Economic Theory and Industrial Policy in East Asia

Economic liberalisation has been advocated as universally valid for developed and developing countries alike, and, as a result, the role of the state has been disparaged in favour of unrestricted markets and free trade. The neo-classical proposition is by no means fully justified from a theoretical point of view, and there exist powerful, countervailing arguments why government intervention and market coordination, especially during a nation's initial stage of industrialisation, can achieve improved resource allocation and greater competitive advantage. By helping to explain the very creation of industrial capacity, as well as the enhancement of long-term growth rates, institutional economics can provide clearer insights into the complementary roles of state and market. These theories are, moreover, supported by empirical evidence from East Asia, where government has been a contributory but not dominant factor in the achievement of economic success.     

Board risk committees: Insurer financial strength ratings and performance

We hypothesize and find that the existence of a board risk committee is positively related to A.M. Best’s Financial Strength Ratings, a measure widely used in the insurance industry to assess financial health. Using a sample of insurance firms from 2007 to 2013, we measure the impact of board risk committees on financial strength ratings and performance after controlling for various factors such as corporate governance characteristics. We find that firms with board risk committees report higher financial strength ratings, but only in the post-financial crisis period. Also, the formation of a board risk committee is positively associated with an increase in financial strength ratings from the year prior to committee formation to the year after committee formation. Further, we find that the presence of a board risk committee is not related to short-run firm performance benefits and that it takes five years for the presence of a board risk committee to be associated with future performance. Overall, our results provide evidence suggesting board risk committees are effective and beneficial from the standpoint of rating agencies and long-term financial performance.     

全球化挑战发展中国家经济

学术界对全球化的研究由来已久.从最初对"帝国主义"的研究开始,霍布森、熊彼特和列宁都曾经对全球化的进程作过论述.到今天,"帝国主义"已经很少有人再提了,取而代之的是"全球化"这个词.