Institutions and the financial development–economic growth nexus in sub-Saharan Africa

Using a sample splitting approach that does not impose an exogenous quadratic term, we examine the effect of financial development on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa by allowing the link to be mediated by the level of institutions. Our findings reveal a disproportionate growth-enhancing effect of finance, given countries’ distinct level of institutional quality. More specifically, when the International Country Risk Guide-based measure of institutions is used as the threshold variable, below the optimal level of institutional quality, financial development does not significantly promote economic growth. For countries with institutional quality above the threshold, higher finance is associated with growth. However, when institutions are measured by World Governance Indicators proxy, we find a significant effect of financial development, irrespective of whether a country is below or above the threshold. Interestingly, the growth-enhancing effect of finance is greater for low-institution countries relative to high-institution countries. Thus, through its ability to provide some crucial roles, the well-developed financial sector may also perform the function of sound institutions in influencing economic growth.     

江苏经济高质量发展本质、态势与对策

以科技革命和产业变革为主要特征的新工业革命方兴未艾,与朱格拉周期形成叠加,与经济高质量发展形成难得的历史交汇。当前江苏站到了新工业革命与经济高质量发展融合的全新起点,开启了经济增长新周期,致力于改善经济运行质量,提高经济效益。研究表明,新工业革命与经济高质量发展呈现相互依存、相互融合、协调发展的总趋势。文章通过对江苏经济高质量发展态势分析,把握新时代江苏的新方位、新坐标,推动新旧动能转换,实现江苏经济增长由"L型"向"V型"转变,彰显经济高质量发展的"江苏作为",为其他区域经济发展提供现实观照。     

我国牧区草原生态补偿机制构建研究

［目的］通过构建一套科学、合理的牧区草原生态补偿机制，解决牧区近10年来主要实施的一系列生态治理项目和措施中存在的草原生态补偿标准普遍偏低、政策缺少灵活性、监管体系不够完善、缺乏相应保障机制等问题。［方法］通过对国内有关草原生态补偿机制相关文献分类梳理，基于我国牧区草原生态环境现状，对比分析国内外实践，总结国外成功经验，定性分析补偿机制要素，对草原生态补偿机制进行全面、系统地分析论述。［结果］我国牧区草原生态补偿主体应以各级政府为主； 补偿对象应包括牧区牧民、草原生态环境保护的投资者和建设者以及牧区地方政府； 因保护草原生态环境而导致牧区和牧民的发展权受限由此产生的机会成本作为草原生态补偿标准； 补偿方式以中央财政纵向转移支付为主，以市场补偿为辅的组合模式。保障机制需完善法律法规、公众参与、监督管理、绩效评估等方面建设。［结论］我国牧区草原生态补偿机制的构建须对补偿责任主体、补偿范围、补偿标准、补偿方式及补偿保障机制等各要素要进行整体性、系统性深入分析，才能确保草原生态补偿机制能够满足牧区实际需求，提供有力保障。     

Economic Development and South Africa: 25 Years Analysis (1994 to 2019)

Economic Development highlights the growth and progression of every nation towards prosperity, and South Africa is not an exception to this phenomenon. Present article reviews economic progression in South Africa for last 25 years of time by applying systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis (1,241 articles) on Scopus extracted database (1994 to 2019; until 06 June). Inferences evidence significant work contributed by top universities, authors, funding sources, journals and citation statistics. Noticeably, implementation of a concept solely will not fetch real situation; however, a systematic review extends good to excellent understanding of the considered research agenda. Findings reveal the contradictory inter-connectivity of Cluster 1 Economic Inequality and Poverty, Cluster 2 Developing Country and Corruption and Cluster 6 Economic Development and Economic Policy. It is very important to understand that if a nation is facing economic inequality, corruption, and poverty; how it can achieve the status of economically developed nation. Identification of Cluster 3 Industrialization and Industry 4.0, Cluster 4 Unemployment and Entrepreneurship Education and Cluster 5 Sustainable Development and Economic Growth signifies scope of improvement. Conclusively, the researcher has proposed a conceptual model to address above stated concerns.     

Revising price history: consumer price index for Norway 1492–2018

ABSTRACT

The paper presents a new combined annual cost of living and consumer price index for Norway covering 1492–2018, indicating that Norwegian price history has to be revised. The new historical price index is constructed on a significantly richer data material, which also makes it cover a longer period of price history than the existing one. This is made possible by the compilation of quantitative data from numerous sources, mostly originating from the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with grain prices stretching back to 1492. The new combined cost of living and consumer price index is constructed by a Laspeyres approach with shifting baskets for commodities and expenditure groups.

The index makes it possible to follow annual inflation and deflation in Norway for a period of 526 years. When comparing to existing indices, the new series reveals that revisions are needed in Norwegian price history. These make the historical price development more in line with those of the neighbouring countries and more in line with the pattern of wholesale prices.     

Technological versus Pecuniary External Economies: The Former Should Rule the Roost

The paper endeavors to illustrate that though the existing literature emphasizes the dynamic role of Scitovskian pecuniary external economies to account for the growth of innovations, highlighting particular types of market interdependence, such interdependencies can just highlight quasi-rent-led static adjustments that do not ensure an endogenous growth of innovations; the possibility of the growth of innovations remains exogenous. In this context, the present paper highlights the importance of division of labor-led dynamic technological external economies that ensures the endogenous growth of innovations, underlining the need of reinterpretation of Allyn Young in a broader Kaldorian-Keynesian perspective. In this perspective, finance-led investment in more productive opportunities not only supports increases in market size but also begets further investment in (still) more productive opportunities. This understanding provides a more dynamic conceptualization of Keynesian pecuniary external economies that are driven by Youngian technological external economies.     

Some Variants of Constrained Estimation in Finite Population Sampling

This is a review article that unifies several important examples using constrained optimisation techniques. The basic tools are three simple mathematical optimisation results subject to certain constraints. Applications include calibration, benchmarking in small area estimation and imputation. A final illustration is constrained optimisation under a general divergence loss.     

淮南抗日根据地的互助合作运动研究

为了打破敌伪的经济封锁,减轻地主对农民的剥削,克服小农经济的局限性,淮南抗日根据地开展了互助合作运动。根据地在组织农户参加互助时,总结经验、树立典型,循序渐进,逐步推广,抓住群众需要,解决群众困难,尊重群众意愿,利用适当形式,从而有效组织了互助合作。互助合作运动开展中,也遇到不少问题,如形式主义、强迫命令;违背公平合理原则;经营管理效率不高;农民的观望、落后分子的破坏等。根据地采取了一系列措施,应对这些问题。如在.经济条件相近、关系和睦的农户间开展互助,对落后分子进行说服教育,建章立制,惩戒营私舞弊者;发扬民主、确保公平等。互助合作运动的开展,提高了生产效率,克服了小农经济的弊端,加强了基础设施建设;创造了物质财富,改善了民众生活。淮南抗日根据地互助合作运动对当今的农民专业合作社仍有一定的参考借鉴意义。     

名山风景区风景特质理论体系及其实践 ——以武当山为例

名山风景区“人与天调”的风景系统代表了中国独有的山岳文化现象和山水相融的总体特征。在风景自然和文化整体性视角下研究风景系统的形态、类型及其形成原因和规律，分析了风景资源评价和风景特质评价的互补性；构建了“相-制-理”的名山风景区风景特质理论及其实践框架。以武当山为例，探索“以脉绘景”的风景特质之相、“山川流峙”的风景特质之制以及“因脉而成”的风景特质之理。最后总结了风景特质理论作为形态学理论、作为图谱理论、作为地脉文脉认识论实践的整体性特点及其应用前景。     

India's Economic Reforms: Achievements and Next Steps

This paper reviews the impact of India's reforms since 1991 on the performance of the Indian economy. It shows that the reforms definitely achieved a significant acceleration in growth and they also succeeded in reducing poverty. However, they have been less successful in generating good quality jobs. There was progress in providing better access to education, health services ,and clean drinking water and sanitation, but less than was hoped. The area where performance has been most disappointing is environmental sustainability. The paper concludes by identifying some of the critical policy challenges in the years ahead.