EU regional policy and tax competition

The European Union (EU) provides coordination and financing of trans-European transport infrastructures, i.e. roads and railways, which link the EU member states and reduce the cost of transport and mobility. This raises the question of whether EU involvement in this area is justified by inefficiencies of national infrastructure policies. Moreover, an often expressed concern is that policies enhancing mobility may boost tax competition. We analyze these questions using a model where countries compete for the location of profitable firms. We show that a coordination of investment in transport cost reducing infrastructures within union countries enhances welfare and mitigates tax competition. In contrast, with regard to union-periphery infrastructure, the union has an interest in a coordinated reduction of investment expenditures. Here, the effects on tax competition are ambiguous. Our results provide a rationale for EU-level regional policy that supports the development of intra-union infrastructure.     

High-speed rail and inventory reduction: firm-level evidence from China

Using a balanced panel of manufacturing firms from China between 2007 and 2013, we estimate that being connected to a high-speed rail (HSR) system leads to 9.5% reduction in local firms’ input inventory spending. The effect is stronger for downstream industries and private enterprises. A back-of-envelope calculation suggests that each dollar of HSR investment reduces input inventory stock by 12 cents, which is significantly larger than the effects found in previous studies based on highway or road investment. Declines in transportation and communication cost, as well as agglomeration effect, are identified as plausible mechanisms. Our findings reveal a micro channel through which improved transport infrastructure brings about economic gains, and contribute to the cost-benefit assessment of HSR investment.     

我国专利法调整对研发投入的激励作用:基于各省数据的实证分析

随着人们对经济转型中创新要素作用认识的加深,使得创新活动成为全社会的关注热点和政策焦点。知识产权立法的目的是促进研发资金投入,但如何顺利实现该目标,一直是学术界的热门议题。部分学者认为专利保护应当与国家特定发展阶段相适应,而我国现阶段制度调整是否有效促进了创新活动值得商榷。基于2002-2014年全国内地31个省级行政单位的面板数据,对影响各地研发投入的变量进行了回归分析,结果表明:虽然2008年知识产权法修订进一步明晰了产权、加强了专利保护,但相对各地经济发展水平、中央科研项目投入情况、高科技企业主营收入情况等其它因素而言,知识产权法的修订对各地方研发投入的影响并无正相关性。该结果表明,创新是系统而复杂的活动,专利保护立法应与特定的发展阶段相适应,在现阶段需要配套性的政策措施才能更好地促进创新发展。     

基于公共服务均等化的公路交通服务供给

本文借鉴相关研究成果,结合公共公路交通服务的性质对其均等化的内涵和标准进行了界定,对公共公路交通服务非均等化的原因政府配置的项目资本金不足、收费公路规模过大、公路建设投资的不均衡性和农村公路建设资金投入不足进行了分析,在此基础上从转变政府职能、建立中央与地方公共服务分工和问责机制、完善政府间转移支付制度等几个方面对均等化取向下公共公路服务提供进行了探讨。     

Analyzing the Efficiency of County Road Production – Evidence from Eastern German Counties

This study analyzes the efficiency of the road production by local governments using data envelopment analysis. The production of roads is a costly public service, which makes an efficiency analysis in this field an interesting subject. I enhance the previous literature, first, by examining the differences in the efficiencies of eastern German counties while considering the deformation of the pavement and foundation of roads, which previous studies have not included due to data limitations. Second, I use a unique dataset on road quality for my efficiency analysis and show that the efficiency levels differ from those in studies that apply proxies, such as the number of accidents, to capture the quality of roads. These findings indicate that there is a great need to develop reliable variables to describe government services. Additionally, I show that the correlations between efficiency levels and county characteristics vary greatly depending on the quality indicator used.     

ENERGY UTILITIES, CONSERVATION, AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY

Academic and policy debate has centered around an apparent "underinvestment in conservation." This paper outlines traditional explanations for underinvestment and presents a prospect theory analysis of individual conservation behavior. On the basis of investment criteria, individuals seem to discriminate against conservation investments. While these decisions might appear rational as life style decisions, individual choice across different household appliances shows little consistency. For policymaking purposes, understanding and modeling actual behavior is crucial to maximizing social welfare. The insight of certain positive models of human behavior supports economic efficiency arguments for marketplace intervention. This paper argues that because individuals making conservation investment decisions apparently do not act according to the dictates of utilitarian economics, utility sponsored conservation programs are justified on economic efficiency grounds. Finally, in light of prospect theory considerations, the paper suggests marketing guidelines for conservation investments sponsored by electric utilities.     

城市道路交通流对交通安全的影响分析研究

城市道路交通是由人、车、路、环境等基本要素构成的动态复杂相互融合的系统。在这四个因素之中,单纯由其中单个因素引起的道路交通事故非常少,通常都是几个因素共同作用下的结果。从城市道路交通流的交通组成和交通量两个方面对交通安全的影响进行分析研究,以期给城市道路交通条件的改善提供明确的方向。     

Road accident external effects: an empirical assessment

The relationship between the number of road accidents and the volume of traffic is econometrically estimated in this paper. A stratified random sample of 399 road segments covering urban and rural roads in New York State(USA) in 1985 is analysed. No significant externality is detected. On ver high volume urban roads the marginal to average accident rate ratio is 1.06. On all other roads, a ratio of 0.98 is estimated. These findings contrast sharply with those of Vickrey, who estimated a ratio of 1.5 for California freeways in 1962. The results are, however, consistent with the ‘official view’ of both the US and UK highway authorities that no significant accident externality exists.     

乡村公路建设、农业劳动生产率与城乡收入差距*——基于空间杜宾模型的实证分析

本文在两部门一般均衡模型中引入乡村公路建设，从理论上说明了乡村公路建设、农业劳动生产率及城乡收入差距之间的关系。本文利用我国2002—2018年省际面板数据，构建空间计量模型和中介效应模型，实证检验了乡村公路建设对城乡收入差距的影响及内部机制。研究发现，乡村三级、四级公路建设显著缩小了区域城乡收入差距，同时乡村二级公路建设对附近地区产生了空间溢出效应，即促进了周边区域城乡收入差距缩小。机制分析发现，乡村公路建设通过提高技术效率来提升农业劳动生产率，以实现城乡收入差距缩小。此外，乡村公路建设对不同地区影响具有异质性，其显著降低了东部地区城乡收入差距，但在西部地区却产生了虹吸效应，从而扩大了当地城乡收入差距。     

Chinese investment in Australian infrastructure assets: accounting for local public preferences

Chinese investment in Australian infrastructure assets can bring economic benefits for both countries. However, it can also create domestic political challenges. This is because Australian public support for foreign investment in infrastructure is limited. In order to better inform public policy and firm decision-making in both China and Australia, this paper undertakes a choice modelling analysis of original survey data to determine the drivers of local public preferences. The Australian public is found to be more concerned by the share of foreign ownership an investment will bring rather than the fact it is from China. Accounting for these preferences, such as through the recruitment of local partner companies, will facilitate Chinese investment in Australian infrastructure, and potentially, greater bilateral engagement on the Belt and Road Initiative. The Australian case might also offer wider lessons for Chinese investment in infrastructure assets abroad.     

积极创新财税制度推动河南产业升级

入世以后，以农业和加工业为主的传统的河南经济结构模式，严重制约着河南经济的发展速度。调整产业结构，促进产业升级，是加快河南经济发展步伐的必要途径。这放要求创新现行的财税制度，采取一系列相关的优惠政策，如财政担保、政府购买等，加大对高新技术产业的投入力度，推动河南的产业升级。     

Infrastructure,Multinational Affiliate Production,and the Pattern of Trade

In a two-country general equilibrium model with endogenously determined domestic and multinational firms, it is shown that public infrastructure development can have diverging implications for horizontal multinational affiliate firm production and trade, depending on the type of infrastructure invested in. Infrastructure investments with strong productive or local transport effects (i.e. schools or local roads) lead to greater domestic firm production and exports, fewer imports, and more foreign multinational affiliate firm production in the country making the investment. On the other hand, infrastructure projects that lower international trade and transaction costs (i.e. shipping ports or airports) lead to more domestic firms in both countries, a greater volume of bilateral exports in both directions, and less multinational affiliate production. Further, the effect of different types of infrastructure investment on income and welfare of the open economies is explored.     

改革开放以来技术改造投资规模的实证分析

适度的技术改造投资不仅有利于经济增长,而且能促进经济结构转换。对1978年以来的技术改造投资规模的变动分析、绩效分析以及对优化投资率的推导和“十五”期间规模预测表明,技术改造投资在经济增长中起着至关重要的作用。实现产业结构升级必须提高技术改造投资率,在目前总投资率较高的条件下,提高技术改造投资率可以通过调整投资结构来实现。     

Fungibility and the flypaper effect of project aid: Micro-evidence for Vietnam

While most economists assume that aid is fungible, most aid donors behave as if it is not. Recipient government responses to development project aid are studied in the context of a specific World Bank-financed project. We estimate the impact of a rural road rehabilitation project in Vietnam on the kilometers of roads actually rehabilitated and built. Using local-level survey data collected for this purpose, we test whether the evidence supports the standard economic argument that there will be little or no impact on rural roads rehabilitated, given fungibility. Instead of full fungibility, we find evidence for a “flypaper effect”. Although impacts on rehabilitated road kilometers were less than intended, more roads were built in project areas. Our results suggest that there was fungibility within the sector, but that aid largely stuck to that sector.     

财政分权、地方政府投资和区域经济增长——基于双固定效应模型的实证分析

改革开放后,地方政府转变为独立的经济利益主体,成为推动我国经济增长动力源之一。以中部地区为分析样本,运用双固定效应模型,实证研究了地方政府投资对经济增长的影响。研究结果显示,1994年的财政分税制改革后,中部六省的地方政府投资有力的推动了地方经济的增长,但是这种效应并不明显,这与政府投资的投资价值取向和标准有关。针对这一分析提出了优化地方政府投资行为的政策建议。     

全球价值链还是国内价值链 ——中国代工企业的链条选择机制研究

代工企业在GVC（全球价值链）中处于微利化、被俘获的境地，无法拥有核心技术和自主品牌，难以实现真正的升级。选择加入NVC（国内价值链）是代工企业突破跨国买家封锁，实现链条升级的重要途径。本文构建了一个代工企业在GVC和NVC链条下的博弈模型，通过比较不同链条下的均衡利润及影响因素来分析代工企业的链条选择机制。本文的研究发现，国内市场规模及其开发效果、代工生产经验与固定投入对在NVC运营成本的影响以及企业所处的国际和国内行业结构是决定代工企业选择GVC或是NVC的重要因素，相关案例支持笔者的理论分析结果。     

Debt financing of public investment: On a popular misinterpretation of “the golden rule of public sector borrowing”

In this paper I challenge the proposition that the golden rule of public sector borrowing is consistent with the principle of intertemporal allocative efficiency, in the sense that growth-enhancing public investment justifies a structural public deficit. I demonstrate that in the long run the social opportunity cost of debt-financed public investment exceeds the social opportunity cost of tax financed public investments. This result holds if the social rate of time preference is lower than the interest rate on government borrowing. Thus a benevolent government would use taxes to finance public investment. In the short run, debt financing is justified if public investment has a considerable growth effect on private consumption. This requires a corresponding initial undersupply of public capital.     

The Effect of Tax Convexity on Corporate Investment Decisions and Tax Burdens

This paper examines the effect of convexity in the corporate tax schedule on corporate investment decisions and tax burdens. Using a contingent‐claims model, we show that greater tax convexity results in (i) earlier exit, (ii) delayed investment (except for small entry cost), and (iii) reduced corporate risk taking (except for small entry cost and unfavorable operating conditions). Also, the effective tax burden is an increasing function of tax convexity. The convexity of the tax schedule has a nontrivial impact on corporate investment decisions and investment levels. These results are relevant for economic growth, which depends (at least partly) on investment levels, and tax policy makers should be aware of these effects when making adjustments that might impact the convexity of the corporate tax schedule.     

我国经济增长中的效率损失问题探析

改革开放以来，我国经济增长取得了举世瞩目的成就，但在经济增长中仍然存在一些缺憾，即社会经济资源并未达到最充分的利用状态，突出地表现为经济周期波动下的资源配置效率损失和不均衡发展下的经济结构效率损失。为了进一步提升我国经济增长的效率，应以科学发展观为指导，确定适宜的经济增长目标区间，熨平经济周期波动，提升宏观资源配置效率，改善投资和消费关系，降低储蓄率，提高投资效率．优化产业结构与就业结构，提升经济结构效率等。     

Upgrading peripheral wind sectors

The implementation of traditional policies does not consider institutional singularities in peripheral sectors. The main aim of this paper is to analyse the interaction among local capabilities and multinational agents to upgrade a peripheral wind sector. The case study conducted in the peripheral region of Galicia (Spain) emphasises the challenges concerning policy design and implementation in this kind of regions. The theoretical foundations are based on the systemic and evolutionary approach of the innovation system and the global value chain perspective. This combination enables to analyse how local contexts could shape governance patterns within value chains in peripheral regions. Likewise, the target approach is also applied concerning the design and implementation of a policy programme and its timing. Empirical evidences underline the complementarity of market size and foreign direct investment policies, as well as the diversification towards green transitions through enhancing local capabilities.