The influence of demand and supply side pressures on the quantity and quality of inventive activity

This article arguments the literature on the demand for professional team sports by estimating a demand function for attendance at home matches in the Malaysian Semi-Pro Football League (MSPFL) between 1989 and 1991. A single-equation demand (attendance) function based on a pooled cross-section and time-series panel data set of 399 games is estimated by ordinary least squares, a fixed effects dummy variable covariance model and an error components model. Our findings confirm the importance of market size and championship prospects for the home team (but not the visiting team), as well as divisional status and ‘star’ players. The first match of the season and derby matches also increased attendance.     

Women and part-time work

This article reports some of the results of a new and large survey which focuses on women and work. In relation to part-time work the survey confirms that the traditional factors explaining the demand for such work continue to be important but that current trends in the economy are not favourable to female employees seeking part-time work.     

Price and quality changes in metal working machine tools

A dynamic optimal control model is constructed to study US dairy policy alternatives under bovine somatotropin (bST). The results indicate that the adoption of bST might be slower than that indicated by the early surveys. Even if adoption is widespread, the government can have the potentially large milk surplus problems under control with a combination of price support, generic milk advertising, and a cow buy-out. With bST adoption, the government would set lower support prices and would increase assesment for milk advertising, compared with the no-bST case. The higher adoption rates, the lower the support prices and the higher the advertising assesments. It is found that bST adoption is socially beneficial; consumers gain at the expense of producers. The government can, however, help produces by giving a larger policy weight to producers in setting the optimal levels of policy variables. Finally, it is found that the current levels of generic advertising are too low, and the allocation of advertising between fluid milk and manufactured products is not optimal.     

Global Software Piracy: Searching for Further Explanations

This paper identifies that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has a negative effect on software piracy rates in addition to consolidating prior research that economic development and the cultural dimension of individualism also negatively affect piracy rates. Using data for 59 countries from 2000 to 2005, the findings show that economic well-being, individualism and technology development as measured by ICT expenditures explain between 70% and 82% of the variation in software piracy rates during this period. The research results provide important implications for policy makers and business practitioners to help reduce software piracy.

古代中国海上事业衰落的动因种种

中国古代的海上力量与海洋运输、贸易是有悠长历史的。从8世纪开始，中国政府把大批量的谷物在海上从南方运到受契丹与高丽威胁的北方省份，该时期是中国、日本和高丽海洋交流的高点。从9世纪到12世纪，大规模的中国海洋船只被开发，第一个宋朝皇帝经常巡视造船厂，在1124年中国的船厂还为高丽的大使制造了两艘极大的船。在1161年，宋朝海军的主力舰队在山东半岛海岸与金国的支更大的舰队打了一仗并取得了胜利。     

Would Emergency Safeguard Measures Work for Services?

Discussions in the WTO on Emergency Safeguards Measures (ESMs) for services are now stalemated. While possibly justified on political economy grounds if they resulted in WTO members making more liberal commitments, their main supporters (ASEAN minus Singapore) have not amply demonstrated their desirability or technical feasibility (legal and economic means). The GATS already has sufficient in-built flexibility, and several forms of de facto safeguard provisions and other measures exist. The economic case for ESMs is weak, and the efficiency costs from capture by protectionists and lost investment from restricting established foreign investors could be potentially large. The proposed ASEAN model essentially replicates the goods' ESM, and has a number of deficiencies, such as having no national interest or economic test. The paper suggests a number of ways that the ASEAN model could be improved if the case for ESM on services was accepted. It also examines, as an alternative to an ESM, the possibility of members introducing a waiver to temporarily withdraw services commitments should an emergency situation arise.