A GIS-Based Framework for Hazardous Materials Transport Risk Assessment

This article presents a methodology for assessment of the hazardous materials transport risk in a multicommodity, multiple origin-destination setting. The proposed risk assessment methodology was integrated with a Geographical Information System (GIS), which made large-scale implementation possible. A GIS-based model of the truck shipments of dangerous goods via the highway network of Quebec and Ontario was developed. Based on the origin and destination of each shipment, the risk associated with the routes that minimize (1) the transport distance, (2) the population exposure, (3) the expected number of people to be evacuated in case of an incident, and (4) the probability of an incident during transportation was evaluated. Using these assessments, a government agency can estimate the impact of alternative policies that could alter the carriers' route choices. A related issue is the spatial distribution of transport risk, because an unfair distribution is likely to cause public concern. Thus, an analysis of transport risk equity in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario is also provided.     

银行股权关联、银行业竞争与民营企业融资约束

本文以公司参股银行为视角,在行为金融理论、企业组织理论与信贷融资理论相融合的分析框架下,构建基于异质预期的信贷配置模型,探讨了银行股权关联和银行业竞争影响民营企业融资约束的传导机理。以A股民营企业2006~2013年的数据为例,运用Heckman两阶段回归等方法,我们发现:参股银行和提高银行业竞争性均能显著缓解民营企业的融资约束,参股比例越高该效应越强,且两者在缓解融资约束方面存在替代关系。但进一步的分析显示,银行股权关联对资本配置的影响具有两面性:即银行股权关联所带来的融资优势能够减少因资金短缺导致的投资不足,但代理问题的存在也可能导致银行股权关联被部分异化,使其对于资本配置的正向作用减弱甚至被异化为利益寻租的工具。上述结论既丰富了委托代理理论与公司财务理论的相关研究成果,也有助于我们深入理解银行股权关联的"正面效果"和"负面效果"。     

The witch doctor's pharmacist

This article explores the state of, and prospects for, training and development within the South African maritime industry, and is based on a series of in-depth interviews conducted with employers, the principal union, training institutions and regulatory bodies. Findings are that a deeply embedded racial division of labour persists, that there is a serious shortage of employment opportunities, and that training and certification remain fragmented. The article concludes that the quality of training provided is of a high standard, but there is a vital need for a coherent overall policy linking initial training with employment opportunities, ongoing skills development and the promotion of greater equality.     

Healthcare in India: Changing the Financing Strategy

The way in which healthcare is financed is critical for equity in access to healthcare. At present the proportion of public resources committed to healthcare in India is one of the lowest in the world, with less than one‐fifth of health expenditure being publicly financed. India has large‐scale poverty and yet the main source of financing healthcare is out‐of‐pocket expenditure. This is a cause of the huge inequities we see in access to healthcare. The article argues for strengthening public investment and expenditure in the health sector and suggests possible options for doing this. It also calls for a reform of the existing healthcare system by restructuring it to create a universal access mechanism which also factors in the private health sector. The article concludes that it is important to over‐emphasize the fact that health is a public or social good and so cannot be left to the vagaries of the market.     

论改进我国上市公司股权结构的必要性和途径

建立有效的公司治理结构是现代企业制度的核心内容 ,本文分析了我国上市公司股权结构和治理结构存在的问题 ,提出从降低国有股权比例 ,培育寡头垄断型持股主体 ,发展证券投资基金等几个方面入手 ,改善上市公司的股权结构 ,促进有效的公司治理的建立     

试论环境资源法之法律目的产生的伦理思想基础

每个国家在特定的历史阶段都有其特有的法律理念,法律理念的实现有赖于构成该国法律体系的各个法律部门的分工和协作,因此,必须将法律理念具体细化成作为各个法律部门统率的部门法之法律目的。环境资源法的法律目的有其产生的环境伦理思想基础,通过比较中国古代的环境资源保护思想、源于西方的可持续发展思想和非人类中心主义伦理思想,我们应当将已被发展了的以"代内公平"、"代际公平"和"权利公平"为主要内容的可持续发展思想,作为我国环境资源法之法律目的形成的主要伦理思想基础。     

当代中国社会教育公平的理论探析

教育公平是指在特定的社会条件下,人人享有平等受教育的权利和机会,促使自然潜能得到最充分与自由发展的教育理想。中国社会的教育公平仍在接受着严重的挑战。入学机会上的不均等、求学条件上的不公平以及市场机制介入教育和教育市场是中国社会教育不公平现象存在的原因。应用科尔曼教育平等理论及马丁.特罗的大众化理论可以为中国社会的教育公平问题找到理论上的解决之路。同时在实践上,中国社会也要通过正确处理公平与效率的关系、制度上的安排、创新来实现真正的教育公平。     

股权众筹是否真的那么美--基于美国制度缺陷的再思考

股权众筹作为初创企业采用的一种利用互联网向大众募集小额资本的融资方式,以“脱媒式”对接投融资双方的优势,利用互联网的人群聚集与信息广泛传播效应,降低投融资方之间沟通成本,有助于投融资意向的快速达成。2012年美国JOBS法案的高调出台,吸引了全球范围内的广泛关注。但股权众筹制度在美国已受到诸多批判,除信息披露要求弱化引发的欺诈风险增加外,在注重前端融资效率的同时却忽略了投资端的设计和保护,尤其是众筹股权的流通和退出问题等。美国立法与实践领域对于这些问题尚未取得彻底的突破。股权众筹以美国模式为样板引入中国,在遭遇中国固有法律体系及制度的困扰后,中国股权众筹实践陷入更多困境。通过对美国相关制度出台的背景及存在的不足进行分析,对照中国实践,锁定实践中产生的新问题,并深入探讨现有解决路径能否真正缓解这些不足,以期对股权众筹制度重新进行明确的定位。     

Use of concurrent mixed methods combining concept mapping and focus groups to adapt a health equity tool in Canada

The aim of this project was to identify and prioritize a set of conditions to be considered for incorporating a health equity tool into public health practice. Concept mapping and focus groups were implemented as complementary methods to investigate the conditions of use of a health equity tool by public health organizations in Quebec. Using a hybrid integrated research design is a richer way to address the complexity of questions emerging from intervention and planning settings. This approach provides a deeper, operational, and contextualized understanding of research results involving different professional and organizational cultures, and thereby supports the decision-making process. Concept mapping served to identify and prioritize in a limited timeframe the conditions to be considered for incorporation into a health equity tool into public health practices. Focus groups then provided a more refined understanding of the barriers, issues, and facilitating factors surrounding the tools adoption, helped distinguish among participants’ perspectives based on functional roles and organizational contexts, and clarified some apparently contradictory results from the concept map. The combined use of these two techniques brought the strengths of each approach to bear, thereby overcoming some of the respective limitations of concept mapping and focus groups. This design is appropriate for investigating targets with multiple levels of complexity.     

Unfair to Me or Unfair to My Spouse: Men's and Women's Perceptions of Domestic Equity and How They Relate to Mental and Physical Health

Research examining the relationship between household labor and health has not sufficiently considered perceptions of domestic equity, physical health, or potential gender differences in these relationships. Using survey data from 1,234 lawyers, we examine how perceptions of domestic equity are related to mental and physical health and whether these relationships differ by gender. The results indicate that perceiving the division of household labor as unfair to oneself is related to poorer mental health, whereas perceiving the division as unfair to one's spouse is related to poorer physical health, regardless of gender. This article demonstrates the importance of treating perceptions of unfairness to oneself and one's spouse as distinct experiences, while also considering the wider context wherein these relationships exist.