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.     

The competing risks analysis for parallel and series systems using Type-II progressive censoring

Abstract

Recently, the study of the lifetime of systems in reliability and survival analysis in the presence of several causes of failure (competing risks) has attracted attention in the literature. In this paper, series and parallel systems with exponential lifetime for each item of the system are considered. Several causes of failure independently affect lifetime distributions and observations of failure times of the systems are considered under progressive Type-II censored scheme. For series systems, the maximum likelihood estimates of parameters are computed and confidence intervals for parameters of the model are obtained using Fisher information matrix. For parallel systems, the generalized EM algorithm which uses the Newton-Raphson algorithm inside the EM algorithm is used to compute the maximum likelihood estimates of parameters. Also, the standard errors of the maximum likelihood estimates are computed by using the supplemented EM algorithm. The simulation study confirms the good performance of the introduced approach.     

The disaster relief and social work after the Wenchuan earthquake in Mainland China

ABSTRACT

This paper mainly focuses on the development of disaster social work in Mainland China and the intervention of social work in disaster relief. Before the Wenchuan earthquake and in the initial stage of post-earthquake, disaster social work was mainly based on individual psychotherapy; from the earthquake to the year of 2012 in which post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction was completed, the disaster relief began to emphasise community building and integration, while the basic framework for disaster social work was also established. Social workers begin to explore the new mode of developmental and localised disaster social work. By combining with the practical experiences from disaster social work, this paper tries to highlight the dilemmas confronting disaster relief in Mainland China and put forward some corresponding countermeasures and suggestions, which could improve the future disaster relief system in Mainland China.     

Evaluation of bank branch growth potential using data envelopment analysis

Banks occasionally employ frontier efficiency analyses to objectively identify best practices within their organizations. Amongst such methods, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was found to be one of the leading approaches. DEA has been successfully applied in many bank branch performance evaluations using traditional intermediation, profitability and production approaches. However, there has been little focus on assessing the growth potential of individual branches.This research presents five models that examine three perspectives of branch growth. Each model was applied to the branch network of one of Canada׳s top five banks to gauge the growth potential of individual branches and to provide tailored improvement recommendations. Using various analysis methodologies, the results of each model were examined and their functionality assessed.     

马克思理论视阈中的“现实的人”——以《德意志意识形态》为文本考察

现实的人是马克思新哲学的出发点和落脚点，同时也是马克思对整个思想史上各种“片面人”的颠覆性阐释，是唯物史观与唯心史观和经验论决裂的标识。它不同于性恶论或性善论或既无善亦无恶论，也不同于黑格尔的“绝对精神”的人，更不同于费尔巴哈的“类”。与黑格尔思想及其青年黑格尔派和费尔巴哈等人思想交锋的过程中，马克思分别通过以所有制为轴线动态考察历史发展和以分工为轴线静态考察社会的结构性存在两条线索来阐释“现实的人”的内涵，并以生产工具为红线，对资本主义社会下“现实的人”的静态结构和动态发展予以微观透视。由此，按照唯物史观的基本立场、观点和方法来说，以经济决定政治、政治决定文化的序列构成的结构性存在来解释人才是马克思所谓的“现实的人”。     

试论辽代节日朝贺制度的建构

辽朝享国二百余年,《辽史·百官志》载其属国达七十八个,在如此庞大的帝国势力范围内能够稳固其统治,不仅是因为契丹拥有强悍的军事力量,更重要的是辽朝建构了有效控御四方的节日朝贺体系。辽代境内、境外、绝域之国等朝贺体系的架构,体现了辽代朝贺制度的蕃汉结合、重威辅恩、礼仪不完备等特点。为了更好地运行朝贺制度,辽代还设立了敌烈麻都司、宣徽院、驿馆、四方馆、地方府州等专门负责机构。节日朝贺制度作为朝贡制度的重要组成部分,渐趋凸显其在辽朝处理内外关系的作用,并逐渐形成了以辽为中心的东亚朝贡体系。     

抗战时期陕甘宁边区学前教育建设的经验与启示

抗战时期，陕甘宁边区在中国共产党的领导下进行了独具特色的学前教育建设活动，形成了独特的建设经验，主要包括提供保障措施、建立精简高效的组织架构、注重保教队伍的建设、关爱幼儿的身体健康、开展科学的教育教学工作。重现边区学前教育活动，探寻其成功经验，继承与发扬红色教育精神，对新时期幼儿的培养与培育有积极的现实指导意义。     

关于“草原文化与草原丝绸之路研究”专题的几点思考

“草原文化与草原丝绸之路研究”专题,重点以“草原文化研究”“草原丝绸之路研究”“蒙古与北方民族医药历史文化研究”为主要内容,旨在开展综合研究与理论研究的基础上,既有宏观基础理论研究,也有微观个案研究,有所侧重、有的放矢。     

从“三不要地”到国家口岸:广西边民互市传统的自反性延续

广西防城峒中口岸曾经是被称为"三不要地"的断裂地带,现在已开始建设国家一类口岸,这一过程并非国家单向权力主导,而是边民互市意志形塑的结果。这种互市传统看似背离了历代王朝主观的治边策略,却暗含着与世界的长久联系,呈现出边疆特有的自反性特征,从而揭示了边疆发展的内在决定性作用,在一定程度上始终遵循以边民利益最优化为原则。