Firms’ growth: Does the innovation system matter?

The paper investigates the effects of external sources of knowledge on firm growth. In line with the knowledge spillovers literature, we focus on the relationship between firms and universities, considered as a crucial source of knowledge. To this purpose, we analyse a sample of UK public companies in the period 1995 to 2006. Our findings confirm that both universities’ knowledge input and output are important determinants of the growth of entrepreneurial firms.     

Does default point vary with firm size?

This article aims to improve the predictive ability of KMV model by distinguishing firm size. The evidence suggests that default point would vary with firm size. Using the method of particle swarm optimization, we obtain the optimal default point separately for large firms and small firms. Several statistical tests such as the model confidence set methodology show that our relatively tractable model is more likely to have the strongest predictive ability.     

Does reference point matter in the leverage–return relationship? Evidence from the US stock market

The leverage–return relationship is supported by inconclusive empirical evidence in terms of its sign and significance. In this study, we argue that such a puzzling relationship can be understood by extending the traditional theoretical framework in a way that captures the reference dependence characteristics of prospect theory. We postulate that a firm’s leverage position relative to its reference point (i.e. target leverage) combined with market conditions places firms in either a gain or a loss domain, thereby resulting in different leverage–return relationships. Leverage and expected equity returns generally exhibit positive and negative relationships in gain and loss domains, respectively. Three hypotheses are derived and tested using 1998–2013 empirical data from the US stock market. This article contributes to the existing literature by confirming the applicability of prospect theory in explaining expected returns in the stock market.     

Does legal system matter for directed technical change? Evidence from the auto industry

Does the effect of fuel taxes on clean innovations (e.g. hybrid technology) depend on the legal system’s rigidity? Using 1986–2005 data from more than 1900 firms, evidence suggests that auto-industry firms located in civil law (with more rigid laws) countries increase clean technology patenting more than common law (with more flexible laws) firms when the tax-inclusive fuel price rises. A rigid legal system appears to raise clean technology innovation.     

Does conditionality work? A test for an innovative US aid scheme

Performance-based aid has been proposed as an alternative to the failed traditional approach whereby donors make aid conditional on the reform promises of recipient countries. However, hardly any empirical evidence exists on whether ex post rewards are effective in inducing reforms. We attempt to fill this gap by investigating whether the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) was successful in promoting better control of corruption. We employ a difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) approach, considering different ways of defining the treatment group as well as different time periods during which incentive effects could have materialized. We find evidence of strong anticipation effects immediately after the announcement of the MCC, while increasing uncertainty about the timing and amount of MCC aid appears to have weakened the incentive to fight corruption over time.     

Does the star power matter?

This study investigates the role of superstars in the Korean movie industry. We apply a two-step approach: the first step is to test the significance of the star power during 1988–1999 in Korea; the second step is to estimate the magnitude of star power. The appearance of a star actor increases the probability of a hit or success by 15–19% and star power is higher than a director power. A domestic award is associated with positive performance. We find that the top 15 players among 68 actors and actresses significantly impacts on the success of movies.     

Does privatization improve the environment?

Privatization towards profit maximization lowers output and hence encourages a lower tax rate. Because of the reduced tax effect, output is increased when the demand function is highly convex. This gives a paradoxical result that privatization harms the environment.     

Does the minimum wage help the poor?

Conventional economics frequently employs abstract analysis, including questionable assumptions regarding human behavior, together with highly quantitative methodology. While these techniques do not provide a full picture of economic life, conventional economic analysis has provided important insights and predictive power, at least during certain historical periods. The effects of minimum wage laws have been analyzed extensively by conventional economists over the past quarter century. That analysis, much of it empirical, has produced important insights into the effects of the minimum wage on the poor. In this article, I survey that vast body of research and address whether the poor are better off due to the minimum wage. I conclude the minimum wage does not unambiguously help the poor, and may do more harm than good to this segment of the nation's population.     

Does Leaving the Eurozone Mean Leaving the Euro?

Events in the Eurozone have raised the possibility that a Eurozone member departs the currency union. We devise a simulation to examine whether trading firms in the departed country will continue to invoice their product in the Euro or elect another currency denomination strategy. Because trading firms have flexibility in choosing their invoicing currency, they make an excellent case for studying the currency usage patterns of other economic actors that may emerge after Eurozone departure. Results suggest that greater price discrimination leads to more use of the buyer’s currency while firms that set only one price will tend to denominate that price in the U.S. dollar. Low exchange rate volatility between the exiting country’s new currency and the Euro leads to more Euro usage.     

Does the dutch model really exist?

The policy that led from the "Dutch disease" (in the 1980s) to the "Dutch miracle" (in the 1990s) consists of three tracks: wage moderation, retrenching public expenditure and reducing the tax burden, and slimming the welfare system. The wage moderation track seems to have been the most important. The term "Dutch model" refers to the socioeconomic system of the Netherlands. Most observers point particularly to the relatively low unemployment rate to indicate the success of this model. However, the economic inactivity rate in the Netherlands is not lower than in neighboring countries. This suggests that open unemployment in the Netherlands has been partly replaced with hidden unemployment. In particular, the disability scheme seems to contain a large component of hidden unemployment. Another feature of the Dutch model is its consensus-seeking nature, which is fostered by its institutional structure.     

国外职业年金的运作模式选择

目前世界各国的职业年金计划运作模式主要有给付确定型计划和缴费确定型计划两种.针对两种职业年金计划运作模式,结合英国、波兰和美国的职业年金改革实践,从受益者角度看,两种制度各有利弊.缴费确定型计划近年来在各国迅速取代给付确定型计划模式,而中国的企业年金计划则选择基金制的缴费确定型计划运作模式.     

中国企业职工养老保险替代率的实证研究——基于缴费确定型企业年金与基本养老金的对比分析

替代率是企业养老保险方案设计的关键参数,也是政府制定社会养老决策的关键因素之一.企业年金是多支柱养老保险体系的重要组成部分,关系到中国未来养老体系的健康发展.对养老保险替代率的研究发现,基本养老镏金与企业年金对参与人的经济影响并不确定,因此,制定养老金政策须考虑相关的限制条件,政策倾向应有所差异和侧重,以保证政策目标的实现.     

人口老龄化与养老金模式关系辨析

从养老金制度资金平衡的角度分析了人口老龄化与传统现收现付制、基金积累制以及名义账户制之间的关系。无论何种养老金模式均会受人口老龄化的影响,应对人口老龄化的能力不取决于养老金模式采用何种筹资模式,而是取决于采用何种给付方式。基金积累制和名义账户制相对于传统现收现付制的优势只是在于采用量入为出的待遇给付原则,可以避免承诺过于慷慨,进而避免因不必要的过度负担而造成的支付危机。此外,在不同养老金模式下,应对人口老龄化可行对策也存在差异。     

Trade Unions and Consumerism

Public pension systems have long been a focus of special attention by neoclassical economics. In a context of intense aging processes, mainstream economists argue that the replacement of the pay-as-you-go pensions systems by unfunded individual savings accounts will have a positive impact, at a microeconomic and at a macroeconomic level, and will protect pension systems of the negative consequences of aging. However, these conclusions depend dramatically on the assumptions of rational expectations and perfect information. When we accept the existence of uncertainty, the presumed positive consequences of these reforms disappear, showing the advantages of pay-as-you-go over funded pension systems.     

新农保补贴激励、政策认知与个人账户缴费档次选择--基于东北三省数据的有序Probit模型估计

根据新农保试点的跟踪调查结果,大多数参保农民都选择了最低的个人账户缴费档次。分析了个人账户财政补贴激励和政策认知程度对农民参保缴费档次选择的影响,利用有序Probit模型和东北地区调查样本数据对此问题进行了实证检验。在较高的政策认知条件下,\"差别化\"财政补贴方式比\"一刀切\"方式显著提高参保农民的缴费档次选择。其政策含义是在提高农民对新农保的政策认知程度基础上,依据个人账户的不同缴费档次建立多缴多补的\"差别化\"财政补贴激励机制,以引导农民自发选择较高缴费档次,从而提高新农保替代率水平。     

平均替代率、目标替代率与养老金压力估计

虽然传统现收现付制承诺了目标替代率不变,但一般并非以平均替代率来衡量。一个从较高平均替代率水平转轨而来的制度中,大多数情形下平均替代率是逐渐下降的,只有当平均替代率下降到远低于目标替代率水平时,平均替代率才有可能趋向稳定或出现上升。中国城镇职工基本养老保险的平均替代率已经处于低位,近年来观测到的平均替代率水平不断下降的现象是制度转轨的必然现象。测算表明,如果假定平均替代率水平维持目标替代率水平保持不变,将高估制度维持资金平衡所需的缴费率水平和资金缺口,并将改变制度盈余的根本性质。