Book Reviews

Béla Greskovits, The Political Economy of Protest and Patience. East European and Latin American Transformations Compared
Roman Frydman, Kenneth Murphy and Andrzej Rapaczynski, Capitalism with a Comrade's Face
Lorand Ambrus-Lakatos and Mark Schaffer (eds), Fiscal Policy in Transition. Forum Report of the Economic Policy initiative No. 3
Michael Ellman and Vladimir Kontorovich (eds), The Destruction of the Soviet Economic System. An Insider' History
Louis Emmerij (ed.), Economic and Social Development into the XXI Century     

The gender pay gap in Russia during the transition, 1992-96

This paper explores the link between rising wage dispersion in Russia over the transitional period and the gender pay gap. The work of Blau and Kahn (1996) emphasized a role for 'wage structure' in the determination of the gender pay gap, although some interpretational issues concerning their methodology have been raised recently by Suen (1997). The unadjusted gender pay gap between 1992 and 1996 exhibited some degree of stability, but the analysis presented identified increased wage dispersion as a modest agent for the widening of the gap in Russia. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimates for an equation pooling observations from both gender groups, registered no statistical difference in the mean ceteris paribus gender pay gap between the two years. To complement the mean regression approach, quantile regression procedures were also employed. Although the median regression provided evidence of a statistically significant temporal increase in the gender pay gap, this finding was not supported at other chosen quantiles of the wage distribution. This result was taken to highlight the possible sensitivity of the OLS procedure.
JEL classification: J16, J31, P23.     

基于门限分位点回归的条件VaR风险度量

门限分位点回归模型是线性分位点回归模型的改进,是一种更加客观实际的非线性估计方法。利用该模型实证分析了单只股票(民生银行)的条件VaR。选择一种流动性风险指标作为条件,经过分析发现,由门限分位点回归模型得到结果能够更好地描述市场,也能更好地预测市场风险。     

正规金融发展、非正规金融发展对城乡收入差距的影响——基于地级市层面数据的分位数回归分析

在理论剖析正规金融发展、非正规金融发展对城乡收入差距影响的基础上,基于2000—2013年中国225个地级市的面板数据,分别利用分位数回归方法和OLS回归方法对之进行了实证分析。结果显示:正规金融发展和非正规金融发展会影响城乡收入差距,就业结构、固定资产投资、城镇化水平和教育发展水平等也对城乡收入差距产生影响;在不同的分位点,正规金融发展、非正规金融发展对城乡收入差距的影响不同,而就业结构、固定资产投资、城镇化水平和教育发展水平等的影响未发生变化。     

Neoliberalism with a Feminist Face: Crafting a new Hegemony at the World Bank

Neoliberalism has been discredited as a result of proliferating crises (financial, ecological, care) and mounting inequality. This paper examines the growing research on gender at the World Bank as a site for the construction of a new hegemonic consensus around neoliberalism. Drawing on a computer-assisted inductive analysis of thirty-four Bank publications on gender since 2001, the paper documents Bank efforts to establish a positive relationship between gender equality and growth; shows the expansion of the Bank’s definition of equality as equal opportunity; illustrates how the focus on institutions has enabled engagement with core feminist concerns, such as equality in the family; and traces how incorporating notions of women’s empowerment and agency has made possible a focus on domestic violence. The paper concludes by emphasizing the ambiguous effects of the Bank’s new neoliberalism, which continues to use the market as the arbiter of social values while providing openings for feminist agendas.     

Business Cycles in Yugoslavia

Although Haiti's 2010 earthquake brought to light the inconceivable poverty existing in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti's struggle for economic development long pre-dated that earthquake. One problem in Haiti is the high level of gender inequity, and we argue that human development theory is the best mode for change. We provide a brief background of Haiti's economic development over the last several decades, along with the status of women's rights and gender-differentiated socioeconomic outcomes. We analyze the ways that policy neglect of gender equity in Haiti has contributed to failed economic development in the past. Finally, we identify ways that other developing countries have successfully incorporated a focus on gender equity in their development strategy, particularly in the face of natural disaster and financial crisis. Our goal is working toward a set of leading practices consistent with institutionalism that can be used in relating gender (in)equality to economic development.     

Gender Equality and Long-Run Growth

This research suggests that long-run economic and demographic development in Europe can be better understood when related to long-term trends in gender equality, dating back to the spread of Christianity. We set up a growth model where gaps in female-to-male human capital arise at equilibrium through a coordination process. An economy which over a long stretch of time re-coordinates on continuously more equal equilibria—as one could argue happened in Europe—exhibits growth patterns qualitatively similar to that of Europe.     

中国CO_2排放与经济增长间关系的实证分析——基于双向分量回归模型

采用双向分量回归法探讨1985—2009年中国CO2排放与经济增长的关系,并且在模型中引入共同边界技术效率比,以解决一般固定效应模型无法捕捉不随时间变动的因素对两者间内在关系的影响这一问题。结果显示:经济发展水平越低的地区,人均GDP对人均CO2排放量的弹性系数越大;随着经济发展水平的提高,人均CO2排放量与人均GDP的关系曲线逐渐平缓,低、中收入地区的EKC不呈倒U型,高收入地区的EKC呈不明显的倒U型。     

Capabilities and (Missed) Opportunity for Women’s Entrepreneurship in Kuwait

Abstract

Kuwait offers a powerful context for investigating the entrepreneurial cultures developing in Gulf countries in response to the concurrent trends of pursuing economic diversification and efficiency, and the constraints posed by cultural narratives that maintain inequality between the sexes. Bringing a capabilities lens to the analysis of entrepreneurship promotion programs means shifting from a focus on meeting basic human needs to ensuring capabilities development. To begin, we discuss the capabilities approach to entrepreneurship with a focus on the necessity/opportunity classification. Next, we review the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kuwait, including its focus on opportunity entrepreneurs and the legal, economic, and sociocultural framework in which they operate. After considering the impact of Kuwait’s gender-blind approach on women’s entrepreneurship, we conclude with some suggestions for strengthening Kuwait’s potential for capability expansion through entrepreneurship.     

上海推行遗属保险可行性研究

由于死亡具有不可预测性和不可规避性,跳出社会救济范畴,通过精算将遗属津贴纳入社会保险体系成为发达国家的普遍做法。遗属保险不仅保障了遗属的基本生活,还很好地推进了性别平等。中国社会保障制度尚未将遗属生活保障完整地架构在社会保险体系之中。上海,作为中国经济最发达的城市,在两性预期寿命日趋拉大的情况下,有条件也有必要尽快试行遗属保险制度。     

基于分位数回归的我国能源效率影响因素动态研究

利用1978～2010年样本数据,通过分位数回归模型详细研究了各因素对能源效率在不同分位点上的影响变化。研究发现,能源价格对能源效率的影响随着能源效率的提高呈U型分布;产业结构的变动只有在能源效率较低时才会对其产生明显的影响作用;能源效率低下时,技术进步会促进能源效率的提高,而能源效率较高时,技术进步存在"回弹效应";城市化水平的提高有利于能源效率的提高,并且这种作用随着能源效率的提高而不断增强。最后,根据实证分析的结果给出了相关建议。     

When is Foreign Aid Effective in Fighting Terrorism? Threshold Evidence

Building on the previous literature, we assess when foreign aid is effective in fighting terrorism using quantile regressions on a panel of 78 developing countries for the period 1984–2008. Bilateral, multilateral and total aid indicators are used whereas terrorism includes: domestic, transnational, unclear and total terrorism dynamics. We consistently establish that foreign aid (bilateral, multilateral and total) is effective at fighting terrorism exclusively in countries where existing levels of transnational terrorism are highest. This finding is consistent with our theoretical underpinnings because donors have been documented to allocate more aid towards fighting transnational terrorist activities in recipient countries because they are more likely to target their interests. Moreover, the propensity of donor interest at stake is likely to increase with initial levels of transnational terrorism, such that the effect of foreign aid is most significant in recipient countries with the highest levels of transnational terrorism. Policy implications and future research directions are discussed.     

How wide is the gap? An investigation of gender wage differences using quantile regression

In this paper we re-examine the link between subjective perceptions and objective measures of wage discrimination by estimating the mean and several quantiles in the conditional wage distribution of men and women in order to decompose the gender wage gap into the part attributed to different characteristics and the part attributable to differential returns to these characteristics at points other than the conditional expectation. In the process we take into account the endogeneity of educational choice and the participation decision of women. The results suggest that the absolute wage gap and the component of the latter that can be attributed to different returns to characteristics increase over the wage scale.