ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE NETHERLANDS: PRODUCTIVITY,UTILITY, AND SORTING*

ABSTRACT This paper identifies the impact of cultural diversity on local economies, by explaining spatial disparities in wages and housing prices across Dutch cities using unique individual panel data of homeowners during the period 1999 and 2008. We distinguish between the effects of spatial sorting based on individual heterogeneity, interactions‐based productivity effects, and consumer amenities while controlling for interactions between the labor and housing market. In line with previous literature, we find a positive effect of cultural diversity on average housing prices. After controlling for spatial sorting, the effect of cultural diversity on housing prices is negative. The negative impact of cultural diversity on local housing markets is likely driven by a causal effect between the presence of immigrants and neighborhood quality that outweighs a positive effect of immigrant‐induced diversity in consumption goods.     

试论区域文化对区域经济发展的影响

本文探讨文化和经济的关系,重点论述了区域文化对区域经济发展的滞缓或促进作用,并以宁夏的区情进行了例证。     

THE INFLUENCE OF HUMAN CAPITAL INVESTMENT ON MIGRATION AND INDUSTRY CHANGE*

ABSTRACT. Individuals’human capital investments in their regions, industries, and occupations are measured as a function of the years they spend in their current region, industry, or occupation, and these investments are shown empirically to influence migration. There is an interesting life cycle pattern to migration: it falls rapidly with new investments, but then resurfaces as an opportunity to renew investments and increase the growth rate of income. Income regressions substantiate the life cycle path of income growth implied by the migration model.     

ON THE INFLUENCE OF DRYING AND FIRING OF CLAY ON THE FORMATION OF TRACE ELEMENT CONCENTRATION PROFILES WITHIN POTTERY*

On experimentally fired briquettes made of five chemically and mineralogically different clays, trace element concentration profiles from the centre to the surface of the briquettes have been measured by Neutron Activation in order to examine if drying and firing of the clays lead to a mobilization and subsequent migration of single components within a sherd. Mineralogical changes during firing have been determined by X‐ray diffraction. Generally, no such migration could be found. For two clays, arsenic was lost from the briquette during firing, forming non‐constant concentration profiles. If NaCl is present in the clay paste, sodium migrates towards the surface. Additionally, in the special case in which the presence of NaCl coincides with that of calcite, the heavier alkali elements evaporate, forming significant concentration profiles within the sherd.     

THE PROBLEM OF HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT: RESULT OF MUDDLED NATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICIES

During 1953 through 1979 estimated, the U.S. economy has exhibited a roller-coaster economic performance–six periods of inadequate upturn, stagnation, and recession, with a chronic rise in unemployment because each upturn at its peak has tended to leave us with more unemployment than the previous one. During the period as a whole, we have forfeited 7.1 trillion 1978 dollars in GNP and 80.8 million years of civilian employment opportunities, and consequently lost about 1.8 trillion dollars in public revenues at all levels, with severe neglect of national priorities, and chronically rising Federal Budget deficits. This sorry record is due primarily to reliance upon a “trade-off” between unemployment and inflation. But empirical evidence for more than a quarter century has demonstrated that inflation rises as unused capabilities increase and vice versa. The annual inflation rate during the first half of 1979 exceeded 13 percent despite recession; it ranged from 1.6–3.0 percent during periods close to full employment. We now need thorough reconstruction of national economic policies, including abandonment of (1) the unemployment-inflation “trade-off,” (2) attempts to balance the federal budget at the expense of the economy and the people, (3) the prevalent monetary policy with soaring interest rates, and (4) excessive reliance on tax reductions in lieu of increased public outlays or investment. These changes would replace improvised and frequently conflicting national economic policies with comprehensive and coherent efforts. All this is in accord with the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978     

A NOTE ON THE STABILITY PROPERTY OF SPATIAL COMPETITION*

ABSTRACT. Our study extends the standard comparative static analysis to allow for dynamic aspects of equilibrium in spatial competiton. We investigate dynamic stability properties via the Routh-Hurwitz criterion. Nontrivial equilibria in the so-called Löschian, Hotelling-Smithies, and Greenhut-Ohta models are shown to be stable even under heterogeneous cost conditions among competing firms, conditions not considered hitherto. We can thus provide powerful support to the comparative static analyses which can only be developed via equilibrium concepts with stability properties.     

基础设施投资与中国经济增长的地区差异研究

本文应用生产函数法和我国19962000年度混合数据,从全国各地区的层次进行分析,估计基础设施对经济增长的产出弹性,以及不同地域的显著性差异。得到的估计结果是基础设施投资的人均GDP产出弹性为0187;不同地域基础设施对经济增长的影响存在明显差异。本文分三部分。第一部分是引言,介绍了有关的研究文献;第二部分应用生产函数建立模型进行估计;第三部分是结论和政策建议。     

试论环渤海经济区的崛起与山西经济的发展

环渤海经济区将成为我国跨世纪改革开放的热点,这无疑对深居内陆地区的山西经济腾飞起到推动与促进作用。本文分析了山西在环渤海经济区中的战略地位、经济发展的有利因素及存在的主要问题,并提出了加快山西经济上新台阶的综合发展对策。