Free trade agreement and transport service trade

This study investigates the effects of free trade agreements (FTAs) on trade in transport services using OECD data from 2003 to 2006. Our analysis found that FTAs had a positive overall impact on transport services for multiple countries (i.e., 26 home and 56 partner countries). The resulting positive overall impact assures that, even with the challenges associated with different layers of services and the obstacles formed by generally low trade openness in the sector, the provisions in FTAs (e.g., national treatment and market access for goods and services) promote transport service trades. Our findings suggest that the provisions in FTAs encourage economic agents to increase engagement in transport services because of expanded openness of the physical movement of goods across international borders.     

Assessing time-varying stock market integration in Economic and Monetary Union for normal and crisis periods

In this paper, we examine the stock market integration process amongst 17 Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) countries from January 2002 to June 2013 over a normal period as well as for the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and Eurozone Debt Crisis (EDC) periods. We classify the economies in three groups (A, B and C) based on their GDP to examine whether the economic size influences financial integration. Seven indicators are used for the purpose, namely, beta convergence, sigma convergence, variance ratio, asymmetric DCC, dynamic cointegration, market synchronisation measure and common components approach. The results suggest that large-sized EMU economies (termed as Group A) exhibit strong stock market integration. Moderate integration is observed for middle-sized EMU economies with old membership (termed as Group B). Small-sized economies (termed as Group C) economies seemed to be least integrated within the EMU stock market system. The findings further suggest presence of contagion effects as one moves from normal to crisis periods, which are specifically stronger for more integrated economies of Group A. We recommend institutional, regulatory and other policy reforms for Group B and especially Group C to achieve higher level of integration.     

Firm Shutdown During the Financial and the Sovereign Debt Crises: Empirical Evidence from Portugal

This paper examines Portuguese firms’ survival over the business cycle and investigates whether the effect of firm size varies across the phases of the cycle and with the type of shock associated with periods of economic contraction. Our results show that smaller firms are more likely to shut down than larger firms. Within each size band, however, we found that during the two crises examined, micro firms experienced hazards of closing (relative to large firms) at least similar to those observed in the pre-crisis period, while medium-sized firms were found to have been more vulnerable during the financial crisis period but showed more resilience during the sovereign debt crisis. The results suggest that during the sovereign debt crisis, firms faced a higher probability of closing than they did during the financial crisis.     

China's Anti‐dumping Problems and Mitigation through Regional Trade Agreements

The present paper explores the opportunities for China's regional trade agreement (RTA) initiatives to mitigate its anti‐dumping problems. The paper highlights the severity and discriminatory nature of China's anti‐dumping problems. The high concentration of the share of anti‐dumping actions taken by the top 4 and top 8 anti‐dumping initiators is noted. Our finding of a weak effect of existing RTAs on mitigating China's anti‐dumping problems supports the argument that China could become more active in mitigating anti‐dumping problems through RTA negotiations. An RTA can include a higher level of openness in exchange for an improvement in regional anti‐dumping provisions. Case studies on RTAs involving the EU, the USA and India offer some precedents for offering inducements and modifying regional anti‐dumping provisions. The approaches for China may lie in obtaining market economy status from intensive anti‐dumping initiators at RTA levels and also altering regional anti‐dumping provisions that could be put in place in exchange for some potential concessions.     

基于加权Voronoi多边形的山区农村居民点优化布局———以重庆市崇龛镇与石龙镇为例

中国的城市化进程伴随着农村人口向城市大量转移,使得乡村普遍面临人口流失、耕地撂荒及居民点闲置等问题,严重限制农村地区的经济发展,影响基础设施与公共服务设施的配置效率。优化农村居民点布局,实现资源的集约节约利用是国家新型城镇化规划的重要内容。文章以重庆市潼南县崇龛镇与巴南区石龙镇为例,探讨西南地区农村居民点空间布局优化的科学方法。首先,结合西南地区特有的自然人文条件,运用GIS空间分析技术与景观格局指数分析居民点分布特征;然后,构建包括限制性评价与适宜性评价两个阶段的西南地区居民点综合评价体系;基于对未来乡村发展趋势的判断,依据公平与效率原则,将现有居民点划分为发展型、保留型及迁并型等3类;在此基础上,运用加权Voronoi图确定重点发展型居民点的增长极引力范围,明确迁并型居民点与保留型居民点的发展方向,最终确定农村居民点布局的优化方案。经过优化,崇龛镇基于效率原则确定出222个重点发展型居民点,节约农村居民点用地0.813km2;石龙镇基于公平原则整理出416个重点发展型居民点,节约农村居民点用地0.301km2。研究能为2个示范镇农村居民点的规划优化提供科学依据,也为西南地区开展新型城镇化规划提供参考。     

论风景名胜区特许经营合同

风景名胜区特许经营合同属于行政合同，首先具有公法性，同时也兼具私法的特征，公法原理和部分私法原理均是其存在的法理基础。风景名胜区特许经营合同的基本内容必须体现它的法律性质，在强调公共利益至上的基础上，将公共利益与被特许人追求经济利益的权利相统一，依据经济利益平衡原则来确定合同双方的权利和义务。     

运用债务重组手段处置金融不良资产的实例研究

债务重组已成为我国的国有资产管理公司处置金融不良资产的重要手段.本文概述了债务重组的定义和方式,探讨了以债务重组手段处置金融不良资产的优势以及风险防控等值得注意的问题,并对一个处置实例进行了具体分析,总结了项目运作的经验,以供参考.     

中国基本养老保险制度财务平衡与可持续性研究——基于国发［2005］38号文件形成的城镇基本养老保险制度

采用"到期债务"定义,按照国发[2005]38号文件形成的制度模式,通过构造公式测算了基本养老保险制度的隐性债务、转制成本理论值以及基金缺口的期限结构。结论表明:做实个人账户真正实现了"统账结合、分账管理、实账运行";社会统筹账户基金缺口规模被有效降低,偿债周期可以接受;社会统筹账户是一个精算盈余的制度安排,缴费率存在下降空间;参保率和缴费基数对基金缺口规模的影响很大,应进一步提高参保率和严格规范缴费基数。     

债务上限与信评机构的政治悖论性选择

金融危机后,以危机推手著称的美国信评机构因群体性道德风险和贩卖劣质公信力而备受国际谴责.为此,三大机构不同程度地修订了主权信用评级规则,并自2010年下半年以来,联袂发布了美国主权信用评级的负面意见,尤其是2011年轮番下调美国主权信用评级前景展望至负面,希望借此塑造其公正、客观的商业形象.但是,三大机构的政治附属物属性决定了三大机构发布的美国主权信用评级负面意见,本质上是一场政治逻辑与资本逻辑的较量,更多展现为一种政治博弈的需要,并使自己陷入了债务上限与主权信用评级的政治悖论困境.     

非金融企业债务融资工具非公开定向发行研究

为促进银行间债券市场需求的差异化、多样化,活跃市场交易、推动市场发展,中国银行间市场交易商协会于2011年4月29日发布《银行间债券市场非金融企业债务融资工具非公开定向发行规则》。这是我国银行间债券市场发行方式上的一大创新。本文在对银行间债券市场发展历程进行回顾的基础上,对非公开定向发行的主要特点与运行制度安排进行了详细分析。比较了非公开定向发行与公开发行的六点差异。在此基础上,本文列举了推出非公开定向发行方式的四点重要意义。最后,本文对发展中应予重视的五类风险进行了系统剖析。