Measuring and Achieving Equity in Multiperiod Emergency Material Allocation

Emergency material allocation is an important part of postdisaster emergency logistics that is significant for improving rescue effectiveness and reducing disaster losses. However, the traditional single‐period allocation model often causes local surpluses or shortages and high cost, and prevents the system from achieving an equitable or optimal multiperiod allocation. To achieve equitable allocation of emergency materials in the case of serious shortages relative to the demand by victims, this article introduces a multiperiod model for allocation of emergency materials to multiple affected locations (using an exponential utility function to reflect the disutility loss due to material shortfalls), and illustrates the relationship between equity of allocations and the cost of emergency response. Finally, numerical examples are presented to demonstrate both the feasibility and the usefulness of the proposed model for achieving multiperiod equitable allocation of emergency material among multiple disaster locations. The results indicate that the introduction of a nonlinear utility function to reflect the disutility of large shortfalls can make the material allocation fairer, and minimize large losses due to shortfalls. We found that achieving equity has a significant but not unreasonable impact on emergency costs. We also illustrate that using differing utility functions for different types of materials adds an important dimension of flexibility.     

Cognitive abilities,self-efficacy,and financial behavior

This paper investigates the effect of cognitive abilities on financial behavior among older adults. Using the U.S. Health and Retirement Study, I find that cognitive abilities significantly affect financial behavior through two channels: ability and self-efficacy. People with higher cognition scores achieve better financial outcomes. This positive association is especially strong in tasks having high demand of cognitive abilities, which confirms the ability channel of the cognitive ability effect. In addition, there is evidence for the self-efficacy channel as a secondary source of cognitive influence. Lower cognitive abilities decrease people’s sense of self-efficacy, which, in turn, significantly decreases financial management efficiency. The findings have important policy implications, specifically that more effort is needed to assist the growing older population through the cognitive aging process and that noncognitive skills, as a secondary source of influence, also warrant attention.     

关于规范地方财政投融资体系的若干思考

地方财政投融资是以地方政府信用为基础 ,为实现政府基本目标 ,采取有偿融资和投资方式所进行的经济活动及所形成的制度体系。改革开放以来 ,投融资业务对地方经济发展起到了积极作用 ,但由于理论研究的严重滞后 ,以及政策措施不配套 ,地方财政投融资尚处于初步发展阶段 ,我们有必要总结其在发展中面临的问题 ,促进地方财政投融资体系的进一步完善     

风险投资与地方政府财政的作用定位

发展风险投资是推动高新技术产业加快发展、实现产业结构优化升级的重要途径。鉴于风险投资业在我国刚刚起步的现实 ,强调地方政府介入风险投资意义重大。近期地方政府介入风险投资应在资本配置中发挥重要作用 ;从长远来讲 ,地方政府应致力于相关制度环境建设 ,这方面的内容包括政策引导、制度环境支持以及法律保障等 ,以此创造有利于风险投资业大发展的社会环境     

金融环境论略

金融业的存在和发展与金融环境之间存在一个极为密切的关系 ,金融环境是金融活动发生和发展的支持系统和资源。金融环境可以被分为内在的外部性和外在的外部性这两个层次。金融环境既包括自然、经济、法律、社会政治等诸多方面 ,同时也包括金融结构、信用关系和金融监管等要素。从金融业的经营状态来判断金融环境的好坏及其变化 ,这有利于治理和保护金融环境 ,营造良好的金融环境。当前需要从法律、市场、信用和宏观经济几个方面改良金融环境。     

加入WTO与我国金融法制的完善

中国已经加入WTO ,面对入世带来的机遇和挑战 ,在金融市场上 ,如何应对 ?文章通过论述WTO多边协议对我国金融市场的基本要求 ,分析了加入WTO后我国金融法制所面临的挑战 ,提出了完善我国金融法制的措施和建议     

我国网络金融的发展现状与监管思路

继金融深化、金融自由化、金融国际化之后,金融网络化的问题再次成为关注的焦点。本文回顾了网络金融的发展态势及其可能对传统金融产业产生的深刻影响,对我国网络金融在发展过程中存在的主要问题进行了深入分析,在此基础上对如何加强金融监管以促进我国网络金融的健康发展提出了积极的对策建议。     

农村互助合作金融模式绩效分析

互助合作金融是中国农村金融市场的一种创新融资模式，尽管其组织化、制度化经营时间短、经验少，融资能力还很微小，但已经表现出财务上可持续发展的能力，在满足农户小额贷款方面的补充作用十分显著。资金互助合作密切了社会成员的相互关系，改善着农村社会关系，社会整体信用水平、将为之提高。论题分析了《农村资金互助社管理暂行规定》颁布前后农村互助合作金融模式的制度绩效、功能绩效和社会绩效。     

我国房地产证券化的特征及其作用

房地产证券化是我国房地产业与金融业发展的一种有机结合 ,它对优化配置与有效利用房地产和资金具有十分重要的意义。它是我国房地产业和金融业发展的客观要求 ,有利于社会资源的分配、稳定证券市场 ;它可刺激相关产业的发展 ,有利于改善投资环境、分散风险。房地产证券化具有扩大资本市场、增强不动产市场流动性、保持不动产市场稳定性和提高投资者效益性等主要特征。