Social capital and Rotating Labor Associations in rural China

This paper studies social capital and households' participation in Rotating Labor Associations (ROLAs) in rural China. I employ both self-reported trust and the presence of village temple prior to 1949 as proxies for social capital. I find that households in communities with higher levels of social capital are more likely to participate in ROLAs, using household data collected from the Gansu province in China.     

Determinants of bond market development in Asia

One of the major reasons behind the Asian financial crisis in 1997 was the excessive dependence of the Asian economies on commercial banks for domestic financing. The region failed to diversify its sources of corporate financing as it relied mainly on banks since its other types of financing, namely bond markets, were still underdeveloped and their sizes were quite small. On the other hand, the 2008 global financial crisis and the ongoing European debt crisis have led to constraints in acquiring local currency and foreign currency liquidity in the corporate sector in Asia as foreign banks withdrew investments from Asia. Furthermore, Asia needs large long term capital (US$ 750 billion per year for 2010–2020) for developing infrastructure connectivity within and across its economies. Local and regional capital can be channeled for long-term infrastructure projects and other productive investment through bond markets. Having a well-developed local currency bond markets can enhance the resilience of domestic financial sector to external shocks and it can facilitate better intermediation of savings into productive investments in Asia. To enhance corporate bond financing, it is important to examine factors that affect the effective development of bond markets in Asia. The study attempts to identify the determinants of bond market development in Asian economies through examining the relationship of bond issuance with selected key financial and economic factors. It also intends to provide policy recommendations for the further development of the Asian bond market. Major determinants for bond market development in Asia include the size of an economy, the stage of economic development, the openness of an economy, the exchange rate variability, the size of the banking system, and interest rate variability.     

Consumption,financial wealth and labor income in Korea

By examining the relationship between consumption, financial wealth and labor income in Korea, this paper presents three key findings. First, we find evidence that Korean households hold a larger proportion of their wealth in human capital instead of financial wealth, compared to households in other countries. Potentially, this finding appears consistent with Koreans’ enthusiasm for human development through education despite low government funding. Another important finding is that only financial wealth fluctuations contain a large portion of temporary components. Hence, financial wealth is mainly responsible for adjustments to restore the long-run relationship between consumption, financial wealth and labor income during the examined period. Third, and perhaps most interestingly, this paper finds that before the 1997 Asian financial crisis, households in Korea had difficulty smoothing their consumption over time. This finding may be at least partly attributable to households’ limited access to bank loans and their low level of financial wealth accumulation prior to the crisis. In contrast, we find little evidence that households’ consumption behavior has changed during the recent global financial crisis.     

建设冀东经济区 应对国际金融危机

此次波及全球的金融危机破坏严重,资本市场大幅动荡,多家重量级金融机构陷入破产困境,且对实体经济产生了不利影响。世界各主要经济体纷纷进入经济下行周期。在全球经济一体化的今天,中国经济必然受到金融危机的影响。河北省作为中国的一个经济大省,如何应对金融危机是摆在决策者面前的一个重要课题。本文在科学认识国际金融危机的基础上,提出着力建设冀东经济区,来减轻金融危机对经济社会的冲击和负面作用,保证社会经济平稳运行,并打造河北经济新的增长极。     

Spillovers of the Conventional and Unconventional Monetary Policy from the US to South Africa

This paper assesses the effect of US monetary policy on South Africa during the period 1990–2018. We separately analyse and compare the effect of conventional monetary policy, before the Global Financial Crisis, and unconventional monetary policy, after the US monetary policy reached the zero-lower bound. Our impulse response function results indicate that monetary policy in South Africa responds mainly to local inflation, economic activity and financial conditions. While there is strong correlation between the global and South African financial cycle, the financial cycle is not transmitted to the real economy because of the sluggish response of industrial production and domestic credit, especially after the global financial crisis. We see this as an indication of the effects of structural issues to the real economy and constrained households’ balance sheet which has prevented the local economy to take advantage of low local interest rates and the global economic recovery after the crisis.     

日本近代地方财政制度的形成

地方财政制度是地方制度的重要组成部分。日本近代地方财政制度在经历了明治初期具有过渡特点的民费财政、初步统一的地方税财政和1884年前后的进一步改革后,于1888年市制町村制和1890年府县制郡制颁布后正式形成。其特点表现为:在财源分配上国税优于地方税;在支出上国政委任事务费占主要地位;在运营上实现了议会的参与。我国学者目前对日本近代的地方财政问题还很少研究,探讨这一问题,对于我们深入理解日本近代的地方自治制度,乃至战后的地方自治制度都具有重要意义。     

Poverty,Vulnerability and Social Protection in a Period of Crisis: The Case of Indonesia

Before the financial crisis of mid-1997, estimates of consumption poverty in Indonesia were based on rather modest poverty line thresholds when seen in relation to estimates of capability poverty. The reasons behind this discrepancy are identified and alternative estimates of consumption poverty for the pre-crisis period proposed. During the crisis, the behavior of consumption poverty can be described as transient in nature and is relevant in understanding the notion of vulnerability, that is, the risk that individuals and households can experience temporary episodes of poverty. Vulnerability could have worsened, however, in the absence of government intervention, entailing macroeconomic stabilization measures and social protection initiatives. Based on this experience, a fiscally sustainable social safety net, that is able to reinforce household coping mechanisms and social capital, is recommended as part of the country's medium-term strategy to combat poverty.     

Indonesia's Crisis: Implications for the Region

What began as a currency crisis in Indonesia in the third quarter of 1997 rapidly turned into a deep financial crisis with wide-ranging economic and social impacts, and finally became a serious political crisis that exploded in May 1998, forcing President Soeharto to resign. Soeharto's departure, however, did not resolve the crisis. He left behind an economy in shambles, a serious political vacuum and a highly polarised society. The issues to be dealt with are wide-ranging, including the loss of Indonesia's position in the international system, the domination of industry by foreign capital and the imposition by the IMF of a certain model of economic development. Regional and international aspects of the crisis have not become an issue in the public debate and policy discourse in Indonesia. This article looks at these implications.     

基础设施资本回报率的估算及影响因素研究

文章在合理界定并调整基础设施统计口径基础上，运用永续盘存法非传统途径和生产函数法谨慎测算了基础设施的全套资本存量和资本回报率，并构造1993-2016年省级面板数据，从三个方面分解并检验了基础设施资本回报率的影响因素。研究发现：（1）全国生产性基础设施资本存量急剧攀升，年均增速达到12.6%。其中，经济基础设施存量持续高于社会基础设施。（2）基础设施资本回报率呈现倒"U"型变动趋势，且在不同基础设施类型和区域间保持稳健。其中，社会基础设施的资本回报率整体高于经济基础设施，东部地区的基础设施资本回报率高于中部地区，西部地区则长期处于低位运行。（3）基于基础设施资本产出比不断上升是其资本回报率持续下降的主因这一判断，进一步证实基础设施投资率及其资本深化程度，以及人力资本积累、城镇化等因素整体上均显著影响基础设施资本回报率。     

How will financial liberalization change the Chinese economy? Lessons from middle-income countries

This study projects the impact of financial liberalization in China by drawing on the experiences of 60 middle-income economies over a period of four decades. Our results suggest that comprehensive financial reform could increase GDP growth per capita by up to 1.4% points and raise the real bank lending rate by up to 5.1% points. Perhaps the most unexpected result is a massive increase in net capital inflows by up to 20.1% of GDP, which could plant seeds for financial risks later. The probability of a currency crisis could increase by up to 21.7% points, but the probability of a banking crisis may rise or fall, depending on the quality of bank supervision. We also find different policy impacts of different financial reform measures. Bank ownership reform and regulatory reform are critical in supporting economic growth and financial stability. These findings offer important policy implications on how to derive maximum benefit from financial reforms while effectively mitigating potential risks.     

Broadband infrastructure and digital financial inclusion in rural China

This paper examines the relationship between the large-scale construction of broadband infrastructure and digital financial inclusion in rural China. To make causal inferences, we exploit a quasi-natural experiment and use a difference-in-differences identification strategy with a panel dataset of Chinese counties from 2014 to 2018. The results show that broadband infrastructure significantly contributes to digital financial inclusion. Furthermore, we distinguish between two dimensions of digital inclusion, namely, coverage and usage. We find that while broadband infrastructure promotes the coverage dimension, its effect on the usage dimension is limited. In addition, the effect of broadband infrastructure on digital financial inclusion in the usage dimension is larger in areas with higher levels of human capital, higher levels of social capital, and higher penetrations of bank branches. Accounting for these moderators is important to fully harness the potential of broadband infrastructure for financial inclusion.     

健康冲击、社会资本与农户经济脆弱性——基于“CHIP2013”数据的实证分析

健康人力资本在农村经济中发挥着重要作用,农户健康受损时,会通过"劳动效应"、"挤占效应"和"情感效应"影响其经济脆弱性,而社会资本作为一种非正式机制,在血缘、地缘与业缘关系的连接下,通过及时获取信息与资源等对农户经济产生影响。文章利用"中国家庭收入调查2013"数据实证分析了健康冲击和社会资本对农户经济脆弱性的影响及作用机制。通过倾向得分匹配（PSM）和处理效应模型解决内生偏误问题、建立中介效应模型后,回归结果显示：健康冲击会通过挤占效应和情感效应两条渠道机制对农户经济产生负向影响,社会资本分项指标则通过信任渠道机制对农户经济产生正向影响;男性户主更易因遭受健康冲击而陷入经济脆弱困境,处于劳动年龄的户主在利用社会资本缓解经济脆弱性方面更具优势;而社会资本在缓解健康冲击对农户经济脆弱性中的作用并不显著,一个可能的原因是在农村社会中,社会资本等非正式机制逐渐被正式医疗保障机制所替代。在稳健性检验中,构造基于预期贫困定义的贫困脆弱性指标（VEP）进行替换变量回归,进一步证实所得结论。文章的政策涵义在于,应加强对于农户健康风险的管理,并重新挖掘社会资本在农村经济发展中的作用,从而缓解经济脆弱性,阻断贫困。     

淮南为橘淮北为枳：高福利模式在南北欧国家的实施效果差异及对中国的启示

2008年爆发的全球金融危机以及随后的欧洲主权债务危机表明,同样是高福利国家,北欧国家保持着较高的经济增长率、较低的失业率以及相对健康的财政状况,而希腊、葡萄牙、西班牙和意大利等南欧国家却陷入了空前的经济危机和社会危机之中。分析其中原因,有社会信任感差异很大。导致税收和社保制度的执行效果不同;社会保障支出结构失调,导致高福利制度依然未能缓解南欧国家的收入分配悬殊;超越财政支付能力的社保支出规模、教育与就业政策出现偏差以及规模庞大的地下经济和盛行的家庭养老模式等都严重制约社会保障制度发挥其应有的职能。这些教训为我国社保制度的完善提供了很好的借鉴。     

Analyzing the Dynamic Relationships between Physical Infrastructure,Financial Development and Economic Growth in India

This paper investigates the dynamic relationships between physical infrastructure, financial development and economic growth in the case of India, using the autoregressive distributed lag and the Toda–Yamamoto causality approach for the period 1980 to 2016. A physical infrastructure index and a financial development index are constructed using the principal component analysis. The empirical results suggest that physical infrastructure has a positive effect on economic growth both in the long run and short run, whereas financial development, although significant, has a weak impact on economic growth. The causality test supports a bidirectional causal relationship between infrastructure development and economic growth, while it finds unidirectional causation running from economic growth to financial development. As India is aiming for higher growth for a sustained period, our results suggest that there is a need for government intervention in expanding the physical infrastructure and this, in turn, could lead to economic growth as well as financial sector development.     

From financial repression to financial crisis? The case of China

This study explores the connections between financial repression policies and the possibility of financial crisis, a relationship that has been overlooked in previous literature. We focus on China, a country with one of the highest levels of financial repression in the world. China's case shows that when financial repression is maintained at a modest level, as the government did before 2008, the possibility of a financial crisis is low; however, when financial repression policies are pushed to an excessive level, as the government did after 2008, the national asset‐liability structure may be damaged to such an extent that a financial crisis becomes likely. The key to understanding the changing role of China's financial repression policies lies in the survival strategy of the Chinese party‐state, which regards finance as a powerful weapon and is eager to use it to address certain economic, political, or social problems that may endanger its rule.     

数字普惠金融发展影响家庭资产配置结构了吗

2016年,我国政府提出发展数字普惠金融,倡导利用数字化技术提高金融体系的普惠水平。文章以数字普惠金融发展为切入点,研究了其对家庭资产配置的影响。使用2017年CHFS调查数据、北京大学数字普惠金融指数和中国城市统计年鉴数据,实证发现数字普惠金融能显著提高家庭参与金融市场和股票市场的概率,提高配置风险资产和股票资产的比例,此结果经过多种稳健性检验后保持一致。这一影响在城镇地区的家庭和使用第三方支付的家庭中更显著。这一影响的作用机制是数字金融降低了家庭参与成本、增加了金融可得性和扩宽了信息渠道。文章为数字普惠金融发展影响家庭金融行为提供了实证证据。     

PPP模式的经济增长质量效应研究——来自微观层面的证据

文章依据财政部PPP项目库信息整理得到253个城市的非平衡面板数据并对PPP模式的经济增长质量效应展开实证分析。结果显示,我国PPP模式的运用能够有效促进地区经济增长质量提升,且该结论通过一系列稳健性检验后依然成立。机制分析显示,缓解地方政府短期财政压力和促进地区市场化水平的提升是PPP模式发挥经济增长质量效应的主要渠道。与此同时,政府干预较多会抑制PPP模式经济增长质量效应,而提高财政透明度则有利于发挥该效应。此外,异质性分析表明,市政工程以及教育、医疗等社会事业领域PPP模式的经济增长质量效应更强,并且当某地PPP模式以中短期合作或以政府付费和可行性缺口补助项目为主时,其对地区经济增长质量的提升作用更为明显。     

Capital Flows,Exchange Rates,and the New International Financial Architecture: Six Financial Crises in Search of a Generic Explanation

Exchange-rate history can be divided into two periods: the Bretton Woods period and the period of floating exchange rates since the early 1970s. In this second period, financial crises and the roles played by institutions, rules, and commitments in international finance have been of central importance. Many proposals for changing the international financial architecture have been presented to reduce the likelihood of crises, but the source of the problem is in variable capital flows and the floating exchange-rate system. Based on six major financial crises of the last 25 years, the wide range in movements in the exchange rate, which might also be inferred from differences in national inflation rates, reflects changes in the ex-ante cross-border capital flows. As long as currencies are floating, economic conditions among countries are likely to be more variable and diverse: the greater variability in economic conditions suggests greater variability in capital flows.     

稳妥化解民族地区乡村债务的路径研究——基于新疆的调查

乡村债务是社会转型时期制度失范的产物，随着农村税费改革的深入，债务危机逐渐显现。从2007年起，中央开始着手解决农村义务教育负债，并取得阶段性成果。但乡村债务规模大，地方对化债亦负有义不容辞的责任，民族地区多是经济欠发达地区，受财力和经济发展水平的约束，其化债路径与经济发达地区应有所不同。     

转型期的政治激励、财政分权与地方官员经济行为

本文在一个框架内考虑了政治激励与财政分权,考察了转型期我国地方官员的经济行为.中央强调经济增长与财政收入增加的考核导向,使得地方财政支出过度偏向基础设施建设而公共品支出不足,同时抑制了其中的官员私人消费支出.在资本不可流动但多期情形下,地方官员通过降低税率和加大基础设施投资来积累资本.在资本可流动情形下,地方官员为了吸引资本.有额外的激励降低征税力度和加大基础设施建设投入.在资本可流动情形下,地区初始发展水平差距意味着地区吸引资本能力的差异,这可能导致地区发展差距比资本不可流动情形下更大.由于资本有更好的流动性,地方倾向干将财政压力施加到劳动所得上,从而导致初次收入分配中劳动所得份额偏低.