西部民族地区生态补偿的新思维——碳汇交易的视角

西部民族地区按照国家主体功能区划属于禁止开发区,不但失去了依靠工业发展的机会,还要为下游地区的可持续发展提供生态屏障,为此而得到的补偿仅来自于政府的财政转移支付,而且补助标准偏低,市场化补偿长期缺位,历史欠账太多,生态产品输出人群后续发展及环境保护乏力。碳汇交易的缘起与快速发展,无疑加快了生态补偿的市场化进程,为西部民族地区生态保护,富边强民提供了新思路。     

从神话史诗看佤族远古历史——解读《司岗里》和《司岗格——西念壤》

像一切原始时期的民族一样,佤族的远古历史也主要曲折地隐藏在它的神话故事和神话史诗中。通过对佤族反映远古时期生活的神话史诗《司岗里》和《司岗格——西念壤》的解读,我们便可弄懂这样几个重大历史问题：什么是司岗里？佤族怎样走出司岗里？为什么走出司岗里的佤族叫阿佤？什么叫司岗格——西念壤？佤族怎样在大洪水后分出另一个大支？为什么耿马、沧源的佤族新支自称为巴饶？弄懂了这些关键问题,佤族远古历史的路径便已基本清晰。     

Generic efficiency and collusion-proofness in exchange economies

The purpose of this paper is to study the kind of efficient allocations that can be achieved in exchange economies with asymmetric information, by means of a decentralized mechanism robust to coalitional, strategic deviations. To this end, we define a new strategic equilibrium concept – called strong collusion-proof contract – designed to characterize stable communication agreements in games with differential information against non-binding, self-enforcing and incentive compatible deviations by coalitions. We then construct a strategic market mechanism which, for quasi-linear economies, is such that its strong collusion-proof contracts generically induce the incentive compatible interim efficient allocations. Moreover, we show that these allocations can be achieved by strong collusion-proof contracts. We show that the internally consistent extension of the strong collusion-proof contracts generically yields the same set of efficient allocations. Received: 22 January 2001/Accepted: 15 April 2002 RID="*" ID="*"  This author was working at CORE when this paper was written. We wish to thank Claude d'Aspremont, David Martimort, Jean-Fran?ois Mertens and Heracles Polemarchakis for helpful comments on an earlier version. The usual disclaimer applies.     

Nest design in a changing world: Great tit <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parus major</Emphasis> nests from a Mediterranean city environment as a case study

Investigations of urbanization effects on birds have focused mainly on breeding traits expressed after the nest-building stage (e.g. first-egg date, clutch size, breeding success, and offspring characteristics). Urban studies largely ignored how and why the aspects of nest building might be associated with the degree of urbanization. As urban environments are expected to present novel environmental changes relative to rural environments, it is important to evaluate how nest-building behavior is impacted by vegetation modifications associated with urbanization. To examine nest design in a Mediterranean city environment, we allowed urban great tits (Parus major) to breed in nest boxes in areas that differed in local vegetation cover. We found that different measures of nest size or mass were not associated with vegetation cover. In particular, nests located adjacent to streets with lower vegetation cover were not smaller or lighter than nests in parks with higher vegetation cover. Nests adjacent to streets contained more pine needles than nests in parks. In addition, in nests adjacent to streets, nests from boxes attached to pine trees contained more pine needles than nests from boxes attached to other trees. We suggest that urban-related alterations in vegetation cover do not directly impose physical limits on nest size in species that are opportunistic in the selection of nesting material. However, nest composition as reflected in the use of pine needles was clearly affected by habitat type and the planted tree species present, which implies that rapid habitat change impacts nest composition. We do not exclude that urbanization might impact other aspects of nest building behaviour not covered in our study (e.g. costs of searching for nest material), and that the strengths of the associations between urbanization and nest structures might differ among study populations or species.     

Review of practices for keeping people with disabilities in employment: moving beyond the concept of compensation to implement a developmental approach

In France, there are strict laws in place to ensure that people with disabilities have access to, and can remain in employment. In this context, many businesses have "group agreements", to support and fund in-house actions in this area. For the last five years, as part of our work as consultant ergonomists, we have carried out over fifty ergonomics interventions for one of our clients to adapt the working environment for persons with disabilities. This paper presents an analysis of our practices to adapt working environment for employees with disabilities by means of a review of these different interventions. This analysis of practices specifically focuses on an issue we consider to be of vital importance: how to get past the concept of an impairment which can be compensated for with technical solutions, a concept in which both French legislation, and the practices of certain professionals working in the field of occupational disability are firmly rooted, and move towards a developmental approach, with the aim of designing an "enabling environment" [2-4,13].     

An integrated framework of mimetic pressures,quality and environmental management,and firm performances

Abstract

Manufacturers have extensively recognised the strategic importance of quality and environmental management. However, there is little guidance on how they adopt and exercise both management practices in a way that enhances firms’ performance outcomes. To fill the research gap, this paper empirically investigates the relationships among mimetic pressures, a firm’s quality management practices (QMPs), environmental management system (EMS), and environmental and financial performances. By using a data set collected from 212?U.S. manufacturing firms, this study examines the proposed hypotheses. Our major findings are: first, mimetic pressures are a driving factor for EMS but do not motivate the adoption of QMPs; second, QMPs are an important enabler not only for enhancing firms’ financial performance but also for promoting EMS and environmental performance; and finally, EMS does not influence firms’ financial performance directly, but indirectly does so through enhancing environmental performance. This study contributes to the literature of quality and environmental management and provides practical implications by addressing motivating factors of both QMPs and EMS, and identifying factors for successful environmental management practices.     

Multiseason transmission for Rift Valley fever in North America

ABSTRACT

Rift Valley fever is a vector-borne disease, primarly found in West Africa, that is transmitted to humans and domestic livestock. Its similarities to the West Nile virus suggest that establishment in the developed world may be possible. Rift Valley fever has the potential to invade North America, where seasons play a role in disease persistence. The values for the basic reproductive number show that, in order to eradicate the disease, the survival time of mosquitoes must decrease below 8.67 days. Mechanisms such as aggressive spraying that decreases the mosquito population can contain an outbreak. Otherwise, Rift Valley fever is likely to establish itself as a recurring seasonal outbreak. Rift Valley fever poses a potential threat to North America that would require aggressive interventions in order to prevent a recurring seasonal outbreak.     

余华先锋小说与传统文化的联系

中国当代先锋小说的崛起是中国传统文化发展的必然。余华遵循“从情感的零度开始写作”的原则 ,在其作品中体现欺诈与暴力的主题。余华的先锋小说与中国传统文化有着紧密的联系     

试论中亚地区的国族认同转型

中亚地区的各民族生活区长期保持着自然形成的畛界,并在此范围内形成多民族杂糅共生的历史传统,近代以至前苏联时期的民族区域划分则以人为的力量打破了这一传统。苏联解体和中亚五国的独立,致使民众的国族认同发生重大改变,文章称这一动态过程为国族认同转型。从当今社会政治发展状况来看,中亚国家均不同程度地存在着民众对于国民国家的认同差异。由差异所引发的矛盾与冲突,对中亚国家内部乃至整个地区的政治稳定构成了显著的威胁。