The impact of cash-benefit reform on parents’ labour force participation

This paper evaluates the impact of a recent Norwegian family-policy reform. The reform provides benefits of up to NOK 3,000 (approximately € 400) per month to families with one- to three-year-old children, who do not utilize state-subsidized day-care centres. We investigate the reforms effect on parents labour force participation. We find that, on average, the reform reduced womens labour force participation and increased the specialization of work between couples. We find that the effect of the reform depends on womens schooling. Specifically, the labour force participation of highly educated mothers fell by more than that of mothers with less education.I am grateful to Associate Professor Espen Bratberg and Professor Alf Erling for their valuable comments. My special thanks to Kjell Vaage, Arild Aakvik and Afsane Bjorvatn for helpful suggestions. This paper was presented in a seminar at the Department of Economics, University of Bergen, Norway. I am thankful to the participants of the seminar for their positive feedback. The paper has also benefited from the reports given by three anonymous referees. I am also thankful to Professor Heather Joshi for helpful remarks on the paper. Responsible editor: Christoph M. Schmidt.     

二元经济结构下的城乡居民收入消费水平的区域差异分析

我国的国民经济结构是一个典型的二元经济结构,东、中、西三大区域城乡差距依此递增,三大地带内部城乡差距呈现明显拉大趋势。这种现状产生的原因是多方面的,但农业和非农业部门劳动生产率水平的巨大差异和国家的农业投资政策是不容忽视的两个因素。推进二元经济结构演化,缩小城乡居民差距必须树立工农城乡协调发展的战略思想,加大对农业的投入,积极推进农村税费改革,加快城镇化步伐,实施农业产业化经营。     

支持高新技术产业发展的公共财政政策研究

高新技术产业具有显著的外部性、高风险性、不确定性和高投入性,这决定了政府和公共财政介入高新技术产业发展的必要性。财税政策既可为高新技术产业的发展提供动力机制,促进高新技术产业良性运行机制的形成,也能够缓减高新技术产业发展中的约束机制。重点从两个方面研究了促进我国高新技术产业发展的财政政策和税收政策的抉择。     

论西汉对匈奴政策的演变

西汉对匈奴政策的演变大致经历了四个阶段。汉武帝元光二年(公元前133年)以前,基本上实行与匈奴"和亲"的政策;此后十多年间,试图通过军事打击以制服匈奴;漠北之战以后,又代之以政治招抚为主、军事威慑为辅的策略;汉武帝以后,汉王朝对匈奴实行了较为宽松的"羁縻"政策,汉匈双方虽有君臣名分,实为兄弟之国。西汉对匈奴政策的演变,是与其内外形势的变化和汉匈双方的力量消长密切相关的。     

朝鲜战争中美国"战争局部化"政策的形成

朝鲜战争期间,美国的军事干涉经历了一个复杂的变化过程,即从1950年6月25日战争爆发后,美国政府决定将军事千预的目标确定为使朝鲜半岛恢复到6月25日以前的状态,后在军事胜利的影响下于9月底决定用武力统一朝鲜,再到中国人民志愿军连续发起三次战役后,美国政府内部经过反复讨论、权衡,终于下决心推行"战争局部化"的政策,并最终决定与中朝军队进行停战谈判.通过分析,揭示了从中国参战到1951年6月美国提出举行停战谈判这一时期的美国战争决策过程和影响美国决策的主要因素.     

“经济开发区热”现象的解析

文章在回顾改革开放以来中国"经济开发区热"演进的基础上,从税收财政制度、城市建设维护资金筹集制度、行政区划及行政管理权制度等角度分析其中的制度原因,最后,提出治理这一现象的基本思路.     

毛泽东文艺思想与中国当代文学的发生

在毛泽东文艺思想与中国当代文学的发生之间,毛泽东文艺思想为当代文学提供了理论方向和实践依据,影响并生成了以文学工具论和作家改造论为中心的文学意识形态观,强调文学批评的"思想倾向"和文学斗争,借助中国当代文学体制而成为文学政策.     

Sociology and political arithmetic: some principles of a new policy science

This paper advances the position that sociology needs to develop an approach to research which focuses on fundamental social problems. In doing so it shares many of the intellectual values and goals of political arithmetic while seeking to move methodologically beyond it. Since such problems are complex they will require, typically, interdisciplinary input and a concomitant approach to the development and appraisal of theories. We are not, therefore, advocating the primacy of sociology but arguing that it has a distinctive part to play in addressing the fundamental problems of the twenty-first century. However, a policy-oriented sociology has also to take up the task, so clearly defined by the tradition of political arithmetic, which is to hold governments to account. Consequently a central principle of a new policy science is that it should contribute to democratic debate about policy.     

Technology spillover and regional convergence process: a statistical analysis of the Italian case

Recent literature broadly highlight the importance of modelling technological innovation effects on economic growth. This paper develops a methodology that allows to measure technology contribution to economic convergence; the choice of a regional framework also allows to underline interregional knowledge transmission as a the major channel of technological progress. Moreover, the specification of a dynamic growth model enables to evaluate both the regional convergence and the effect of innovation on long-run labour productivity without resorting to any technology index measurement. We contribute to the methodological literature also by comparing different dynamic panel data estimation procedures and by detecting both the presence of small sample bias and the existence of a nearly unit root autoregressive process in labour productivity series. The results of an empirical analysis on Italian regions show how most of innovation resources derives from relevant spillover mechanisms. Furthermore, technology spillover intensity seems to be strongly affected by geography and productive structure of regions.Financial support by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Rimini and Uniturim S.p.A. is gratefully acknowledged.     

Contemporary Conceptions of Environmental Risk: Implications for Resource Management and Policy

Recent theoretical development in environmental sociology has focused on the concept of risk. Macro- and middle-range theoretical conceptualizations relevant to understanding environmental risk and resource depletion have emerged from Europe and the United States. We review five theoretical approaches to the environment–society relationship and identify convergent characteristics relevant for resource management in the modern world. These characteristics suggest goals for resource management should include expanded discursive systems, a more informed public and building institutional trust.