成渝地区双城经济圈一体化“化学键”形成探析——基于轴心论的视角

中央将“推动成渝地区双城经济圈建设”确定为国家战略,并提出这是一项系统工程,要求牢固树立一体化发展理念。成渝地区是西部“功能轴”和发动机,成渝城市群是世界为数不多的“AA型双核型椭圆城市群”,成渝地区双城经济圈要形成“键能”很高的“化学键”,才能建成世界级城市群。成渝中部城市在成渝地区双城经济圈、长江经济带、西部大开发等战略中承担着中心支点作用,要实现“中心”变“轴心”,就要切实践行“创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享”五大发展理念,发挥“激动、转动、带动、联动、互动”五大效应,产生强大的向心力、辐射力、影响力、催化力和黏合力。     

Are immigrants really attracted to the welfare state? Evidence from OECD countries

This paper examines the impact of fiscal policies on both the size and educational levels of immigrants in destination countries. We find that whether or not a country’s policies are attracting highly educated immigrants goes beyond the issue of the “welfare state”. Immigrants are making important distinctions between the different benefits provided by a receiving country’s government. Health and education spending are found to have a positive impact on the education levels of immigrants while the reverse is true for unemployment and retirement benefits. Welfare programs are found to be insignificant once other government programs/taxes and other factors are taken into account. These results imply that countries should be less concerned about whether they are a “big government” with regards to attracting immigrants, and more concerned with what types of benefits they offer.     

Small businesses in a system of measures aimed at recovering the trajectory of economic growth

The article has substantiated an approach to small businesses as a factor that potentially promotes the recovery of economic growth. Consequences of ineffective government policy towards small business have been analyzed, as well as provisions of the “Strategy for the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Business in the Russian Federation until 2030.” Measures have been proposed that are aimed at stabilizing the operating conditions of small businesses and restoring the entrepreneurs’ confidence in the state.     

Determinants and effects of the use of COVID-19 business support programs in Japan

Using a survey of and financial data for Japanese small- and medium-enterprises (SMEs), this paper examines the determinants of firms’ use of the business support programs provided by the Japanese government during the COVID-19 pandemic and their effect. With respect to the determinants, we obtain the following three findings: First, firms were more likely to have obtained subsidized loans, grants, or subsidies the more their sales had fallen during the pandemic, suggesting that funds flowed to firms that were adversely affected by the pandemic. Second, the likelihood that firms obtained funds was higher if their credit scores were lower or if they were classified as “zombies” and/or “low-return borrowers” before the pandemic, suggesting that the government programs also helped firms that had been under-performing before the pandemic. Third, firms were more likely to receive funds if they had a stronger relationship with their main bank before, suggesting that bank relationships play an important role in firms’ access to government programs. Regarding the causal effects, we obtain the following three findings: First, except for the subsidies for employment adjustment, the support programs increased the cash holdings of user firms. Second, subsidized loans from private financial institutions lowered exit rates, while none of the programs had a significantly positive effect on employment relative to non-users (or in absolute terms). Third, the credit scores and profit-to-sales ratio of firms that used the support programs decreased and the likelihood of such firms being a zombie and/or a low-return borrower increased. Overall, our findings provide a cautionary tale in that the business support programs produced mixed results in that they may have prevented business failures but have also helped to prop up firms that are not viable in the long run.     

An introduction to problems of economic development in the CMEA countries

Through the Asian financial crisis, many key international economic issues have come to the forefront the stability of the international financial system under the IMF, “Asian values”, the universal validity of the Asian Economic Development Model, China's leadership in the regional world economy, Japan's role in the region, and the immunity of Greater China from the current financial crisis. Currently, most Asian countries seem eager to redress structural problems involving the government sector, banking, and corporate governance. In the process of this full scale restructuring, Korea must reevaluate its economic relationship with Central Asia. This paper argues that Korean financial crisis stems basically from the system failure. Furthermore, since a small open economy carries with it intrinsic vulnerabilities, the government should be more careful in securing optimal foreign exchange, opening capital markets based on the economy's absorption capacity. In this respect, the banking industry should be run based on the profitability of capital. Once banking industries are distorted by the practice of government‐led policy loans, it is more difficult to correct those customized distortions. The banking industry should play a larger role as the “brain of the economy”, sensing abnormalities of the economy. Moreover, in today's increasingly interdependent global economic system, no single country can solve its problems without close coordination of its policy with the outside world. An early warning system to signal financial instability would help developing economies in modernizing and strengthening their domestic financial institutions and would also work as a supplement to the IMF standby fund. Also, human resource management has proven too important to be neglected. Central Asia could derive lessons from the above Asian “failure”, not the Asian “miracle”, to avoid inappropriate policies and to deepen its economic development.     

Small-Scale Farmers Expand the Benefits of Improved Maize Germplasm: A Case Study from Chiapas,Mexico

This study documents how farmers modified an improved maize variety—with desirable characteristics for all farmers, but perceived as affordable only to the wealthy—into one appropriate for all, including the poor. Changes in the extent of adoption and associated farmers' perceptions of the improved variety V-524 in a community in Chiapas, Mexico over a nine-year period are examined. During the period this variety became “creolized” through farmers' management, which fostered hybridization between improved and local varieties. These results have implications for understanding how scientific technology is adapted to farmer conditions and for assessing the impacts of plant-breeding programs.     

创造适合中国中小企业发展的政府融资项目

I. IntroductionIt is widely recognized that the growth of small -and medium -sized enterprises (SMEs) is akey ingredient for the sustainable economic development of a nation. Cavalluzzo,Small-and Medium -Sized Enterprises in ChinaCavalluzzo, and Wolken (2002), for example, conclude that small enterprises serve as animportant engine of growth in the U.S. economy. In China, as a result of the economicreforms and market opening measures, SMEs have enjoyed remarkable development andhave g…     

从管制到治理：我国街头官僚转型探析

街头官僚理论是公共行政研究领域较新的理论之一。我国目前的街头官僚基本属于“管制型”街头官僚,这种类型的街头官僚已严重不适应于我国经济体制转轨、社会转型及政府职能转变的要求,并在实践中暴露出种种弊端。在“推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化”的要求下,我国的街头官僚应实现由“管制型”向“治理型”的转变。街头官僚转型既需要宏观层次的地方治理格局优化、服务型政府和法治政府建设、社会治理体制创新,也需要微观层次的街头官僚自身角色、职责、工作方式和工作程序的调整与完善。     

论全媒体时代我国政府形象的塑造

信息技术的不断突破,传统媒介与新兴媒介的日益融合,使得我们正在迈向一个集“数字化”和“信息化”于一体的全媒体时代。全媒体的发展弥补了传统媒体的不足,有助于政府形象的即时塑造和修复,它作为一把“双刃剑”,也为政府形象的塑造带来了严峻的挑战。     

从“管理”走向“治理”：政府与社会关系的重构

党的十八届三中全会提出了国家治理现代化的历史任务。国家治理现代化,意味着国家治理模式将实现从“管理”走向“治理”的革命性变革。“治理”在本质上是公共权力向社会回归的过程,是多元治理主体对社会公共事务进行合作管理以促进公共利益最大化的过程。因此,要完成这个革命性的变革,必须重构政府与社会的关系,在政府与社会之间建立起新型的合作伙伴关系。     

Are local governments maximizing land revenue? Evidence from China

This paper examines how political considerations affect local officials' revenue maximization behaviors in the context of urban land conveyance in China. Particularly, we analyze government intervention based on local officials' choice of two land auction types, namely, “English auction” and “two-stage auction”. The latter presumably serves as a tool of government intervention. We aim to address the research question: “Are local governments maximizing land revenue?” The major findings are threefold. First, for cities with higher housing prices, two-stage auctions are adopted more frequently than English auctions. In addition, land parcels in these “hot” cities adopt two-stage auctions more frequently during sensitive political events, suggesting that local officials respond positively to the real estate regulation policy from central government. Second, when city leaders are more incentivized to promote economic performance, they respond less positively to rises in housing prices. Third, such interventionist behavior results in a significantly depressed land price and housing price. Despite its intention of improving public welfare, this interventionism can susceptibly cause problems of misallocation and corruption.     

The effectiveness of bank recapitalization policies in Japan

This study examines the effectiveness of bank recapitalization policies in Japan. Based on a reading of the “business revitalization plan” submitted by banks requesting government funds, we identify four primary goals for the capital injection plan in Japan: (1) to increase the bank capital ratios; (2) to increase write-offs of non-performing loans; (3) to increase lending, in particular to small and medium enterprises, in order to avoid a “credit crunch”; (4) to encourage restructuring. Using a panel of individual bank data, we empirically estimate the effectiveness of the Japanese government policy of public fund injection in achieving the first three of these stated goals. Our empirical analysis reveals that, in general, the capital injections into the large internationally active banks were more effective than those into the smaller domestic banks in Japan. In addition, the second round capital injection, administered in 1998, was more effective than the first round, administered in 1997. The first capital injection in 1997 mostly served as a stop-gap measure to help the large international banks clear the 8% capital adequacy ratio (BIS ratio) required under the Basel Accord and did not make much contribution to the other policy objectives. The second round of capital injections in 1998 were more effective, boosting capital adequacy ratios for the domestic as well as international banks and supporting other policy objectives as well by stimulating banks to write off bad loans and increase domestic lending, in particular to small and medium enterprises.     

The competitiveness of Russian industries: Current state and outlook

Based on its definition of industrial sector competitiveness the paper presents a “competitiveness chart” of branches of industry as per postcrisis status and points out key contributing factors in the success/failure of industry groups. Development opportunities and threats of branches of industry are analyzed, leading to a long-term industry “competitiveness chart.” A detailed SWOT analysis is made of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for a number of key industries.     

美国在阿富汗的“国家建设”缘何失败

阿富汗是美国在“全球反恐战争”背景下实施“国家建设”的主要对象。基于考察小布什政府和奥巴马政府的相关政策及其实施情况,可以认为美国在阿富汗展开的“国家建设”缺乏切实可行的目标和连贯明确的战略,很多政策相互矛盾,资源投入严重不足,在政策执行和机构协调等方面问题重重。美国在阿富汗的安全重建受到“反恐”和“反叛乱”军事行动的主导,削弱了阿富汗社会和普通民众的安全感,重建援助的“军事化”问题突出。在政治重建方面,美国不顾北方联盟和部分国家的反对,在阿富汗推行总统制,这一选择与阿富汗政治传统和文化不相适应。美国绕开阿富汗中央政府进行援助导致出现“平行政府”,破坏了中央政府权威。在经济重建方面出现“双重寄生体制”,对农业和乡村地区的发展支持严重不足,难以有效应对毒品经济问题。美国提出的“新丝绸之路”计划高估了中亚国家与阿富汗的一体性,也缺乏促进地区经济发展的资源投入。根本而言,美国在阿富汗的“国家建设”缺乏道义基础,难以获得阿富汗民众的支持,与阿富汗政府倡导的“阿人所有、阿人主导”的和解进程存在诸多冲突,彰显了美国权力的傲慢及其“自由主义霸权”战略的深刻困境。     

“Cautiously Optimistic” Comments on “Black Americans in the 21st Century: Should we be Optimistic or Concerned?”

This is a commentary on Angel Harris’ examination of the current state and challenges facing the black community. Harris provides a comprehensive overview of the socio-economic status of the black Americans and questions America’s ability to achieve the American “creed of opportunity”. My response to Harris’ question, “Should we be pessimistic or optimistic”, is that I am cautiously optimistic. My optimism is rooted in postsecondary progress of black despite challenges to affirmative action and the lingering test score gap between blacks and whites. However, I am “cautious” about the willingness of policy makers to use “race targeted” or “wealth-based-tested” programs to arrest practices which hinder employment, income and wealth opportunity.     

Formal and informal rural credit in the Mekong River Delta of Vietnam: Interaction and accessibility

This paper examines the factors influencing rural households’ access to credit in the Vietnamese market. Analysis confirms an interaction effect between informal and formal credit sectors in which informal credit positively influences accessibility to microcredit programs. Ignoring this interaction effect may lead to microcredit providers making loan decisions that are less than optimal. In the formal credit sector, the lowest income group faces more credit rationing than other groups, despite the fact that microcredit programs are designed to target households at the bottom of the income pyramid. Results demonstrate that land holding status, informal interest, and informal loan duration are important factors influencing access to informal credit. Factors influencing microcredit accessibility include local government employee status, credit group membership, a “poor” certificate, educational attainment, working skills and village road access. To reduce reliance on informal credit and improve microcredit accessibility, rural households should actively participate in a microcredit group.     

泰州沿江城乡一体化的实践

泰州市沿江以高港区和靖江市为主。泰州沿江城乡一体化的发展特色：工业化带动城镇化,致富农民成效显著;集中居住区初具规模,农民积极性很高;政府扶持,设施农业发展特色鲜明。泰州沿江城乡一体化面临的问题：集中区布局超前意识缺乏,易引发潜在问题;农业现代化过程中,政府财政扶持压力过大;城市化水平有待进一步提高;空间开发不够有序高效。泰州沿江城乡一体化进一步发展的思考：统筹城乡协调发展必须跳出传统的＂就农业论农业、就农村论农村、就农民论农民＂的局限,反弹琵琶,跳出“三农”来解决“三农”,积极寻求统筹城乡协调发展的新路径。