Firm financing and growth in the Arab region

This paper documents how firms in Arab countries use equity, corporate bond and syndicated loan markets to obtain financing and grow. Working with a new dataset on issuance activity in domestic and international markets and firm performance, the paper finds that capital raising through these markets has grown rapidly since the early 1990s and involved an increasing number of firms. Whereas the amounts raised in equity and loan markets (relative to gross domestic product) stand well relative to international standards, bond issuance activity lags behind. However, bond financing has gained importance over time. Equity issuances take place primarily in domestic markets, whereas bonds and loans are mostly issued internationally, display long maturities and entail low levels of credit risk. Issuing firms from the Arab region are very large compared to international standards. They also tend to be larger, faster growing and more leveraged than non-issuing firms in Arab countries.     

Policy induced increases in private healthcare financing provide short-term relief of total healthcare expenditure growth: Evidence from OECD countries

Healthcare reforms have long been advocated as a cure to the increasing healthcare expenditures in advanced economies. Nevertheless, it has not been established whether a market solution via private financing, rather than public financing, curb aggregate healthcare expenditures. To our knowledge, this paper is the first that quantifies the impact of reforms that significantly increases (decreases) the private (public) share of healthcare financing on total healthcare expenditures relative to income in 20 OECD countries. Our reform measure is based on structural break testing of the private share of total expenditures, and verification using evidence of policy reforms. To quantify the effect of these reforms we apply Propensity Score Matching and Inverse Probability Weighted regression analysis. Over a 5-year evaluation period the reforms lead to an accumulated cost saving 0.45 percentage points of GDP. The yearly effects of the reforms are largest in the first years in the post-reform period and decreases in size as a function of time since the reform. Our findings suggest that the investigated healthcare reforms have a relatively short-lived effect on aggregate health spending relative to GDP. The findings are robust to various sensitivity tests.     

BOT项目前期的政府监督问题及对策研究

政府监管是政府或政府指定的特设机构依据法律或法定授权对市场经济主体采取的一系列行政管理与监督的行为。BOT项目前期是由政府占据主导地位的，因此该阶段的政府监管更多的是对自身行为的监督。目前，该阶段存在立项规划欠缺前瞻性、招投标相关法律法规不健全、招投标存在不公平现象以及特许经营协议不完善的问题。必须充分考虑经济发展和城市规划的因素、完善BOT项目相关法律法规、规范招投标程序运作、强化政府监督的内部约束机制，以保障项目下一阶段的顺利进行。     

A quantitative study of financing efficiency of low‐carbon companies: A three‐stage data envelopment analysis

This study set out to evaluate the financing efficiency of low‐carbon companies. Applying a three‐stage data envelopment analysis with the data from 85 listed companies in China's low‐carbon industries over the period 2011 to 2017, this study has found that the overall financing efficiency of low‐carbon companies was relatively high, and the pure technical efficiency was quite steady over the period. The overall financing efficiency of these low‐carbon companies on average tended to change with the scale efficiency. This study has also shown that the scale efficiency was the main constraint influencing the financing efficiency of low‐carbon companies in China over the period. Our results are robust and have significant implications for policy makers and corporate managers.     

内外融资条件、融资约束与企业绩效——来自京津冀地区企业调查的新证据*

基于独特的京津冀地区企业调查数据和克服内生性的结构方程模型，本文对融资约束的成因及影响进行了实证分析。分析结果表明，企业自身条件和外部市场环境均对融资约束有重要影响，且企业自身条件对融资约束的影响更强。总的融资约束指标对企业绩效的影响不显著。在区分融资约束的不同维度后，本文发现，融资可得性提高显著促进了企业绩效提升，融资频率增加却降低了企业绩效，而融资获得速度（等待时间）对企业绩效没有统计上的显著影响。进一步的分析表明，无论是正规融资渠道，还是非正规融资渠道，上述结论仍然成立。利用多种政策提高企业的管理水平，改善企业的自身条件，是缓解融资约束的最有效办法。     

A theory of operational cash holding,endogenous financial constraints,and credit rationing

This paper develops a theory of operational cash holding. Liquidity shocks due to delayed payments must be financed using cash or short-term debt. Debt holders provide an irrevocable credit line given a firm's expected insolvency risk, and equity holders select optimum cash holding. The model demonstrates the trade-off between cash holding and investing in fixed assets. Introducing uncertain cash flows leads to precautionary cash holding if debt holders impose financial constraints. Precautionary cash holding, in turn, reduces insolvency risk enhancing access to short-term finance. The theory shows that credit rationing can occur in the absence of market frictions. Using U.S. data from 1998 to 2012, empirical findings suggest that the decline in credit lines has contributed to the increase in cash holding in line with theoretical predictions.     

基于PPP模式工程项目融资风险管理的思考

近年来,我国的经济发展较为迅猛,呈现出繁荣的景象。在此基础上,推动项目融资风险管理的出现与成长,而PPP模式较为突出,不同于暗含经济风险的传统型风险管理,能够在一定程度上助力政府财政支出压力的降低。但是需要多加关注的是,PPP模式的工程项目融资本身就具备一定的风险因素。为此,论文着眼于实际情况,充分考虑其基本特点,提出行之有效的防患策略,为我国顺利推进PPP模式工程项目管理工作提供一定的借鉴意义。     

Maximizing political vote in multiple districts

This paper models a resource allocation problem in the political context. Voters and political candidates of two parties are positioned in each of n given electoral districts. We assume that each voter will vote for the candidate he is more attracted to. This attraction is modeled by an attraction function. Each of the parties now attempts to allocate a finite budget to maximize their objective, which is either the popular vote or the number of districts, in which the party has a majority. Individual scenarios are examined with respect to leader-follower solutions and Nash equilibria. The paper then describes a dynamic model that successively allocates existing funds plus additional donations to candidates in different electoral districts.     

广东省中小企业信贷融资方案

中小企业是我国未来经济发展的底层框架,但由于自身生命周期短、创业初期资金周转紧张、融资难度大等特点约束了普遍中小企业的进一步发展,让一些优质的项目、优质的企业在萌芽之中死亡。尽管我国政府近年来大力推广中小企业技术改革,中国人民银行也一再降准①降息,但中小企业融资缺口依然十分巨大。论文基于中小企业目前的发展状况以及各银行的信贷要求等方向出发,讨论中小企业信贷融资应该关注的重点,引导解决中小企业融资问题。     

The provision of long-term credit and firm growth in developing countries

Do small and young firms benefit from an increase in the provision of long-term loans? By combining firm-level data from 62 countries (over the period 2006–2016) with a new database on short-term and long-term credit provided to the private sector, this article shows a higher provision of long-term credit does not stimulate growth of small and young firms. On the contrary, an increase in the availability of short-term credit spurs firm growth. The main explanation of this (counter-intuitive) result is the differential impact of short-term and long-term credit provision on small and young firms’ access to credit. Young and small firms are able to take advantage of an increase of short-term loans, which allow them to switch from informal finance to bank loans. However, a higher level of long-term credit does not alleviate credit constraints faced by opaque firms because these funds are allocated towards transparent borrowers.