Inequality and Crisis: Conspicuous Consumption as the Missing Link in the Portuguese Case

Portuguese household debt increased above GDP between 2000 and 2007. This article uses conspicuous consumption to explain credit demand dynamics. The author develops an institutionalist framework and consider how rapid high inequalities and increasing top income share favored conspicuous consumption and climbing household debt.     

货币运动与金融危机:马克思的警告

众多学者从不同的角度探讨了金融危机的成因、进程和解决办法. 在马克思货币理论的视角下,金融危机孕育于资本化的货币运动中,是商品经济发展到一定阶段,在信用发达条件下因金融资本家的疯狂投机行为使货币游离于商品之外而产生的一种危机现象. 金融危机的背后是缺乏规制的金融过度创新. 基于这一理解,我们考察当前国际金融危机的原因与本质,并得出若干结论与启示.     

Small Fiscal Multipliers Do Not Justify Austerity: A Macroeconomic Accounting Analysis of Public Debt-to-GDP Dynamics

In the aftermath of the Great Recession, a debate about the size of fiscal multipliers emerged. Whatever the estimation approach, fiscal multipliers assumed for projections are the result of extrapolations from time-series data. In this article, I take a different perspective by answering the following question: Is it really necessary to know the value of fiscal multipliers to make sensible policy decisions?     

货币、货币化与萧条时期的货币供给——20世纪30年代中国经济走出困局回顾

近代中国货币供应结构的改变(存款比例增大)解决了现金货币供应不足的问题.文章测算了20世纪30年代中国经济的货币化程度,认为它是稳步增长的.在世界经济危机波及中国的情况下,主要依靠中国、交通两银行等核心金融机构力挺工商业的带头示范和同业合作,以及政府对中交两行接管初期的某种督促,保持了货币供给的增加,使中国市场较快走出困境;但政府统制金融的另一面则是扼杀了市场的活力,缺乏制约政府行为的配套改革,因此在取得成果的同时也埋下了非常不利的伏笔.     

Lost in translation – a revival of Wolfgang Stützel's Balances Mechanics

Wolfgang Stützel was a prominent German economist who coined a very special terminology in national accounting and in international economics. Therefore, it can be said that his contributions to economics got lost in translation. Especially, the Balances Mechanics approach and the paradox of competition are his biggest achievements in economic theory, but he never received international recognition. The objective of this paper is to pay tribute to his work by applying his analytical frameworks to the balance of payments crisis in the Eurozone and to the distributional impacts of austerity policy.     

‘Whatever it takes’ and the role of Eurozone news

This letter shows that the ‘Whatever it takes’ speech by ECB President Draghi on 26 July 2012 and the ensuing installation of the Outright Monetary Transactions’ framework are associated with a reduction in the domestic and cross-border effect of Eurozone news on absolute yield changes in Eurozone sovereign debt. These results are consistent with the popular view that these actions helped to avoid a collapse of the Eurozone.     

中国货币供给规模的实证检验——基于改进的第一代货币危机模型分析

我国货币供给、国内信贷与外汇储备增加之间在大多数年份保持一定的均衡关系.但在少数年份,货币供给也出现不足或超额现象.因此,我国在货币投放的时候,需要全面考虑货币供给、国内信贷与外汇储备增加之间的关系,在继续保持货币供给正常增长的同时,改善货币供应结构,提高货币政策的有效性,增加有效货币供给.     

金融危机下企业融资现状及对策研究

美国金融危机席卷全球,中国经济也未能独善其身。从虚拟经济影响到实体经济,中国的企业进入了“寒冬”,融资困难上演了很多企业走向倒闭的悲剧。中国企业要解决融资难题,就要加快金融体制改革和金融工具创新;发展内源性融资,政府应多管齐下支持中小企业多渠道融资。     

中国近代民间发行纸币的运行机制及其问题——基于清末天津贴水风潮的分析

中国在很长历史时期,货币并不统一。民间曾经可以自由发行纸币。民间发行之时,需要储备金属货币。储备比例根据市场的货币需求状况动态调整。运行这套机制需要非常严格的条件。这些条件包括:在纸币无法等值兑换金属货币时,发行机构要付出相应的流动性成本,以之约束其发行行为。此外,在自由竞争的前提下,民间发行机构也应具有一定规模,以便更好地应对挤兑危机。清末天津的贴水风潮说明:当时中国民间发行纸币在这两方面都有问题。解决这些问题,需要政府对于发行机构设置一定的门槛,同时以严格的制度保证纸币与金属货币等值兑换。     

Are Islamic finance innovations enough for investors to escape from a financial downturn? Further evidence from portfolio simulations

Does Islamic finance constitute a promising solution for the current global financial crisis and are Islamic financial innovations enough to reassure investors, stabilize financial systems and provide them with a means of escaping from financial downturns? This article addresses these questions while investigating the dynamics of Islamic and conventional stock prices over the last few years. In particular, we apply Multivariate Vector Autoregressive (VAR) tools to test the interaction between conventional and Islamic financial products, and implement the Granger causality test to specify the dependence orientation of feedback between Islamic and conventional stock prices. Our article differs from previous work on the topic in that it develops portfolio simulations to determine whether Islamic finance can supplant conventional finance by generating investment and diversification opportunities during periods of crisis. In addition, we develop optimal portfolio strategies and investment proportions for conventional and Islamic funds to ensure the best resource allocation. Our main findings are: (i) the impact of the current crisis on the Islamic finance industry is less marked than on conventional finance, (ii) investment in Islamic products generates high returns, (iii) portfolios that include Islamic products reduce systemic risk and generate significant diversification benefits, (iv) the US crisis has led to significant changes in resource allocation through changes in investment choices.     

自由与制度关系角度反思全球性金融危机

为了深入探究全球性金融危机的根本原因并对转型的中国经济以有益的启示,在自由与制度辨证关系的基础上提出金融自由化的本质是自由与制度结合的理论观点。在这个观点的基础上提出金融危机是“错误金融自由化”的假说,并以理论和实际数据验证这个假说。验证的结论是,此次源于美国的全球性金融危机是错误金融自由化的结果,而非金融自由化制度的问题。     

The Fable of the Allegory: The Wizard of Oz in Economics: Comment

Although recent research strongly suggests that L. Frank Baum did not write The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a monetary or political allegory, the Populist-parable interpretation of his book remains a tremendous teaching tool in economics classes. The author offers some background on the rise and fall of the Populist interpretation, in recognition of students' natural curiosity about Baum's intentions. He also offers a classroom-ready version of the parable that synthesizes several different versions of that interpretation.     

后金融危机时代国际货币秩序变革研究——人民币国际竞争力的提升

此轮金融危机的广泛蔓延使各国经济受到不同程度的负面影响,后危机时代的国际经济秩序面临重大调整的时机,其中货币制度的选择、各国货币实力的此消彼长成为全球新货币经济秩序建立的决定性推动力。本文选取货币竞争的视角,在总结英镑、美元、欧元等国际货币竞争主导因素的基础上,探讨后金融危机时代国际货币经济秩序的变革方向和趋势,最终以人民币国际化为落脚点提出相关建议。