To what extent is social security spending associated with enhanced firm-level performance? A case study of SMEs in Indonesia

Although the relationship between social protection and enterprise performance is much debated in the literature, evidence is particularly limited in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises in developing economies. Using census data from 2010 to 2014, this article examines how the provision of social security influenced business performance in Indonesia. The author finds that increased social security spending of 10 per cent is associated with a per-worker revenue gain of up to 2 per cent. Moreover, profits are not found to decrease with increased social protection coverage, suggesting that increasing worker benefits may be a worthwhile business investment.     

民事简易程序的域外法比较

对两大法系代表性国家的民事简易程序制度从受案范围、启动方式、审理组织、审理方式、裁判形式、小额诉讼程序6个方面对民事简易程序进行了较为系统、全面的比较,以便了解国外完备的民事简易程序制度,同时为我国民事简易程序的完善提供可资借鉴的先进经验。     

New masculinities in universities? Discourses,ambivalence and potential change

In this article, we explore forms and possible implications of new masculinities in universities, and elucidate how they relate to hegemonic masculinity. ‘New masculinities’ coins a particular tradition of naming in Nordic masculinity studies. In the Nordic context, gendered social relations are shaped by State policies and equality discourses, which are increasingly embracing father‐friendly initiatives. New masculinities refers to the increased involvement of men in caring practices and especially in fathering. Our empirical study comprises in‐depth interviews with young male academics in a Finnish business school. We elucidate, first, the ambivalence and struggles between masculinities in the discourses of these men and, second, how the construction of masculinities is specific to societal, sociocultural and local contexts. Relations of class, and middle‐class notions of the ‘good life’ in particular, emerge as central for understanding the experiences of these men. Beyond the Nordic countries, we argue that while the change potential of caring masculinity stems from particular contexts, the concept of new masculinities is helpful in capturing the ambivalence and struggles between hegemonic and caring masculinities rather than dismissing the latter as subordinate to the former.     

Secondary school dropout and work outcomes in ten developing countries

This paper analyzes the impact of secondary school dropout on the work outcomes of young people in ten developing countries. Understanding such a phenomenon is important because it may affect work prospects, exacerbate income inequality and determine macroeconomic lasting effects given that the formation of a skilled workforce is a key element of economic development and growth.When accounting for endogeneity, we find that secondary school dropout decreases the probability of being employed in non-elementary occupations, suggesting that unskilled workers fail to meet the increasing demand for a skilled workforce. Secondary school dropout, indeed, hinders the accumulation of adequate levels of human capital and anticipates entry into the unskilled labor market.Thus, policy-makers should aim at the extension and efficacy of compulsory education to the secondary level to avoid future under-education problems to promote a skilled workforce and encourage economic development and growth in the long run.     

Early-life mortality clustering in families: A literature review

Research on early-life mortality in contemporary and historical populations has shown that infant and child mortality tend to cluster in a limited number of high-mortality families, a phenomenon known as ‘mortality clustering’. This paper is the first to review the literature on the role of the family in early-life mortality. Contemporary results, methodological and theoretical shortfalls, recent developments, and opportunities for future research are all discussed in this review. Four methodological approaches are distinguished: those based on sibling deaths, mother heterogeneity, thresholds, and excess deaths in populations. It has become clear from research to date that the death of an older child harms the survival chances of younger children in that family, and that fertility behaviour, earlier stillbirths, remarriages, and socio-economic status all explain mortality clustering to some extent.     

对后发优势理论的反思--发展中国家现代化透视

发展中国家在其现代化的探索进程中，既要看到后发优势带来的希望，还要看到后发优势一救都会受到后发劣势的影响，更会受到随时空变化而出现的一些新的因素的制约。要提高对实现现代化的这一目标的难度的充分认识，避免坠入后发优势所设下的陷阱。     

湄公河名称的含义及其所反映的民族历史变迁

湄公河这个名称是从英文MekongRiver一名音译过来的,而英文Mekong这个名称又是从傣泰语民族对这条河流的称呼MaeNamKhong这个名称演变过来的。如果按照傣泰语的发音来音译的话,MaeNamKhong应该译为“湄南公”。在傣泰语言中,“湄南”是河的意思,而“公(”Khong)这个词,则是从Krom或Khom这个词演变而来的。Krom或Khom是泰国的泰族和其他一些傣泰语民族对孟高棉语民族的一个泛称。因此,“湄南公”是湄公河的名称的含义,就是“孟高棉语民族的河”。作者认为,傣泰语民族把流经他们土地的这条河流叫做“孟高棉语民族的河”的原因在于:这个名称反映了一段湄公河流域民族变迁的历史,即孟高棉语民族是该流域的土著居民,至少是比傣泰民族要早的当地居民,而傣泰民族则是后来才迁到该河流域的民族。虽然孟高棉语民族和傣泰语民族在该流域的分布空间已发生了根本的置换,但湄公河这条河流的名称却为我们留下了一条反映这种民族历史变迁的重要线索。     

新疆与中亚国家加强经济合作的战略思考

新疆利用地缘优势,把“走出去”和“向西开放”紧密结合起来,与中亚国家加强经济合作,是双赢发展的需要。当前,影响双边经济合作的因素主要是中亚国家的社会制度与我国不同、体制性差异大、法制建设滞后、社会不稳定、民族文化心理阻碍、地区安全因素、上海合作组织在经济合作方面还处于初级阶段等。但与中亚国家加强经济合作是维护亚欧地区稳定与发展的共同需要,是新疆实施“向西开放”战略、发展外向型经济的最佳切入点,是走发展新型工业化之路,打造支柱产业的现实需要。中亚国家巨大的资源和消费市场亟待开发,双方拥有共同开发的核心项目,合作前景广阔。新疆应抓住机遇,提高经济发展的国际竞争力,积极与中亚国家加强经济合作。     

西方经济伦理思想述略

面对现代经济学淡化伦理和中国经济伦理失范的现状 ,对古典经济学、凯恩斯主义、新自由主义学派、新制度经济学派 ,以及诺贝尔经济学奖获得者对经济的伦理关怀进行评述。     

漫谈构建中美新型大国关系简

中美两国建交35年来,外交关系的发展经历了风风雨雨。2012年,习近平主席访美,将“中关合作伙伴关系”提升为“新型大国伙伴关系”。那么,如何看中美构建新型大国关系？首先,构建中美新型大国关系是时代使然;同时,构建中美新型大国关系不是从零开始,已经取得了历史性进展。当然,构建中美新型大国关系还面临着许多新的挑战和新的考验。今后,构建中美新型大国关系需要“释疑增信,管控分歧”。