Growth,Distribution, and External Constraints: A Post-Kaleckian Model Applied to Brazil

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to analyze whether the Brazilian economy behaved under a wage-led or profit-led regime between 1960 and 2011, considering a Post-Kaleckian model in a context of external constraints. The time span is limited by data availability (i.e., 2011). To answer the question of whether the Brazilian economy works under a wage-led or profit-led regime, we propose a simple Post-Kaleckian model. The model suggests that a profit-led regime is more probable for Brazil. Moreover, a wage-led regime occurs when a balance of payments constrained growth model is taken into consideration. Likewise, the real exchange rate has a positive impact on economic growth through the export channel. This result is a novelty in the recent literature about the relationship between real exchange rate and economic growth within a Post-Kaleckian model. The Brazilian economy was chosen as it is one of the biggest economies in Latin America.     

Effects of financial constraints on export performance of firms during the global financial crisis: microeconomic evidence from Korea

This study uses a manufacturing firm-level panel data set of South Korea for 2006–2013 to investigate the effect of financial constraints on the export performance of firms, with particular emphasis on the corporate ownership structure. The empirical results show that foreign multinational corporation (MNC) subsidiaries are not affected by financial constraint during both crisis and noncrisis periods, implying advantages of foreign ownership. However, domestic firms suffer more from financial constraints on exports during crisis years. In particular, domestic firms without parent firms are financially constrained during both crisis and noncrisis periods. However, those with parent firms do not experience financial constraints during noncrisis periods, although they too suffer from them during crisis periods. Thus, parent–subsidiary linkage among domestic firms plays an important role in alleviating financial constraints on export activity in noncrisis years but not as much during crisis years. Therefore, domestic parent firms exhibit less resilience to the global financial crisis, in comparison to foreign MNC parent firms.     

Desired recreation companionship and travel behaviour of people with disabilities

This study examines whether people with disabilities(PWD) participate in leisure and travel activities with their desired companions and if there are discrepancies between their social networks and real recreation companions. The recreation companionship and travel behaviour of PWD have not been thoroughly explored, particularly in non-Western contexts. Accordingly, data were collected from 494 respondents in South Korea, and findings suggest that there was a significant gap between companions PWD desire and those they actually maintain. Travel and tourism were the least frequent recreation activities for PWD. The results can provide managerial implications regarding practices of inclusive and accessible tourism.     

Financial constraints on export market exit of domestic firms versus foreign multinational corporation subsidiaries in South Korea

Using a Korean manufacturing firm-level data set covering a range of years from 2006 to 2013, this study investigates how the financial condition of firms, such as liquidity, leverage, and cash flow ratio, affects exit from export markets. It also analyses whether the financial status of foreign multinational corporation (MNC) subsidiaries differs from that of domestic firms with respect to the hazard of export market exit, especially during a global financial crisis. The empirical results confirm that, for domestic firms, the hazard of export market exit is affected by the firms’ financial condition only during a financial crisis. In other words, the financial vulnerability of domestic firms increases during the crisis, resulting in the hazard of export market exit. However, financial situations for foreign MNC subsidiaries do not affect exits from export markets, indicating a ‘finance-factor comparative advantage’.     

Exchange market pressure and primary commodity – exporting emerging markets

This paper studies short-term sensitivity between exchange market pressure and various domestic and external factors in primary commodity-exporting emerging markets. The paper focuses on the top country-commodity groups in sugar, cereal, fuels, ores and coffee during the pre-peak and post-peak commodity price periods across floating and pegged exchange rate regimes, using the price of crude oil as a general benchmark. Employing a panel model and panel VAR analysis, the paper finds the heterogeneity of response patterns unique to country-commodity groups and exchange rate regimes. According to the results, in flexible regimes, volatility occurs via the foreign exchange market, interest rates, and domestic credit cycles, feeding into the social costs for structurally weaker economies. Hard exchange-rate pegs often result in a drain on international reserves as the terms of trade deteriorate following post-price peaks, leading to unpopular depreciation. These results accentuate concerns over uneven international trade patterns, an open economy’s short-term foreign exchange policy, and speculative capital flows. Such sensitivity has broad implications for macroeconomic balance and the sustainability of implied exchange rate targets in the presence of a foreign exchange constraint across emerging markets.     

基于双重约束的区域耕地整理适宜性评价研究

[目的]科学合理的适宜性评价是确保耕地整理能够有效开展的前提条件,同时对于我国的耕地保护与粮食安全保障也具有极为重要的意义。[方法]该研究首先选取可以反映区域耕地整理适宜性的指标因子,然后参考胡学东提出的约束条件评价模型,引入区域生态安全和社会经济双重约束,对研究区域在双重约束下的耕地整理适宜性进行评价,并通过K-Means聚类法将研究区域的耕地整理适宜性分区进行合理划分。[结果]生态安全约束和社会经济约束对区域耕地整理适宜性水平具有重大影响,高生态安全约束与高社会经济约束会降低耕地整理的适宜性,低生态安全约束与低社会经济约束会提高耕地整理的适宜性。[结论]引入生态安全约束和社会经济约束后,可以在一定程度上反映山地区域在社会经济与生态安全双重约束状态下的耕地整理适宜性情况,耕地整理适宜性评价结果更加符合当地实际情况,约束条件评价模型可以更加合理准确地对处于约束条件下的耕地整理适宜性进行评价,是对耕地整理适宜性评价方法的丰富与完善。     

剖线强度梯度变化的作物软硬变化区精确划分

[目的]软硬变化区的划分是进行遥感变化检测技术识别农作物的基础。为解决人工判读方法中存在人为主观因素影响以及自动判别和交互式判别方法对不同研究区的适用性问题,该文提出基于剖线梯度变化(Profile based Gradient Change Magnitude,PGCM)进行软硬变化区划分的方法。[方法]该研究选择破碎农业景观种植区域为研究区,计算拔节期Quick Bird影像和播种期模拟影像两个时相的变化强度,从作物地块内部向外绘制剖线,利用剖线强度的梯度变化确定硬变化区(Hard change region,HCR)、软变化区(Soft change region,SCR)和未变化区(Non change region,NCR)3者间的划分阈值。[结果]从识别结果来看,PGCM能够有效在地块边界处探测到软变化像元,进而确定HCR、SCR。像元分辨率在5~60 m不同尺度下,识别HCR区混入比例为11%~16%,混入比例随着分辨率下降而降低;NCR区混入比例为3%~4%,受分辨率尺度影响不大;SCR区识别比例为74%~86%,识别精度较高,识别结果与冬小麦空间分布结果保持一致。[结论]PGCM方法能够自动、便捷地确定阈值,摆脱人工判定的主观性,有效地划分出HCR、SCR和NCR 3个区域,为进一步HCR、SCR区内的作物识别提供基础。     

发展无锡文化创意产业 提升城市文化软实力

无锡作为我国“吴文化”起源地之一,经济实力有目共睹,而文化软实力一直是无锡的弱项。在产业结构优化的背景下,第三产业中的创意产业被证实拉动经济成效显著,因此无锡提升文化软实力,可以从创意产业发展入手,是实现“弯道超车”的有效途径之一。文章研究了无锡城市文化现状与问题,包括历史文化产业发展受阻,经济发展后劲不足;无锡城市文化发展趋“利”少“韵”;创意人才缺少等问题。提出发展无锡文化创意产业,提升城市文化软实力的具体建议:发展创意产业,弥补先天历史文化短板;发展创意文化经济,着眼长期效益;建立创意产业人才引进体系、激励体系与培养体系。     

Credit constraints and productivity of SMEs: Evidence from Canada

To what extent firms are constrained by external credit is usually unobserved in commonly used firm-level data. We use a survey of financing among Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises to measure the likelihood of a firm being constrained by credit. We find that firm size, current debt-to-asset ratio and cash flow are robust indicators of being financially constrained, while long-term debt to asset ratio is not a significant indicator of credit constraints. We then estimate the firm-level total factor productivity, taking into account the measured credit constraints. Omitting credit constraints leads to an upward bias of productivity estimates, by 4 percent. In addition, we find no strong evidence that suggests credit constraints lead to slower productivity growth. Finally, we confirm that both investment and employment growth are negatively affected by the measured credit constraints.     

Will FinTech make regional banks superfluous for small firm finance? Observations from soft information-based lending in Germany

Regional banks have a competitive advantage in that short distances to clients enable the use of soft information for superior lending decisions. If the ambition of FinTech start-ups to create superior screening and monitoring technologies materialises, this advantage would be diminished and regional banks would become superfluous for small firm finance. To explore this claim, the paper in hand analyses qualitative empirical data about the lending processes and rating system use of regional German savings banks. In essence, the results from participant observation and interviews clarify the importance of “real” soft information for critical lending decisions. The context specificity and limited verifiability of “real” soft information hamper it from being hardened through the use of rating systems and other bank-ICT. Though FinTech's scoring technologies may overcome the first limitation, it appears likely that in the course of scoring development “real” soft information will be systematically crowded out due to the manipulation problem. The paper expects improved access to finance for SMEs if FinTech solutions overcome both limitations of “real” soft information use, or if peer-to-peer lending and regional banks coexist. Deteriorated access to finance is expected if FinTech companies displace the relationship banking of regional banks due to enhanced competition, without preserving the advantages of “real” soft information with superior screening and monitoring technologies. The paper concludes with recommendations on how to prevent deteriorated access to finance for small firms by promoting fair competition and FinTech innovations.