Firm-level training in local economic systems: Complementarities in production and firm innovation strategies

The paper presents a conceptual review over the main aspects concerning the role of human capital investments and training activities within production processes, followed by empirical evidence on two local economic systems in Northern Italy, based on recent survey data. Theoretical and empirical considerations are brought together in order to provide new insights on the role of training and the factors associated to training activities at firm level.The potential driving factors of training here analysed compounds structural characteristics, labour demand dynamics, human resource management practices, workforce features, and firm performances. We observe that training activities emerge positively associated with high-performance practices, innovative labour demand features, workforce skill level, firm size, and are affected by labour flexibility in various directions. Empirical evidence confirms most previous results but also adds further important insights. The analysis suggests that a widening gap, between few innovatively evolving and many stagnant firms, could characterise the future dynamics of the Region. The high relevance of structural variables, labour demand factors and HRM/innovation practices shows that regional industrial policies and labour policies should be jointly implemented for increasing potential firm productivity. This is a key concern for the current debate on local systems economic development in the European and Italian environment.     

Psychological taxing in Flemish municipalities

We analyse whether the psychological pricing in the private sector has a public sector counterpart in tax policy. Analysing the main theoretical arguments for the existence of price points, and applying them to the public sector, suggests that psychological taxing reveals itself by the use of non-0 ending tax rates. The tax rate endings of the local income taxes, which are set by 308 Flemish municipalities in the fiscal year 1998, suggests the presence of psychological taxing. Non-0 endings occur more frequently in municipalities where demand for public policy is more elastic (and where, therefore, the benefits to the politicians from setting a tax just below a tax point is higher). The pre-tax income inequality and the level of the tax rate positively affect psychological taxing. The latter effect is reinforced in those municipalities where the existing tax rate is above the average tax rate in neighbouring municipalities and below their neighbours’ minimum, although this effect has a limited effect and is offset the further below the minimum the tax is set.     

Local spatial data infrastructure, Trujillo-Peru

The development of a Municipal Information System, or currently better known as a local spatial data infrastructure, is considered complex due to the required inter-institutional relationships. In many developing countries Geographical Information Systems (GISs) are introduced but the benefits are modest as no changes take place in technical and organisational structure of organisations. Digital databases and computer-aided design (CAD) maps are mushrooming in great variety within different private and public institutions, municipal organisations and even within single departments and with structures similar to the paper period and thus operating on a stand-alone basis.Many national mapping agencies are not able to provide large-scale digital urban base maps, while the absence or low quality of cadastres makes those basic core data sets unavailable or inaccessible. The result is that duplication and incompatible data are frequently observed and also donor-driven stand-alone projects have a limited impact through the lack of institutional embedding and are not able to mature from the project to the institutional level. However, a positive sign is that there is an increasing awareness among data producers and consumers that investments in the development of digital data sets should be combined to reduce costs and increase benefits from especially GIS, and information and communication technology (ICT) in general.Within Trujillo a long-term vision was developed to make full use of ICT and GIS to modernise all operations of the Municipality to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of its tasks. However, large investments are not feasible due to the very limited municipal budgets. To guarantee the support of the municipal council, short-term results are required. This paper describes three ‘products’ as part of the vision to develop through a step-by-step approach a local spatial data infrastructure for Trujillo.The three, rather different, products are:

1. fiscal cadastre, to increase municipal revenues through property taxation;

2. an ‘environmental atlas’ based on a compatible spatial and attribute data sets from a variety of organisations; and

3. a municipal website with interactive GIS and meta data information.

The paper concludes with some comments on the institutional and political requirements for the successful development of a local spatial data infrastructure and stresses that such an infrastructure is not a product but an incremental development process that will progress only in case such a process is simple, cost effective, user-friendly, and flexible with clear products.Political interest and institutional stability and genuine interest for inter-institutional cooperation will add much to the success of this process.     

河南农业经济结构调整对农业劳动力的挑战

河南是农业大省,要使河南农业进一步发展,农民收入进一步增加,河南农业经济必须进行结构调整。农业经济结构调整的主体是农业劳动力,而农业劳动力素质,特别是农业劳动力文化素质的高低则成为河南农业经济结构调整的关键。文中重点分析了河南省农业劳动力文化素质的现状及与农业经济结构调整要求的差距,最后提出了提高河南省农业劳动力文化素质的对策。     

股票股利变化市场反应的实证研究

对公司分配方案中股票股利发生变化时股票收益率的研究,显示证券市场对股票股利分配方案发生变化时有一定反应,但与国外成熟资本市场的反应并不一致,说明我国证券市场距离国外成熟资本市场还有一定差距,证券市场信息披露制度尚不规范。     

中国股票市场效率的实证研究

处于二元转型期的中国股票市场,功能定位不完全合理,结构性矛盾突出。行政导向性强,是一个不完全市场。市 场仍处于非弱效率状态。利用1999-2000年中国股票市场的时间序列数据进行的自相关系数检验和游程检验.证实了中国 股票市场非弱有效性的判断。     

马克思生产劳动理论与SNA生产理论的比较研究

认为马克思关于生产劳动的内涵和外延的界定是随着生产目的和生产关系的变化而变化的 ,是分三个层次展开的 ,由此产生了不同外延的生产劳动概念。SNA的生产理论是确定 GDP生产范围的理论基础 ,它对生产活动的界定相当于马克思第一层次中的生产劳动 ,由此确定的GDP生产范围是非常广的     

劳动扬弃资本——《1844年经济学哲学手稿》中的私有制批判

私有制是马克思主义哲学的一个重要范畴 ,而对这个范畴进行理论批判起始于《184 4年经济学哲学手稿》。在《184 4年经济学哲学手稿》中 ,马克思认为异化劳动必然产生私有财产 ,私有财产反过来又定会造成新的异化 ,因而 ,要反对异化劳动必须同时反对私有财产。而反对私有财产 ,不是反对所有的私有财产 ,反对的只应是人格化的奴役人、奴役劳动的资本。所以 ,最终的出路只能是共产主义     

信息不对称与中小企业信贷支持——兼析中小企业信贷市场中的政府作用

通过建立一个银行对中小企业信贷的博弈模型 ,说明当市场上低风险企业过少 ,高风险企业过多时 ,银行不能通过贷款收益收回自己的风险类型鉴别成本。在不可能提高投资项目自有资本比例 ,而利率放开有待时日 ,极易加剧道德风险的情况下 ,银行无法改善其收益小于成本的处境。因此 ,从中小企业信贷市场退出是银行的最优选择。最终指出 ,为了促进中小企业的发展 ,建立一个由国家提供部分担保、商业性银行发放贷款的中小企业信贷体系对支持中小企业发展、健全完善的金融体系是可能的 ,也是必要的。     

深圳特区三资企业劳工问题的调查

本文通过对15家三资企业和230多名员工的调查,对深圳特区劳动管理体制的改革情况,进行了简要的总结和分析。既肯定了改革的成绩和经验,也指出了目前存在的问题和外商对特区劳工问题的意见。在此基础上提出了建议,以使改革深化、完善、配套,更好地适应外商投资的需要,优化投资环境,促进特区外向型经济的发展。