The politics and economics of auction design in the market for sulfur dioxide pollution

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 aim to create a market in emissions of sulfur dioxide from power plants by distributing a fixed number of tradable pollution permits called “allowances,” and by providing for the auction of a small fraction of the total number of allowances. This article describes potential inefficiencies in this market and how an auction could enhance the market. It shows that the method by which allowances are “bundled together” for auction is an important efficiency-related element of auction design. The article also examines the politics of auction design and how equity goals strongly shaped the design ultimately adopted by Congress. Finally, some implications are suggested for the role of policy analysis in the legislative process.     

学术论文中的学术失范、学术不端现象及其防范

目前辨别及防范学术失范和学术不端行为已成为学术期刊出版的一项重要工作。选取某学术期刊,对其来稿情况及利用《学术不端行为检测系统》比对的结果进行分析。结果表明,作者来稿中的学术失范和学术不端行为的产生既有主观原因又有客观因素,涉及到作者的学术态度、写作动机,对学术道德的认识,对引文标注、著作权法等相关规范和法律条文的理解,以及对网络媒体和纸质期刊之间关系的了解等各个方面。学术期刊的编辑,是学术论文发表的审核者和把关者,应该利用好《学术不端行为检测系统》,辩证地分析检测结果,提高辨别和防范学术失范及学术不端行为的能力,尽最大可能避免重复发表和剽窃之作流向社会。     

COLLECTIVE DELUSION IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: PUBLISHING INCENTIVES FOR EMPIRICAL ABUSE

The implications o f the editorial bias of academic journals for the selection of articles with apparently statistically significant findings are widely recognized but largely ignored. Few worry about the incentives the publishing bias presents to researchers for empirical abuse that brings into question the basis of social science knowledge. One possible solution, desirable but probably impractical, is to review articles with statistical results and conclusions omitted. Another, more practical, approach is to guarantee journal space for replication of previously published research. Finally, editors should take greater care in warning readers about findings that implicitly make unfounded statistical claims.     

Social Policy by Other Means: Theorizing Unconventional Forms of Welfare Production

Abstract

The goal of this special issue is to highlight the importance of unconventional social policies, theorize their development in comparison with traditional welfare state accounts and outline a new research agenda. In this introduction to the special issue, the editors present the concept of social policy by other means as encompassing two kinds of unconventional social policy (from the point of view of mainstream comparative research): First, functional equivalents to formal systems of social protection and, second, non-state provision of benefits. The concept builds upon a sizeable, but fragmented literature in comparative welfare state research. While numerous examples demonstrate that social policy by other means is more pervasive in both OECD and non-OECD countries than often acknowledged, a brief survey of the top 20 articles in the field reveals that this fact is not sufficiently reflected in the academic literature. With reference to both existing studies and the contributions to this special issue, the editors go on to explore (1) the different forms of social policy by other means, (2) explanatory theories and (3) their effectiveness in terms of social outcomes. They close by outlining a research agenda.     

Using laboratory experiments for policymaking: An example from the Georgia irrigation reduction auction

In recent years, interest has been growing in policy applications of different auction systems. This paper reports a series of experiments that were used to design and implement an auction in a unique policymaking environment. In April 2000, the Georgia legislature passed a law that mandated that the state hold an auction in drought years to pay some farmers to suspend irrigation. This paper reports the results of laboratory experiments state policymakers used to determine the auction institution that would be used to fulfill the requirements of this new law. Experimental results are compared with farmers' bidding behavior in the state‐run irrigation auction used to reduce water usage in Georgia. © 2004 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.     

Publishing as Prostitution? – Choosing Between One's Own Ideas and Academic Success

Survival in academia depends on publications in refereedjournals. Authors only get their papers accepted if theyintellectually prostitute themselves by slavishly followingthe demands made by anonymous referees who have no propertyrights to the journals they advise. Intellectual prostitutionis neither beneficial to suppliers nor consumers. But it isavoidable. The editor (with property rights to the journal)should make the basic decision of whether a paper is worthpublishing or not. The referees should only offer suggestionsfor improvement. The author may disregard this advice. Thisreduces intellectual prostitution and produces more originalpublications.     

Does Academic Publishing Pass the Real Market Test?

The academic market test is dissected here into its componentdecision-making processes to establish a basis for comparingthe commercial market test that we know, with the one we seekto pass in academia. Important differences between the twomarkets exist, but the market test for academic publishingdoes pass muster and may surpass that of the commercialmarket. This provides an analytical foundation for resolvingissues of professional debate concerning who passes theacademic market test.     

Publishing while editor: Transparency and behaviour in public administration journals

Journal editors serve as gatekeepers of knowledge, a role critical to preserving the quality and standards of good research. Some scholars have questioned whether editors have taken advantage of their position to publish their own work. To understand the extent to which editors of public administration journals self-publish, we examined publishing patterns over a 20-year period. We collected the names of editors from the mastheads of 13 generalist public administration journals from 1997 to 2016 and used data indexed from Web of Science to look at articles published in those journals during the same time. We found that while self-publishing behaviour is not common across the entire field, it is a trend for certain journals and individuals. We also found the practice of self-publishing is influenced by whether an individual served in a primary editorial role (e.g., editor-in-chief), length of editorial service, and overall scholarly productivity. We discuss appropriateness and ethical implications of the practice.     

Multi-stakeholder public policy and governance in China: an analysis

In this article, public policy is put into a multi-stakeholder rather than adversarial perspective: we argue that there is a role for multi-stakeholder involvement in both the development and implementation of public policy; these are separate processes that can involve different patterns of stakeholder involvement (stakeholders have different skills and levels of interest in public policy) in either one or both the development and implementation phases. We need new models, approaches and examples of such multi-stakeholder public policy, and in this Special Issue, we focus on China, where such research is only slowly emerging. We present and analyse six papers that fall naturally into three categories: (1) corporate social responsiveness and societal relationships; (2) public affairs (particularly reputation management) and citizen involvement; and (3) public-management-oriented, data-based analyses. These articles, taken together, increase our understanding of multi-stakeholder research and practice, but equally as important, they give us insights into how Chinese public policy academics research and report public policy. This window into academic research and thinking offers us an opportunity to expand and deepen our understanding of public policy and its implications for public affairs in China. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

MARKET IDEOLOGY AND PUBLIC SECTOR EFFICIENCY: INTRODUCTION TO SYMPOSIUM ON THE MARKET AND THE STATE

The four papers of which this symposium consists, together with the papers prepared by discussants, were part of a workshop organised by the Academy of Social Sciences over two days at the end of October 1989. The purpose of the workshop was to stimulate debate on this important public policy issue and to generate findings as well as point to material for further research. This introduction highlights the objectives of the workshop, its program, logistics and findings. It is regretted that one commentator was not able to present a contribution in time for inclusion in the journal. I take the opportunity in this introduction to thank the Academy of Social Sciences for sponsoring this workshop, three of its senior officers for their active participation (President, Peter Karmel; Director, Bruce Miller; and Treasurer, Stuart Harris) and the editors of the Australian Journal of Public Administration for providing this forum for the wider dissemination of the discussion it generated.     

On the use of auctions as a disposition strategy for RTC real estate assets: A policy perspective

Abstract

A sound strategy for real estate asset disposition is of paramount importance to the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) in its efforts to maximize costs resulting from the savings and loan bailout. A popular current approach to this problem is to employ expeditious sales structures such as auctions. Although auctions clearly speed up the disposition process, it is unclear whether they maximize net revenues. This paper analyzes the potential of auction structures to maximize sales revenue when such structures are applied to RTC commercial and residential real estate assets.

Absent political constraints, we conclude that auctions are usually inferior to traditional listing and broker sales channels. For the commercial real estate sector, this conclusion is based on the prominence of information‐acquisition costs, on market thinness on the buyer side, and on continued uncertainty regarding local economic recovery. Our conclusion for the residential real estate sector is based on the degree of property concentrations and the apparent inferiority of auctions for residential properties in weak markets. A recognition of short‐term political reality bolsters the case for auction approaches; however, the RTC should clearly stop promoting an image that it wishes to “sell, sell, sell.”     

Current Funding Practices in Academic Science Stifle Creativity

Money is trumping creativity in academic science. This statement was previously given substance in an article I published, along with a companion paper by Mark Roulston in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society ( Carlson, 2006a ; Roulston, 2006 ) and in a subsequent address I gave to the Heads and Chairs meeting in Boulder, Colorado ( Carlson, 2006b ). Here, I expand further on the issues treated in these papers, and make a plea for changing the way funding is administered in academic science. Using examples I show that the present worsening situation places a dead hand on the spirit and creative output of academic scientists, especially junior faculty. I suggest a possible solution, which would enable academic scientists to function in a stable environment, free from spurious financial pressures and dictates from university administration and funding agencies.     

Unraveling the Chinese Miracle: A Perspective of Interlinked Relational Contract

This paper is an attempt to provide an explanation for the socioeconomic foundation which underlies China’s economic miracle. As suggested by the theory of interlinked contract, the transition from a planning economy to a market economy is a multifaceted process. In terms of market dynamics interlinking markets replace specialized markets, while in terms of governance dynamics, interlinked contracts give way to formal contracts. A good match between the markets structure and contractual structure is key to the success of transition. In particular, some China-specific institutions, like TVEs, the financial system and the restructuring of SOEs can be better understood within this framework. Broadly, the whole reform package in China also is in good accordance with the spirit of interlinked contract. Wang thanks Project 985 of Fudan University, China Social Science Foundation Project (05CJL014), the MOE Project of Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Universities (07JJD790130 and Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project (B101) for financial support. Thanks also go to Sam Bowles, Sujian Guo, Peter Zeitz and anonymous referees for their helpful comments. Errors are solely ours.     

The Belgian Federation at a Crossroad

In the introduction, the editors present the special issue and, in particular, the issue at stake: the future of Belgian federalism. Despite the agreement on the sixth state reform, four key issues remain for Belgium's future: decision making, distribution of powers, intergovernmental relations and the role of the parties. Drawing on past and present investigations of this topic, they present the state of the federation and, in so doing, they set the stage for the remaining papers.     

Power in Editorial Positions: A Feminist Critique of Public Administration

Journal editors serve a vital, powerful role in academic fields. They set research priorities, serve as gatekeepers for research, play a critical role in advancing junior scholars as reviewers and eventually into editorial roles, build extensive networks, and gain valuable insight into the behavior and preferences of reviewers and scholars. This article analyzes data collected from leading public administration journals in 2017 to investigate the role of women as gatekeepers of public administration knowledge. The data illustrate a clear underrepresentation of women on editorial boards. Drawing from these data, research on journal editorships, and feminist theory, the authors present a critique of the current state of public administration research and a discussion of a way forward. They conclude with a proposal for how all public administration scholars (junior, senior, men, and women), journal leadership, and academic departments can move toward increasing women's representation in these important positions.     

Plagiarism, Academic Norms and the Governance of the Profession

Few would dissent from the view that plagiarism is an academic crime of the worst sort. Attention to the issue has been heightened recently by the growth of websites supplying 'off the peg' or customised research papers. This article argues that the definition and detection of plagiarism involves several complexities and that the resolution of the problem depends less on the development of coercive instruments to deal with the 'crime' than on the development of norms that emerge through reflective pedagogy and processes of academic socialisation.     

Collusion in auctions for emission permits: An experimental analysis

Environmental markets have several institutional features that provide a new context for the use of auctions and that have not been studied previously. This paper reports on laboratory experiments testing three auction forms—uniform and discriminatory price sealed‐bid auctions and an ascending clock auction. We test the ability of subjects to tacitly or explicitly collude in order to maximize profits. Our main result is that the discriminatory and uniform price auctions produce greater revenues than the clock auction, both with and without explicit communication. The clock appears to facilitate successful collusion, both because of its sequential structure and because it allows bidders to focus on one dimension of cooperation (quantity) rather than two (price and quantity).© 2009 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.     

Tackling the Big Questions in Social Impact Bond Research through Comparative Approaches

Abstract

This special issue of theJournal of Comparative Policy Analysis brings together four cross-disciplinary articles representing the first concerted attempt to combine comparative approaches to extend theoretical and empirical understandings of Social Impact Bonds (SIBs). SIBs are investment-backed payment-by-results projects and have been subject to vigorous academic debate on their appropriateness and efficacy since the first SIB launched in 2010. This introduction to the special issue outlines the state of the academic literature on SIBs, identifying gaps and suggesting five big questions that do not yet have satisfactory answers: (1) What are the administrative or political problems to which SIBs respond? (2) Where and why do SIBs emerge in particular contexts? (3) What is the role of SIBs in the evidence-based policy movement? (4) Is delivering an intervention through a SIB more effective than other means and are associated costs justifiable? (5) Do SIBs catalyse wider organizational, system, or institutional changes? This introduction then summarizes the articles included in this special issue, discusses how they respond to these big questions, and suggests that further comparative research might best address remaining gaps in the literature.     

国际学术界对中国公共管理的研究现状——论题、理论视角与方法

以SSCI收录的公共管理期刊在1999-2008年间刊登的研究中国公共管理的学术论文为样本,采用实证方法分析从事中国公共管理研究的国际学术界的构成及国内外学者合作研究的现状,并分析其论文论述的主题及采用的理论视角和研究方法.研究结果表明:在国际学术界的构成上中国大陆学者所占比例偏低;在从事国际合作研究方面,大陆学者主动组织国际合作研究的能力较弱;在论题上,国际学术界研究的主题与国内学者关注的重大热点问题吻合度较高;五成以上的论文运用实证研究方法,研究设计及分析方法以案例研究为主,但进行理论检验的论文相对较少.在分析研究结果的基础上提出了关于中国公共管理研究实现科学化、国际化与本土化相结合路径的具体设想.