The effect of a wife’s retirement on her husband’s mental health

This article examines the effect of wives’ retirement on their husband’s mental health in Australia. By exploiting the exogenous variations in women’s retirement induced by the age pension qualifying ages, we find that spousal retirement status has a positive impact on the mental health of older men. This beneficial impact is found to strengthen with wives’ time spent in retirement. We show that wife’s retirement affects the constituents of her husband’s mental well-being in different ways. We also have identified four channels for the positive linkage between older women’s retirement and the mental health of their spouse.     

Association between provider specialty and healthcare costs and glycemic control for patients with diabetes

Aims: To analyze the association between provider, healthcare costs, and glycemic control for patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study identified adults with type 1 or 2?DM (T1D, T2D) in the Optum database. The main independent variable was provider (endocrinologist or primary care). Regression analysis compared total medical and pharmacy costs, adjusting for health status and other patient differences, by provider.

Results: For all patients, HbA1C improvement was greater, and medical costs significantly lower with an endocrinologist rather than a primary care provider. The largest HbA1C improvement (4%) occurred for insulin-dependent patients seen by endocrinologists. Significant medical savings with endocrinologist management occurred within the Medicare Advantage population in every sub-group of patients, with 14% lower costs ($4,767) for patients with T1D, 11% lower costs ($3,160) for patients with macro- and microvascular complications, and 10% lower costs ($2,237) for insulin-dependent patients. Within the commercial insurance population, medical costs were reduced by ≥9% in every sub-group of patients, with a 20% reduction ($8,450) for patients with micro- and macrovascular complications. Overall total costs (medical and pharmacy) were 8% ($1,541) higher for patients receiving endocrinologist rather than primary care, although endocrinologist care resulted in a 9% reduction (–$3,710) in costs for Medicare Advantage patients with T1D. Total medical costs (excluding pharmacy costs) may be a more accurate indicator of costs associated with patients in various stages of DM.

Limitations: There was insufficient data to develop risk-adjustment payments for pharmacy costs based on disease severity. The cross-sectional design identifies associations and not cause–effect relationships.

Conclusion: DM management by an endocrinologist was associated with greater HbA1C improvement and significantly lower medical costs. Total costs were higher with an endocrinologist, but for patients with T1D lower costs were seen, ranging from 2–9% regardless of insurance type.     

Upgrading in China’s apparel industry: international trade,local clusters and institutional contexts

This article focuses on the concept of upgrading, and seeks to move away from a firm-centred approach of industrial upgrading towards a framework that recognises not only a firm’s integration into global value chains, but also its embeddedness within local networks and the context of wider institutional arrangements. Based on one firm-level database, this article measures upgrading in China’s apparel industry at the firm level, which allows us not only to evaluate the extent of upgrading in the industry as a whole and to compare its extent among individual firms and selected groups of firms, but also to differentiate and measure different types of upgrading. Empirical results confirm that the heterogeneity of firms, global and local linkages and the wider historical, political, institutional and economic context have all played a critical role in the process of upgrading, suggesting that a focus on dynamics of firm upgrading alone is insufficient.     

晋升激励与创业板上市公司创新绩效

选用全部创业板上市公司为研究样本,探讨了企业内部晋升激励对创新绩效的影响。实证研究表明,内部高管晋升激励抑制了企业创新项目投入和产出,员工晋升激励则促进了企业创新水平提升;在企业研发投入保持不变的情况下,高管激励仍会抑制企业创新产出,员工激励则会显著正向促进企业创新绩效提升;进一步研究发现,晋升激励对企业创新绩效的影响因企业成长性水平不同存在较大差异。研究重新认识了晋升激励这一心理契约对于创新绩效的影响,对企业采取科学的激励机制具有重要的理论和实践意义。     

环境规制对中国对外直接投资的影响——基于中国省际动态面板数据的实证分析

基于2004—2015年中国省际面板数据,采用动态系统GMM估计方法,考察了环境规制对中国对外直接投资(OFDI)的影响。基于全国样本的回归结果表明:正式环境规制对OFDI具有显著的负向作用,但非正式环境规制对OFDI具有显著的正向作用。分区域回归结果显示:环境规制对OFDI的影响存在区域差异。具体而言:正式环境规制对东、西部地区的OFDI具有显著的负向影响,对中部地区的OFDI具有促进作用;非正式环境规制对中、西部地区的OFDI具有显著的正向影响,而对东部地区OFDI的影响不显著。指出:政府需要根据区域经济差异对不同动机的OFDI提供相应的配套服务。     

OFDI对中国产业比较优势动态升级的影响

随着经济全球化的发展,国际分工深化为全球价值链分工。从规模效应、结构效应、技术效应3个方面阐释了OFDI对比较优势动态升级的影响机理,利用WIOD数据库测算出1995-2014年中国制造业出口增加值、产业出口优化度EO指数、GVC地位指数并分别表征规模效应、结构效应、技术效应,应用改进后的贸易引力模型和时间序列模型,对3个效应进行检验。研究结果显示,中国企业开展OFDI可以促进比较优势的动态升级,实现价值链攀升。     

我国企业税负“痛感”凸显之谜探析

近两年来我国企业税负"痛感"的凸显再次引发了社会各界对我国企业税负水平轻重的热议。基于各种数据、方法以及视角得出的多种结论纷至沓来、莫衷一是。文章从辨析企业税负的概念入手,说明由于受多种可比因素的限制,对企业税负水平进行国际间的横向比较得到的结论仅仅是一个事实判断而非价值判断。我国企业税负在近两年"痛感"凸显,是企业税负增加以及伴随着经济形势下行而来的产能过剩、职工工资总额上升以及税负转嫁困难等多种因素共同交织的结果。     

共享经济的现代发展及其潜在问题:以共享单车为例的分析

共享经济减少了物品的闲置而最大限度地发挥了物品的功效,不仅可以增进生产者剩余和消费者剩余,而且也有利于打造新型的低碳环保的经济形态。但同时,共享经济的无序发展也带来了两大严重问题：（1）准公共品性质滋生出大量的搭便车行为,进而使得运营商受损;（2）准公共品性质还滋生出强烈的负外部性,进而使得运营商获利。进而,第一个问题的解决有赖于有效的治理机制,其中最佳机制是"强互惠"机制,而这依赖于社会网络的建设和文化伦理的培育;第二个问题的解决有赖于明确的责任界定,其中可行的措施是设立"维安基金",而这有赖于新的制度安排和立法思考。一般地,只有解决上述两大问题,才能全面衡量新兴共享经济的真实经济价值,进而才能更好地引导共享经济的有序发展。很大程度上,共享泡沫的产生和破灭都体现出市场创新的盲目性,从而就需要政府的积极规划和引导。     

How Does Trade Openness Affect Regional Demographic Transitions? Evidence from China's Provincial Panel Data

This paper investigates the effect of trade openness and other variables on the demographic transition in China using the instrumental variables regression method based on provincial panel data for the period between 1981 and 2013. The results indicate that trade openness is one of the determinants of China's demographic transition and has two distinct effects: (i) an income effect that accelerated the demographic transition by increasing per capita income; and (ii) a human capital effect that suppressed the demographic transition by reducing human capital accumulation. The effects of trade on demographic transition vary across different regions. This study identifies the important determinants of demographic transition in China's regions, and has rich policy implications for demographic transition and the upgrading of trade structure.     

提升我国高新技术产业自主创新能力的关税政策研究

自主创新能力正逐渐成为衡量国家科技发展水平的核心问题。从我国的实际情况出发,必须把自主研究和引进、消化吸收国外先进技术相结合。这就需要财政政策、贸易政策、关税政策等方面的积极推动。我国已经出台了支持自主创新的新关税政策,但由于政策比较宏观,有些政策没有给出细则,致使在税收监管和执行过程中出现一些问题,已在一定程度上影响了企业自主创新能力的提升。从我国现行的关税政策出发,以天津市特别是滨海新区的高新技术产业发展为实证,提出了有利于提升我国企业自主创新能力的关税政策调整措施。