Preferences for environmental quality under uncertainty

Although the expected effects of environmental policies and interventions are rarely known with certainty, stated preference surveys rarely elicit preferences over uncertain environmental outcomes. This article presents empirical results challenging the view that ignoring such uncertainty during preference elicitation is of no consequence so long as people only care about final environmental states. We show that measured preferences for final environmental states, water quality in this case, depend on whether people choose between final states or between lotteries over final states. In contrast to the typical finding for monetary lotteries, we find significant under-weighting of low probability events related to water quality.     

The deterministic EOQ and EPQ with partial backordering at a rate that is linearly dependent on the time to delivery

Our original models for the EOQ and EPQ with partial backordering assumed that the backordering rate, β, is a constant. In this paper we extend those models to allow β to increase linearly as the time until delivery decreases. We show how those previous models can be adapted to find the optimal decision variable values for this new assumption and develop, for each model type, a condition that the initial value of β must meet for partial backordering to be optimal.     

Robust optimal policies of production and inventory with uncertain returns and demand

We consider an inventory and production planning problem with uncertain demand and returns, in which the product return process is integrated into the manufacturing process over a finite planning horizon. We first propose an inventory control model for the return and remanufacturing processes with consideration of the uncertainty of the demand and returns. Then a robust optimization approach is applied to deal with the uncertainty of the problem through formulating a robust linear programming model. Moreover, properties on the robust optimization model are studied, and an equivalent robust optimization model based on duality theory is obtained which allows the solutions to be derived more efficiently. Finally, we provide a set of numerical examples to verify the effectiveness of the approach and analyze the effects of the key parameters on the solutions.     

大小传统的生产与再生产

本文主要研究其产生的渊源即大小传统拥有不同使命,前者是为了实现上层阶级的话语霸权,后者是为了现实下层阶级的权利自卫,再到大小传统的再生产的原因、途径来透视大小传统之间的关系.     

新疆和兵团当前经济发展阶段分析

本文根据国际国内最新数据,运用国际通行方法,对中国、新疆和兵团所处发展阶段做了分析。按照世界银行收入分类法,中国、新疆和兵团2009年均处于下中等收入经济体水平,并分别将在2010年、2013年、2011年进入上中等收入经济体行列。按照人类发展指数,中国、新疆和兵团均位于世界中等发展水平前列。按照钱纳里等人工业化进程理论,从人均国民总收入水平看,中国、新疆和兵团均进入工业化中期阶段;从产业结构看,中国已经进入工业化高级阶段,新疆进入工业化中级阶段后期,而兵团尚处于初级产品生产阶段;从就业结构看,中国刚刚步入工业化中期阶段,新疆刚刚步入工业化初期阶段,兵团1990年以后就进入了工业化初期阶段。     

Agricultural decline and sustainable development on mountain areas in Greece: Sustainability assessment of future scenarios

Agricultural decline may pose an important threat to mountain biodiversity but it also constitutes a driving force of socio-economic transformation. The aim of this study is to investigate the implications of alternative agricultural policy scenarios on the sustainable development of Greek mountain areas using a case study approach (Zagori region, Greece). Two agricultural policy scenarios were explored and assessed against a list of sustainability objectives. Causal relationships among drivers of changes and sustainability objectives were explored using Network Analysis. Our analysis has shown that agricultural liberalisation is expected to have devastating effects on the development of the area and it was strongly opposed as an alternative future by the local stakeholders. The analysis of the driver's causal relationship has also revealed that in order to ensure the sustainable development of the area it is necessary to sustain low input extensive farming, to promote mild tourism development and to enhance the operational efficiency of the National Park. Moreover, in order to reconcile agricultural decline, biodiversity and sustainable development, policy-management recommendations must be drawn at multiple administrative levels and complementary policy interventions within and between levels are required. It is thus, important that EU agricultural policies are complemented by national-regional interventions in order to regulate the fragile balance between agriculture and tourism. Finally, this study has shown that the combination of scenario analysis and sustainability assessment can provide an efficient tool to inform management strategies for sustainable development.     

An assessment of ordinary landscapes by an expert and by its residents: Landscape values in areas of intensive agricultural use

The expert-based approach to landscape assessment developed in North America during the 1970s is still largely used in planning. It has proved its usefulness for the protection and the management of landscapes with remarkable visual attributes. However, facing growing social demands for the quality of surroundings, ordinary landscapes also raise great challenges for planning. But, to what extent is the expert-based approach to landscape assessment able to capture the value of these ordinary landscapes? What might be the more appropriate method for this purpose? This paper addresses these questions through an empirical research project in areas of intensive agricultural use in Quebec (Canada). The aim of this research was to measure and compare the ability of an expert-based approach and of a lay people-based approach, also named experiential approach, to capture the most valued components of ordinary landscapes. These methods were applied to two study areas. The first one has no recognised landscapes in any planning document while the second one has recognised landscapes for regional tourism. Forty-six inhabitants and an expert were invited to evaluate the landscapes of the study areas. The results have allowed comparison of the components valued by the expert and by the inhabitants as well as the criteria used in the assessment. They revealed differences between the expert and the lay people assessment. For inhabitants, the value of ordinary landscapes is based on a set of criteria related to emotion, to everyday experience and to their intimate knowledge of places. Thus, the formal visual criteria used by the expert appear to be clearly less important in the evaluation by lay people. As the expert perspective in landscape assessment is more closely associated to the experience of an individual which cross the territory (ex.: tourist), this paper concludes that to capture the value of ordinary landscapes in a planning perspective, a combination of approaches is necessary.     

Assessing the Impacts of Pillar 1 and 2 Subsidies on TFP in French Crop Farms

This article analyses the impact of common agricultural policy (CAP) subsidies on total factor productivity using a FADN dataset of French crop farms between 1996 and 2003. We first estimate a production function using a system GMM approach and then recover farm‐level total factor productivity (TFP). Further, the impact of Pillar 1 and 2 subsidies on TFP is investigated and results show that several subsidies have a negative impact on productivity during the period covered in the dataset. CAP reforms have also had an impact on the relationship between subsidies and productivity.     

Evaluation of postponement in the soluble coffee supply chain: A case study

This paper, through a case study, evaluates postponement as an option to improve supply chain performances in a soluble coffee manufacturer. The main focus of the paper is on the development of a numerical data-driven methodology for quantifying the benefits of postponement obtained from the total inventory reduction. Our study shows that significant cost savings are achievable by delaying the labelling and packaging processes until actual orders from retailers are known. These savings include the reduction of the cycle stock, safety stock, and obsolete stock unsold from promotional events. We also discuss the cost implications of the proposed configuration that may offset the estimated potential benefits. The methodology presented in this paper can also be used in many other supply chains, particularly in the food industry with similar environments. This paper contributes to the literature in extending the very short list of published work presenting a systematic methodology of characterising the postponement benefits in real world settings and driven by numerical data.     

中国交通基础设施与农村经济增长的实证研究

基础设施作为社会先行资本对经济发展有着重要作用,而交通基础设施是基础设施中很重要的部分,其发展和完善对农村经济增长有着积极的促进作用。使用C-D生产函数对农村农业部门1991～2009年29省市的面板数据进行回归,结果显示交通基础设施产出弹性为0.0327,分东、中、西部三个区域来看中部地区交通设施对经济增长影响最大,加大交通设施的投入不但可以促进中部地区经济增长,而且有利于全国范围的经济增长;对非农部门1998～2007年30省市的面板数据回归结果显示交通设施对非农部门的影响不显著。