Abstract:Dismantling administrative monopoly is an inherent requirement for building a unified national market and serves as a foundational support for establishing a new development paradigm. From a legal perspective, this paper examines the intrinsic logic linking administrative monopoly regulation, unified national market construction, and corporate innovation through an analysis of relevant enforcement cases and Chinese tax survey data spanning 2007 to 2016. The study finds that the administrative monopoly regulation through enforcement practices significantly promotes corporate innovation. Mechanism analysis indicates that administrative monopoly regulation primarily facilitates the unified national market construction by strengthening market competition and optimizing the efficiency of innovation resource allocation, thereby advancing corporate innovation. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the promoting effect of administrative monopoly regulation on corporate innovation is more pronounced for samples comprising industry leaders, non-state-owned corporations, and corporations in regions with higher judicial transparency and greater initial market segmentation. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that administrative monopoly regulation aids in clearing out zombie corporates and stimulating regional entrepreneurial vitality. This research holds significant policy implications for promoting the establishment of a high-standard market system and constructing a new development paradigm.

Abstract:This paper illustrates the evolution of trading services from the commodity economy to Internet trading platforms from the perspective of non-rivalry using the infra-marginal analysis method and analyzes the monopolistic behavior of platform firms. It is found that the emergence of Internet trading platforms is rooted in the increased non-rivalry of trading services. When producers can freely enter and exit the trading service industry, even if there is only one platform, the decentralized equilibrium is still socially optimal. When there are barriers to entry in the trading service industry, the decentralized equilibrium may result in industry monopoly, a complete monopoly, or an oligopoly of the Internet trading platform market. The non-rival nature of trading services means that the number of platforms does not change with price within a certain interval, so the welfare losses caused by monopoly can be alleviated or eliminated by increasing competitors or by imposing a mandated price. This paper theorizes trading Internet platforms from a new perspective and proposes corresponding governance policies to maintain the environment of competition in the digital economy.

Abstract:The Internet has played an important role in reshaping economic geography, and the way it affects the economic layout within cities deserves further exploration. The study theoretically deduces the intrinsic mechanism by which the Internet reshapes the internal economic layout of cities, introducing it into the enterprise location choice model of monocentric cities. It then empirically examines the impact and mechanism of the Internet on the decentralization of Chinese cities by using multi-source microdata, such as nighttime lighting data, industrial and commercial business registration data, and industrial enterprise data. It is found that the Internet can significantly contribute to the decentralized layout of cities. Mechanism tests show that the Internet promotes the decentralized layout of urban economic activities by influencing enterprise location, strengthens the agglomeration power of urban centers by lowering the labor costs of enterprises in the central city, and expands the decentralization power of urban centers by lowering the management costs and transaction costs of enterprises. Further research found that the Internet has facilitated the formation of polycentric spatial structures in cities while promoting urban decentralization.

Abstract:This paper provides both a theoretical and an empirical framework for addressing the question of whether encouraging more firms to engage in international trade may enhance urban employment quality．Theoretically, the concept of market crowding is introduced and the mechanism by which participation in international trade influences the labor market quality is outlined．Empirically, the staggered DID model is applied to estimate the impact of the establishment of China’scross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones as a quasi-natural experiment．Results show that even though the number of firms engaged in international trade expanded urban employment, the market crowding effect does not result in significant improvement in the average wage of urban on-the-job workers, and the industrial structure of employment is not optimized．This finding suggests that, in the long run, the expansion of the scale of trade participants cannot effectively improve the quality of employment and improving employment quality should not be fully expected from firms’international commerce．In order to maintain firms’continued ability to create jobs and offer work benefits, it is necessary not only to encourage firms’participation in international trade, but also to establish an effective mechanism for firms to exit the global market．

Abstract:Good law and governance are important ways to enhance the investment expectations and investment confidence of entrepreneurs. Few studies provide micro-evidence that the improvement of judicial quality affects the investment decisions of enterprises from the perspective of environmental justice. Based on the data of listed companies in China from 2003 to 2020, this study investigates the impact of environmental judicial specialization on enterprise investment behavior by using the differences-in-differences method. The results show that the establishment of environmental courts could boost the expansion of the investment scale of enterprises, which is driven by the increase of environmental protection investment and R&D investment of enterprises. Mechanism analysis shows that the investment-driven effect of the establishment of environmental courts is mainly achieved by alleviating the financing constraints of enterprises and reducing the degree of information asymmetry. Further analysis shows that the investment-driven effect of the establishment of environmental courts is more obvious in heavily polluting industries, enterprises without political affiliation, and non-national environmental protection model demonstration cities. In addition, the establishment of environmental courts could not improve the value orinvestment efficiency of the enterprises. This study provides detailed micro-level evidence to clarify the debate on whether environmental regulation and enterprise investment are in conflict or coordination and offers enlightenment for further improving environmental justice specialization and promoting the high-quality development of enterprises.

Abstract:The grain production sector is a significant contributor to agricultural carbon emissions in China, and under the double pressure of the current ‘dual-carbon’ target and food security, clarifying the impacts of large-scale operation on the factor input structure and the efficiency of carbon emissions from grain production has become a key path to solving the problem of green and low-carbon transformation of China’s agriculture. This study explores the theoretical link between farm size and efficiency disparities, utilizing household survey data collected in 2023 from 1 150 households across Liaoning, Shandong, Sichuan, and Jiangxi provinces. Employing the Generalized Propensity Score Matching (GPSM) method under counterfactual assumptions, the paper estimates the average treatment effect of farm size on carbon emission efficiency in grain production. Additionally, regression adjustment and mediation effect models are employed to analyze underlying mechanisms, highlighting the mediating role of factor input structure. The findings indicate a “U-shaped” nonlinear relationship between farm size and carbon emission efficiency, underscoring the importance of optimizing factor input structure to leverage the positive impacts of farm size on carbon emission efficiency in grain production. Furtherly moderate expansion of farm size will support China’s pursuit of sustainable and green grain production. This research provides a scientific foundation for policymakers to guide rational scale management and resource optimization in the new development era, along with policy recommendations to promote green grain production through adjustments in factor input structure.

Abstract:For multi-response quality improvement, this paper proposes a multi-response reliability-based robust design optimization (RBRDO) within an active learning multi-output Gaussian process (MGP) modeling framework. First, an active learning response surface modeling approach based on an improved D-optimal design is developed to enhance the utilization of experimental design points. Second, a covariance structure that captures correlations is specified to build the MGP, the expressions of its predictive partial derivatives are derived, and a risk cost function is formulated based on first-order second-moment theory. Then, a multivariate quality loss function is defined from the MGP outputs, upon which a parameter optimization model is established. Finally, a genetic algorithm is used to obtain the Pareto solution set, and the shortest distance method is applied to determine the optimal solution. Simulation results indicate that the proposed method effectively characterizes correlations among responses, improves the predictive accuracy of both the response surface and derivative prediction models, 〖JP3〗and yields optimal input parameter settings that balance robustness and reliability.

Abstract:Existing literature found that firms with more diversified technological knowledge performance better in technological innovation, because technological innovation is the result of technological knowledge recombination, and diversified knowledge can facilitate this recombination. However, this study argues that the positive relationship between knowledge diversity and technological knowledge recombination may not be inevitable;rather, the relation may depend how technological knowledge is distributed across R&D projects and R&D personnel. When firms distribute both high-frequency-used and low-frequency-used technological knowledge across R&D projects, the cognitive costs of technological knowledge recombination for R&D personnel decrease, and the novelty of innovation increase.Moreover, when firms have more R&D stars who engage in both academic research and technological research activities, their ability to digest, absorb, and integrate diversified technological knowledge is improved. Both conditions contribute to firm innovation.Specifically, the higher the degree centralization in intra-firm technological knowledge networks and the more R&D stars a firm has, the greater the contribution of diversified technological knowledge to knowledge recombination, which in turn benefits firm technological innovation. The analysis, based on 58 global biopharmaceutical firms that rank among the topinvention patents, supports the above hypothesis. This study introduces knowledge distribution as a boundary condition into the model of technological knowledge diversification, recombination, and technological innovation for the first time, thereby deepening the theory of technological innovation based on knowledge combination. Finally, practical managerial suggestions for technological innovation are proposed from the perspective of knowledge distribution management.

Abstract:For a supply chain with two suppliers and a buyer, this paper studies the impact of the deferred payment strategy and the blockchain+deferred payment strategy on supply chain quality management,taking supplier adulteration into account, by constructing a principal-agent model in which the buyer acts as the leader under asymmetric information. Specifically, by comparing the equilibrium results under the deferred payment strategy and the blockchain + deferred payment strategy, this paper analyzes the impacts of factors such as the supplier’s adulteration motivations and the probability of adulteration being discovered on buyer’s decisions and supply chain profits, and reveals the value of blockchain technology in supply chain quality management as well as the incentives for supply chain members to adopt it. The result suggests that, under deferred payment strategy, the buyer needs to make three different optimal policies according to the marginal probability of the adulterated product being found by customers. However, under the blockchain+deferred payment strategy, the buyer’s optimal policy is unique due to traceability. Though adopting blockchain can reduce the complexity of buyer’s quality management, it may not necessarily increase the profits of both the buyer and the supply chain. When the supplier’s motivation for adulteration is high, or the probability that two suppliers adulterate at the same time is detected by consumers is low, the buyer is more inclined to adopt blockchain. Compared to the traditional deferred payment strategy, the blockchain + deferred payment strategy may reduce the supplier’s profit or leave it unchanged. Therefore, under certain conditions, the buyer should improve the supplier’s profits through transfer payments to achieve supply chain coordination.

Abstract:As an important part of both the digital economy and the real economy, online retailing has developed rapidly in recent years. However, the rapid development of online retailing has resulted in serious product return problems for online retailers. The resale of returned products has a great influence on the inventory management of online retailers. This paper studies the inventory optimization problem based on product return forecasting. First, a product return forecasting approach using transaction-level data is proposed, which can effectively predict return quantities for a given future period. Then, a multi-stage inventory optimization model that incorporates product return forecasting is constructed, and the optimal ordering strategy is analyzed using dynamic programming. Finally, the impact of product return forecasting on cost is studied using actual data from a fast fashion apparel company. The numerical results show that incorporating return forecasting can lead to an average cost reduction of 6.5% for the company. Moreover, the value of product return forecasting for inventory management increases as the unit holding cost and the resale proportion of returned products rise.

Abstract:The fluidity of carbon dioxide leads to cross-border carbon exchange. This paper explores decentralized decision-making and centralized management modes for regional carbon managing strategy under carbon market mechanisms. The evolutionary trends and impact of management strategies on each region are explored, and market conditions for achieving specific carbon governance effects in regions are analyzed. The results demonstrate that 1) carbon market price fluctuations have a significant regulatory effect on regional carbon stocks and emission reduction behavior, and can affect the dominant characteristics of regional emission reduction effects under the two modes. 2) Increasing the duration of the game can significantly reduce the growth rate of regional carbon production and control the downward trend of regional carbon absorption. Moreover, when one party almost ignores the local pollution level, the carbon management strategies of the other party are consistent under the two modes. 3) The dual pressures faced by downstream regions regarding carbon emission reduction and economic growth can be effectively alleviated under the centralized management mode. The conclusion of this paper provides policy suggestions for regions to formulate emission management strategies and to guide efficient governance of interactive carbon pollution in cross-border carbon pollution processes.

Abstract:Residents’consumption behavior has changed significantly during public health emergencies. However, whether the altered pattern of behavior persists over time, whether the degree of change differs among different population groups, and the underlying mechanisms behind the change still need scientific analysis and exploration. This article utilizes individual-level local consumption data to explore the long-term impact of public health emergencies on the proportion of consumers’online grocery shopping, the heterogeneity of this impact among different groups, as well as the underlying mechanisms. This article proposes that public health emergencies will sustainably change residents’local consumption behavior through three mechanisms: Information acquisition, disease avoidance, and social demand improvement. The empirical results show that in the post-period, the proportion of residents’online grocery shopping has increased by an average of 3% compared to the pre-period. This increase is more pronounced among groups who previously preferred in-store consumption. Further empirical analysis also verifies the mechanisms behind these results. This research helps the government and retail companies understand the long-term impact of public health emergencies on residents’local consumption behavior and provides insights into the development of online grocery shopping services in the post-period.