bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
L’exploration des ressources extractives non renouvelables : théorie économique, processus stochastique et vérification
Authors: Crabbé Ph. 
Published: July 2012

Most of the literature devoted to the "theory of the mine" has been developed under certainty. It has been unable to explain the activity of exploration. The stochastic models of exploration were developed quasi-independently from economic theory. The purpose of this article is to survey both the mining and economic literature related to the "theory of the mine" under uncertainty and the exploration models since the turn of the century. The survey is complementary to the one made in this journal by F. Peterson and A.C. Fisher.
The first part defines exploration as being essentially a search and information gathering activity. It reviews the contributions to the economic theory of exploration and resource stock uncertainty. It compares the optimal extraction path and the life cycle of the mine under stock uncertainty and stock certainty. It shows in particular that increasing the rate of discount is generally inappropriate to take account of stock uncertainty. Some partial equilibrium results on exploration are given as well. The presence of stock uncertainty or exploration in a general equilibrium model is shown to jeopardize the optimality of competitive allocations.
The second part points out the wealth of the theoretical and empirical analysis of exploration as a stochastic process. It first reviews the literature on size distributions of reserves which gives strong theoretical and empirical support to the lognormal hypothesis. It then goes on to the exploration models which roughly speaking can be broken down into two groups. The Allais type models, better suited for relatively unexplored regions, which combine a Poisson or negative binomial process for discovery with a lognormal distribution for sizes. The Arps-Roberts-Kaufman type models, more adequate for "mature" regions, assume exhaustive sampling with probability proportional to size of discovery. Generally the treatment of the discovery process, to be distinguished from the sampling for sizes, and the handling of geological information are still woefully inadequate.
The third and last part of the survey points out the gap which exists in the microeconomic literature about the study of random inputs. It suggests that the theory of dams and insurance and the theory of search especially adaptive search could be fruitfully used. Problems which remain to be tackled are the influence of stock uncertainty on grade of ore mined and on investment in capacity.
Technologie, matières premières et pétrole : vers un monopole bilatéral?
Authors: Ayoub Antoine 
Published: July 2012

What is the appropriate economic policy for primary commodity producing developing countries given that industrialized countries are specialized in the production of technological progress? Integrating the concept of product life cycle to the static theory of comparative advantage, Harry Johnson has argued that free trade will, by spreading the technology, dissolve the monopoly in technology, and thus constitutes the only policy capable of transmitting growth from one country to another. This article criticizes this thesis on the following points: 1) A rigorous interpretation of the concept of product life cycle and of the underlying assumptions suggests that only industrialized countries present the necessary conditions for the location of the production of exportable technological progress. 2) It follows that the monopoly of the industrialized countries is not temporary but dynamic and self renewing. 3) Free trade, in this case, will only reinforce the negative effects of this monopoly on international specialization and, therefore, reinforce the disparities between industrialized and developing countries. Given the absence of a supranational authority which could intervene against this monopoly, it is appropriate to consider the limits of the bilateral monopoly policy which the developing countries will apply, based on their primary commodities, and the role that OPEC can play in this context.
Champ de spécialisation et revenu
Authors: Lacroix Robert , Robillard Paul , Lemelin Clément 
Published: July 2012

An earnings function is defined for the highly qualified manpower in Canada in 1973. Education, experience and field of study, instead of occupation, are the arguments. By use of regression techniques it is shown that the third independent variable adds significantly to the explanation of the variance of earnings.
Even when years of schooling and experience are accounted for, the contribution of the so-called traditional fields of study—medicine, law, accounting and engineering—remains considerable.
The first of the three interpretations suggested refers to different "innate" abilities associated with choice of a field of study but it is promptly dismissed.
The second interpretation deals with differences in work organization leading to either more uncertain flows of earnings or to longer hours of work. It is shown to be plausible in the case of graduates of law schools but it does not hold in the case of graduates of medical schools.
In the latter case a third interpretation is hinted at: medical doctors, either through their association or individually, do exert some significant influence on both the supply of and the demand for their own services.
Le choix du mode d’occupation sur le marché du logement à Montréal : influence de l’origine ethnique
Authors: Laporte Alain 
Published: July 2012

The housing conditions in Montreal are mainly characterized by the two following features: firstly, the high percentage of tenants, secondly, the excessively high proportion of French Canadians in that type of tenure.
In spite of this important disequilibrium, there are few systematic analysis of the economic, demographic or cultural factors explaining such a phenomenon.
The following paper is aimed at filling this gap. The first part deals with theoretical considerations; the second part contains the specification of the model, the method of estimation and the statistical data used for the estimation; the third part analyses the results and brings up the main conclusions.
Fonctions de production dans l’économie du Québec
Authors: Corbo Vittorio , Dufour Jean-Marie 
Published: July 2012

The purpose of this paper is to study the characteristics of the production process in the Quebec economy. We devote particular attention to two features of the technology: the returns to scale and the substitution possibilities.
Two forms of production functions, the Cobb-Douglas and an homothetic translog production function, are estimated for six branches of economic activity. These are: Agriculture; Fishing and Forestry; Mining; Quarying and Oil Wells; Manufacturing; Utilities; Services.
Two main conclusions are derived from this work. First, there is strong evidence of constant returns to scale in all branches of the Quebec economy but services. Second, when comparing the Cobb-Douglas model with an homothetic translog model, the hypothesis that the true model is the Cobb-Douglas one cannot be rejected for five of our six sectors. Therefore, there is evidence that the elasticity of substitution is around one.
Finally a byproduct of our work has been the construction of capital stock series for the Quebec economy (1960-73) disaggregated into 14 sectors, and two types of capital: construction and machinery and equipment.
Progrès technique augmentant le produit marginal des facteurs et productivité dans l’industrie manufacturière canadienne
Authors: May J. D. , Denny M. 
Published: July 2012

The purpose of this paper is to establish a relation between the empirical estimates of productivity and technical change. Few studies have tended to give estimates of that relation. The measuring of productivity involves the use of an implicit production function. Moreover, measures of productivity are estimates of the rates of change of Hicks-neutral technical change.
The paper suggests that non-sophisticated measures of technical change may be replaced since they offer inadequate description of temporal change in technology. Finally, it would be useful to continue to develop econometrics models of technical change.
La configuration des échanges dans un modèle à biens multiples : quelques paradoxes
Authors: Casas F. R. 
Published: July 2012

In the framework of a two-good, two-factor model it is evident that the pattern of trade can be inferred from the change in commodity prices resulting from the opening of trade. Thus, if trade increases the relative price of a commodity, we expect that commodity to be exported, while the good whose relative price decreases will be imported.
Under certain circumstances however, it may be possible to observe a country importing a commodity even though its free trade relative price is higher than under autarky.
The purpose of this paper is to point out that a similar paradox can be established even if we rule out distributional effects of changes in commodity prices on the demand for goods attributable to different tastes. In particular, we focus our attention on a simple three-good, two-factor model with fixed production coefficients. It is well known that when the number of goods exceeds the numbers of factors, a basic indeterminacy exists in the relationship between output levels and relative commodity prices. Our interest lies in establishing that one application of this indeterminacy is that technological characteristics—in particular, the factor intensity ranking of commodities and a country's factor endowment—may result in the reversal of the expected pattern of trade.
La théorie des groupes non compétitifs
Authors: Daubigney Jean-Pierre 
Published: July 2012

In this paper, the author describes and criticizes the theory of non-competitive groups.
According to this theory, the non-competitivity of social groups refers to the existence and the reproduction by heredity of a bi-univocal correspondence between the hierarchy of social groups and the hierarchy of employments. Such a relation comes from the fact that the social origins determine the level of education, the distribution of inborn qualities, and the preference functions of individuals. It is also the result of the demographic reproduction pattern of social groups. In such conditions, the incomes hierarchy is the result as well as the means of the hereditary reproduction of social structure and of non-competitivity.
Two basic criticisms can be formulated. First, this theory is unable to justify most of the relation underlying the analysis. Second, the proposed explanation model is unable to account for the contemporary ways of non-competitivity such as indicated by the statistics on social mobility.
Sur l’estimation d’un système complet de demande sous rationnements quantitatifs
Authors: Bronsard Camille , Salvas-Bronsard Lise 
Published: July 2012

The paper is divided into two parts. In the first one, three complete systems of demand equations are derived, namely, the standard neo-classical model, a model under quantity rationing and the general reduced form of walrasian models. The standard neo-classical model has no spillover eflects while the other models allow for them. But the spillover effects of the general reduced form are walrasian while the spillover effects of the model with quantity rationing can be specified as keynesian.
In the second part of the paper, the authors try to discriminate among these forms on empirical grounds. As a matter of fact, each model is found consistent with the Canadian data and the authors conclude that to discriminate between the models, one must insert them into more general models.
Le financement de l’enseignement supérieur au Québec
Authors: Bélanger Gérard 
Published: July 2012

The first part of this paper describes the methods by which Quebec universities are financed and stresses the importance of non-accounted expenditures and the relative contribution of the three main sources of financing, namely the federal and provincial governments and the students.
The second part investigates the normative aspects of the methods used. Government intervention can be based on three grounds: on the social aspect of the good, on the redistribution objective, and lastly, on the greater indivisibility of university formation costs. It is shown that the present knowledge of the production function and the results on returns to higher education and to university research do not make it possible to determine an optimal amount of resources for this sector.
Government intervention in university affairs can take different forms and five principles are formulated as a guide for the establishment of a new financing formula. Finally, the role of student fees is studied as a means to promote efficiency in universities.
Conjecture sur le comportement de l’impôt sur le revenu des particuliers
Authors: Boucher Michel , Lebel Jean-Guy 
Published: July 2012

This fiscal essay tries to specify the economic variables which have an effect upon the personal income tax during a business cycle.
After clearing out the concept of trend elasticity and cyclical elasticity, we propose a model based on the concept of elasticity which will permit us to see the income increases due to the overall increase in employment (or a decrease in the rate of unemployment), and those produced by the global increase in wealth (such as the increase in per capita revenue due to productivity, inflation and so on).
Then we apply this model to the federal personal income tax collected in Quebec for ten income classes and we find that there is a difference between the average taxation rate due to the increment of employment and the average taxation rate due to wealth increase and consequently at the elasticity level also. However, the difference is not statistically significant.
So, our theoretical model and its application explains partly why the income elasticity of the personal income tax appears to be greater in periods of decline in economic activity and tends to abate fairly sharply as expansionary momentum is restored.
Modèles de politique économique multirégionale basés sur l’analyse d’attraction
Authors: Paelinck J. 
Published: July 2012

Classical regional and multiregional models were limited in scope and usefulness as they failed to integrate explicitly locational factors, especially on the supply side.
Two types of models, the attraction model and the profile model, allow to treat this problem adequately. They are presented in their most recent formulation that improves on earlier versions.
Regional spill-over effects are underlined as being essential in the understanding of multiregional growth patterns; they are explicitly integrated in the aforementioned models, which thus take care of market potentials and clustering through spread of external economies.
The models mentioned are currently applied to Germany, Spain, and the regions of the enlarged Common Market (project "FLEUR").
Un modèle de dépenses provinciales
Authors: Swan Neil 
Published: July 2012

The paper develops a formal theoretical model of expenditures for a typical Canadian provincial government. The model is kept simple but useful by restricting the endogenous variables to four important budgetary categories: highway spending, hospital care expenditures, spending on schools and universities, and "all other" spending. Tax rates are also endogenous to the system. The choice of these four expenditure categories is linked to the original motivation for the model, which was to assist in explaining provincial construction spending. The theory has three elements: first, a utility function, which depends positively on the amounts provided of government services of various kinds, as well as on the income left to the public after taxes and borrowing; second, a budget constraint linking expenditures and revenues; and finally, a set of equations which show how much spending is required in order to provide the quantities of services entering as arguments into the utility function.
The reduced form model developed from the theory is then fitted to expenditures data for each of the ten provinces over the 1952-1970 period. Fits are generally good. Tax equations, though not presented here, also fitted well. Provincial income levels, beginning year stocks of structures, rates of matching grants, construction prices and the closeness of elections are the main exogenous variables that prove important in explaining per capita expenditures within each of the four budgetary categories.
Comparaison internationale de l’utilisation de la main-d’oeuvre dans l’industrie : un programme linéaire
Authors: Parker Ruth Rose 
Published: July 2012

This linear programming model for educational planning, by allowing for choice among techniques of production, permits the introduction of non-constant factor substitution into the production function. The model is applied to educational planning in France and treats simultaneously four kinds of educated manpower and capital in the seven major industrial sectors of an economy. Alternative techniques are drawn from seven other countries for which reasonably comparable data are available. These techniques of production define the production function and determine the demand for educated manpower and capital independently of the supply of these factors.
An initial static model maximizes GNP (holding its composition constant) subject to a fixed supply of manpower and capital. The model thus tests whether supply is the constraining factor in the choice of technique in theshort run. In the case tested, it is.
In the dynamic version of the model, supply is allowed to increase by means of education (for manpower) and investment (for physical capital). Consumable GNP, that is GNP net of the cost of education and investment, is maximized. Terminal capital stock problems make it impossible to test the model directly. The problem is then broken down into two steps: the identification of the techniques (one for each industry) which permit the greatest net contribution to GNP, and the movement in time towards these "optimal" techniques. The first of these steps is solved using a dual version of the model, but the second is not attempted in this paper.
Aspect régional de la consommation et de la production des services de santé au Québec
Authors: Nguyen Hung 
Published: July 2012

In this study we are trying to measure the influence of health services supply (or better, the availability of health services) on the consumption. We first examine the regional disparity of available services and the impact of this difference on the production and (the) consumption of services. Then we do a projection of resources based on a standardized consumption.
At the regional level, we find:
Modèle de régression avec variables d’écart
Authors: Loranger Jean-Guy 
Published: July 2012

A look at M. G. Dagenais' contributions (1969, 1973) on threshold regression models and at chapter 9 of S.M. Goldfeld and R.E. Quandt's book (1972) concerning switching regression models suggested to me that a new approach to estimating the threshold model by introducing slack variables might be possible. One of the main advantages of this new method is to simplify to a great extent the estimation of the likelihood function which is reduced partly to the problem of estimating a limited number of simple integrals for each iteration in the process of optimization.
In order to facilitate a better understanding of our approach, two main models will be reviewed in the next section: the twin linear probability model (which can be estimated either by OLS, by a combination of probit and OLS, or by the tobit approach) and the threshold model. A critical look at the empirical results obtained by Dagenais (1973) will also be made before closing this section.
Our new threshold model with slack variables is presented in section 3 and the main features of our new approach are summarized in the last section of this paper.
L’économique de l’habitation : une revue de lalittérature
Authors: D’Amours Alban , Nadeau Léandre 
Published: July 2012

This article has a two-fold purpose: first, to offer as complete an inventory aspossible of the literature written on the economics of housing, classifying thisliterature according to subject matter (in this sense, the article takes on theappearance of an annotated bibliography); and second, to take a hard look at thepresent state of economic theory in this field.The article is divided into the following six sections: 1) existing surveys;2) studies related to long-term cycles in residential construction; 3) theoriesexplaining short-term fluctuations; 4) verbal models; 5) econometric models;6) other studies.Some emphasis has been given to the authors' two principal conclusions. In theiropinion, the "residual" vision and the countercyclical hypothesis have not beenadequately tested in the past. Furthermore, the authors bring to light evidence,both theoretical and factual, which contradicts this theory (see Section 3). Then,in Section 5, the authors attempt to show how econometric models, except in the mostrecent papers, fail to take into account, adequately, the relationships between thehousing and mortgage markets and the builders. In addition, it is contended thatthese models are not truly representational of the whole sector, in that they areoften nothing more than simple demand or supply equations, or, even worse, neitherone nor the other.
Bilan, perspectives et éléments de stratégie. Secteur des industries manufacturières
Authors: Jouandet-Bernadat Roland 
Published: July 2012

The main features of the manufacturing industries in the Province of Quebec are well known. Those industries are heavily concentrated in the Montreal area. They sell an important part of their output outside the Province. They exhibit structural weaknesses. Their importance in the Canadian economy has been declining in the past 25 years.
We should not be too optimistic about the situation since 1971. Some officials claimed that the Province has known a new start in the manufacturing sector but the statistical facts do not confirm such a view.
The Province therefore needs a really new strategy. The article tries to outline some of the constraints and features of this new strategy.
Le système financier montréalais : quelques lacunes
Authors: Briant Peter , Whittaker Gary 
Published: July 2012

The objective of this paper is to describe some important gaps in the Montreal financial community. These gaps are examined in turn from the points of view of the small investor and the small business.
The investor with 50,000 dollars to invest does not currently receive unpartial financial advice from existing financial institutions, due to the latters' roles as financial intermediaries as well as advisors. There is a need for a government supported agency which would act as a buffer between investors and intermediaries, would buy the services of the professional consultants, and then relay this expert advice back to the investor.
The gaps concerning the equity financing of small new business are detected by means of a survey of Montreal small firms, the results of which indicate that venture capital does not satisfy the equity needs of new firms in stage zero of development. Interviews with five venture capital firms confirm these observations and further classify the gaps along five dimensions, leading to five types of gaps: stage of development, industry, location, information and communication. Here too, a public agency could successfully fill these gaps of venture capital. An example of the action of such an agency to help start a new business is described and serves as conclusion.