Ethnic Diversity,Political Stability and Productive Efficiency: Empirical Evidence from the African Countries

While ethnic diversity has been shown to produce numerous negative effects on the economic performance due to disagreement on the production of the public good, nepotism in making employment decisions, increased corruption and rent‐seeking behaviour, its positive effects appear to have received much less attention. We hypothesise and test several explanations why higher levels of ethnic diversity may be associated with better socio‐economic outcomes. We find that productive efficiency will be higher in the societies where ethnicities can benefit from the complementarity of skills. Incentives to engage in an ethnic conflict will be lower and the extent of political stability higher in those countries where the opportunity costs of ethnic conflict are more substantial. We also find some evidence in support of the political aspirations hypothesis that attributes the negative effects of ethnic diversity to the strife by ethnic groups for more political influence.     

债权类教育金融制度效率研究

在我国信用环境不良的条件下,“银行-学生”所构成的核心两主体模式不可能诞生。政府、高校主体的引入虽然可以通过“后入主体”对现存单个主体“成本-收益-风险”平衡性的改良来提升契约的总体效率,但对核心主体之间的“成本-收益-风险”的改良程度微弱,因而债性契约具有天然的缺陷,其效率改良是有限的。尽管贷款违约公示和生源地贷款在一定程度上降低了银行贷款的风险,但前者破坏了债性契约的可持续性,后者则是债性契约内在规定性的退化。分成制教育金融制度将是对现存金融契约进行的革命性变革,有望从根本上促进银行与学生两主体之间的成本-收益-风险的平衡性。     

Increasing Finance,Improving Schools

Much debate from many political sides has ensued to raise attention to the struggle state legislatures face over school finance issues. This study examines the changes in academic achievement, before and after increases in funding occur, to show that money does matter. The uniqueness of this study is that it examines per pupil funding and academic achievement test scores, Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), not at the aggregated school district level, but at the neighborhood school level. Using data from Dallas County public schools, we are able to see that even within school districts, as resources increase, achievement improves.

科技金融发展、产权性质与战略性新兴产业融资效率——基于两阶段链式DEA模型

以2014—2017年中国A股市场1036家战略性新兴产业上市企业为研究对象,基于两阶段链式DEA分阶段研究其融资效率.在此基础上,利用固定效应面板数据模型,重点分析科技金融发展水平对于战略性新兴产业融资效率的影响.研究结果表明:科技金融发展对于战略性新兴产业融资效率、筹资效率和配置效率具有正向促进作用;科技金融发展对于小规模战略性新兴产业上市企业融资效率的提升作用更为明显;科技金融发展对于战略性新兴产业民营企业融资效率的提升更加有效.     

两种生产力与发展循环经济

生态生产力是社会生产力的基础,社会生产力又直接影响生态生产力,二者组成一个有机的系统,必须协同共进。循环经济是对自然生态系统循环的一种模拟,既可以有效地发掘和利用生态生产力为社会生产力的发展提供动力,又可以在发展社会生产力的同时有效地保护和提高生态生产力,是发展生产力的现实选择。文章从生产力理论的角度分析了我国目前发展循环经济的可行性与必要性,并提出相应的发展建议。     

Firm Efficiency in a Transitional Economy: Evidence from Vietnam

The paper examines efficiency performance of the non-state small and medium manufacturing industries in a transitional and developing economy. Using firm level data in Vietnam from 1996 and 2001, cross-sectional models are estimated using the stochastic frontier method. The results show a considerable variation in efficiency levels among firms and that a greater use of family labor and a metropolitan location are associated with improvement in technical efficiency. The results indicate few benefits from direct government financial and non-financial assistance to businesses.     

我国证券公司生产效率及效率持续性评价研究

文章运用SEDEA模型和基于DEA的Malmquist生产率指数,对2005-2010年我国22家证券公司的生产效率进行动态研究,并运用效率持续性指数进行聚类分析。结论表明：我国证券业整体生产效率水平不高,且多数证券公司效率持续性较弱;证券公司生产效率的提升主要来源于技术进步,规模对其并无显著影响;证券公司的生产效率过分依赖证券市场行情的情况稍有改善;创新类证券公司在创新评审结束后,生产效率反而低于非创新类证券公司。     

Backyard Hog Production Efficiency: Evidence from the Philippines*

This article investigates the economic efficiency and the factors associated with efficiency for a sample of 126 hog producers in the Philippines. The input‐oriented efficiency indices are computed and bootstrapped using data envelopment analysis. Econometric analysis of the factors influencing the efficiency indices are conducted using the Tobit model. Fixed capital does not influence the efficiency scores, whereas labor does negatively influence the efficiency indices. On average, technical efficiency is low, an indication that most households are not using the most efficient technology. Scale efficiency is fairly high but constrained by lack of operating capital and managerial skills. Technical efficiency is constrained by lack of access to credit and limited experience in hog production.     

Assessment of Local Public Finance Performance in China When Undesirable Fiscal Phenomena are Taken into Account

Making use of the data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique and taking undesirable fiscal phenomena into account, this paper comprehensively quantifies the public finance performance of local governments in China during the course of fiscal decentralization reform. The introduction of undesirable fiscal outcomes into this assessment makes it possible to identify meaningful and informative characteristics of local public finance performance in China. When reforms are first implemented, local public financial performance improves because undesirable fiscal phenomena have not yet become too serious. The tax sharing system reform did not work well in its early stages, and negatively impacted public expenditure efficiency. The reform started to play a substantial role between 2001 and 2005, when local governments experienced better public finance performance. Corresponding to the deterioration of the financial sector in recent years, local public financial performance worsened after 2007. Further reform of the current fiscal and taxation system is necessary in China, to ensure a brighter future for the nation.     

我国地方财政面临的问题与改革思路

财政改革以来,地方财政的理财主体地位得到了加强,但仍然存在着地方税体系不够健全、财政级次较多、县乡财政困难、地区间财力状况差异较大等一系列问题。改革的基本思路是：深化财政改革,从简化财政级次、建立地方转移支付制度和地方税体系、农村公共财政体制建设、化解地方财政风险等方面采取应对措施。     

新农村建设中农村金融的效率和方向题初探

本文实证分析了农村金融对农民增收的显著作用，指出农村金融的投资效率仍有待提高，论述了市场机制不健全是农村金融效率不高的根本原因，针对问题提出了相应的对策建议。     

从金融中介的内生形成看我国农村民间金融

文章从实际出发,描述了目前我国农村民间金融的现状。从内生金融理论的角度分析了我国民间金融存在问题的原因。最后文章对我国农村民间金融的发展提出相应的政策建议。     

论我国产业结构调整与地方财政收入可持续增长的关系

文章在界定地方财政收入可持续增长相关概念的基础上,研究分析了产业结构调整与地方财政收入可持续增长之间的内在联系,并通过收集中国统计年鉴2002--2009披露的中国省级层面财政收入数据,实证发现了各地区三次产业结构、各产业内部供给结构、国际国内需求结构及所有制结构的变化与地方财政收入之间的相关关系和因果关系。     

Corruption and Economic Efficiency: Panel Data Evidence

Abstract

This paper investigates empirically the effect of corruption on countries' economic efficiency. By using a sample of 79 countries for the time period 2000–2006 the paper applies DEA window analysis and econometric panel data techniques. The results reveal that there is a U-shaped relationship between countries' corruption perception levels and economic efficiency. Furthermore, it appears that corruption has a negative effect on countries' economic efficiency. For the first time the turning points of such a relationship are being produced indicating that on average terms and regardless of countries' economic structure, Corruption Perception Index (CPI) above five initiate a positive effect on a countries' economic efficiency.     

数字金融与地方政府债务风险——基于中国省级面板数据的分析

基于中国2011—2018年29个省份的面板数据,采用双向固定效应模型多维度剖析各省数字普惠金融的发展对地方政府债务风险水平的影响机制.结果显示:数字金融的发展对地方政府债务风险水平有着显著的正向影响;地方政府的经济治理能力在数字金融与地方债务风险之间存在反向的调节效应.表明数字金融发展为地方政府带来的融资便利并不能单纯地作为管控地方债务风险的武器,有效地提高地方政府经济治理能力,正确利用数字金融发展红利才是合理管控地方债务风险、保障区域经济持续健康发展的可行之策,这为应对数字时代下地方政府的债务治理问题、防范化解系统性金融风险提供了新的思考和启示.     

Law and Finance Revisited: Evidence from African Countries

The law and finance theory essentially states that legal origins are a significant determinant of financial development. The conclusion from the law and finance theory is that countries whose legal traditions derived from British Common Law have better developed financial markets than countries following French Civil Law. This study conducted an empirical investigation of the law and finance theory for African countries. Our empirical results showed that legal origins are insignificant in explaining financial development but rather, legal effectiveness significantly explains cross‐country differences in financial development in Africa. We concluded that the law and finance theory does not hold in African countries.     

Policy Determinants of School Outcomes under Model Uncertainty: Evidence from South Africa

In this paper, we assess the determinants of secondary school outcomes in South Africa. We use Bayesian model averaging techniques to account for uncertainty in the set of underlying factors that are chosen among a very large pool of explanatory variables in order to identify the subset of explanatory variables most strongly associated with the dependent variable. Our analysis indicates that the socio‐economic background of pupils, demographic characteristics such as population groups (Black and White), as well as geographical locations account for a significant variation in pupils’ achievement levels. We also find that the most robust policy determinants of pupils’ test scores are the availability of a library at school, the use of IT in the classroom as well as school climate.