互联网免费服务价值核算研究

近年来,越来越多的企业选择以低廉或免费的价格为居民提供互联网服务,但产出价值和消费行为却无法在GDP核算中体现。服务业产出被低估一直为学术界所讨论,在此背景下,互联网经济下创新的免费商业模式对传统核算理论的挑战成为本文研究切入点。本文在“互联网免费服务与顾客价值”的易货交易框架下对其价值核算展开研究,将互联网免费服务价值核算与数据资产核算联系在一起,使数据成为连接互联网免费服务与国民经济核算中生产、消费、收入核算的桥梁。文章最后通过模拟核算案例表现了互联网免费服务核算对不同账户的影响,建议对住户部门的生产、消费与收入各增加一笔虚拟处理,对企业的生产、收入及资产也各增加一笔虚拟处理,且这6笔虚拟价值相等。     

互联网深化、信息不确定性与企业出口平稳性

互联网作为信息搜寻和传播的重要渠道,有利于缓解国际市场不确定性对企业出口决策的影响,从而有助于稳定企业出口预期,保障出口企业的持续生存。本文首先基于Fernandes 和 Tang(2014)的研究框架将互联网深化程度和出口集聚同时纳入到异质性贸易企业模型,在剥离出口集聚对企业出口行为影响的基础上,从理论视角揭示了互联网深化程度提高影响企业出口行为特别是出口持续生存的内在机理与方向。研究发现,不同于出口集聚会同时影响企业的需求冲击和成本冲击,互联网深化带来的信息溢出效应会通过贝叶斯法则(Bayesian Rule)使得企业修正其对国际市场不确定性的预期,提高其对目的国市场成本冲击的估计精度,从而在互联网深化程度较高的城市,企业进入出口市场的临界生产率较低,有利于其出口参与度和出口稳定性的提高。然而互联网深化程度提高不影响企业在目的国市场产品出口的集约边际。本文使用2000-2013 年中国工业企业数据库、中国海关数据库和中国城市统计年鉴数据库的匹配数据从企业-目的国-产品层面实证检验了本文的理论命题。研究表明,我国政府应充分发挥互联网发展降低信息不确定性的微观机制,以推动外贸的平稳增长。     

“一带一路”沿线国家互联网基础设施的贸易效应——基于贸易成本和全要素生产率的中介效应分析

在"一带一路"建设背景下，研究阐释"一带一路"沿线国家互联网基础设施的贸易效应及其作用机制，对于当前中国优化沿线国家的互联网基础设施建设布局，有效激发贸易效应，应对外贸环境的不利冲击，具有重要的现实意义。文章基于贸易成本和全要素生产率的分析视角，构建2007-2017年中国与45个"一带一路"沿线国家的面板数据，运用中介效应模型实证考察"一带一路"沿线国家互联网基础设施的贸易效应。总体检验结果表明，"一带一路"沿线国家互联网基础设施有利于中国与沿线国家的双边贸易往来，且主要通过降低贸易成本而非提高全要素生产率来发挥贸易效应。异质性检验结果表明，无论区分贸易方向还是沿线国家经济发展差异，互联网基础设施都具有明显的贸易效应，其中：贸易成本的中介效应主要发生在沿线发达国家对中国进、出口贸易中；全要素生产率的中介效应主要发生在沿线国家对中国出口贸易以及沿线发展中国家对中国进出口贸易中。新形势下中国参与"一带一路"沿线国家的互联网基础设施建设，要注意合理布局和把握建设力度，既培育贸易增长新动能，也优化进出口贸易结构。     

Exploring the roles of government involvement and institutional environments in the internationalization of Chinese Internet companies

The interactions between government, institutions, and Internet companies have gained attention in the research on the globalization of China’s Internet. However, few studies have been conducted at the company level, and the knowledge about the roles of government and institutions remains limited. Drawing on institutional theory, this empirical study explored the roles and mechanisms of government involvement and the institutional environment in the internationalization of Chinese Internet companies. The results indicated that government involvement could improve these companies’ degree of international breadth through both state ownership and governmental affiliation. However, the results showed that state ownership had a restraining function on their degree of international depth. In the context of institutional transition in China, these effects could vary according to whether Internet companies operate in good or poor institutional environments. By revealing these relationships, this study contributes to both the theoretical and the empirical understanding of governmental influence and institutional roots in the globalization of China’s Internet.     

Latent Class Models in action: Bridging social capital & Internet usage

This paper explores how Latent Class Models (LCM) can be applied in social research, when the basic assumptions of regression models cannot be validated. We examine the usefulness of this method with data collected from a study on the relationship between bridging social capital and the Internet. Social capital is defined here as the resources that are potentially available in one’s social ties. Bridging is a dimension of social capital, usually related to weak ties (acquaintances), and a source of instrumental resources such as information. The study surveyed a stratified random sample of 417 inhabitants of Lisbon, Portugal. We used LCM to create the variable bridging social capital, but also to estimate the relationship between bridging social capital and Internet usage when we encountered convergence problems with the logistic regression analysis. We conclude by showing a positive relationship between bridging and Internet usage, and by discussing the potential of LCM for social science research.     

Status and competitive choice

In this paper, we extend the logic of existing sociological theory on status to explain how status processes can inform selection in competitive choice situations. We argue that in the absence of knowledge about the specific abilities of others and assuming a desire to win, when given the opportunity to “pick their battles,” people will draw on overt status differences as a basis for selecting a competitor from a pool of possible competitors. Results from three studies indicate that, as predicted, status differences affect competitor selection, with individuals choosing to compete against those who are relatively lower status based on diffuse characteristics. Moreover, consistent with expectation state theories, results from two studies show that the expectations that people form for their potential competitors based on status differences mediate this relationship. We conclude by discussing the implications of this research.     

An analysis of online pregnancy message boards: Mother-to-mother advice on medication use

Problem and backgroundPsychotropic medication use is increasingly common among pregnant women. Many women solicit information from other mothers about the safety of these medications for use during pregnancy, yet little is known about the specific advice they receive.AimThe purpose of the current study was to examine the type of feedback women receive on a popular internet message board about psychotropic medication use during pregnancy.MethodsA modified Consensual Qualitative Research approach was used to analyze 1728 comments posted by Babycenter.com users about the safety of the use of six common psychotropic medications during pregnancy. Researchers analyzed the comments for overall themes and core ideas.FindingsResults found that comments were comprised of six themes: (1) Personal Anecdotes, (2) Suggesting Alternative Solutions, (3) Directives, (4) Judgement, (5) Social Support, (6) Skepticism & Mistrust, and (7) Risks vs. Benefits. While many comments conveyed emotional support, or encouraged women to seek professional advice, others contained inaccurate and/or contradictory information, or harsh criticism.ConclusionGiven that the decision about the use of medication during pregnancy has implications for the health of the mother and fetus, it is important for care providers to be aware of what feedback women may receive from this source. Providers should address questions and concerns that women have about safety of these medications and recognize how the social context of the internet impacts the emotional health of pregnant women faced with these decisions.     

美国互联网过滤制度研究

美国互联网过滤制度是指美国联邦政府以扣减联邦补贴作为强制手段，要求公立中小学、博物馆和图书馆过滤互联网上对未成年人有害信息的法律制度。透过相关法律的制定过程、概念、特征、主要措施、落实情况，以及治理模式及其背后的政治、经济、社会和技术原因，提出四点启示：遵循互联网信息传播规律，采用间接监管和共同治理方式，减少对企业的限制和负担，减少对成年人的妨碍等。     

Discouraged vs. added workers: Variation by gender,age, and marital status

This paper analyzes the relationship between aggregate unemployment and the labor force participation of males and females of differing ages and marital circumstances. According to the discouraged-worker effect, a higher unemployment rate causes some workers to leave the labor force leading to a reduction in both the labor-force participation rate and the unemployment rate. To shed light on this statistical incongruity, a unique data set consisting of monthly observations from the Current Population Survey is used to extract the labor force participation rates of males and females of three different age categories and three different marital classifications. Impulse functions from vector error-correction models indicate that discouraged workers are more likely though not exclusively to consist of married males and females between 50 and 65 years of age. No statistically significant evidence of a net added-worker effect is found among married females or males in any age group.