Business reform outcomes: Why so different?

Post-crisis policy making increasingly focuses on doing business reforms. We argue that the effects of those reforms will be different across countries. To understand the reasons for the reform outcome divergence, we advance a novel firm-size distribution (FSDs) argument. At the center of the argument is the fact that FSDs are different across countries and stable over time. Then, if a given doing business reform induces firms of different size to grow differently, this will produce a variety of reform outcomes across countries. To advance the argument, we set up a tractable general equilibrium (GE) model and study how firms of different size grow after a doing business reform. The model predicts that larger firms will grow faster than smaller firms after the reform. The model predictions are tested on the Enterprise Surveys (ES) data, merged with the Doing Business indicators. We confirm that firms of different size grow differently after a Doing Business reform. Thus, based on the notable differences of firm size distributions across countries, identical reforms to start, operate and close a business will produce a variety of reform outcomes across countries.     

Twenty Years of Economics Curriculum: Trends,Issues, and Transformations?

This is a comprehensive review of literature related to K-12 economics curriculum spanning 20 years, from 1998-2018. The search for literature revealed 18 articles and book chapters in peer-reviewed journals and volumes related to social studies and economics education. The study revealed several trends and issues related to K-12 economics textbooks, including publishing trends, the extent to which economics curriculum is relevant and enactive, and the influence of neoclassical economic theory in serving as the “official knowledge” undergirding the curriculum. The review presents debates in the field related to these issues. The study also reveals the possible influence of the 2008 financial crisis, revealing that economics curriculum seems to have changed little, although the number of scholars critiquing the curriculum has risen dramatically.     

Sexual Beliefs and Sexual Functioning: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Distraction

Dysfunctional sexual beliefs are vulnerability factors for sexual dysfunction. This cross-sectional study aimed to test the mediating role of cognitive distraction on the relationship between dysfunctional sexual beliefs about sexual functioning shared by men and women and sexual function. The authors used a sample of 421 cisgender heterosexual participants involved in a monogamous relationship. The hypothesized mediation model was tested using a bootstrapped cross product of coefficients approach. Results showed a significant negative, indirect effect between dysfunctional sexual beliefs and women's sexual function through cognitive distraction. The discussion of this study highlights the importance of cognitive factors in sexual functioning.     

关于东北和内蒙古东部区域经济一体化的思考

国家实施振兴东北老工业基地的战略,对內蒙古东部四盟市是一次难得的历史机遇。蒙东四盟市与东北三省山水相连、文化相同、人缘相亲,在人才、技术、自然资源等诸多方面有互补性,奠定了合作开发的基础。振兴东北,拉动内蒙,实现区域经济一体化,是应对区域经济一体化大趋势的必然选择,也是全面建设小康社会的战略要求。三省一区联合互动,必然会促进区域经济一体化进程,将会带动东三省和蒙东四盟市的新一轮共同发展。     

On the estimation of a sensitive quantitative mean using blank cards

In this article, we introduce for the first time, the blank card methods for estimation of finite population mean of a sensitive variable. Two generic randomization devices are suggested, and for each device we identify the choices of special models. We introduce additive, multiplicative, and combination of both additive and multiplicative scrambling models that require use of a non sensitive variable. We derive the basic statistical properties of each model. It is interesting to note that various existing estimators can be viewed as the special cases of those presented here. The statistical efficiency of proposed techniques is compared with Greenberg et al. (1971 Greenberg, B.G., Kuebler Jr, R.R., Abernathy, J.R., Horvitz, D.G. (1971). Application of the randomized response technique in obtaining quantitative data. J. Am. Stat. Assoc. 66(334):243–250.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and modified Perri (2008 Perri, P.F. (2008). Modified randomized devices for Simmons’ model. Model Assisted Stat. Appl. 3(3):233–239. [Google Scholar]) model. The proposed devices can easily be adjusted to achieve the required efficiency level by making suitable choices of different design parameters.     

作为科学思考的社会学

早在社会学诞生之初,其创始人孔德就将社会学确定为一门关于"社会的科学",称社会学为"实证的哲学".由于科学自身以及科学研究方法存在的局限性,这也意味着作为科学的社会学一系列问题的开始.正因如此,对于社会学的科学性含义,社会学实证方法的重要性,定量研究对于社会学理论发展的基础性意义等,有必要作进一步探讨.     

The privacy paradox: how market privacy facilitates government surveillance

Although most surveillance studies scholars assume privacy is antithetical to surveillance, critics have recently warned that privacy-based criticisms may facilitate surveillance. That being said, we do not yet have data that show whether privacy claims were used in the past to legitimate government surveillance. This paper addresses that gap by analyzing claims made over one of the U.S.’s most controversial surveillance issues: government control over encryption technologies. A review of Congressional hearings and statements on the Congressional Record (n?=?112) reveals that from 1993 to 1999, public debates were dominated by a market liberalization discourse in which participants supported loosening encryption controls as a way to protect privacy from criminal intrusions in market transactions. Also playing a role was a strong skepticism toward government power and a preference for markets as managers of crime prevention. Challenged by these critiques, lawmakers withdrew regulatory proposals and spent the following decade working quietly with private firms to ensure law enforcement surveillance capability. These findings show the expansion of privacy for consumers and entrepreneurs has in fact been used to achieve the contraction of privacy from law enforcement and intelligence agencies.     

跨期消费与投资理论对新古典经济学的超越

经济学理论是时代的产物,必将随着社会的发展而不断被补充、修正和完善。新一轮经济危机的爆发对新古典经济学理论提出了挑战,自由放任、少政府干预、有效需求理论、理性人假设、一般均衡理论等遭到了质疑。本文从跨期消费和投资理论两个视角出发,分析其对新古典经济学理论的超越,揭露集聚性跨期消费和投资行为的时代缺陷,为改进和完善经济理论服务,从而合理引导跨期消费和投资理论的走向,为今后经济发展提供参考。     

Food security, consumption diversification and foreign exchange balances in Indonesia: Results from a multi-commodity simulation

Many countries adopt economic development strategies, within which an important element is the maintenance of low and stable food prices. In Indonesia, this is achieved principally through government subsidies to consumers of imported rice, the total cost of which fluctuates considerably from year to year, depending on world price movements and domestic production performance. Higher and possibly less stable domestic food prices appear inevitable in Indonesia, however, as the spectre of reduced oil revenues increases the government's concern with the cost of its food policy. Results from a stochastic simulation model of the agricultural sector show that the food price risk to which consumers and producers would be exposed in the absence of the stabilizing component of Indonesia's food policy would be considerable, rendering this component an unlikely area for significant change. A viable policy option appears to be the continuance of rice and wheat price stabilization, but with a graduated increase in the relative price of rice, reaching a total of 10% by 1985. Such a policy could result in net self-sufficiency in foreign exchange from staple food trade by 1990 and an improvement in aggregate economic surplus, although the expected decade improvement in food-energy consumption per capita would fall from 10% to 8%.