case of Transition Economy

This study observes and explores a puzzle in Chinese firms whereby both cash holdings and short-term debt simultaneously account for more than 20% of total assets for at least two consecutive years over the sample period. This phenomenon conflicts with the principle of corporate value maximization, and is not clearly explained by the classical theories in corporate finance. Based on the implications in the extant literature and discussions of institutional constraints of the transition economy in China, this paper develops four hypotheses that are involved with agency conflicts between the largest shareholders and creditors and the formation of this puzzling financial structure. The empirical analyses suggest that the largest shareholders with tunneling motives seek to hold more cash to serve their private interests and/or the consequent operational deficit of the listed corporations. To the ends, these corporations tend to manage the timing of short term debt financing to increase cash reserves temporarily at the end of year. Essentially, greater cash holdings on the balance sheet of these corporations related with the puzzle become a misleading signal for potential creditors, possibly contributing to the refinancing of short-term debt of these listed firms for the following year. Hence, the puzzling financial structure is connected with the timing of debt financing and adverse selection of creditors. This study enriches the stream of literature on cash holdings and debt maturity, and provides new evidence on the impact of agency problems of the largest shareholders on the association between cash holdings and debt maturity in the context of a transition economy.     

国际贸易机制对国内武装冲突影响的研究——基于回归断点设计的数量分析(1946-2009年)

国际机制不仅影响国家行为体,也影响国家层面之下的非国家行为体,并作用于两类行为体间的互动。作为最为成熟也是影响范围最为广泛的国际机制之一,国际贸易机制一方面通过机制功能作用于国内政治中的国家行为体与非国家行为体,另一方面施加影响于贸易议题从而刺激国内各行为体之间的互动。无论是机制还是贸易都与国际和平战争研究紧密相关,如"贸易和平论"与"国际制度和平论"。基于国际原因与国内产出之间的关系,国际贸易机制如何影响国内政治,特别是影响国内冲突的爆发风险?通过回归断点设计(RDD)与Logit回归分析,1946-2009年之间的国际贸易机制(关贸总协定/世界贸易组织)数据及国内武装冲突数据显示,关贸总协定/世界贸易组织成员资格的确能够在整体上显著降低国内武装冲突发生的可能性;但是,在分别控制经济因素、政治因素、社会因素、贸易因素和外部因素之后,实证结果显示国际贸易机制对各国国内冲突风险实际上是一种条件性的混合影响。     

Realizing public values: enhancement or obstruction? Exploring value tensions and coping strategies in the co-production of social care

ABSTRACT

We examine the potential of co-production to enhance or obstruct the realization of public values by analysing what value tensions co-producers experience and what coping strategies they follow. In-depth study of a social care initiative in Flanders shows that co-production enhances the realization of values relating to services delivered, relationships between public servants and citizens, and the democratic quality of the service delivery process. However, public servants and citizen co-producers experience tensions between values, such as efficiency, individual freedom of co-producers, reciprocity, and inclusion. In trying to deal with these value tensions, public servants are found to follow a variety of coping strategies, whereas citizen co-producers tend to escalate tensions or avoid coping with them. The type of coping strategy followed, however, influences if and what values are ultimately represented in the service delivery process and its results.     

Bankers on the Board,Market Competition,and Conflicts of Interest

Abstract

Bankers on the board are expected to act as a fund-raiser and to help lowering financial costs, but they can impose conflicts of interest between shareholders and creditors. We empirically analyse the impact of banker-directors on corporate leverage and investment, using Korean firm data during the period from 2000 to 2012. Bankers on the board turn out to play different roles depending on market competition and macroeconomic circumstance. In less competitive industries where banks are less concerned about financial distress as a creditor, the presence of bankers on the board has higher leverage and more active investment, which can align with the interest of shareholders. However, in more competitive environment where firms are more concerned about financial distress and external financing, bankers on the board do not always increase leverage and investment, which can be divergent from the interest of shareholders.     

区域冲突、区域合作与中部崛起

区域冲突与区域合作是区域关系的两种重要表现形式。由于受地方利益最大化的驱动,以及在区域利益协调、要素流动及分工合作等领域还缺乏相应的制度基础,中部地区各省间的各种区域利益冲突时常出现,区域合作严重缺失。在“中部崛起”及区域合作日益深化的背景下,中部各省需要化解区域冲突,加强区域合作,实现中部地区的协调发展和共同发展。     

俄罗斯对华贸易壁垒问题探析

中俄两国在贸易迅速发展的同时,俄罗斯对华贸易壁垒也不断增多。其中俄方通关环节不符合贸易惯例、俄强制认证标准大多与国际标准不符、管理复杂等方面问题突出,我方应在加强与俄罗斯的贸易谈判、建立两国贸易监控机制、加深对俄罗斯技术性壁垒研究等方面进行应对。