Cost‐effectiveness of conservation payment schemes for species with different range sizes

Payments to compensate landowners for carrying out costly land‐use measures that benefit endangered biodiversity have become an important policy instrument. When designing such payments, it is important to take into account that spatially connected habitats are more valuable for many species than isolated ones. One way to incentivize provision of connected habitats is to offer landowners an agglomeration bonus, that is, a bonus on top of payments they are receiving to conserve land if the land is spatially connected. Researchers have compared the cost‐effectiveness of the agglomeration bonus with 2 alternatives: an all‐or‐nothing, agglomeration payment, where landowners receive a payment only if the conserved land parcels have a certain level of spatial connectivity, and a spatially homogeneous payment, where landowners receive a payment for conserved land parcels irrespective of their location. Their results show the agglomeration bonus is rarely the most cost‐effective option, and when it is, it is only slightly better than one of the alternatives. This suggests that the agglomeration bonus should not be given priority as a policy design option. However, this finding is based on consideration of only 1 species. We examined whether the same applied to 2 species, one for which the homogeneous payment is best and the other for which the agglomeration payment is most cost‐effective. We modified a published conceptual model so that we were able to assess the cost‐effectiveness of payment schemes for 2 species and applied it to a grassland bird and a grassland butterfly in Germany that require the same habitat but have different spatial‐connectivity needs. When conserving both species, the agglomeration bonus was more cost‐effective than the agglomeration and the homogeneous payment; thus, we showed that as a policy the agglomeration bonus is a useful conservation‐payment option.     

Integration of ecological–biological thresholds in conservation decision making

In the Anthropocene, coupled human and natural systems dominate and only a few natural systems remain relatively unaffected by human influence. On the one hand, conservation criteria based on areas of minimal human impact are not relevant to much of the biosphere. On the other hand, conservation criteria based on economic factors are problematic with respect to their ability to arrive at operational indicators of well‐being that can be applied in practice over multiple generations. Coupled human and natural systems are subject to economic development which, under current management structures, tends to affect natural systems and cross planetary boundaries. Hence, designing and applying conservation criteria applicable in real‐world systems where human and natural systems need to interact and sustainably coexist is essential. By recognizing the criticality of satisfying basic needs as well as the great uncertainty over the needs and preferences of future generations, we sought to incorporate conservation criteria based on minimal human impact into economic evaluation. These criteria require the conservation of environmental conditions such that the opportunity for intergenerational welfare optimization is maintained. Toward this end, we propose the integration of ecological–biological thresholds into decision making and use as an example the planetary‐boundaries approach. Both conservation scientists and economists must be involved in defining operational ecological–biological thresholds that can be incorporated into economic thinking and reflect the objectives of conservation, sustainability, and intergenerational welfare optimization.     

中国经济发展方式的转变动力及其作用途径

以全要素生产率增长动力作为经济发展方式的转变动力,本文采用1989-2013年4组省际面板数据经由可行广义最小二乘法实证估计了10个动力因素对全要素生产率增长率的贡献水平与作用途径。研究发现:技术创新水平、市场化水平、人力资本存量水平、异质性企业集聚水平和对外开放度的综合指数对中国全要素生产率增长率的回归估计系数分别为0.575 7,0.212 5,0.136 8,0.064 4和0.018,表明技术创新、市场化改革、人力资本积累、异质性企业集聚和对外开放是促进中国经济发展方式转变的直接动力因素。进一步的研究结果显示:技术创新和异质性企业集聚通过提高前沿技术进步率和生产效率变化率以及规模报酬收益率途径,市场化改革通过提高前沿技术进步率途径,人力资本积累与对外开放通过提高前沿技术进步率和规模报酬收益率途径,促进了中国全要素生产率增长。虽然产业结构变迁、城市化、基础设施建设、区域经济政策实施和金融发展对中国全要素生产率的增长表现为负向或拖累作用,但是,产业结构变迁与城市化能够提高前沿技术进步率,基础设施建设和区域经济政策能够提高规模报酬收益率,金融发展能够提高生产效率增长率和规模报酬收益率,这5项动力因素对促进中国全要素生产率增长的正向贡献有待提高。依据上述研究结论,本文提出尽快攻克制约生产率增长的核心技术,统筹考虑产业结构升级、城市化、基础设施建设和区域经济政策实施以及加快金融领域改革等政策建议,以期加快我国经济发展方式转变进程。     

Defining the Impact of Non‐Native Species

Non‐native species cause changes in the ecosystems to which they are introduced. These changes, or some of them, are usually termed impacts; they can be manifold and potentially damaging to ecosystems and biodiversity. However, the impacts of most non‐native species are poorly understood, and a synthesis of available information is being hindered because authors often do not clearly define impact. We argue that explicitly defining the impact of non‐native species will promote progress toward a better understanding of the implications of changes to biodiversity and ecosystems caused by non‐native species; help disentangle which aspects of scientific debates about non‐native species are due to disparate definitions and which represent true scientific discord; and improve communication between scientists from different research disciplines and between scientists, managers, and policy makers. For these reasons and based on examples from the literature, we devised seven key questions that fall into 4 categories: directionality, classification and measurement, ecological or socio‐economic changes, and scale. These questions should help in formulating clear and practical definitions of impact to suit specific scientific, stakeholder, or legislative contexts. Definiendo el Impacto de las Especies No‐Nativas     

高铁网络可达性测度及经济潜力分析——以安徽省为例

高速铁路的开通给沿线城市的建设带来了重大影响。基于可达性测度以及修正的经济潜力模型,利用GIS对安徽省高铁可达性以及经济潜力进行深入分析。研究表明:(1)高铁开通后安徽省可达性显著提高,但总体格局保持不变,呈现出以合肥为中心,淮南、芜湖等地为副中心的"多核心"模式。池州、铜陵两城市可达性上升幅度最大,黄山紧随其后,芜湖、滁州变化最小。高铁开通后,滁州可达性排名下降5名,下降幅度最大,合肥、淮南、黄山最为稳定,其他城市均有小幅变化。(2)可达性的提升对城市经济潜力造成了一定影响,总体呈现出以合肥为中心的外围扩展模式。池州、铜陵经济潜力增长最为显著,黄山位列第3,可达性的提升直接影响了池州、铜陵、黄山三市的经济发展。高铁开通后,合肥、芜湖经济潜力排名始终位于前二,传统经济中心地位不变。马鞍山排名上升4名,幅度最大,池州、黄山两市处于末端,经济潜力仍然较为薄弱。(3)高铁开通后,时空收敛效应明显,可达性的提升令城市经济潜力增长显著,但受多方面因素影响,可达性与经济潜力呈现不完全契合关系。     

矿业权集聚、经济增长与区域贫困减缓

本文基于泰尔指数法,计算并测度了中国资源富集区的城乡收入差距与行业(矿业)收入差距,然后结合矿业权集聚度的测度结果和中国资源税改革的变动特征,建立面板数据回归模型,考察了2004—2014年中国资源富集区矿业权集聚与经济增长、贫困减缓的长期关系。本文的主要结论是:资源税对矿业权集聚水平和矿业经济增长具有正向刺激作用,但矿业经济增长并不利于地区经济的整体改进,也不利于区域贫困减缓。资源税低水平征收对"资源诅咒"和"区域贫困"具有传导效应,进而对资源富集区的贫困减缓形成阻滞作用。另外,矿业权集聚对地区贫困的影响存在异质性,异质性揭示了区域资源性收益分配存在的差异。短期来看,矿业权集聚使中央企业惠及更多,是引致"富饶中的贫困"怪圈的重要原因;但长期来看,随着矿业权集聚度的提升,地方政府获得的累积性资源性收益不断上升,渐次增强了地方政府通过社会保障支出实施收入调节的能力,总体上有利于区域贫困的减缓。因此,为实现资源富集区的精准扶贫,资源主管部门在制定减贫措施前,应根据不同区域特点区别对待,短期内应着力于调整资源性收益分配机制,赋予地方更多资源性收益,并加大对社会的保障性支出;长期来看,应探索建立合理有效的资源税体制,促进经济增长方式的多样化,并鼓励科技创新,进一步提高社会群体的受教育程度,从根本上改变区域贫困产生的内生性环境和外生性环境。     

The channels of the effect of government expenditure on the environment: evidence using dynamic panel data

This paper explores the relationship between government spending and environmental quality using panel data for 94 countries for the period 1970–2008. We identify and estimate three distinct channels that comprise the total direct effect of government expenditure on air pollution, namely a marginal effect, an effect conditional on economic growth and an effect conditional on institutional quality. Since adjustment rate of emissions to their equilibrium level is slow due to technological and institutional reasons, we explicitly take into account dynamics by applying appropriate econometric methods. The results demonstrate that there is a significant alleviating direct effect of government expenditure on SO₂ and NO_x emissions, which increases with the level of economic growth and democracy. However, there is no evidence of a significant effect on pollutants with more global impact on the environment and human health, like N₂O and CO₂, implying that the adoption of international environmental treaties is required in this case.     

基于面板数据的土地投入对经济增长的影响-以浙江省为例

采用生产函数与面板数据回归模型相结合的研究手段，以地处经济发达地区的浙江省为实证研究区域对土地要素投入对经济增长的影响进行了定量的研究。研究结果表明：(1)就规模效应而言，浙江省的经济增长处于规模报酬不变的发展阶段；(2)浙江省经济增长对劳动力要素的投入最为敏感，其中土地要素、劳动力要素和资本要素增加1个单位的投入量对经济增长的推动为 0.247 3、0.538 5 和 0.321 6；（3）固定资产投入在研究期间是浙江省经济增长的主要推动力，其贡献率达到6823%，而劳动力要素与土地要素则分别为2346%和625%；(4)浙江省土地利用不够集约，在研究期间土地要素对经济增长的影响能被资本要素与劳动力要素有效替代，而劳动力要素则难以被资本投入与土地投入有效替代，劳动集约型产业应该成为浙江省未来发展方向之一。     

协调中国环境污染与经济增长冲突的路径研究——基于环境退化成本的分析

选取我国1990-2009年相关数据,首先对环境遥化成本进行估计,发现我国环境退化成本呈现不断上升的趋势,而水污染、空气污染是导致环境退化成本产生的主要原因.其次,以环境退化成本作为污染指标,结合环境库兹涅茨曲线的特征,并以能否有效地将污染指标降低到相对较低的水平,作为政策路径选择的标准,分析协调我国环境污染与经济增长冲突的路径.实证研究结果表明:在不考虑政策因素的影响下,我国目前国内生产总值水平仍处在环境库兹涅茨曲线拐点的左端,经济持续增长有可能导致环境状况进一步恶化;多项环境治理政策的同步实施,致使个别政策出现低效率甚至是无效率;在当前产出水平条件下,既要保证经济平稳增长,又要降低环境退化成本,政策路径的选择首先应注重产业结构的调整,适当保持第二产业比重,但在发展第三产业的过程中,应加大对污染企业的监管与治理,其次是调整国际贸易进出口比例,积极扩大出口,而采用吸引外商直接投资与加大污染治理投资等政策在我国现阶段均不能有效降低环境退化成本.     

济南市环境与经济协调发展评价及对策研究

以济南市为研究对象,通过构建环境与经济协调发展指标体系,分析了济南市生态环境和经济发展状况,评价了环境与经济协调发展水平,结果表明:2011年-2014年济南市经济发展呈逐年上升趋势;生态环境质量出现下降态势;环境与经济协调发展水平也出现了明显下滑.根据评价结果,探讨了该市在产业能源结构、机动车控制及农业生产方面存在的问题,由此提出了调整产业结构、优化能源结构、完善机动车管理、加强生态农业建设、建立环境和经济发展综合决策和激励机制等对策.