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.     

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。     

Local government,political decentralisation and resilience to natural hazard-associated disasters

Natural hazards affect development and can cause significant and long-term suffering for those affected. Research has shown that sustained long-term disaster preparedness combined with appropriate response and recovery are needed to deliver effective risk reductions. However, as the newly agreed Sendai framework recognises, this knowledge has not been translated into action. This research aims to contribute to our understanding of how to deliver longer term and sustained risk reduction by evaluating the role of political decentralisation in disaster outcomes. Specifically, we investigate whether countries which devolve power to the local level experience reduced numbers of people affected by storms and earthquakes, and have lower economic damage. Using regression analysis and cross-country data from 1950 to 2006, we find that, in relation to both storms and earthquakes, greater transfers of political power to subnational tiers of government reduce hazard impacts on the population. The downside is that more politically decentralised countries, which are usually wealthier countries, can increase the direct economic losses associated with a natural hazard impact after the storm or earthquake than those which are more centralised. However, overall, it seems advantageous to give subnational governments more authority and autonomy in storm and earthquake risk planning.     

中国区域能源、经济与环境耦合的动态演化

文章全面解析了系统耦合机制,以此为基础构建了能源、经济与环境三系统耦合模型,测算了1995—2014年中国四大区域三大系统间的耦合协调水平,并从时空两个维度对区域三系统交互关系的变化特征以及差异做出了全面讨论。结果表明,1各省区经济和环境综合指数呈持续上升的良好态势,而能源综合指数在小幅波动中保持了较为稳定的发展状态,同时三者关系极为密切,具体表现为三类指数的变动具有显著的相关性。2三系统交互作用的耦合度均保持不断递增的演化趋势,但绝对水平较低,且区域间差异较为明显,整体上呈现由东到西递减态势。3三系统的耦合变化与能源-经济、能源-环境和经济-环境三类二元系统的协调发展具有密切的相关性。4在探索三系统耦合协调的持续发展路径时,需重点引导三系统打破固有束缚,通过有秩序的相互配合产生单个系统所不具备的发展能力。而从现实状态看,在当前面临经济下行、资源环境不可持续以及区域发展差异扩大等问题的严峻挑战,各省区需结合本区域实际发展状况和比较优势制定发展规划。东部需以雄厚的经济实力为基础强化技术创新,以带动能源高效利用和环境保护;中部和东北需调整能源消费结构并提高能源利用效率;西部则应将重点放在绿色发展和防范环境风险两方面。     

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。     

基于生态位理论的京津冀城市生态文明评价

生态文明评价体系是明确生态文明建设现状、定位生态文明建设存在问题的关键。从城市群视角出发引入生态位理论,界定生态文明位内涵,构建涵盖社会子系统生态位—经济子系统生态位—资源环境子系统生态位共29项指标的城市生态文明评价指标体系,并提出相对生态文明位和生态经济指数的二维模型,测算京津冀城市群6个案例城市在2007—2011年的生态文明建设水平、趋势以及地位。结果显示,2011年北京生态文明水平(相对生态文明位)最高,邢台生态文明水平最低,石家庄、秦皇岛、承德、天津生态文明水平分别排名第2、第3、第4、第5。2007—2011年,北京、承德、邢台生态文明水平呈现波动下降趋势,而秦皇岛、石家庄、天津呈现小幅上升趋势;但生态经济指数测算显示,北京的经济社会发展对于生态资源环境的占用消耗大,承德有较好的经济发展潜力。并基于该二维模型,将京津冀城市生态文明建设分为4种类型:发展失衡型、相对和谐型、高质量发展型、资源环境优势型,分别确定城市生态文明建设重点,为京津冀协同发展提供了指导依据。     

Effects of economic growth on biodiversity in the United States

For many citizens and policymakers, the empirical relationship between economic growth and biodiversity conservation has not been sufficiently established for purposes of identifying the types of economic policies amenable to biodiversity conservation. Some think economic growth conflicts with biodiversity conservation; others think economic growth conduces biodiversity conservation. With panel data from 1997‐2011, encompassing US continental states, we developed a series of statistical models to investigate the relationships among species endangerment, human population, and economic growth as indicated by GDP and per capita GDP. Species endangerment is highly correlated with population and GDP, and per capita GDP is a significant regressor of species endangerment. Across US continental states, competitive exclusion of non‐human species occurs via human economic growth and population growth.     

甘肃省第三产业对经济增长贡献的实证研究

第三产业的加快发展是生产力提高和社会进步的必然结果。大力发展第三产业有利于提高工农业生产的社会化和专业化水平,有利于优化生产结构,促进市场充分发育,缓解就业压力,从而促进整个经济持续、快速和健康发展。利用1991-2009年数据,以向量自回归模型为基础,采用单位根检验、协整分析和格兰杰因果检验等方法对甘肃省第三产业与经济增长之间的关系进行了实证研究。结果表明,1991-2009年甘肃省第三产业总值对GDP的长期弹性为0．35035,第三产业对经济增长具有积极的促进作用。     

村镇供水管网优化设计探讨

如何合理确定村镇供水管网敷设方案,关系到整个供水系统的安全性和可靠性。通过生成树变化法,将环状管网转化成树状管网,确定供水管网中最短供水路线,再计算最短供水路线下的最低综合费用、供水系统的经济管径,以确定最优管道敷设方案。根据该方法对四川省某镇供水系统进行了设计。     

侧吸导烟技术的经济性分析

介绍了侧吸导烟技术的技术背景,分析计算了焦炉装煤烟尘成分及含量,经对该技术的经济效益进行概算后显示,该技术可以有效改善焦炉区及周边环境,每年还可创造可观的经济效益,是一项值得研究推广的技术。