Avoiding Blame—A Comprehensive Framework and the Australian Home Insulation Program Fiasco

It is widely acknowledged in the literature that the study of blame avoidance behavior (BAB) exhibited by public officials is scattered and unconcentrated, and that, for the most part, it neglects both contextual factors and comparative research. These deficits inhibit the production of the kind of generalized findings necessary to better understand potential consequences for the policy process and the workings of political systems. We address these deficits by developing a framework that takes stock of blame avoidance research, clarifies the explanatory potential of contextual factors, and allows for a systematic context‐sensitive cross‐case analysis. For illustrative purposes, the framework is applied to the Home Insulation Program in Australia as a critical case. This case reveals the explanatory potential of contextual factors for the understanding of BAB and the consequences thereof. We conclude by stating the advantages of our framework and explain how it can be used for comparative research.     

What drives export performance of firms in Eastern and Western Poland?

We use a unique firm-level survey dataset that draws from the EFIGE (European Firms in a Global Economy) questionnaire to unveil differences in factors driving export performance in the most structurally diverse areas of Poland. While conventional results regarding the role of size, foreign ownership and innovation activity are confirmed at the aggregate level, the picture breaks down when Western and Eastern macroregions are extracted. Our results suggest that the common perception of a more developed West (Poland ‘A’) and a backward East (Poland ‘B’) might be outdated. Rather, firms in both regions seem to follow distinct strategies for and have dissimilar success factors in competing internationally. Interestingly, export performance in the East is found to benefit from family ties in business, but also from product innovation and non-price competitiveness. In the West, it is associated mostly with size and foreign ownership. Overall, our results, on the one hand, add support to the ‘new’ new trade theory and the ‘new’ new economic geography’s premises related to the importance of microeconomic factors and, on the other, contribute to the discussion on the pattern of regional development in Poland. We also discuss some implications for policymakers and managers and suggest directions for further research.     

中国与环南海国家(地区)贸易竞争性和互补性格局

环南海因其重要的地缘战略意义,对中国国家安全和对外合作发展具有重要意义.本文在产品层次,揭示了中国与环南海国家(地区)的贸易竞争性和互补性格局,有助于加深理解中国与该区域的地缘经济竞合关系.结果表明:①中国大陆与环南海国家(地区)的贸易规模不断增大.中国大陆与香港、台湾、越南、菲律宾、新加坡、泰国的出口相似度较高,在世...     

China's Emergence and Impact on Technology in East Asia: The Case of Machinebuilding

Two Taiwan-based economists estimate the technology content of exports by the machinebuilding industry of the East Asia region during 2004-2008, using comparative analysis to clarify changes in the relative competitiveness of four East Asian nations (China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan) accompanying the formation of a regional trading bloc and production networks. In particular, they examine the technology content of these countries' machinebuilding sub-industries' exports within the Southeast Asian market (documenting the rise of the machinebuilding industry in China) as well as the penetration of Japanese, South Korean, and Taiwanese sub-industries into China's market. The results point to areas of emerging competition among China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan for East Asian markets, which can only be expected to intensify in the future. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F14, F15, F36, O14, P23. 7 tables, 36 references.     

接近与嫡系心智模式是旅行社增强竞争力的主要障碍

心智模决定人们的思维方式和行为习惯。章认为接近与嫡系不良心智模式是旅行社增强竞争力的主要障碍。旅行社应积极倡导学习与效益型的心智模式。     

展望中国人文地理学的发展

中国自改革开放以来,人文地理学得到了复兴,在理论、方法和研究内容方面都有了新的发展,其中尤以经济地理学、城市地理学和旅游地理学的进展较快,原先被视为禁区的政治地理学、文化地理学和社会地理学,也开始出现了一批可喜的成果。目前在中国经济体制转轨的新形势下,中国人文地理学正处于一个重要的转折时期,即面临着严重的挑战,又出现了前所未有的发展机遇。
在迈入21世纪时,作者建议中国人文地理学着重研究以下各课题:
(1)为充实中国人文地理学的基础理论,研究人地关系地域系统;
(2)为配合(中国21世纪议程)的实施,研究全国和各地区社会经济的持续发展;
(3)以土地利用为中心来研究全球变化和人类活动的关系;
(4)从节约利用和保护资源出发,研究地区自然资源系统;
(5)为发扬中国地理学的传统,更认真地为农业服务,研究促进农业和农村的持续发展问题;
(6)从理论和方法上提高区域地理研究的水平、并配合国家任务,开展区域综合发展的研究,包括国家和各省经济建设的重点区、海域、生态脆弱区等。     

论旅游产业核心竞争力

竞争力是反映一个产业的素质和发展潜能的重要标志。旅游产业是旅游业的重要经济特征,旅游产业的竞争力表现在产业内部的旅游产品、旅游企业、旅游服务等以及产业外部的旅游功能。本文运用波特的竞争力理论并结合旅游产业的自身特点,提出以旅游资源为内核所形成的旅游吸引物是旅游产业竞争力的核心,它和旅游设施、旅游服务等共同构成旅游产业,旅游设施和旅游服务是围绕旅游吸引物这一核心而展开的。     

荀悦考察历史的方法

东汉后期著名史学家荀悦的著作《汉纪》和《申鉴》中包含着卓越的史识。这主要表现他把历史看成是发展的,各种制度应适应时代与社会的发展而变化,统治者必须随时而变,随机应变。他认为考察历史问题应与具体的社会环境结合起来,具体问题具体分析,主张将不同的政治主张置于具体历史时空中探讨。他既能从整体上把握事物,从多角度加以探讨,又能考察事物的不同方面,分析其内在联系。他看到事物具有相对性的特点,主张通过比较把握事物的共性与个性,认为考察事物要透过现象看本质。他朦胧地意识到事物内部存在既相互对立又相互联系的两个方面,在人物评价中注意分析其两重性。荀悦的史识值得我们认真总结。     

中国旅游城市竞争力评价理论与实践中的问题辨析

本文针对旅游学术界在探讨旅游城市竞争力问题时所存在的一些方法和理论误区,提出了一些新的看法。主要的观点是：当前相关领域的研究由于在基础理论层面缺乏深入的研究,使得一些应用研究建立在概念混淆和概念不清的基础上,从而导致了相关理论在实践指导上的失效。这些问题的解决,有赖于对相关的基本概念予以系统的辨析。     

苏联专家与新疆综合科学考察

1956～1960年,在自然资源综合考察委员会领导下,中国开展了第一次新疆综合科学考察。这次考察以查明新疆自然条件与资源情况,提出新疆生产力发展与布局方案为目的。这项考察不仅是《十二年科学技术远景规划》的重要任务之一,而且也是中苏科学技术合作的项目。从1957年开始,苏联陆续派遣专家组参与了考察工作。苏联专家在新疆考察中承担了重要任务,也做了大量工作,不仅指导了考察工作的顺利进行,还举办了一系列学术讲座,帮助中国培养了一批科研人才,并将他们的野外考察经验无私地传授给中国同行。在考察中,苏联专家们还有针对性地提出意见和建议,与中国同志开展学术交流活动。总之,虽然因中苏关系的破裂,使苏联专家未能参加最后的总结工作,但苏联专家仍为考察工作做出了重大贡献。