Panel LM unit root tests with level and trend shifts

This paper considers a Lagrange multiplier (LM) based panel unit root test that allows for heterogeneous structural breaks in both the intercepts and slopes of a series. We note that many popular time series variables are likely to exhibit changing means and/or trends over time. Given that the usual tests will depend on the nuisance parameters indicating the locations of the trend breaks, we adopt a transformation procedure that makes our new panel unit root tests invariant to the nuisance parameters. To illustrate the importance of the power gain provided by our test, we examine the convergence hypothesis using relative ratios of per capita health care expenditures in 20 OECD countries. Our results provide evidence that the convergence hypothesis is supported.     

The economics of land transfer and title insurance

In the presence of uncertainty over the title of land (due to fraud or error), a legal system can protect either the current (innocent) owner, or a previous owner who claims title. The predominant system in the United States generally awards title to the latter in the event of legitimate claim. Thus, current owners frequently purchase title insurance to provide indemnification in the event of a loss. In contrast, the Torrens system awards title to the current owner, but provides for indemnification of any legitimate claimants. We evaluate these two systems and argue that if transaction costs are low, both promote efficient assignment of title (according to the Coase Theorem), but if transaction costs are high, the Torrens system is more likely to award title to the party that values it the most (namely, the current possessor).     

The role of planning in achieving indigenous land justice and community goals

This paper suggests that the capacity of indigenous groups to engage effectively in a range of planning activities is crucial to achieving land justice and community goals. This argument is relevant in the face of long-standing tensions between indigenous peoples residing in post-settler societies and nation-states such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand over questions of land and natural resource use. The paper argues that effective planning is crucial for (i) protecting indigenous interests by engaging the planning activities of the state, (ii) the successful acquisition of lands through legal land claim processes, and (iii) helping indigenous communities achieve their goals by implementing effective community-based planning processes.     

抽油机V带执行标准现状及有关问题探讨

阐述了国内外V带现行标准状况，指出通用V带标准应用于抽油机V带存在的问题。针对抽油机用V带寿命不足5000h的问题，提出制定符合中国油田实际的《抽油机用V带》新标准，并从五个方面提出了编写新标准的建议。     

加强地勘单位领导班子自身建设初探

文章认为,要建设一个优秀的地勘单位领导班子,应努力做好思想政治及组织建设工作,正确处理民主与集中、集体与个人、局部与全局等方面的关系。     

小学体育新课标目标统领下单元教学计划的研究

新的全日制义务教育《体育(1至6年级)课程标准,》对体育课提出了运动参与、运动技能、身体健康、心理健康和社会适应等五大领域的教学目标。文章通过实验,在对比中阐述了以新课程标准为教学目标,进行有针对性的教学设计和课堂实施,可使学生各方面的发展更符合新时期的要求的观点,并提出了单元教学计划设计的方法。     

Land use externalities, open space preservation, and urban sprawl

Parcel data on residential land conversion are used to investigate how land use externalities influence the rate of development and modify policies designed to manage urban growth and preserve open space. Several “smart growth” policies are found to significantly influence land conversion, including a development clustering policy that concentrates development and generates preserved open space. In addition to directly affecting a parcel's hazard rate of conversion, this policy is found to affect neighboring parcels' conversion by generating a positive open space externality that hastens their development. The implication that the clustering policy could generate a more sprawled pattern of development is explored using spatial simulation.     

The housing question in Japan

This article first examines how bad housing conditions are in Japan based on international comparisons. The next question is whether the extremely high land prices in Japan can be explained by economic logic. We then turn to more specific housing policy questions that are peculiar to or important in Japan, such as the tax advantages of owning land that have caused under-utilization of land and the reasons why the average size of Japanese rental housing is so small.     

物流中的新设施—自动化立体仓库

当今物流速度日益加快，仓库建设和改造向空间、立体化、自动化快速发展，建设自动化立体仓库是今后的必然趋势。结合多年实践．对物流领域成件货物储存的新设施，自动化立体仓库进行了详细阐述。