Estimating Market Power in the South African Banking Sector

Indicators of market power can be ambiguous because cost economies associated with scale and not market imperfections may influence results. This article illustrates that without direct measures of concentration, estimates of costs, scale economies and profitability can be used to identify market power in banking. Secondly, via this method, econometric estimates provide meaningful evidence of market power in the South African banking sector over the study sample period (1979–1998). A reasonable conclusion is that while industrial structure is important, careful consideration needs to be given to cost economies and profitability when assessing market power. In addition, there is a need to consider appropriate policy to reduce market power in banking in South Africa.     

总收益最大的交易策略求解算法

本文应用动态规划的原理,讨论了多期投资决策中基于总收益率最大的交易策略的设计和实现问题。通过比较随机交易方法、局部最优方法和全局最优方法下的投资表现,在交易费用存在的情况下,基于动态规划的算法给出问题的全局最优解,该方法的优越性随着交易费用的增长而加强。     

Impact of contracts in high yielding varieties seed production on profits and yield: The case of Nepal

Nepal’s population continues to grow, but the agricultural sector’s performance remains almost stagnant. This has led to a decline in the per capita availability of food. Increasing agricultural productivity is the key to agricultural growth, and one strategy for increasing agricultural productivity is to use improved seeds. This study investigates the impact of contract farming (CF) in high yielding varieties (HYV) of paddy seed production on costs, yield, and profits of smallholder farms in Nepal. Using farm-level data and a non-parametric propensity score matching estimator, the study finds a significant positive impact of contract HYV seed farming on revenues, profits, and yield, and a significant negative impact on total costs of production. Additionally, very small farms (⩽0.43 ha) with CF in HYV paddy seeds tend to gain the most when it comes to yield per hectare. Our estimates reveal that the average smallholder household in Nepal engaged in CF with input conditions receives higher profits. However, farmers engaged in CF with output conditions tend to have higher yields but smaller profits. Finally, farmers engaged in CF in HYV paddy seeds with both input and output conditions have the highest yield gains and significantly higher profits.     

Hospital costs associated with thyroidectomy performed with a Harmonic device compared to conventional techniques: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: Harmonic devices have become a world-wide standard for dissection and hemostasis in thyroidectomy. Numerous systematic reviews have reported superior operating times, blood loss, post-operative pain, length of stay, and overall safety outcomes. What has not been extensively evaluated in a robust manner is their economic impact. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the hospital costs associated with open thyroidectomy using Harmonic devices compared with conventional techniques for hemostasis. Methods: A systematic review of Medline, Scopus, and CENTRAL was performed from January 1, 2000 to May 23, 2014 without language restrictions for randomized clinical trials comparing Harmonic surgical devices to conventional methods in thyroidectomy. The main outcome measure was total reported costs. Costs were pooled using the ratio of means and a random effects model. Sensitivity analyses assessed whether differences in patient and trial characteristics, healthcare setting, or choice of statistical model affected outcomes. Results: Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 476 participants had procedures performed with Harmonic devices and 478 with conventional monopolar electrosurgery and clamp, cut and tie techniques. Compared with conventional techniques, Harmonic devices reduced total reported costs by 10% (p?=?0.007), resulting in a $229?US dollars (USD) absolute reduction from mean baseline costs. Results remained relatively robust to additional sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrates that the Harmonic family of surgical devices is associated with a reduction in total reported costs in thyroidectomy compared with conventional techniques. A large portion of the overall savings derives from a reduction in operative costs.     

股东网络能提高企业创新绩效吗？——两类代理成本的中介效应研究

以中国2010年至2019年沪深A股上市公司为样本,运用社会网络分析(SNA)方法,研究股东网络、两类代理成本与企业创新绩效之间的关系。结果表明,股东网络有利于企业创新绩效的提高,两类代理成本在股东网络与企业创新绩效之间有部分中介效应。同时发现,第一类代理成本的中介效应低于第二类代理成本的中介效应,原因在于第一类委托代理关系中股东网络降低了股东与高管之间的信息不对称,进一步降低了第一类代理成本,从而提升了企业的创新绩效;而在第二类委托代理关系中股东网络较大幅度地增加了中小股东的谈判能力,进而降低了大股东对中小股东的剥削程度,也就降低了第二类代理成本,进而也提升了企业的创新绩效,但是第一类代理成本的降低可能小于第二类代理成本的降低。这一研究深化了股东网络与企业创新绩效的认知,细分了两类代理成本的作用机制。     

财务管理中的杠杆效应与风险探析

财务管理学中的经营杠杆、财务杠杆和复合杠杆相关理论是企业优化资本结构、获取经营杠杆收益、控制经营风险、实现股东收益最大化与控制企业财务风险的重要理论,涉及筹资活动、投资活动与经营活动多个方面,是筹资决策、投资决策和经营决策的重要依据。本论从经营杠杆、财务杠杆相关理论依据与内涵入手,在分析经营杠杆、财务杠杆和复合杠杆计算及公式的基础上,重点对其三项指标的性质与作用进行分析与评价。以达到全面的、正确的理解杠杆效应与风险程度的相互关系,明晰经营风险和财务风险之间的联系,以实现经营(投资)决策与筹资决策的相互配合,共同控制与降低企业复合风险。     

The impact of entry costs on export market participation in agriculture

Theoretical models of market entry imply that sunk costs are an important factor in the decision to export. Following Helpman, Melitz, and Rubinstein (2008) , we develop a simple model of foreign market participation and use a Bayesian method to estimate the resulting dynamic discrete‐choice model with lagged dependent variable. Employing a balanced panel data that follows 81 trading partners for 30 years from 1971 to 2000, we estimate our model and compute the marginal effect of sunk costs on the likelihood of export market participation. We find that such costs are economically and statistically important for trade in all of the six major agricultural commodities (Cereals, Dairy, Fish, Meat, Vegetables and Fruits, and Sugar), for agricultural producers in both developed and developing countries. We also find evidence suggesting that, in general, market access for both developed and developing exporters had improved in the years following the Uruguay round of trade negotiations (1995–2000).     

增值税降率对企业绩效与投资行为的影响研究——兼论增值税降率微观传导过程中的企业异质性问题

流转税的"税负转嫁"特征和现实企业的"议价能力"使理论上完全价外中性的增值税变为现实中的价内非中性,导致增值税降率微观传导机制"黑箱"。文章利用2015-2019年分行业上市公司的财务数据,采用双重差分模型实证检验了2018年增值税降率政策对企业投资行为、研发行为和制度性交易成本产生的影响。实证结果表明,现实中的增值税是价内非中性而非理论上的完全价外中性;降率的"抵扣冲减效应"对固定资产投资的直接负向作用显著,而降率的"收入效应"对固定资产投资的间接正向作用却不显著,最终降率政策"抵扣冲减效应"大于"收入效应"减少了固定资产投资;降率显著促进了"强势企业"的研发行为,对"弱势企业"无显著促进作用;降率节约了管理性交易成本的同时却导致政治性交易成本增加。妥善处理好增值税降率微观传导过程中的企业异质性问题,尤其是保护好降率过程中可能受损的中小企业是落实好普惠性减税的关键。     

指数关联债券——城市公租房建设融资的途径探索

《十二五规划纲要》中提出的五年内建设3600万套保障性住房至少需要投资4万亿元,其中绝大部分需要地方政府融资.针对其中公租房存在的融资瓶颈,本文分析了发行市政债券的必要性,提出发行一种创新型产品——指数关联债券(Index Linked Bond),以促进地方政府的信用建设,改善融资环境.另外,本文量化分析了公租房的造...