INTEGRATED RIVER BASIN OPTIMIZATION: MODELING ECONOMIC AND HYDROLOGIC INTERDEPENDENCE1

ABSTRACT: This paper presents an integrated optimal control model that optimizes economic performance of reservoir management in watersheds in which there are significant economic and hydrologic interdependencies. The model is solved using the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS). Results show that application of this model to New Mexico's Rio Chama basin can increase total system benefits over historical benefits by exploiting complementarities between hydroelectricity production, instream recreation, and downstream lake recreation.     

TRANSIENT RESPONSE FUNCTIONS FOR CONJUNCTIVE WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN,IDAHO1

ABSTRACT: Increasing demands on western water are causing a mounting need for the conjunctive management of surface water and ground water resources. Under western water law, the senior water rights holder has priority over the junior water rights holder in times of water shortage. Water managers have been reluctant to conjunctively manage surface water and ground water resources because of the difficulty of quantification of the impacts to surface water resources from ground water stresses. Impacts from ground water use can take years to propagate through an aquifer system. Prediction of the degree of impact to surface water resources over time and the spatial distribution of impacts is very difficult. Response functions mathematically describe the relationship between a unit ground water stress applied at a specific location and stream depletion or aquifer water level change elsewhere in the system. Response functions can be used to help quantify the spatial and temporal impacts to surface water resources caused by ground water pumping. This paper describes the theory of response functions and presents an application of transient response functions in the Snake River Plain, Idaho. Transient response functions can be used to facilitate the conjunctive management of surface and ground water not only in the eastern Snake River Plain basin, but also in similar basins throughout the western United States.     

ARE RURAL RESIDENTS WILLING TO PAY ENOUGH TO IMPROVE DRINKING WATER QUALITY?1

ABSTRACT: The concentrations of iron and sulfate in community water supplies are a concern for a number of areas in southwestern Minnesota. This study used the contingent valuation method to determine how much consumers would be willing to pay to improve their drinking water quality. On average, individuals were willing to pay US$5.25 per month (in 1995 U.S. dollars) to reduce the level of iron and US$4.33 per month to reduce the level of sulfate in their water to the USEPA's secondary standards for drinking water quality. Respondents with negative perceptions of their drinking water quality were willing to pay more to improve water quality. The aggregate annual willingness to pay (WTP) for all consumers in community water systems in southwestern Minnesota that were out of compliance with water quality standards were estimated to be US$2.4 million and US$2.0 million (in 1995 dollars) for reducing the levels of iron and sulfate, respectively. Yet the total WTP of consumers who use small community water systems may not be enough to pay the full cost of providing improved water in those systems. Economies of scale in water treatment and difficulties in financing improvements mean that technical innovation, government assistance, or institutional changes may be needed to improve water quality in these areas.     

政府调控、市场机制与城市发展

深入探究政府调控和市场机制对城市规模的影响有利于解决目前中国大城市人口快速膨胀,城市病频发,而中小城市发展潜力不足,对人口吸纳能力有限,城市发展规模存在两极分化的问题。从探究影响城市发展的因素入手,通过对不同地区和不同规模城市的面板数据回归分析,发现中国属于典型的"自上而下"的城市发展模式,尤其是城市科层制的层级结构直接决定了城市规模大小,政府财政分权行为更加剧了城市规模两极分化趋势。市场机制对城市规模具有一定的影响,但其作用方向和效果明显依赖于政府调控水平,且科层制的城市等级结构弱化了市场机制对城市规模影响效果的发挥。政府和市场机制对不同区域、不同规模城市的影响效应不同。市场机制在东部城市产生涓流效应,而在中西部则发挥着聚集极化作用。市场机制在特大和大城市已产生涓流效应,加之政府"抑大崇小"的城市发展战略使得这种效应愈加明显,中等城市则处于极化效应和涓流效应更替中,小城市则表现为更多的聚集极化效应。为形成大中小城市合理分工的城市体系,其关键在于正确处理政府调控和市场机制的关系。政府应指导城市发展方向,为其创造良好的宏观环境,市场则应在微观资源配置中起决定性作用。建议根据城市发展和市场经济需要,对现有的行政区划进行适时调整和变动。调整公共资源在特大及大中小城市传统分配政策,实现公共资源由按行政级别配置向按照人口规模配置转变。同时,建立跨区域的相应的协调机制,以市场力量突破行政界限探索城市健康发展。     

鄱阳湖湿地现状问题与未来趋势

近年来鄱阳湖秋冬季水文呈干枯态势,湿地生态系统及其关键因子也发生了变化。如何合理保护和利用鄱阳湖湿地引起各方关注。系统综述了鄱阳湖湿地生态系统在水文、江湖关系、水质、水鸟栖息地、渔业资源等方面存在的问题,梳理了引起这些问题的外部和内部因素。针对"一切照常"和"水位调控"两种情景,预测了湿地未来的变化趋势,并指出了当前研究中的不确定性问题。研究认为:鄱阳湖秋冬季的低枯水位,对水质、湿地植被、水鸟栖息地以及鱼类食物资源和"三场"(即:产卵场、洄游通道、索饵场)产生了一定不利影响。建议通过模型模拟和情景预测来分析不同调控方案的影响效果,优化调控方案、将生态系统的负面影响降到最低。     

Parks versus PES: Evaluating direct and incentive-based land conservation in Mexico

Protected areas (PAs) and payments for ecosystem services (PES) are the top two mechanisms available for countries to achieve international REDD agreements, yet there are few empirical comparisons of their effects. We estimate the impacts of PAs and PES on forest conservation, poverty reduction, and population change at the locality level in Mexico in the 2000s. Both policies conserved forest, generating an approximately 20–25% reduction in expected forest cover loss. PES created statistically significant but small poverty alleviation while PAs had overall neutral impacts on livelihoods. Estimates by individual policy type for the same level of deforestation risk indicate that biosphere reserves and PES balanced conservation and livelihood goals better than strict protected areas or mixed-use areas. This suggests that both direct and incentive-based instruments can be effective, and that policies combining sustainable financing, flexible zoning, and recognition of local economic goals are more likely to achieve conservation without harming livelihoods.     

环境规制、省际产业转移对污染迁移的空间溢出效应

目前我国正在积极地探寻经济增长高质量发展,生态环境与经济持续、稳定的和谐发展至关重要。虽然政府制定了相关的环境治理政策,但我国环境治理整体效果仍然欠佳。自从分税制改革以来,地方政府为了获得较高经济效益,会放松对环境管理,导致环境治理高投入低成效。同时,由于区域经济发展不平衡导致政府在制定相关环境治理政策时带有区域性特点,迫使高污染高能耗企业迁移至环境规制相对薄弱的地区,由此产生污染迁移的现象。基于此,对2003—2017年30个省区市(港澳台和西藏除外)环境污染总指数的空间溢出效应进行探讨,构建动态空间杜宾模型研究环境规制、省际产业转移对污染迁移的影响。研究结果表明:①环境规制总体上对环境污染具有显著直接效应且存在正向空间溢出效应,当某省环境规制强度增加,环境污染总指数会降低,从而引起污染向相邻省份转移,造成相邻省份的环境污染总指数上升。②省际产业转移整体上对环境污染具有显著直接效应且存在负向空间溢出效应,当某省的产业转移到相邻省份时,会缓解本省环境污染,却加重相邻省份的环境污染程度。这就需要中央政府加强对于各省区市的环境管控,统筹各区域的联防联治机制。产业转移承接省份在招商引资的过程中不仅要考虑本省环境承载能力和环境治理能力,还要考虑入驻企业自身污染排放处理能力,并将污染排放指数纳入筛选条件。同时,产业转移承接省份要引入企业的生产工艺、技术、研发团队等,运用技术溢出效应提升区域环境治理水平。     

不同类型环境规制对国际R&D溢出效应的影响比较研究——以长江经济带为例

基于2003~2014年长江经济带的省际面板数据探讨了不同类型的环境规制对国际RD溢出效应的影响,通过熵值法客观赋权,构建命令控制型、市场激励型和自愿参与型3种环境规制指数,进一步考察了不同类型的环境规制对国际RD溢出的影响。研究表明:(1)环境规制对国际RD溢出水平呈现"反N型"曲线关系,虽然类型不同,但随着环境规制强度不断提升,国际RD溢出效应均呈现先下降、后上升、再下降的趋势;(2)不同类型的环境规制对国际RD溢出的作用具有异质性,当前在长江经济带发挥作用的主要是命令控制型和市场激励型环境规制,自愿参与型环境规制对国际RD溢出效应的激励作用尚未完全显现。结论在一定程度上印证了"波特假说"在开放条件下也是成立的,最后依据上述结论提出了相应的政策建议。     

企业环境寻求、污染密集型生产区际转移与环境监管

在当前强调产业结构调整的政策背景下,产业有序转移必须以有利于或者加强环境保护为基本目标。环境规制差异造成了不同经济地域之间污染密集型生产的比较优势调整,强化了高污染产业进行生产区位选择的动机,以规避来自政府的环境监管。环境治理成本的不同是高污染企业区际转移的重要驱动因素,企业环境寻求策略推动了污染密集型生产由环境规制强度高的地区向环境规制松弛地区的转移。企业污染密集型生产的区际转移受到环境要素产品生产比较优势的明显影响,这些环境要素产品与区际环境规制差异、企业市场内部化战略以及污染密集型产品的生命周期密切关联。借鉴一般均衡分析框架,可以明晰企业环境寻求策略下污染密集型生产转移的内在机制。一方面,环境成本差异决定了非环境友好产品生产转移的意愿,高强度的环境规制使得企业生产的边际环境治理成本和平均环境治理成本提高,污染密集型生产外迁的动力加强,生产效率高的企业对环境规制强度更加敏感。污染密集型生产承接地提高环境规制强度能形成对环境负面影响的有力对冲,遏制环境恶化趋势。另一方面,合理的区际环境政策差异能在产业有序转移中发挥重要作用。合理设定区际环境规制级差与碳信征信系统建设,加强分类监管与行业节能减排,建立拟承接生产项目的效率筛选机制,提高区域市场开放程度、降低产业优惠政策所形成隐性市场保护等环境监管手段是保证欠发达地区通过产业承接实现跨越式发展的关键所在。     

中小企业安全生产“供求”与政府管制

从安全生产作为一种"公共产品"的视角,分析中小企业供给与需求状况,得出目前中小企业安全生产处于"供给低、需求低"的非正常状态,说明劳动力市场对安全供求的调节已经失灵;通过对安全管制下中小企业日常安全管理行动的调研,结合相关研究成果,说明中小企业安全生产管制存在"管制失灵";对安全生产管制存在的问题进行分析,并提出以完善安全生产法律法规体系为前提,以加强中小企业安全生产监管信息库建设为基础,以建立和完善中小企业安全生产三大机制为手段将中小企业安全生产引入良性发展轨道。