Suchergebnisse

La présente analyse est empirique et vise à caractériser l'influence de la conjoncture et de l'intensité de l'utilisation des équipements sur le comportement de déclassement du capital. Elle est réalisée sur des données individuelles de firmes et bénéficie d'informations originales sur les degrés d'utilisation des facteurs de production. L'échantillon mobilisé comprend 6 998 observations sur la période 1996-2008. Cette base de données individuelles est, à notre connaissance, unique pour l'analyse empirique des effets de l'intensité de l'utilisation des équipements sur le comportement de déclassement. L'analyse empirique du comportement de déclassement est réalisée avec ces données en corrigeant les biais d'endogénéité par le recours à des estimations instrumentées. Les principaux résultats obtenus des estimations de modèles de déclassements du capital peuvent être résumés ainsi : i) Le taux de déclassement est décroissant avec les variations des tensions conjoncturelles mesurées par les variations de l'output et de la durée d'utilisation des équipements, cette relation correspondant à un effet de décélérateur de déclassements ; ii) Le taux de déclassement est croissant avec l'intensité structurelle d'utilisation des équipements, ce qui correspond à un effet d'usure, mais l'importance de ce dernier est secondaire comparée à celle de l'effet de décélérateur ; iii) Le taux de rentabilité n'a pas d'influence significative sur le taux de déclassement. Par rapport à la littérature existante, essentiellement ici Mairesse et Dormont [1985], l'apport de ces résultats est de faire apparaître, par la mobilisation de données d'enquêtes originales, que l'intensité de l'utilisation des équipements influence les déclassements structurellement positivement, via un effet d'usure, et conjoncturellement négativement, via un effet décélérateur qui complète celui déjà pris en compte via l'effet des variations de la valeur ajoutée.

Urban unemployment and underemployment are widespread problems in Africa, perhaps more so than on other continents. It is a truism, apparently accepted by most governments, that capital is scarce, and that the rate of development and employment creation are constrained by the relative scarcity of capital equipment and the slow rate of capital formation. And yet these two observations, challengeable but generally accepted as commonplace and obvious truths, co-exist in much of Africa with a paradoxical third statement: that much of the urban capital stock, particularly in the modern-service sectors – government, education, large-scale commerce, finance, etcetera – is utilised at a very low rate, typically of the order of 25–30 per cent of the potential maximum. This brief note speculates on the reasons for this state of affairs, and explores the consequences of adopting a possible policy designed to produce a significant change.

Although farm households have sufficient surplus, the extent of surplus reinvestment is low and inversely related to farm size. The existence of sharecropping arrangements dampens incentive for productive investment by both landlords and tenants. Adoption of new technology may lead to increased reinvestment of surplus. (DÜI-Sen)

CONTENTS -- LIST OF FIGURES -- ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS -- PREFACE -- EDITORIAL PREFACE -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Work Patterns and Capital Operating Hours :Micro Foundations -- 3. Capital Operating Time (COT) In Macroeconomic Modelling -- 4. Capital Operating Time: Measurement Issues -- 5. Shiftwork And Capital Operating Time In Industry: A Comparative International Survey -- 6. Capital Operating Time And Shiftworking In France -- 7. Duration Of Utilisation Of Plant And Machinery InGermany -- 8. Capital Operating Time And Shift Work In Norway -- 9. Shiftworking And Capital Operating Time In Swedish Manufacturing -- 10. Shiftworking And Capital Utilisation In The UK -- 11. Operating Hours Of US Manufacturing Plants,1976-1988, And Their Significance For Productivity Change -- 12. Working Time And Operating Time In The European Car Industry -- 13. Working Time And Operating Hours In The Japanese Car Industry -- 14. Social And Political Issues -- AUTHOR INDEX -- SUBJECT INDEX

We characterise optimal tax policies when the government has access to consumption taxation and cannot credibly commit to future policies. We consider a neoclassical economy where factor income taxation is distortionary within the period, due to endogenous labour and capital utilisation and non-tax-deductibility of depreciation. Contrary to the case where only labour and capital income are taxed, the optimal time-consistent policies with consumption taxation are remarkably similar to their Ramsey counterparts. The welfare gains from commitment are negligible, while they are substantial without consumption taxation. Further, the welfare gains from taxing consumption are much higher without commitment.

Opening doors to the outside world is a fundamental national policy of China. Foreign capital can be used to supplement China's resources and is an im portant means to step up its economic development. Mr Deng Xiaoping once said: 'it is necessary to acquire foreign funds and technological know-how to help China's economic development.' Following is my opinion about China's experiences and lessons drawn from the utilisation of foreign capital.

Data on shift‐working, annual hours and employment are used to derive alternative measures of capital utilisation in seven countries. There is a positive relationship between utilisation and capital intensity, and utilisation levels in developing countries are significantly higher than in industrialised countries. Inter‐country comparisons of capital productivity are made by comparing industries with similar levels of capital per production worker. It is shown that output per input of capital services in some developing countries is half that of comparable industries in industrialised countries. However, the higher levels of utilisation in developing countries partially offset these low values for the productivity of capital services. Data on labour productivity and earnings are combined to measure labour costs per unit of output and thus throw light on the overall competitive position of industry in the different countries.