Effects of trade cost on the textile and apparel market: evidence from Asian countries

Global textile and apparel industry has since the 1950s been subjected to various forms of trade policy measures. Well noted among these are tariffs and non-tariff barriers (NTB)/policy indicators. Understanding the dynamics in such relevant policy indicators and the implications they yield for trade is a vital step toward informing relevant policy formulation and agribusiness investment decisions. With the textile and apparel industry being the primary grounds on which development in most Asian countries is founded, we for the first time in literature assess effects of various trade cost indicators on global textile and apparel imports from 37 Asian countries using a ‘cost-incorporated’ gravity model for the period 1988–2004. Estimates from this study affirm theory-based associations between trade, distance, cultural linkage, tariffs, and non-tariffs barriers. We however discovered quite interesting associations regarding effects of tariff increments and existence of NTB. Although both are primarily imposed/instilled to restrict trade flow, effect of tariff increments was consistently negative across all models, but that for NTB was consistently positive, although significant only in the case of apparel imports. Plausible reasons behind the implications for tariffs and NTB are elaborated on in this article. A keen discovery from this study, however, is that imports of apparels are more responsive than textile imports to dynamics in various trade-related cost, geographic and economic indicators.     

Economic and environmental evaluations of dedicated and residential electric tariffs for plug‐in electric vehicles

Plug‐in electric vehicle (PEV) owners may have multiple different electric tariffs offered by their local utility companies from which to choose. The offered PEV tariffs are designed mainly to shift the electric demand for charging cars to the time when the grid is less strained. This paper investigates both the economic and the environmental impacts of adopting dedicated PEV electric tariffs from the PEV owners' perspective. The overall conclusion is that the dedicated tariffs are well designed for PEVs from the economical perspective but not from the environmental perspective. Case studies of the cost minimization model show that on average the dedicated PEV tariffs will result in approximately half the cost of the electric bill and slightly lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (less than 1%) compared with the standard flat‐rate residential tariffs. Case studies of the emission minimization model show that the GHG emissions can be reduced by 10.47% as compared with the cost minimization model, but this will lead to an increase in the total charging cost that can be as high as 15.44% on average.     

The doping effect of Italian feed-in tariffs on the PV market

In less than six years, Italy has become one of the leading markets for PV power plants and one of the countries in the world with the largest number of installations and installed peak power. Such a quick and large growth is due to a series of feed-in tariff schemes that have been uncapped until 2012. As a matter of fact, any size or any number of PV power plants could be installed during a period of three years.Since the feed-in tariffs are not paid by national taxes but are charged on the electricity bills, Italian energy users are now due to pay each year a surcharge of 9 billion euros on their energy bills.This paper aims at discussing this development by highlighting the benefits but also some significant drawbacks that the application of uncontrolled feed-in tariffs has produced.     

电力市场下光伏上网定价模型研究

针对电力市场环境下现行的光伏固定上网统一电价忽略了电力系统为应对其出力波动性而增加的热备用容量成本的问题,为了合理体现光伏发电的真实价值,提出光伏竞价上网的电价模型,根据历史数据进行未来日的出力预测并参与竞价,而采用该竞价模型所产生的部分费用反补给常规发电机组,可减少购电总成本。进而基于果蝇优化算法,运用Matlab软件对一个仅包含2个常规发电机组和1座光伏电站的电力系统进行优化求解与仿真,数值结果验证了本文模型的正确性和有效性。     

德国《可再生能源法》实施及调整对其沼气产业发展的影响分析

德国《可再生能源法》是推动其可再生能源发展的重要法律文件。本文介绍了该法规的出台背景,着重量化分析了自2004年以来德国《可再生能源法》四次修改调整对沼气产业发展的影响,包括德国新增沼气发电站数量和总装机容量、能源作物种植面积的变化以及补贴措施。分析结果表明,《可再生能源法》的调整对沼气产业的发展影响显著,该法规EEG-2004和EEG-2009强烈刺激了沼气产业的快速发展,而EEG-2012和EEG-2014则修正了沼气产业的过快发展。《可再生能源法》对上网电价补贴的合理制定,实施效果评估机制的建立和逐步引导沼气产业市场化机制的设计保障了德国沼气产业的健康有序发展。本文同时还讨论了德国案例对我国沼气发展的启示,对我国发展沼气产业政策提出了包括后端补贴在内的建议。     

Why is South Korea's renewable energy policy failing? A qualitative evaluation

This study explores the causes of the South Korean government's failure to successfully deploy its renewable energy policy. Despite the South Korean government’s ongoing efforts since 2002 to promote the deployment of renewable energy, the established deployment target has not been met and the share of renewable energy supply in total primary energy supply is poor compared to peer countries with a similar level of economic development. Therefore, we attempt to find the causes of this policy failure using qualitative evaluation methods. Through the analyses, conducted using focused interviews and secondary data, we found that the domination of the fossil fuel and nuclear power industry's interests, inconsistent policy shifts, policy design that lacks sufficient support schemes, poorly coordinated government activities, and unsystemic and untimely monitoring and feedback have led to the failure of renewable energy deployment policies in South Korea. To overcome these problems, we suggest that the South Korean government should set more ambitious policy goals, establish a new independent organization that focuses on energy policy issues, use a varied policy mix, and secure political support from diverse policy actors.     

广西抽水蓄能电站经济评价

∶广西抽水蓄能电站建成后主要承担广西电网调峰、填谷、调频、调相和事故备用等任务。根据广西电力系统情况及抽水蓄能在电力系统中的作用,广西抽水蓄能电站国民经济评价采用替代法从国家整体角度出发考虑项目的效益和费用,计算分析项目对国民经济的净贡献;财务评价采用两部制电价法,分别按“可避免成本法”和“个别成本法”进行财务评价。     

南水北调主体工程供水价格测算有关因素的分析

南水北调工程是一项特大型长距离跨流域调水工程,建立合理的水价机制对于确保工程建成后的良性运行和工程综合效益充分发挥具有十分重要的意义。分析提出了南水北调主体工程供水价格测算的原则、供水成本项目组成、利润率及税金、还贷方式和价格水平等内容,对合理测算南水北调主体工程供水价格涉及的有关因素进行了深入分析,提出了水价测算工作的有关意见建议,以期为南水北调工程水价政策研究提供参考。     

城镇居民生活用水的计量经济学分析与应用实例

价格是影响用水的最主要因素之一。本文应用入户调查的数据，应用计量经济学方法分析了深圳市城镇居民生活用水的价格弹性和收入弹性；计算了假设的水价调整方案对深圳市城镇居民生活需水的影响，并提出了对深圳市水价调整的建议。分析结果表明，深圳特区内、外在用水行为和价格对用水的影响方面存在明显的差别，目前深圳的阶梯水价设置不合理；价格可以作为调整深圳水资源供需关系的有效手段；为了有效控制用水的快速增加，应同时调整价格水平和阶梯。     

当前农业水价改革中的问题、影响与对策

通过调研,分析了我国农业水价改革中存在的问题和影响,指出国家投入不足、水费欠账太多导致末级渠系不配套、损毁严重,并容易形成恶性循环;指出配套改革滞后还导致水利设施产权不明晰、管理缺位。通过对农业水费实行财政转移支付的利弊分析,提出了遏制水费收入锐减的对策:一是争取更多资金投入农田水利设施建设,解决农田水利设施投入长期不足的问题;二是以推进农村水利三项改革为动力,建立适应中国农村实际的水利管理体制;三是以提高水费实收率为核心,继续推进农业水价改革。