Uncovering asset stripping during China's privatization

This paper empirically studies the occurrence and extent of asset stripping via undervaluing public assets during the mass privatization of state-owned and collectively owned enterprises in China. Using three waves of a national survey of private firms, we provide evidence that state-owned and collectively owned assets were substantially underpriced, indicating the presence of corruption during privatization. Further analysis shows that the extent of underpricing is more severe in regions with less market competition or weaker property rights protection, and more pronounced for intangible assets such as intellectual property rights and land use rights. When comparing firm efficiency between privatized firms and de novo private firms, we find that the former group continues to enjoy considerable preferential treatments, yet significantly underperforms the latter, possibly due to continued government control and intervention. Finally, we provide evidence that insider privatization is an important source of corruption during the privatization process.     

Mitigating panic buying behavior in the epidemic: An evolutionary game perspective

The panic buying behavior under public health emergencies will lead to many adverse consequences, such as material waste, price fluctuation and uneven distribution of epidemic prevention materials, which will pose a threat to the social stability and economic development. In this paper, we construct a tripartite game model to explore the strategic choices of the public, merchants and the government in order to effectively respond to the panic buying behavior in the epidemic. The results demonstrate that: (1) Eight evolutionary stable strategies emerge in the panic buying events. The worst scenario can be improved by adjusting some relevant parameters. (2) The probability of the public choosing the strategy of “not involving in panic buying” depends on the potential benefits and losses of snapping up, rather than the extent of price rising. (3) The probability of merchants choosing the strategy of “not bid up price” depends on the intangible benefits. (4) The probability of the government choosing the strategy of “active supervision” depends on the supervision costs and government credibility, rather than the amount of fines. In addition, strategic suggestions to mitigate panic buying behavior are put forward from the perspective of each stakeholder.     

Estimating the value of political connections in China: Evidence from sudden deaths of politically connected independent directors

This paper estimates the value of political connections by examining stock price reactions to sudden deaths of retired government officials who were acting as independent directors of private firms in China from 2003 to 2012. Employing an event study, we find that, if a private firm loses political connections because of the sudden death of an independent director who was previously a government official, its stock price drops 3.61% on average within ten trading days. After the loss of political connections, we find that it is possible but infeasible for a private firm to reestablish political connections with the government in a short period of time. Moreover, the sudden death of a retired government official leads to a reduction in the economic benefits (e.g., bank loans, tax preference, and government subsidies) obtained by a private firm, which provides a reasonable explanation for the negative stock price reaction after losing political connections.     

地方政府债务空间与空间债务——基于地根经济的区位黏性视角

本文从人口流动的区位黏性这一全新视角，将地方政府性债务的李嘉图等价命题纳入新经济地理研究框架进行理论分析。为了进一步揭示理论模型的政策含义，采用空间计量方法验证沿海地区地方政府性债务的局部正相关特征。最优的债务政策取决于经济系统的初始条件，在非对称经济结构已经存在的情况下，单纯建设本地区的基础设施只会降低区域内的交易成本，这对于那些仅着眼于投巨资用于城市“硬件”建设的地方政府来说显然是一叶障目。建议依靠基础设施网络提高区域协同创新能力，培育规模报酬递增的专业化产业集群。     

Organizational attention and learning under regulatory intervention: Governmental investigation into auto engine quality

We examine the efficacy of government regulation on a firm's product. We draw on the behavioural approach of organization research in order to understand the micromechanisms whereby the regulatory intervention process affects corporate operation. We suggest that while government investigations may limit the improvements in product quality by distracting a firm's attention, this unintended outcome depends on the extent to which the firm engages in a substantive problem‐solving process with the regulator during an investigation process. A longitudinal analysis of the US government's investigation into motor vehicle engine production offers overall support for our argument. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications that our findings present to learning theory and institutional literature. Copyright © 2017 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

从裁判型国家的演化看有为政府的济民功能及防蜕约束

新结构经济学中有为政府实际上对应了一种裁判型国家。裁判型国家根本上把国家视为服务于所有成员的公共性社会机构，从而具有善的性质；正是为了发挥善的行为，人们往往赋予这种国家及其政府相当大的权力。但在现实世界中，那些掌握公权力的代理人往往会为了个人目标和利益而滥用组织手段，从而导致裁判型国家及其政府的功能发生蜕变。从这个意义上说，任何承担积极功能的有为政府都不能是无限政府，而必须在一套相对成熟和完善的规范和监督体系下运作。     

协调发展战略下地方政府合作的动力机制探析--以深汕特别合作区为例

党的十九大报告首次提出区域协调发展战略,要求各地充分发挥比较优势,加强政府间合作,着力解决区域发展不平衡不充分的问题。深汕合作区正是实施这一战略的典型代表。其中,政府的战略政策导向、经济全球化、区域一体化和非政府组织的发展是合作区得以形成的主要外部动力;区域协调发展、产业结构调整、官员升迁诉求是内部动力。但是,在合作区发展的过程中也存在一定的阻力。如地方保护主义的抬头、利益博弈、市场运作的行政化。因此,为促进地方政府间良性合作,应不断强化合作的正向激励,降低合作的阻力,保证区域府际合作的长久性。     

食品检测实验室质量监督方法探讨

食品检测实验室中最为重要的就是质量监督管理工作,做好质量监督有利于提高实验室工作人员的质检与管理能力,进而推动有关人员的学习进步,以胜任工作岗位,提高该食品检测实验室的质量检测水平,确保检测数据的有效性与无误性。但现阶段我国的实验室由于缺乏统一的行业标准,导致其质量监督工作水平参差不齐,出现了一系列不利于质量检测的因素,比如质量监督目的不明、质量监督内容不完整、质量监督措施不完善等不足,都会影响该实验室对于食品的检测。因此,本文主要就食品检测实验室的质量监督方法进行探究,从各个方面指出质量监督的技术要点。     

自然资源资产管理：理论逻辑与改革导向

研究目的:针对自然资源资产管理的理论诠释不清、改革导向不明、自然资源的资产属性尚未充分体现等问题,本文立足新时代党和国家机构改革背景,分析自然资源资产管理的理论逻辑,明确未来自然资源资产管理的改革方向。研究方法:文献研究法,综合分析法。研究结果:新时代自然资源资产管理应当基于"权利—价值—经营—管理"的理论逻辑体系框架,其中自然资源资产权利应当包含自然资源资产所有权、资格权、使用权和管理权等对象内涵,以完整、明晰和稳定作为权利实现要求;自然资源资产价值显化应当基于生态、经济等价值的全面认知,针对不同资产类型分类采用不同价值评估方法,完善市场培育、价值调节和公平分配机制;自然资源资产经营既要保障粮食安全、生态安全和规避可能风险,又要实现高品质利用,因而应当以底量保安全,以存量、数量、质量、差量和流量保协同,优化完善编制资产负债表;自然资源资产管理则应当打破自然资源资产管理割裂的现状,实现系统统一管理并建立全平台、全过程、全资源和全空间的综合监督机制。研究结论:自然资源资产管理应以"三维立体多权化"、"生态价值具象化"、"安全品质六量化"和"系统监管综合化"为改革导向,以期全面推进未来多维、绿色、高效、安全、品质、有序的自然资源资产管理方式的切实实现。     

Are voters rational?

We test whether a voter's decision to cast a vote depends on its probability of affecting the election outcome. Using exogenous variation arising at population cutoffs determining council sizes in Finnish municipal elections, we show that larger council size increases both pivotal probabilities and turnout. These effects are statistically significant, fairly large and robust. Finally, we use a novel instrumental variables design to show that the jumps in the pivotal probabilities are the likely candidate for explaining the increase in turnout, rather than the other observed simultaneous jumps at the council size cutoffs. Moreover, our results indicate that turnout responds only to within-party pivotal probabilities, perhaps because they are more salient to the voters than the between-party ones.