Persistence of innovation: stylised facts and panel data evidence

This paper investigates whether firms innovate persistently or discontinuously over time using an innovation panel data set on German manufacturing and service firms for the period 1994–2002. It turns out that innovation behaviour is permanent at the firm level to a very large extent. Using a dynamic random effects discrete choice model and a new estimator recently proposed by Wooldridge (2005), I further shed some light on the driving forces for this phenomenon. The econometric results show that past innovation experience is an important determinant for manufacturing as well as for service sector firms, and hence confirm the hypothesis of true state dependence. In addition, the results highlight the important role of knowledge provided by skilled employees and unobserved individual heterogeneity in explaining the persistence of innovation.

Some facts about “weapon focus”

“Weapon focus” refers to the concentration of acrime witness's attention on a weapon, and the resultant reduction in ability to remember other details of the crime. We examined this phenomenon by presenting subject-witnesses with a series of slides depicting an event in a fast-food restaurant. Half of the subjects saw a customer point a gun at the cashier; the other half saw him hand the cashier a check. In Experiment 1, eye movements were recorded while subjects viewed the slides. Results showed that subjects made more eye fixations on the weapon than on the check, and fixations on the weapon were of a longer duration than fixations on the check. In Experiment 2, the memory of subjects in the weapon condition was poorer than the memory of subjects in the check condition: In Experiment 1 similar, though only marginally significant, performance effects were obtained. These results provide the first direct empirical support for weapon focus.     

刑事诉讼严格证明的若干问题

严格证明理论对于我国刑事诉讼证明制度的改革具有重要意义。严格证明是指对具有证据能力的法定证据调查程序的证明。严格证明具有递进性功能,即具有真实发现、权利保障与权力规范、判决结果正当化这种递进性的功能。在适用范围问题上,证据合法性的证明由被告人以自由证明方式承担主观的证明责任,控诉方则以严格证明方式承担客观的证明责任;被告人承担证明责任的事实只应要求以自由证明方式进行,而不应要求严格证明。判决若是建立在以违反严格证明的事实认定的基础上时,必须从程序和实体两个层面上进行纠正和救济。     

新时期农村消防问题的几点思考及对策

通过对公安民警心理健康现状的调查,发现普通存在心理健康问题,需要引起重视。     

关于法律和制度名称的片想

法律、制度总是因人们的需要而产生,可也并不是说来就来的简单之举,于其背后必须要有紧迫的事由和认真的思考,甚至往往存在血与泪的凝聚。从这种意义上说,应该给法律和制度起个有意义的名字,让人能从中体味并记住其中的特殊含义,甚至一提起它可以讲出一段让人难忘的故事。或许出于此因,从古至今有很多法律及制度是以人甚至动物的名字来命名的。...     

Macroprudential policies and income inequality in former transition economies

Economic Change and Restructuring - We study the effects of the adoption of macroprudential policies on income inequality in former transition economies over the period 2002–2014. In general,...     

对反不正当竞争执法有关问题的探讨

肯定了我国《反不正当竞争法》所确定的“行政主导、司法辅助”的执法模式,并建议改革行政执法 机关体制,完善《反不正当竞争法》,以解决目前执法中遇到的问题与困难,加大执法力度。     

浅议知识产权保护领域的新问题

跨入新世纪的人类社会将面临众多新的挑战.由新技术革命引发的知识产权保护的法律问题比以往任何时候更加引入注目,问题的复杂性既让学者们充满兴趣又倍感焦虑,已成为当前知识产权研究领域争论的新热点和攻克的新难点.本文拟就网络技术与机器人技术两个领域中已经出现或势将出现的一些新情况、新问题提出若干浅陋意见,以期与同行切磋.     

Human capital,instability and foreign investment in transition economies

I argue that the West should lend money to the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe (FSUEE) to prevent excessive deterioration of its human capital stock. Such loans can improve the recipient countries' welfare by allowing them to enjoy the long-run benefits of a large human capital stock without incurring the costs of maintaining these stocks through lean economic times. The West can receive a fully competitive rate of return on these loans, and future foreign investors will be able to earn high rates of return by supplying physical capital to a newly stabilized FSUEE with abundant human capital.     

Investment mobilization and capacity completion in the Chinese and Soviet economies

This paper examines the relationship between the mobilization of resources into capital projects and the completion of new productive capacity in two ‘shortage’ economies—China and the USSR. Causes of delayed commissioning of new capacity, and the role of unfinished construction in the investment cycle, are analysed. Annual data over a long period are presented for both economies—for the USSR 1928–37 and 1950–83, and for China 1950–82. Changes over time in the relationship between investment mobilization and capacity completion are considered, along with differences and similarities between the records of the two economies under investigation.     

Battered woman and public opinion: Some realities about the myths

Expert testimony regarding the battered woman syndrome is often presented at trial on behalf of women charged with killing their batterers. Where courts have admitted such testimony into evidence, they have done so on the theory that the testimony is needed to dispel common myths regarding battered women—e.g., erroneous beliefs that battered women are masochists, who are somehow responsible for the battering they suffer and could avoid being battered by simply leaving their batterers. To date, however, there is no published empirical evidence that either jurors or members of the public at large hold such erroneous beliefs. The results of this study provide empirical support for the judicial hypothesis. These results suggest that many members of the general public eligible for jury duty do, in fact, hold erroneous, stereotyped beliefs about battered women.     

物权法草案(第二次审议稿)若干条文的解释与批判

十届全国人大常委会第1 2次会议通过了物权法草案(第二次审议稿)。本刊在此基础上,特约请梁慧星等专家学者就该草案以及物权法其他理论问题进行专门讨论,以期对我国《物权法》的制定有所裨益。     

当前人身伤害赔偿鉴定的几个问题

在审判实践中,涉及刑事、民事人身伤害赔偿案件不断增多.法医鉴定在案件审理中的重要地位已匆庸置疑,审判人员对法医鉴定的要求也越来越高,越来越细.从笔者本地区赔偿案件鉴定情况看,近几年除要求对伤者进行伤情程度鉴定外,还要求对伤残程度、医疗时限、医疗费用等进行鉴定.实践中,法医技术人员与审判人员在对上述问题的认识还不尽一致,有些问题上认识差距较大,确需不断探讨、研究,逐步统一认识,以使案件得以合理公正地解决.     

Commodity price shocks and the balance sheet effect in emerging economies

Economic Change and Restructuring - We study the role of commodity price shocks in explaining business cycles in emerging economies, but including a financial transmission mechanism that has been...     

关于利益衡量的两种知识——兼行比较德国、日本的民法解释学

德国的利益法学派所主张的作为补充法律漏洞方法的利益衡量和日本民法者所提出的利益衡量论有着很大的不同,属于两种不同的知识,但在我国却被不加区分地使用着。我国目前正展开对法学方法论的引入与讨论,究竟应该选择德国还是日本的进路,需要我们认真对待。     

我国最低生活保障法律问题探讨

笔者结合我国最低生活保障的实践,从法律论的视角对最低生活保障法制现状进行了理论探讨,目的在于为今后制定全国统一的最低生活保障法提供一定的参考。     

网络时代冲突法理论与规则的几点思考

<正> 18世纪印刷技术的迅速发展,使作品可以借助书籍这种载体大范围地传播,版权制度亦应运而生。直到20世纪80年代,由于知识产权本身的地域性特点,版权的国际保护较少涉及法律适用上的争议。《伯尔尼公约》规定了清楚的规则:(1)公约成员国国民,其作品不论是否出版,均应在公约的一切成员国中享有公约最低要求所提供的保护,此即“作者国籍”标准;(2)非公约成员国的国民,其作品只要首先在某个成员国出版,也应当在一切成员国中享有公约提供的保护,此即“作品国籍”,亦称“地点标准”;(3)享有国民待遇的作者在任何成员国所得到的版权,均须依照“权利要求地法”而不是“作品来源地法”来保护,此即版权的独立性原则。由此可见不论是权利的取得,还是跨界保护时的法律适