Technological Innovation and Its Impact on Public Sector Efficiency and Performance: Aerial Imagery in Property Tax Assessment Administration

ABSTRACT

Technological innovations can help public organizations deliver higher quality public goods and services at lower average costs. While a considerable literature exploring the determinants of technology adoption and diffusion exists, much less is known on whether technology innovations improve public sector outputs. This study investigates the impact of high-resolution, oblique aerial imagery, an increasingly common technology used by local governments in the US, on the inspection efficiency and quality of property assessment administration. Aerial imagery is often argued to be a low-cost substitute to in-person inspections of property. Drawing on data from 2013 through 2017 for property assessing districts in Texas, aerial imagery use is found to improve the rate at which properties are inspected as well as improve the quality of assessments. The results further provide evidence that investments in aerial imagery are best justified on budgetary grounds rather than as a means to improve organizational performance.     

技术权力、技术生命周期与大国的技术政策选择

大国技术竞争是指国家行为体综合运用各类政策手段争夺技术权力的过程。技术权力可分为强制性权力、网络性权力和制度性权力。技术竞争往往是一个长时段的互动过程,可能涵盖一个或多个技术生命周期。各类技术权力在一个技术生命周期内出现的时间有所不同,技术权力的积累在两个技术生命周期的交替期也可能呈现延续或中断的不同走向。这意味着在技术发展的不同阶段,竞争主体的政策选择将依据技术权力的变化而相应发生改变。美、俄、中、欧在全球卫星导航领域的博弈以及美、欧、日、中在移动通信领域的竞争,均鲜明体现了驱动国际政治行为体开展技术竞争的意愿因素(获取权力)以及它们在技术发展相应阶段的政策选择。前者仅涉及单个技术生命周期,后者则包含多个时间上紧密衔接的技术生命周期。中国是当前大国技术竞争的主要参与者。为了在竞争中立于不败之地,应注意把握技术发展的阶段性特征,因时制宜,选择与技术发展阶段匹配的技术政策,并针对下一阶段技术发展的重点方面提前进行布局,以坚持自主创新和扩大对外开放为基本原则,通过科技创新掌握技术权力,推进构建新发展格局。     

新时期民营科技企业面临的问题及对策——兼谈发展贵州民营科技企业的几点建议

本文结合贵州实际 ,从外部环境和内部机制等方面分析了民营科技企业存在的问题 ,并提出相应的对策建议     

开发金属纤维燃烧器——提高天然气应用技术

阐述了我国天然气的发展概况,提出为迎接来自四面八方的天然气,必须具备各种行业的先进燃气应用技术,并且根据目前我国情况,强调提高天然气应用技术的迫切性.同时介绍了国外一种新型金属纤维燃烧器的优越特性.     

新形势下排爆技术工作面临的新问题及对策

当前排爆技术工作出现了一些新特点、新问题,必须加以分析解决。采取对策:领导重视,全面支持;建立机构,稳定队伍,提高排爆人员待遇;重视排爆人员培训,加大技术装备投入;加强排爆技术交流;加大开发、引进先进设备;     

浅论辅助生殖犯罪及其法律防范

伴随着辅助生殖技术的诞生 ,许多社会问题得到了解决。然而 ,因该技术而引发的犯罪却也接踵而至 ,从而促使我们去寻求相应的策略。为了防范这类犯罪 ,作者认为 ,应在我国刑法中设立辅助生殖罪 ,并规定相应的法律责任。本文分析了这一建议的必要性 ,并对该罪在我国刑法中的构建提出了一些建议。     

Reframing the Role of Universities in the Development of Regional Innovation Systems

The role of universities in regional innovation has evolved over the last 20 years. This evolution has seen the emergence of a third role of universities that has re-shaped and transformed their two traditional functions of teaching and research. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for analysing variation in the roles performed by universities in the development of regional innovation systems. This framework is based on the triple helix model of university, industry, government relations, the literature on university engagement and the innovation systems literature, more generally. The framework is applied to a comparative study of three non core-metropolitan universities in Australia. A number of insights and issues are drawn in regard to conceptualising the role of universities in regional systems.     

Capturing the Regional Economic Benefits of University Technology Transfer: A Case Study

Despite a high concentration of brainpower and federally funded research, some universities have been unable to translate these assets into regionally based economic activity. The author uses an ethnographic method interviewing university officials and academic entrepreneurs in New York City, which has a relatively poor record of local start-up creation. The author finds that universities that view the primary objective of technology transfer as a revenue generator for their institutions generate fewer spin-offs than those that incorporate a local economic development component. Internal advocacy and faculty interest, however, can affect university behavior. The author also finds that academic entrepreneurs with a pre-existing affiliation with the licensing institution are more likely to locate in the area than outsiders utilizing the technology. Entrepreneurs exhibit a distinct locational calculus based on a range of variables including real estate costs, founders’ preference and the geographical proximity of key firm relationships.      

Managing Complex Collaborative Projects: Lessons from the Development of a New Satellite

This paper examines the case of a Complex Product System (CoPS)—a new satellite—and the combination of international firms and agencies that contributed to its development. Despite many political, organisational and interpersonal tensions, divergent objectives and strategic misjudgements, the satellite was successfully launched in 2002. It was found that a number of factors contributed to the successful conclusion of the project, including the evolution of organisational structures between different actors as the project progressed, the use of a range of innovation management tools accompanied by personnel with significant discretion and judgement, and a unifying methodology for satellite production called the Small Satellite Philosophy (SSP), which helped provide an approach for its effective integration. The paper describes the satellite project and the problems of technology transfer it confronted, then examines whether the solutions adopted could be appropriate for other complex innovative projects, particularly those involving joint public–private investments. It also describes the interaction between development time, mission cost, risk and return in reduced resource CoPS. Although the satellite itself was a technical success, government policy objectives for the project were not realised and the paper considers mismatches between policy objectives and mechanisms in complex projects.     

“怎么样“问题的再思考(下)——刑事侦查辩证法研究之七

本篇主要探讨了两个问题一是对刑事警察队伍战斗力进行理论层面上的考察的意义;二是通过考察,应明确和掌握的三种关系,即系统内部各要素之间的关系;系统与构成要素之间的关系;本系统与环境之间的关系.