A sociological economy of HIV/AIDS vaccine partnerships: case studies from Africa and India

Public–private partnerships (PPPs) are perhaps the key emergent theme in the delivery of what the socio-economic literature terms global public goods. In light of the problems relating to the distribution of health services and products in developing countries, partnerships between public and private institutions are often proposed as an innovative mechanism to reconnect and reorient supply and demand. In this area, the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), which is driving the development of candidate HIV/AIDS vaccines through injections of capital into the research process, represents a significant case study. IAVI seeks to form partnerships between key public and private interests committing them to sharing the risks, costs and benefits of research into an effective and affordable vaccine against HIV. Our empirical work covers partnerships based in several countries including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and India. Our early findings highlight IAVI's ability as a learning institution as it adapts its institutional arrangements to various local contexts. An offshoot of this appears to be the building of real local capacity.     

Customer satisfaction: Cost driver or value driver? Empirical evidence from the financial services industry

We investigate the relation between customer satisfaction, customer servicing costs, and customer value in a financial services firm. We find that customer satisfaction is positively associated with future customer servicing costs, as well as with customer value. The relation between customer satisfaction and customer value appears non-linear; higher customer satisfaction appears to have a higher return for the most profitable customer segments. Our findings indicate that customer satisfaction is a value driver; however, customer satisfaction is not cost-free and managers have to consider the costs, as well as the benefits, of increasing customer satisfaction.     

Cognitive therapy and behavioural coping in the management of work-related stress: An intervention study

Transactional models of stress emphasize the importance of cognitive appraisal of potential stressors in the determination of the stress response. This appraisal can be modified by the use of techniques normally associated with cognitive therapy. The contribution of a specifically cognitive component when intervening in work-related stress has not been well evaluated to date. This research seeks to determine the effectiveness of stress management training in the treatment of the work-related effects of stress by comparing the role of modifying dysfunctional cognitions with the teaching of appropriate behavioural coping strategies. Participants were allocated to one of two intervention conditions or to a waiting list control group. Those in the intervention conditions received group stress management either with the focus on delivering cognitive therapy techniques or with the focus on behavioural coping skills. Measures of general health were taken at the beginning and end of intervention and at 3-month follow-up. Participants in the cognitive therapy groups who were reporting symptoms of general ill-health at the start of the intervention showed a significant improvement at follow-up. Cognitive therapy appears to have been an effective intervention in work-related stress. Those in the behavioural group showed a smaller but still clinically effective improvement. Results are discussed in terms of methodological issues and implications for future research. It is suggested that changes in cognitive appraisal may need to be developed.     

资源型城市制度弹性、沉淀成本与制度变迁

与非资源型城市相比,资源型城市具有显著的经济性、体制性和社会性沉淀成本,从而导致资源型城市制度需求弹性较小,同时存在阻碍制度变迁的经济学逻辑.假设其他条件不变,同样的制度供给,由于资源型城市各类沉淀成本非常大,该地区的制度需求弹性相对来说较小.因而我们需要从降低沉淀成本角度,增大资源型城市制度需求弹性来深化制度变迁,即采取各种制度安排或者经济政策以降低或减少沉淀成本数量为基本原则,来增大资源型城市制度需求弹性强度.     

Measuring the impact of prices on inequality: With applications to Thailand and Korea

This paper develops a new methodology to compute social cost of living indices. These indices indicate whether or not price changes have a favourable (or unfavourable) impact on the welfare of the poor. The indices are derived on the basis of two alternative classes of social welfare functions. The methodology developed in the paper is applied to compute social cost of living indices for Thailand and Korea. The empirical results show that changes in prices have generally affected the poor more adversely than the non-poor.     

社会保险税:一个新制度经济学的分析框架

征收社会保险缴款的交易费用分为征收费用和损失费用。制度的变迁将使征收费用发生分流和转移,其承担主体也会发生变动。在中国社会保险缴款征收制度变迁过程中,交易费用的存在形式是不断变化的。决策机构在进行社会保险税的制度设计时应考虑留有一定的弹性空间。社会保险费改税付出的代价和取得的效益在整个制度变迁的进程中的分布将会是不均衡的。     

要素禀赋不对称与企业的性质

新制度经济学中关于企业性质的流行观点是企业产生于要素市场对中间产品市场的替代，但是这种“替代”的观点解释不了现实中企业、要素市场、中间产品市场互相促进、共同扩大这一状况。本文引入了“要素禀赋不对称”这一概念，在个体生产者处于要素禀赋不对称状态中时，即使不存在中间产品市场或中间产品市场的交易费用低于要素市场的交易费用的情况，企业也必然产生。出于同样的原因，作为要素市场交易结果的企业能够促进中间产品市场的迅速发展。要素市场与中间产品市场之间的共同发展是常态，而“替代”只能是支流。     

Optimal Inattention to the Stock Market With Information Costs and Transactions Costs

Information costs, which comprise costs of gathering and processing information about stock values and costs of deciding how to respond to this information, induce a consumer to remain inattentive to the stock market for finite intervals of time. Whether, and how much, a consumer transfers assets between accounts depends on the costs of undertaking such transactions. In general, optimal behavior by a consumer facing both information costs and transactions costs is state‐dependent, with the timing of observations and the timing and size of transactions depending on the state. Surprisingly, if the fixed component of the transactions cost is sufficiently small, then eventually, with probability 1, a time‐dependent rule emerges: the interval between observations is constant and on each observation date, the consumer converts enough assets to liquid assets to finance consumption until the next observation. If the fixed component of transactions costs is large, the optimal rule remains state‐dependent indefinitely.     

研究和开发费用的会计处理研究

根据《企业会计准则-无形资产》,企业无形资产在依法申请取得前发生的研究和开发费用应全部费用化.在会计实务中,此规定引起了很多的争论.本文将比较不同国家研究和开发费用的会计处理标准,重点讨论中国、澳大利亚以及国际会计准则IAS38等标准的不同,并以澳大利亚SMS公司为例进行分析,最后提出自己的建议.     

基于系统动力学的“互联网+健康医疗”体系模型

“互联网+健康医疗”模式已然成为我国健康医疗产业发展的一个新方向,为解决传统医疗行业中存在的诸多问题提供了新思路。在分析“互联网+健康医疗”对传统医疗的影响及其发展机制的基础上,利用存量流量图等工具构建“互联网+健康医疗”体系模型,运用Vensim软件对我国“互联网+健康医疗”发展情况进行仿真,并模拟相关政策的干预效果。结果表明:“互联网+健康医疗”在降低潜在医疗需求(PMD)、促进分级诊疗中具有重要作用,保障医疗保险能够较好地嵌入“互联网+健康医疗”就诊流程中对降低PMD最有意义,而降低整体门诊价格对于优化就医结构、促进分级诊疗最为有效。