The Law and Economics of Marriage Contracts

Growth in property ownership has raised the stakes in the distribution of financial assets on divorce. Given high risks of marital failure, this has stimulated the demand for private ordering through enforceable marriage contracts. This paper surveys the existing law and economics literature and legal practice to consider the state of knowledge on the economic theory, scope and limits of written nuptial agreements.     

Squatting as a transition problem in South Africa

This paper applies principles of transition to land tenure and squatting in South Africa. Political transition in South Africa reassigned political property rights, which produced contestable, and rent‐seeking incentives for squatting as a means to privatize land and redistribute wealth. Government failure to establish and protect private property rights in a squatter camp resulted in common‐pool problems that resisted private and public resolution with consequent rent dissipation and social loss. In response to this retreat from duty, informal agents emerged to claim their own share of the prize. Without enforceable rules of capture, the growth of squatter camps in South Africa will continue. JEL classification: D7, H8, K1, K4, R1, R4.     

Long-Term Performance Following Rights Issues and Open Offers in the UK

Abstract:  This study finds evidence of significant long-term underperformance following rights issues made during 1986-95 in the UK. The findings are resilient to a number of methodological controls. In contrast, our results for a smaller sample of open offers made during 1991-95 show strong positive performance over a 5-year post-issue period, implying that firms making open offers had better growth prospects than firms making rights issues. During 1986-90, a period when open offers were rarely used, firms appeared to be making rights issues to exploit overvaluation. However, this was not evident for rights issues made during 1991-95, a period when open offers were more commonly used.     

Inequality and Income Distribution in Global Value Chains

Global value chains (GVCs), led by transnational corporations (TNCs), have reshaped the world division of labor over the past two decades. GVCs are pervasive in low technology manufacturing, such as textile and apparel, as well as in more advanced industries like automobiles, electronics, and machines. This hierarchical division of labor generates wild competition at the lower value-added stages of production, where low wages and low profit margins prevail for workers and contract manufacturers in developing countries. At the top of the hierarchy another kind of competition prevails, centered on the ability to monitor and control intellectual property rights related to innovation, finance, and marketing. We argue that GVCs have had crucial effects on income inequality and the appropriation of rents in modern capitalism.     

论合适成年人参与制度的细化与完善

合适成年人参与制度是保护未成年人权益的一项重要制度。该制度中的合适成年人具有法定代理人或其他援助人员的法律地位。法律应明确规定这种地位,并确定其独立于司法机关的性质。而实践中则应完善各个诉讼阶段的具体程序,并规定关键行为的法律效力。同时应当保护未成年人隐私权、选择权及各项程序性权利等。     

国有产权转让中的机制设计--基于企业职工的合约选择

在国有产权转让过程中,关键是要克服国有产权本身所具有的不利于进行市场交易的特性,使其交易更符合市场原则。市场本身就是由一个个的合约所构成,是否选择签约及合约的方式是由每个参与者自己作出的。因此,国有产权转让的机制设计就是要尽量使相关的利益主体有权作出对自己有利的合约选择,并对自己的行为负责。     

苏南农民工社会保障的实证研究

苏南农民工社会保障虽略好于江苏全省情况,但仍存在不少问题。苏南民工就业劳动合同签订率低,大部分农民工未参加任何社会保险,参加医疗、养老、工伤、失业、生育和综合保险的人数比例低。苏南农民工主要就业于私营、个体和股份制企业,就业于集体、国有企业的也有一定的比例。农民工平均工作时间长,而月收入仅相当于本地居民平均收入的60-80%。其原因,除了劳动力过剩、城乡两元体系和关系网络外,主要是由于农民工受教育程度低,工会组织不健全等。     

The French Communication Industry Defined and Analyzed through the Social Fabric Matrix,the Filiere Approach,and Network Analysis

This paper examines the relative impact of economic freedom, civil liberties, and political rights on growth. A system of three simultaneous equations is used to unearth the channels through which these institutional dimensions affect economic growth. These include greater efficiency and enlarged investment in physical and human capital. The sample contains 79 countries and six periods covering the years from 1976 to 2005. The results show that the three dimensions of institutional quality are important for economic growth either through a better allocation of resources or, indirectly, through the stimulation of investment in physical and human capital.     

民营上市公司控制权形成及影响分析

公司的控制权决定着公司的权力分配状况。从目前我国民营公司控制权的现有状况、作用机制入手,着重挖掘控制权对民营企业产生的各种影响,包括企业基本结构的变更、参与市场竞争等,揭示了控制权对民营企业向前发展的整体作用。