On the Sources of Inflation in Kenya: A Model‐Based Approach

We develop a semi‐structural new‐Keynesian open‐economy model – with separate food and non‐food inflation dynamics to study the sources of inflation in Kenya in recent years. To do so, we filter international and Kenyan data (on output, inflation and its components, exchange rates and interest rates) through the model to recover a model‐based decomposition of most variables into trends (or potential values) and temporary movements (or gaps) – including for the international and domestic relative price of food. We use the filtration exercise to recover the sequence of domestic and foreign macroeconomic shocks that account for business cycle dynamics in Kenya over the last few years, with a special emphasis on the various factors (international food prices, monetary policy) driving inflation. We find that while imported food price shocks have been an important source of inflation, both in 2008 and more recently, accommodating monetary policy has also played a role, most notably through its effect on the nominal exchange rate. We also discuss the implications of this exercise for the use of model‐based monetary policy analysis in sub‐Saharan African countries.     

住房公积金及增值收益物权属性保障对策研究

本文在论证住房公积金及增值收益物权属性的基础上,提出具体保障对策。首先,拓宽住房公积金保值增值渠道;其次,公积金业务与中心经费并账核算,增加业务支出核算内容;再次,建立住房公积金增值收益分配新模式,缴存职工参与公积金分红。     

金融自由化、资源配置偏向与城乡收入差距——基于省级面板数据的经验证据

文章运用主成分分析法,重测了我国金融自由化指数值,同时采用31个省级面板数据,实证分析了金融自由化、资源配置偏向对我国城乡收入差距的影响。结果表明,金融自由化弱化了金融资源配置偏向对城乡收入差距的抑制作用;财政、固定资产投入偏向,均拉大了城乡收入差距;而FDI则一定程度上缩小了城乡收入差距。此外,金融自由化、资源配置偏向对城乡收入差距的影响,具有区域差异性。     

城乡居民消费行为及结构演化的差异研究

转变经济发展方式、实现经济内生增长是中国经济进入“新常态”阶段最迫切需要解决的问题,而实现这一目标,最为重要的则是居民消费水平的有效提升,尤其是农村居民消费困境的破解。基于此,本文采用非线性最小二乘法(NLS)对中国城乡居民消费行为及其演化规律进行了跨时期分析,结果发现城乡居民收入与消费之间表现为明显的非线性关系,并没有完全遵循边际消费倾向递减规律。“七五”时期和“八五”时期,城乡居民边际消费随收入的增加而递增;“九五”时期及以后,城镇居民边际消费随着收入的增加而递减,农村居民边际消费则仍随收入的增加而递增。从收入结构视角看,农民边际消费仅随工资性收入和家庭经营性收入的增加而递增,而城镇居民边际消费随工资性收入、家庭经营性收入和转移性收入的增加而递减。由于农民收入增长质量较低,而且收入结构不合理,从而直接导致农民消费水平低下且结构不合理,因此,提升农民消费水平,迫切需要优化农民收入结构和消费结构。     

Trade and the distribution of human capital

We develop a two-country, two-sector model of trade where the only difference between the two countries is their distribution of human capital endowments. We show that even if the two countries have identical aggregate human capital endowments the pattern of trade depends on the properties of the two human capital distributions. We also show that the two distributions of endowments also completely determine the effects of trade on income inequality. We also look at a simple majority voting model. It turns out autarky and free trade with and without compensation may be the voting outcome.     

1980-2002年我国农村居民收入差距变动的实证分析

1980-2002年间,从总体上看,我国农村居民收入差距呈现“不规则的阶梯形”变动特征;从地区看,我国东中西部地区间农村居民收入差距在不断拉大,收入分配形成了“递减式梯级”格局;从高低收入省(自治区、直辖市)看,我国农村居民收入差距变动呈上扬的“飘带”状,且处于较大状态。     

Income smoothing from a Census X-12 perspective

Corporate income smoothing has been the focus of much attention, yet relatively little is known about the key characteristics of income-smoothing firms. To address this issue, the current study uses quarterly data with Census X-12 analysis in a novel way to identify firms where the degree of random variability in earnings is less than the degree of random variability in sales (EVAR < SVAR). Prior research views such firms as effective smoothers, since most firms have scale-free variability profiles in the opposite direction (EVAR > SVAR). Large-sample US results identify these exceptions throughout a broad cross section of firms, but smaller and less profitable firms tended to have a higher incidence rate. Results also indicate that effective smoothers exhibited higher earnings persistence.     

投资者异质信念影响股票价值溢价吗？--基于分析师收益预测的角度

本文利用资产组合分析和包含分歧风险因子的多因素模型,分析了投资者异质信念对股票价值溢价的影响。研究结果表明：投资者异质信念对价值型股票组合和流通市值大的股票组合的价值溢价具有显著影响,且投资者异质信念程度越大,这类股票组合的价值溢价也越大。     

公共教育、社会保障与收入分布

本文使用一个世代交叠模型揭示了公共教育与社会保障调节收入分布的作用机制。研究发现,公共教育能够有效地缩小家庭教育投资差距,从而降低收入差异;社会保障则通过减少低收入家庭的劳动供给、增加其有效家庭教育时间来降低收入差异。本文的数值模拟结果显示,在同样的支出水平下公共教育调节收入差异的能力比社会保障更强。并且当存在财政预算约束时,从降低收入差异的角度来看,若财政预算规模较低则应当将资金优先用于公共教育;若财政预算规模较高则应当在公共教育与社会保障之间保持平衡。     

Income inequality,unemployment, and poverty in Nigeria: a vector autoregressive approach

The main features of poverty are low levels of consumption and income, a fact‐of‐life in most African countries. This paper analyzes the fundamental trends of per capita income, government capital expenditure, the human development index, and the rate of unemployment in the Nigeria. A vector autoregressive model finds that: A reduced unemployment rate improves human development and consequently reduces poverty. As growth in public capital expenditure rises, unemployment falls and the human development index improves. Therefore, infrastructure‐based policies, which initially reduce unemployment, will also improve the living conditions of Nigerians in the end.