Gender and child sensitive social protection in South Africa

Drawing from a 2010 study of women receiving the Child Support Grant in an urban area of South Africa, this article discusses the link between social protection, women's empowerment and the well-being of children. It appears that the Grant enhances women's power and control over household decision-making in financial matters, general household spending and child well-being. At the same time, the data show that women continue to bear the greatest burden of care in the household and that these responsibilities significantly heighten gender inequalities. Therefore, while the Grant has benefits for child well-being and women's empowerment, it cannot on its own transform unequal and unjust social relations of power. It should be working in concert with other public programmes not only to focus on children's needs but also to strive for gender equality for poor women.     

Revisiting the labor supply effect of social security earnings test: New evidence from its elimination and reinstatement in Japan

We explore the labor supply effect of the social security earnings test in Japan on those aged 65–69 years through a combined examination of the elimination of the earnings test in 1985 and its reinstatement in 2002. We present evidence showing that the effects of changes in the earnings tests on the labor supply of the elderly are not symmetric, controlling for changes in the attributes of workers and firms. The repeal of the earnings test in 1985 did affect the earnings distribution of the elderly (especially for male), while its reinstatement in 2002 did not alter the earnings distribution.     

The small country assumption: A reassessment with evidence from Korea

Zusammenfassung Die Annahme eines ⋯kleinen Landes”. Eine überprüfung mit Daten aus Korea. — Es gibt kaum ?konometrische Belege für ⋯kleine” L?nder im Welthandel, weil das übliche Vorgehen bei der Sch?tzung von Parametern für die Exportnachfrage es ausschlie\t, Befunde für ein ⋯kleines” Land zu ermitteln. Die Verfasser entwickeln deshalb ein alternatives Verfahren, wobei die inverse Nachfragefunktion als Teil eines Systems der Exportangebots- und Exportnachfragefunktionen gesch?tzt wird, und wenden es auf den Fall koreanischer Maschinen und Transportmittel an. Dieses Verfahren liefert Ergebnisse, die statistisch besser und einleuchtender sind als diejenigen, die sich aus der traditionellen Methode der Sch?tzung von Exportnachfrageparametern ergeben.

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Resumen El supuesto de país peque?o: un nuevo análisis con evidencia de Corea. — Casi no existe evidencia en favor de paises peque?os en el comercio mundial. Esto se debe a que el enfoque convencional para estimar los parámetros de la demanda de exportaciones excluye la posibilidad de encontrar evidencia de un país peque?o. Se desarrolla un enfoque alternativo estimando la función inversa de demanda como parte de un sistema de funciones de demanda y oferta de exportaciones y se lo aplica al caso de maquinaria y equipo de transporte coreanos. Este enfoque arroja resultados estadísticamente superiores y con más sentido que aquellos derivados del enfoque convencional para estimar los parámetros de la demanda de exportaciones.

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Résumé La supposition d’un ?petit? pays: la réévaluation avec l’évidence de la Corée. — Il n’y a presque aucune évidence économétrique des ?petits? pays au commerce international. La raison est que l’approche conventionnelle pour estimer les paramètres de la demande d’exportation ne tient pas compte de trouver l’évidence d’un ?petit? pays. Dans l’article, on développe une méthode alternative: on estime la fonction de la demande inverse comme part d’un système des fonctions de l’offre et de la demande d’exportations et on l’applique au cas de l’équipement en machines et en transport en Corée. Cette méthode aboutit aux résultats qui sont statistiquement meilleurs que ceux dérivés de l’approche conventionnelle pour estimer les paramètres de la demande d’exportations.

     

Property rights security and firm survival: Micro-data evidence from China

The security of property rights has been found to play important roles in various aspects of firm behaviors. However, its effects on firm survival have been largely neglected in previous research. Using annual data of Chinese manufacturing firms over the period 1998–2008, we analyze the link between property rights security and firms' survival probabilities, differentiating firms into stated-owned enterprises (SOEs) and non-SOEs, and considering whether the linkage evolves over time. Examining a wide range of specifications, we find that the protection of property rights, by limiting government intervention and promulgating laws and rules, is crucial for firm survival. Moreover, better security of property rights benefits non-SOEs more. We also find that the beneficial effects of secure property rights on firm survival are more pronounced for years after 2003 when China speeded up deregulation to comply with its WTO commitments and reform target to establish a modern system of property rights than for years before 2002.     

Impacts of household loan regulation on financial stability: evidence from Korea

The paper examines whether banking regulations and monetary policy contributed to controlling the fragility of household debt in Korea. The results show that housing loan regulations such as debt to income regulation contributed to a lower household debt delinquency ratio. Lowering the target interest rate provided additional stabilisation of the delinquency ratio. It is recommended that the government adopt an appropriate mix of regulation and monetary policy to control household financial fragility. The financial supervisory services need to be involved in managing debt to income regulation and minimising financial instability and financial market distortions. Further, the monetary authority has to adopt a more effective position in controlling the real lending interest rate and the delinquency ratio of household loans. Such a policy mix will improve effectiveness in controlling financial fragility, especially at a time of financial crisis.     

Financial risk exposure of returns to education: Panel evidence from Korea*

The present study examined financial market risk exposure of human capital returns, which are represented by the returns to education, using panel data for Korea. Overall, financial market shocks seem to be irrelevant to returns to education. However, when we divide a financial market shock into cash flow news and discount rate news leading to a negative risk premium, returns to education increase after positive news about future cash flows and unexpected increases in discount rates Therefore, the risk exposure to cash flow shocks is offset by the exposure to discount rate shocks. The returns to education of low‐income workers were significantly exposed to the cash flow risk as compared to those with a high income, but they were offset by the positive correlation to discount rate shocks. In contrast, considering the gap between generations, the old generation was not only less exposed to the cash flow risk compared to the young generation regarding returns to education but also positively correlated with the discount rate shock, resulting in less exposure to financial market risks.     

The race factor in social security

Conclusion A more complete analysis of the race factor in Social Security would expand from here in the following ways. First, projected earnings would be forecast for both races to compute race-specific benefit-tax ratios. Second, more complete family formation data would permit the projection of dependent-less benefit-producing events, not just spouse-less benefitproducing events. Additional computations would be performed for female workers and two-earner families. A satisfactory weight (or a rationale for the present one) would be assigned to survivor benefits. The end-result would be benefit-tax ratios for both races, not just for set-piece workers.     

Remittances,social security,and the crowding-out effect: Evidence from Vietnam

In the absence of adequate social security systems, many people in developing countries, especially the poor and vulnerable, cope through migration-related remittances. However, when remittances, internal or international, provide social benefits similar to public transfers they may overlap: ‘crowding-out’ effects occur. Employing three long-sample Vietnam Household Living Standard surveys undertaken during the 2000s, this paper studies the crowding-out effects of remittances in Vietnam, a developing country that has experienced a soaring inflow of remittances since 2000. Significant crowding-out effects for both domestic and international remittances on income are found below the poverty line in Vietnam, consistent with an altruistic motive. Beyond this, transfer derivatives are positive and statistically significant in both areas, suggesting a switch of motives from altruism to exchange at the poverty line. The substituting relationship between public transfers and remittances observed for the rural poor reveals key challenges to delivering an equal and efficient social security system in the country.     

The race factor in social security

Conclusion A more complete analysis of the race factor in Social Security would expand from here in the following ways. First, projected earnings would be forecast for both races to compute race-specific benefit-tax ratios. Second, more complete family formation data would permit the projection of dependent-less benefit-producing events, not just spouse-less benefit-producing events. Additional computations would be performed for female workers and two-earner families. A satisfactory weight (or a rationale for the present one) would be assigned to survivor benefits. The end-result would be benefit-tax ratios for both races, not just for set-piece workers.     

Gender Difference in Returns to Education Independent of Gender Wage Gap in Korea*

This study examined the difference between male and female groups’ return on investment (ROI) in education independent of the average gender wage gap. Women’s additional ROI in education was significant and positively estimated. Furthermore, the ROI in women’s education was consistently higher than that in men regardless of educational stage, except for graduate education. These gender differences were greater in the younger generation than in the older generation and have decreased significantly in the recent ten years in high school education. Although the additional ROI in women’s education was positive in the field of culture and arts, education’s effect on wage increases in professional occupations was less than in men, especially in the fields of law and medicine. In addition, we show that gender differences in ROI in education were countercyclical. A base effect, large wage declines for low‐educated women during recessions, could explain this phenomenon. However, coinciding with the existence of positive cash flow news in the stock market that promises good business performance, a significant wage increase among highly educated women was found.     

女大学生就业难社会排斥视角分析

随着新就业政策的实施和大学扩招后大学生的陆续毕业,女大学生就业难问题已成为一个不争的事实。女大学生就业难问题是由多种原因造成的,在社会资本和社会性别理论的基础上,从社会排斥的视角对女大学生就业难问题进行深入分析,有助于探讨女大学生就业难的深层次原因。     

Guilds, efficiency, and social capital: evidence from German proto-industry

This article considers recent economic theories about guilds in the light of evidence from a German proto-industrial region. The empirical findings cast doubt on views that guilds existed because they were efficient institutional solutions to market failures relating to product quality, training, and innovation. However, guilds did generate a 'social capital' of shared norms, common information, mutual sanctions, and collective political action. This social capital benefitted guild members, but harmed outsiders and the wider economy. The article concludes that economic theories of collective action and interlinked markets can explain why guilds were widespread while not necessarily being efficient.     

Antidumping protection hurts exporters: firm-level evidence

This paper estimates the impact of antidumping protection on export behavior of French firms covered by antidumping cases. Traditional models suggest that all domestic firms covered by antidumping protection should benefit from protection. However, in an environment of globally fragmented supply chains, firms may be damaged by protection if duties increase input costs for firms covered by the protection. Results from this paper indicate that while non-exporting firms benefit from protection, domestic sales of export-oriented firms and exports in general, are depressed due to protection. This effect is more severe for multinational firms.     

Using group ratings to assess household food security: Empirical evidence from southern Africa

This article addresses the reliability and validity of household welfare rankings using the Group Ratings (GR) method. The GR aimed to measure the food security status of 142 households in seven villages in Malawi. Sets of informant groups rated households from their own community. Results show that the reliability of the method was no more than fair to moderate, and was particularly low for households falling in the middle category of 'intermittently food insecure'. Consensus ratings from the GR sessions were then compared with a number of alternative indicators of food security from a quantitative household survey. GR were associated with the more visible aspects of food security, such as household asset and livestock holdings, but associations with less visible aspects of food security were weaker. The strength of these associations varied from village to village.     

论城市低保中的社会排斥及解决路径

近年来,我国城市低保制度取得了许多令人瞩目的进展,但是也存在着比较突出的社会排斥问题,把相当一部分城市贫困人口排斥在低保之外。究其原因,主要是对贫困及致贫原因认识的偏差、社会救济理念认识的滞后、识别低保户的困难、低保资金支出压力大等造成的。因此,建设服务型政府、调整社会救助资金的来源构成、专业的社会工作者介入社会救助工作就成为解决社会排斥问题的路径选择。     

Trade protection and market power: evidence from US antidumping and countervailing duties

Contingent protection measures were originally intended to protect domestic producers from what were considered to be “unfairly” cheap imports. However, due to the way in which these policies are designed and implemented, they have been heavily criticised for their greatly disruptive effects on markets, and particularly on competition. The analysis presented in this paper contributes to the debate by studying the impact of US antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duties on domestic producers’ price-cost margins (PCM). To this end, the study takes advantage of a long panel of 4-digit industries in the United States covering 26 years of AD/CV activity, including the periods before and after the changes to AD/CV laws introduced following the Uruguay Round (UR). It finds evidence of a positive effect of AD/CV duties on PCM for the period prior to the UR, but the effect seems to disappear in the years following the UR. The analysis accounts for potential endogeneity in AD/CV duties, as well as the intensity of the protection granted.     

Evaluating social protection programs in Tajikistan

At independence, Tajikistan inherited an extensive social protection system that included a range of cash and non-cash benefits. While the economy is well into its transition from a centrally planned to a market-oriented economy, its social welfare policies still adhere to the methods and approaches of the Soviet period. This is true for social protection, which has both social insurance and social assistance components, and for which benefits are effectively non-contributory in nature in that no contributions are collected from employees. In this paper, we examine the performance of the country's social protection system—essentially public transfers for the elderly and disabled—in terms of reducing poverty, with the aim of identifying its key problems. Since the government provides such public transfers mainly as pensions (i.e., old-age pension, disabled pension, and survivors pension), it merits an in-depth analysis of whether or not these transfer programs reach the intended beneficiaries; that is, how well do they target the intended beneficiaries? Using data from the Living Standards Measurement Survey conducted in 2007, we find that only 43% of poor households are receiving transfers from the government, while 33% of non-poor households receive transfers. This study argues for applying a targeted approach to public transfer programs, including non-contributory pension schemes aimed at the most vulnerable populations.     

Trajectories of social protection in Africa

Social protection in contemporary Africa is the product of several strands of social policy, from European social security systems to humanitarian relief interventions. Contributory social security mechanisms such as unemployment insurance and pensions were imported to Africa during the colonial period, but cover only a minority of formally employed workers. Food aid alleviates hunger but does not resolve problems of chronic food insecurity. Cash transfers are being promoted as an alternative to food aid, but have been criticised for being ineffective against price inflation and underwriting neoliberal economic policies. Some programmes link social transfers to public works employment and microfinance, with the aim of ‘graduating’ participants off social protection. This article argues instead for a ‘social contract’ approach – recognising the right to social protection, empowering passive beneficiaries to become entitled claimants, and introducing social audits to hold duty-bearers accountable for effective and equitable delivery of citizen-driven social protection policies.