Indonesian Local Government Spending,Taxing and Saving: An Explanation of Pre‐ and Post‐decentralization Fiscal Outcomes*

As a result of Indonesia's decentralization program, local governments have gained significantly more responsibility for service delivery, considerably larger fiscal resources, and much greater authority over the use of those resources than before. The present paper develops a simple budget model to describe and explain the substantial differences in pre‐ and post‐decentralization local government fiscal behavior related to spending, taxing and saving. During the post‐decentralization period special attention is paid to the fiscal behavior of natural resource rich regions. Among other things, the evidence suggests that: post‐decentralization local government spending is partly responsive to increasing needs and partly the subject of elite capture; local government taxation has become more aggressive under decentralization and appears to be mostly driven by local bureaucratic expectations related to routine overhead budgets; and the increased savings of local governments during the post‐decentralization period is determined to a large degree by delayed central government transfer payments.     

Demand‐side housing policy in Costa Rica: a response to the housing deficit

The purpose of this study was to establish what the housing needs of Costa Rica are and to assess what policies have been implemented to respond to their housing deficit. In order to answer these questions, a combined methodology consisting of primary and secondary data was used. Using open‐ended questions and a topic schedule, face‐to‐face interviews with Costa Rican housing authorities were conducted at the interviewee's work place in Costa Rica in May 2003. The most recent secondary data available in the country was used to compute the housing deficit and to study the effects of demographics on current housing needs. Sources of the secondary data were the Costa Rica Ministry of Housing and Human Settlements, and the National Institute of Statistics and Census. The Costa Rican government has made great progress in reforming the housing finance system in order to meet the housing demand of its citizens. In 2002, Costa Rica had a 75.6% home ownership rate. Yet, even in light of the housing system's current success, many social, economic and political barriers threaten to undermine its accomplishments and the peoples’ ability to obtain safe and affordable housing. The paper considers the strengths and weaknesses of the current housing finance system as well as the government strategies for addressing difficulties.     

乡镇财政困难：现状、原因、出路——以安徽省为例

乡镇财政困难主要有收入下降、支出膨胀以及债务负担沉重等方面的表，就其原因从其关联性有根本原因、主要原因、重要原因、直接原因以及导火索等五个方面。对此，笔者认为解决乡镇财政困难的出路可以在分析原因的基础上，结合其表现来具体分析。     

现代服务业：上海经济增长的新动力

本文通过经济增长弹性与就业弹性两个指标,对上海"十一五"规划中提出将优先发展的现代服务业及其主要子行业在上海经济增长中的作用进行了研究。分析认为目前上海第二产业与第三产业对经济的拉动力相当。而现代服务业的拉动力大于传统服务业。近年来,现代服务业的就业弹性均值较大,同时弹性的波动变化很大,这是上海GDP就业弹性近几年波动增大的主要原因。同时,通过对现代服务业中主要子行业的分析,发现现代服务业子行业间就业弹性的变动有着高度的正相关,这将增加现代服务业就业弹性波动对于上海GDP就业弹性波动的影响。     

关于我国农村医疗保障制度的思考

构建和谐社会,保持经济社会的持久发展,必须关注民生。占中国人口70%以上的农民的基本医疗保障问题,可以说是最大的民生问题之一。通过对我国目前农村医疗保障的现状进行分析,并借鉴国外的农村医疗保障制度,结合我国实际情况提出了一些意见和建议。     

我国房地产投资基金的发展研究

首先揭示我国发展房地产投资基金(REITs)的意义所在,然后深入分析我国在发展REITs过程中所遇到的问题和障碍,并提出若干政策和建议。     

整合产品服务系统——实现循环经济的新途径

整合产品服务系统(IPSS)是一种社会组织创新战略,通过将目前仅生产和销售有形产品的相互分离的工业生产与服务体系有机地整合,以比传统生产和消费模式更低的环境代价,有效满足顾客需求。作为对传统商业模式的革命性变革,整合产品服务系统是促进可持续发展和循环经济的有效手段和必由之路。本文讨论其产生的背景,给出其定义和理论框架,介绍其发展历程,以便为我国发展循环经济提供借鉴。     

我国个人金融业务中电子银行发展现状分析

电子银行的发展从最初的电话银行,到现在的网上银行、WAP银行和手机银行(短消息SMS),经历了一个不断成长、完善的过程。电子银行在我国发展较快,在个人金融业务中处于越来越重要的地位,也是各商业银行发展而构建共同性的战略性选择。文章试图从我国电子银行的发展状况、存在的问题,探索网络银行在现阶段的发展模式。     

结果质量与过程质量探析

服务营销专家格罗鲁斯认为，服务质量包括两方面内容：结果质量与过程质量。但对于结果质量与过程质量孰轻孰重，是一个在理论上和实际生活中都未能很好解决的问题。文章在回顾相关理论的基础上，认为判断服务结果质量与过程质量孰轻孰重不能一概而论，而应综合考虑行业、顾客和社会文化等因素，将提升服务质量的努力放在不同的方面。     

基于灰色模糊理论的服务质量评价

服务质量评价一直是服务质量管理的一个难题,目前大多数学者都接受的评价方法是SERVQUAL评价方法。本文以灰色模糊理论为基础,建立数学模型,结合SERVQUAL评价指标,得出一种新的服务质量评价方法。