The independent’s edge in an illegal drug distribution setting: Levitt and Venkatesh revisited

Popular imagery and scholarly research have differed significantly in their perceptions and understanding of the structure and scope of organized crime and gang settings. While the common image is that of the corporate-like or formal criminal organization, past research has been more likely to argue and demonstrate in favour of market and network flexibility. In this study, we pursue this latter line of inquiry by demonstrating the market and network features that shape illegal drug distribution settings. In doing so, we rely on the Quebec Hells Angels accounting books for a one-year period, which brings us within the same empirical domain as Levitt and Venkatesh’s (2000) study of the Black Knights in 1990s Chicago. Our study sways from the main premise that oriented the Black Knight’s case study—namely that performance within the illegal drug distribution structure was directly tied to that organization’s rigid hierarchical structure. While the Hells Angels can be analyzed as a corporation, this does not mean that Hells Angels members are, by definition, at an advantage because of their organizational status in the illegal drug distribution setting in which some members are active. What our findings indicate is that a participant’s ability to adapt to market dynamics and take on a core network position within an illegal drug market (cocaine, in this study) matter most. Overall, we demonstrate that: 1) Quebec’s cocaine market was structured primarily around traditional market forces; 2) the transaction network around the Hells Angels was not centralized around a single person or small group of people; 3) Hells Angels members were not the most active participants; and 4) being a Hells Angels member did not increase one’s volume of transactions within the network—quite differently, core network positioning did.     

Price controls, trade protectionism and political business cycles in the U.S. steel industry

The U.S. steel industry is subject to a microeconomic political business cycle resulting from U.S. Presidents designing protectionist policies on behalf of the steel industry; experiencing complaints from consumers and foreign producers as a result of the policy; modifying the policy which results in complaints from the steel industry; and finally, maneuvering policy back in favor of the industry to achieve re-election. Using a cointegrating vector error correction framework, this paper tests the hypothesized political business cycle for its effect on steel prices. We find that trade protectionism does not seem to have succeeded in its primary objective of supporting prices. By expending so much political capital on ineffective trade protection, the steel industry may have lost the opportunity to focus on more substantive issues that might have restrained factor cost and enhanced its competitive ability. The devolution of the steel industry, ironically, may have resulted from it's persistent pleas for protection. Political business cycles in the steel industry, with all its attendant negative consequences, would not occur if the steel industry did not continually lobby for protection.     

Performance as a Basis for Price-setting in the Capital Goods Industry:: Concepts and Empirical Evidence

This paper discusses a new pricing strategy, which leads to a certain variability of prices as the supplier offers to fix prices to performance parameters of long-lasting industrial goods. The underlying idea is to give a signal of the supplier’s competence and/or to conclude a contract, which contains additional value for both parties to the market. Some theoretical findings are applied to this concept and lead to 13 hypotheses, especially dealing with the perceptions of the buyer. Empirical research covered 131 German mechanical engineering companies. The data were used to evaluate the use of performance-based pricing and test the hypotheses. The results show a mixed picture. Uncertainty-reducing effects are well perceived while other assumptions could not be confirmed. Based on the results recommendations are developed on how and when to apply performance-based pricing.     

用电补贴的政策分析

利用数学模型方法 ,对用电补贴的政策效率进行了研究 ,分析和比较了收入补贴与价格补贴的优缺点 ,给出了结论和建议。     

The Dark Side of Information and Market Efficiency in E‐Markets*

Price dispersion reflects the differences in prices for identical products. While in physical markets such dispersion is prevalent due to high search costs, many researchers argue that search costs and price dispersion will be much lower in electronic markets (e‐markets). Empirical evidence does not support this contention, and researchers have studied search costs, market factors, and service‐quality factors to explain this dispersion. Previous research has largely assumed that more information is better. By ignoring the dark side of information, we argue that only a partial understanding of price dispersion is possible. In this article, information overload and equivocality are studied as two dark attributes of information that lead sellers to different pricing decisions in e‐markets. Hypotheses relating these attributes to price dispersion are supported through analysis of 161 product markets. This work opens up new avenues in the study of e‐markets and discusses the implications of these findings for research and practice on consumer and seller decisions.     

浅议价格审计在企业管理中的作用及实施

我国的内部审计正面临从过去的合规性监督向管理性监督转换。价格审计通过对企事业单位物资购销价格、投资成本和工程造价等进行审计 ,强化企业的内部监督管理、有效控制企业的经营成本 ,是我国企业现阶段实现内部审计管理职能、提高企业管理水平和增进经济效益的有效手段     

当前的价格形势及政策抉择

当前,我国居民消费价格（CPI）高位继续上涨,工业品出厂价格（PPI）和固定资产投资价格加速上涨,房地产和股票等资产类价格出现滞涨和大幅回落态势。本轮价格上涨是在全球性需求比较旺盛、资金比较宽裕的背景下,主要是由于成本上升及供给不足推动的,即供给环节问题是导致当前我国价格上涨的直接原因。为此,宏观调控的政策重点应是控信贷、保供给、抑通胀。     

我国物价变动的影响因素及其传导机制的实证研究

内容提要:本文主要研究宏观经济变量对价格水平的影响,上下游物价之间的传导机制以及经济变量变化的时滞关系,着重考察相关经济变量之间是否存在因果关系,先行关系以及刻画影响程度的脉冲响应。实证结果表明,在影响物价的因素方面,工业增加值,投资,消费,进口与出口以及M1,M2均为CPI的原因,但财政支出与贷款增量不是CPI的Cranger原因,其中工业增值,M1和进口,出口还是领先于CPI变动的稳定的先行指标;在物价传导方面,市场化程度较高的领域,价格传导畅通,而垄断行业或政府控制部门价格传导不畅或严重时滞。     

2000—2010年《北京林业大学学报》核心作者分析

通过对2000—2010年《北京林业大学学报》第一作者或独立作者的发文量、被引频次和下载频次进行统计分析,运用普赖斯定理和综合指数法确定出《北京林业大学学报》核心作者30人。分析了核心作者所在机构、地理分布、科研领域等信息。该刊核心作者主要来自北京林业大学,其文章均为国家或地方重点科研项目产出成果,所涉及的主要科研领域为林学、水土保持和生物科学等。     

价格梯度对降低普通农产品非绿色投入的探讨

侧重于普通农产品绿色化过程中价格的讨论,提出针对普通农产品的非绿色化程度进行价格上的区分可以降低生产者对作物的非绿色投入,然而现实普通农产品市场中的信息不对称所产生的“柠檬效应”阻碍了这种机制的有效运行。利用Java Swarm建立Agent仿真模型得出严格监督上述价格上的区分并适当提高消费者对市场上普通农产品的信任度是可以解决该问题的。由此建议建立普通农产品价格与绿色化程度的关联机制及配套相关措施。