Gender Inequality and Growth in Europe

In this paper, we will briefly review the existing literature on the growth impacts of gender gaps and assess its relevance for the European situation. We will show that gender gaps in education in Europe are unlikely to play an important role for economic performance, but that gender gaps in employment appear to impose a significant efficiency cost in European countries where the gaps are large.     

Austerity and Brexit

Intereconomics - The UK’s defining domestic economic policy under the Conservative governments since 2010 can be subsumed under the term ‘austerity’.     

中国性别工资不平等的国外研究综述

通过回顾改革开放后性别工资不平等的研究文献,发现由于人力资本的回报特征,市场化使得性别工资差别加大,而且城市性别工资差别要比农村性别工资差别小,由性别工资歧视引起的工资不平等也小于工资差异,市场竞争力度的加大并没有减小性别工资不平等。目前,现有的文献只是对少数地区、少数人的性别工资不平等进行了研究,迫切需要大范围的实证研究以探寻经济改革对性别工资不平等的影响。     

健康性别不平等与政府卫生预算的社会性别分析

从社会性别的角度分析了我国不同性别之间的健康需求、预算配置和服务受益情况.(1)我国女性人口卫生服务需求高于男性,且经济欠发达地区女性卫生服务利用受到一定程度抑制;(2)性别问题并非当前预算体制下卫生预算分配的主要关注点,但目前已有促进两性平等利用卫生服务的实际行动和措施;(3)在当前公共卫生投入政策下,两性公共卫生服务受益差异不明显.(4)现有统计信息系统大多不归集分性别资料,尤其是预算数据,因此尚无法对政府卫生预算开展深入的性别分析.要推进性别预算观念和分性别统计工作,逐步建立和完善我国的性别预算框架和操作规范,将社会性别纳入健康政策主流,使健康政策和政府卫生预算增加社会性别公平.     

健康性别不平等与政府卫生预算的社会性别分析

从社会性别的角度分析了我国不同性别之间的健康需求、预算配置和服务受益情况。（1）我国女性人口卫生服务需求高于男性,且经济欠发达地区女性卫生服务利用受到一定程度抑制;（2）性别问题并非当前预算体制下卫生预算分配的主要关注点,但目前已有促进两性平等利用卫生服务的实际行动和措施;（3）在当前公共卫生投入政策下,两性公共卫生服务受益差异不明显。（4）现有统计信息系统大多不归集分性别资料,尤其是预算数据,因此尚无法对政府卫生预算开展深入的性别分析。要推进性别预算观念和分性别统计工作,逐步建立和完善我国的性别预算框架和操作规范．将社会性别纳入健康政策主流,使健康政策和政府卫生预算增加社会性别公平。     

论节俭的消费伦理观

在中华民族丰富的文化传统中,节俭作为一项美德,指的是人们对待个人生活欲望的态度,它要求人们节制自己的生活欲望,合理约束自己的消费行为,俭约生活,节约财用.伴随着人类物质文明的进程,在物质生产活动中人们意识到与大自然斗争的艰辛和创造物质财富的不易,从而产生了这种最朴素的情感和消费伦理.任何浪费物质财富的行为不仅是对人类艰苦劳动及其成果的不尊重,而且如同晚唐诗人李商隐在他的咏史诗中写到的"历览前贤家与国,成由勤俭败由奢",俭奢与成败休戚相关.     

Austerity,Growth and Inflation: Remarks on the Eurozone's Unresolved Competitiveness Problem

While the financial protection measures enacted by the ECB and the community of Eurozone members have calmed financial markets, they have left the competitiveness problem of the Eurozone's southern countries and France unresolved. The paper compares price inflation before the crisis with the necessary and actual price cuts that have taken place since the outbreak of the crisis, predicting a decade of stagnation for the south and inflation for the north. Keynesian demand policy is counterproductive in the south and unnecessary in the north. The necessary realignment of relative goods prices and current account imbalances can be achieved if market forces are allowed to redirect capital flows to the north instead of being artificially steered to uses they are keen to avoid.     

Financing Consumer Appliances: Two Alternatives

Builders and sellers of new houses, condominiums and mobile homes have increasingly included household appliances and furnishings as an incentive to encourage consumers to purchase these housing units. Although the cost of appliances and accessories are added to the purchase price, they can many times be financed with additional mortgage funds. As a result of this, the consumer must make a decision on (1) whether to acquire them, and (2) if acquired, the method of financing. This paper examines the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing appliances from builders and first-hand sellers of new houses and other types of living units and alternative methods of financing. The purchaser must decide whether the appliances should be financed through additional mortgage funds or through the more conventional consumer installment credit. A method of analysis is presented that can be used to determine which manner of financing produces the financing at least cost.     

中国收入差距中的机会不均等

本文使用中国综合社会调查(CGSS)数据和基于回归方程的分解方法,将全国、城镇和农村地区的收入差距分解为源于环境因素的机会不均等、源于努力因素的收入不均等,以及源于运气和未知因素的收入不均等三大成分,研究结果如下。(1)2010—2015年,全国、城镇和农村机会不均等均经历了先上升后下降的过程,但出生时户籍的贡献度有上升趋势。(2)通过估算,2010年我国机会不均等为24.39%,2012年为28.04%,2013年达到峰值35.72%,2015年下降到30.56%,而如果不考虑党员身份、迁移两个努力变量以及环境变量与努力变量的交互影响,估算结果会被高估至少8个百分点;居住地、性别、出生时户籍是机会不均等的重要来源。(3)2010—2015年,农村机会不均等平均水平达到33.31%,高出城镇约8个百分点。其中,年龄与性别因素是导致农村机会不均等过高的原因,而居住地差异是城镇机会不均等的主要来源。基于此,本文建议从协调区域发展、完善就业公平竞争机制、加快户籍制度改革三个方面减缓机会不均等。     

Inequality and Competitiveness

This article suggests a theoretical exploration of possible relationships between several issues normally discussed separately: the long-standing capital/labour debate, the distinctions between popular capitalism (ie universal or very widespread shareholding) and stakeholding, poverty and inequality and the factors which promote productivity and competitiveness in firms. The author argues that the promotion of competition and its attendant increases in inequality are likely to reduce competitiveness.     

Austerity in the Baltic states during the global financial crisis

The Baltic states were arguably the countries most severely affected by the global financial crisis. This article discusses the boom preceding the crisis, the ensuing austerity policies and the economic effects of these policies. All three countries maintained fixed exchange rates, but the degree of fiscal austerity varied across the countries, with Estonia undertaking the strongest fiscal consolidation in 2009. The downturn was so swift and deep that expansionary policies were unlikely to affect short-term outcomes. Growth returned towards the end of 2009, largely driven by exports. The export performance cannot be directly linked to the austerity policies. The main lesson from the Baltics is that increased macroeconomic stability must be attained by avoiding overheating and unsustainable financial exposure. The challenge for the future is to ensure that austerity policies are implemented during economic booms.     

中国港口民营化改革:进展、问题与对策

在目前全球化背景下,港口成为一国经济发展和区域经济竞争的承载体,也是全球供应链整合过程中的重要环节,如何通过深化港口改革来吸引投资,从而提升区域经济的发展速度和相关企业的竞争能力,成为我国港口面临的一个紧切问题。本文将在分析国外港口民营化情况的基础上,分析我国港口民营化改革进展和当前存在的问题,并对我国未来港口民营化改革提出了相应的建议。     

中国农产品物流：与发达国家的差距及改进

发展农产品物流是提升一国农产品竞争力的重要手段之一,目前我国农产品物流尚处在起步阶段,有必要借鉴发达国家的成功经验,确定我国农产品物流进一步的发展方向,以促使其产生一个质的飞跃。本文首先总结了发达国家农产品物流的发展特征与趋势;接下来,分析了我国农产品物流与发达国家的主要差距;在此基础上,提出了今后应该重点做好农产品物流主体培育、第三方农产品物流服务发展、农产品物流基础设施建设、农产品物流技术和物流信息系统的研发等几个方面的工作。     

Inequality and entrepreneurial thresholds

We explore the relationship between inequality and entrepreneurial activity. Drawing on cross-sectional data from a largescale survey of the economic conditions of individuals across India, we develop a number of dimensions of inequality to explore empirically how inequality interacts with entrepreneurship, operationalized as self-employment or as employing other people. We find compelling evidence that there are thresholds to becoming self-employed, and even more so to assembling the combinations of resources and personal attributes required to become an employer. Greater inequality leaves more people unable to make the transition to self-employment, leaving casual laboring as the occupation of necessity. At the same time, inequality increases the number of employers in a society, by concentrating resources - particularly land and finance - enough for significant numbers of people to be able to cross this higher threshold. Lastly, greater differentiation into social or religious groups curtails the ability to cross either entrepreneurial threshold, presumably by limiting the extent and benefits of social networks of value for entrepreneurship.     

Inequality and Europe 2020

The European Commission put forward its strategy for the 2010–2020 period in its Europe 2020 Communication. Inequality should be seen as a cornerstone of both sustainable and inclusive growth. In fact, unequal societies are also more unstable societies (i.e. unsustainable) and more polarised (i.e. exclusive). The analysis of available data and the established consensus in the literature shows four main stylised facts.