Effect of Economic and Environmental Policies on the Mangrove Economy: A General Equilibrium Framework

This article attempts to provide a theoretical model of a small local mangrove economy. The structure of the model is based on observations from a qualitative field survey conducted in the Sunderbans region of West Bengal. The study showed that fishery is the primary source of income in this region. Agriculture is practised by many, but due to soil salinity, the sector, at best, provides sustenance for the family. Most of the other requirements are met from goods bought from outside. The role of the forest cover on shrimp cultivation is captured through the productivity effect, which increases the output per unit of labour and capital. In this structure, an optimum tariff on the timber industry is derived, and it is shown that the optimum tariff depends on the intensity of the productivity effect.

Productivity Effect Evaluation on Market-Type Environmental Regulation: A Case Study of SO2 Emission Trading Pilot in China

Taking China’s SO2 emissions trading pilot (ETP) in 2007, a large-scale market-based environmental regulation as its target, this paper reexamines the strong Porter hypothesis by adopting the method of propensity score matching-differences-in-differences. Research shows the following results: first, SO2 ETP which provides high flexibility for enterprises in the process of emission reduction, improves total factor productivity (TFP) significantly on the whole. Second, the productivity effect of market-based environmental regulation varies from the productivity level of enterprise. For example, the SO2 ETP has a significant effect on TFP only at 40–80 percent quantile of TFP, and the effect increases at first and then decreases. Third, the financing constraints and bargaining power of enterprises have significant negative moderating effects on the impact of SO2 ETP on TFP, and the moderating effects between state-owned and non-state-owned enterprises exist heterogeneity. In conclusion, it provides reference for the formulation of market-type environmental regulations and the realization of high-quality development for developing countries.

Temporary Agency Work and Firm Performance: A Replication Study with Extensions

The authors analyze the nexus between temporary agency work (TAW) and firm performance. Compared to Hirsch and Mueller (2012, The Productivity Effect of Temporary Agency Work: Evidence from German Panel Data. Economic Journal 122 (562): F216-F235) and Nielen and Schiersch (2014, Temporary Agency Work and Firm Competitiveness: Evidence from German Manufacturing Firms. Industrial Relations 53: 365–393), the authors support a concave relationship between the TAW share and productivity, but find a convex relationship between the TAW share and unit labor costs, instead of a u-shape. Moreover, a new finding is that the correlation between the TAW share and profitability is only moderate.

Laggards imitate, leaders innovate: the heterogeneous productivity effect of imitation versus innovation

This study finds that imitation increases the productivity of laggards more than that of leaders, while innovation has the opposite effect. As firms approach the productivity frontier, the effect of imitation on productivity decreases, while that of innovation increases. The empirical evidence suggests that search costs are the mechanism underlying this effect. Firms increase their productivity by imitating productive firms. When they become more productive, search costs increase, because they have fewer opportunities to imitate.

CAPITAL ACCUMULATION, VINTAGE AND PRODUCTIVITY: THE JAPANESE EXPERIENCE

We empirically examine the relationship between capital accumulation, vintage and productivity of industries in Japan using firm-level microdata. Our analyses confirm that vintage significantly influenced productivity during the period of economic expansion. The effect was particularly notable during the upturn that started in 2000, when most examined industries displayed strong vintage effects. The rejuvenation of capital equipment during this period clearly resulted from a strong productivity effect. During the economic bubble of the late 1980s, by contrast, vintage exerted no observable effects on productivity despite significant increase in investment. This finding shows that an increase in capital stock during this period was not necessarily productive and likely produced a merely temporary boom. We reconfirm that the relation between vintage and productivity changed in subtle ways in response to the phases of business cycles.