Impact of Financial Development on the Environmental Quality in Iran

In recent decades, undesirable environmental changes, such as global warming and greenhouse gases emission, have raised worldwide concerns. In order to achieve higher growth rate, environmental problems emerged from economic activities have turned into a controversial issue. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of financial development on environmental quality in Iran. For this purpose, the statistical data over the period from 1970 to 2011 were used. Also by using the Auto Regression Model Distributed Lag （ARDL）, short-term and long-term relationships among the variables of model were estimated and analyzed. The results show that financial development accelerates the degradation of the environment; however, the increase in trade openness reduces the damage to environment in Iran. Error correction coefficient shows that in each period, 53% of imbalances would be justified and will approach their long-run procedure. Structural stability tests show that the estimated coefficients were stable over the period.     

ARDL Investigation of Macroeconomic Mechanisms on ASEAN-5 Stock Earnings Equation

The objective of Autoregressive Distributed Lag （ARDL） investigation of macroeconomic mechanisms on ASEAN-5 stock earnings equation can contribute to analyzing and demonstrating macroeconomic forces acting a statistically and economically significant effect on rate of return of securities for a given time through the application of the ARDL approach to cointegration when the variables are mixed degrees of integration in cointegrated time series, i.e. I（0） and I（1）. This results in a long-run or a short-run relationship between macroeconomic force acting for a given time affecting 24 quarterly rates of return for listed companies in Information and Communication Technologies OCT） sector of Stock Exchange of Thailand （SET）, the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index （KLSE） index （Malaysia）, Financial Times Share Index （FTSI）, Philippine Stock Exchange （PSE）, and Jakarta Composite Index （JKSE） （Indonesia）. The impulses of three ASEAN macroeconomic forces---GDPt, EXt, and INTt acting for a given time influence the earnings of selected 23 1CT returns for listed companies on both domestic investments and outsider investments in the same period. This paper has investigated how other-concerning macroeconomic force acting might interrelate with rate of return of securities in the ICT sector, debt and financial innovations, in line with some significant formalized facts. The funding of capital inflow in part of ICT securities was statistically globally significant to recognize significant achievement in ICT specific pathways to distinction as the science of accomplishment. The public sector performing as a key purchaser of ICT security solutions related to integrate the ASEAN exchange members into modern capitalization can lead to adverse effects, such as risky investment-hub interventions due to the mixing financial systems in three ASEAN regional integrations through investments.     

金融危机期间地方财政支出对经济增长的影响——基于省际面板数据的比较分析

采用省际面板数据,比较分析东南亚金融危机和国际金融危机期间各省区财政支出对经济增长的影响。研究表明,两次金融危机期间各省区的财政支出对经济增长的影响作用有所不同：同前期相比,国际金融危机期间社会保障支出对经济增长的影响仍为正效应,并且正效应明显变大;社会文教支出对经济增长的影响仍为微弱的负效应;而经济建设支出和行政管理支出对经济增长的影响则与之前相反,分别表现为不显著和显著的正效应。因此,优化财政支出结构应控制经济建设支出规模,继续加大社会保障支出,改善文教支出结构,从而提高其使用效率。     

Does financial liberalization matter for emerging East Asian economies growth? Some new evidence

This paper investigates the empirical relationship between financial liberalization and economic growth in East Asian region. The empirical literature suggests that there is a mixed link between financial liberalization and growth in emerging countries. Panel data techniques using LS, TSLS, and GMM are employed to shed some light on the empirical debate, we examine this issue in 6 major emerging East Asian countries over the period 1980–2002. The main result is that financial liberalization's growth effect depends on the nature as well as the intensity of financial sectors liberalization. Full liberalization of the financial sector has been associated with slower growth outcomes while more moderate partial liberalization is associated with more positive outcomes.     

Assessing Market Integration in ASEAN with Retail Price Data

We assess the extent of market integration the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) using a comprehensive data set that contains actual local retail prices for 131 goods and services in ASEAN countries (except Laos and Myanmar) over the period of 1990–2013. We conduct two different, but complementary, approaches: analyzing price dispersion and testing for convergence to the law of one price via panel unit root tests. The 1997 Asian crisis and, to a lesser extent, the 2008 global crisis appear to have caused a considerable disruption in the process of market integration. Despite significant tariff reduction under the ASEAN Free Trade Area commitments in the past two decades, the level of price dispersion across ASEAN is higher in 2013 than in 1990. Panel unit root tests accounting for cross‐section dependence show that convergence to the law of one price holds for only a minority of retail prices, including those of traded goods, in the ASEAN markets. We also consider a nonlinear exponential smooth transition autoregressive approach and a structural break as alternative adjustment dynamics in the panel unit root tests. Overall, our results suggest that there is much to be done in ASEAN to achieve a meaningful ASEAN economic community.     

The effect of financial ratios, firm size, and cash flow from operating activities in the interim report to the stock return

The objective of this study is to examine the value relevance of accounting information in explaining stock return. The study uses profitability, liquidity, leverage, market ratio, size and cash flow as proxies of accounting information. Cumulative abnormal return and market adjusted return are used as stock return variables. The samples of the study are listed companies in manufacturing industries that actively trading between 2003-2006 in Indonesia Stock Market. The study finds that profitability, turnover and market ratio has significant impact to the stock return. The result consistent with previous studies Hobart （2006）, Utama and Santoso （1998） and Restraningsih （2007）.     

混业经营条件下银行集中与效率--基于面板单位根与面板协整分析

基于亚洲国家的面板数据,运用面板单位根与面板协整方法研究混业经营下银行集中与银行效率的关系.理论研究表明银行集中会带来两种相反作用的效应:规模经济和专业化经济,银行集中度提高所带来规模经济上升促进银行效率;相反专业化经济下降损害银行效率.实证分析(1)支持理论所表明的均衡关系,银行效率与银行集中等变量存在协整关系.(2)混业经营条件下,银行集中与银行效率有显著的正相关关系,规模经济效应大于专业化经济效应.因此混业条件下,提高银行效率必须寻求有效途径,加强竞争,适度提高商业银行的集中度.     

The Impact of Agricultural Import Tariff on Economic Growth： Evidence From Mercosur Countries

This research paper attempts to determine the relationship between agricultural import tariff and economic growth of Mercosur countries over the period 1996-2007 using regression analysis as well as evaluates the gains and losses from the group＇s trade policy over the same period. The introductory part of this paper focuses on the dynamics of changes in economic growth, trade, and import tariff of these countries over the last two decades. The results of the performed regression analysis of panel data suggest that trade liberalization has a quantitatively significant positive effect on growth. By using the coefficient estimates on tariff, the authors perform a quantitative evaluation of gains and losses from trade policy, for which tariff measures to trade （imports） are used as a proxy.     

Financial Integration Among the ASEAN 5 ＋ 3 Stock Markets： A Preliminary Look at the First 10 Years of the New Millenium

The purpose of this study is to investigate the financial integration of the stock markets of the ASEAN 5 ＋ 3 countries. These countries include Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, China, Japan, and South Korea. The research determined the stock return volatility for each country＇s index during the first decade of the new millennium. The findings showed that there is the presence of integration and co-integration with Philippine index＇s return with the index＇s returns of the following countries： Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Furthermore, there is evidence of volatility clustering in these stock markets. The study concluded with the policy implications of greater integration in light of the planned cross trading among four ASEAN bourses, namely, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia by 2012.     

Effect of School-Based Income Generating Activities on the Financial Performance of Public Secondary Schools in Kenya

This study was conducted to determine the value added by Income-Generating Activities （IGAs） on the financial performance of public secondary schools, in terms of assets, liability portfolio, and net worth. Secondary school managers have the gigantic task of balancing meager resources between subsistence and development needs as well as good performance in national examinations. However, macro-economic shocks such as inflation, fuel shortage, and crop failure, among others, often militate against the success of public schools. School-based IGAs enable public schools to cope with external economic shocks, without necessarily passing down budgetary adjustments to parents. However, the country lacks a clear policy guideline to facilitate the initiation, management, accounting, reviewing, and financial reporting of IGA projects. Besides, there is no documented information regarding the value added by IGA initiatives to the financial performance of public secondary schools. The study found that IGA and non-IGA schools were significantly different in terms of category, student population, age, annual income, and number of paid workers. Schools having IGAs were 1.9 times more likely to own as many assets as schools not having IGAs. Besides, IGA schools were about 2.2 times less likely to have their liability in excess of the median threshold. Regarding net worth, the study found that schools having IGAs were about 2.1 times more likely to be operating above the median threshold; suggesting that schools having IGAs were wealthier than non-IGA schools. Based on the findings, this study concludes that IGA projects were beneficial to schools by improving the ability of schools to accumulate assets and manage their liabilities. The study recommends the need to： formulate an appropriate policy framework to guide and standardize IGA activities; initiate suitable training programs for school IGA managers; as well as engage business development managers to advice schools on IGA matters.     

Purchasing Power Parity and the European single currency: Some new evidence

The effect of the single currency on the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) hypothesis is examined in this study for the 15 EU countries, vis a vis the US dollar, before and after the advent of the euro. Standard as well as nonlinear unit root tests are employed on the time series dimension. Unit root tests reject PPP and the highest half-lives are observed after the introduction of the single currency. Panel unit root (Pesaran, 2007) and stationarity tests (Hadri and Kurozumi, 2008) that take into account cross-sectional dependence are also estimated. The results remain inconclusive as panel stationarity tests fail to support PPP whereas panel unit root tests fail to reject PPP for the whole sample and for the period before the introduction of the single currency.     

Investments in Human Capital： Elements of Investments, Their Valuation, and the Related Financial Performance Ratios

Investments in human capital （employees） include investments in the direct assurance of working abilities, investments in health and well-being, and investments in loyalty to the company. These investments are crucial for the long-term existence and development of a company, but their value is not disclosed on the assets side of the classical balance sheet. The most important argument of the mentioned approach＇s promoters is that the economic benefits stemming from such investments are uncertain. However, investments in human capital are those with the highest long-term benefits for the company. Therefore, human capital is the only element of the business process that can add value. Other elements （equipment, materials, and services） just transfer their value to products and services. In this paper, the elements of investments in human capital and the methods used to evaluate these investments are addressed. In addition, uniquely shaped financial performance ratios related to investments in human capital are presented along with the system of integrated ratios.     

Revisiting purchasing power parity in Latin America: sequential panel selection method

This study applies the Sequential Panel Selection Method (SPSM), proposed by Chortareas and Kapetanios (2009) to test the validity of long-run purchasing power parity (PPP) in a sample of 15 Latin American countries using monthly data spanning from December 1994 to February 2010. SPSM classifies the whole panel into a group of stationary and nonstationary series. In doing so, we can clearly identify how many and which series in the panel are stationary processes. Empirical results from the SPSM using the Panel KSS unit root test (Ucar and Omay, 2009) with a Fourier function which accounts for any structural break in the data indicate that PPP holds in many of the Latin American countries studied.     

The New Method to Determine Ownership Stake to Exercise Control： An Empirical Analysis on Italian Companies

The idea of this work arises from the analysis of the researches developed in the literature on topic of ownership and control that are mostly based on threshold of ownership stake to determine control equal for all companies and, in most cases, not supported by theoretical arguments and empirical evidences. In fact, the aim of this paper is to build a new method of determining the threshold of ownership stake that allows the shareholder to exercise control. In particular, this survey uses all Italian listed companies as reference, and the minutes of the Ordinary and Extraordinary General Meetings of shareholders, in 2009-2012, as database. The topic can be enriched with further and future researches aiming to adapt this new method in a cross-country investigation and so to identify the different threshold for the countries, on the basis of the different national laws regarding the ownership stakes that affect the control.     

Bank Credit,Firm Entry and Exit,and Economic Fluctuations in China

This study explores how a worsening bank credit quality affects firms＇ entry and exit decisions （i.e., changes in the extensive margin）, and how the extensive margin variation amplifies the transmission of financial and technological shocks to the real economy. Using a vector autoregression （VAR） model, our empirical evidence indicates that deteriorating Chinese bank credit conditions have a significant negative influence on net firm entry to the market. To explore the potential mechanism behind the stylized fact, we establish a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium （DSGE） model featuring fixed production costs, loss-related bank credit quality shocks and an endogenous balance sheet constraint which restricts the aggregate credit supply by the level of the banks＇ net worth. Model simulations indicate that the interaction of financial constraints and the extensive margin variation amplifies the impact of bank credit shocks on the real economy. When banks experience loss-related financial shocks, bank credit tightens, which increases firms＇ external financing costs. When the firms＇ expected income is not sufficient to cover the fixed production cost, some firms exit from or stop entering the market. As a result, the economy displays a severe recession and a slow recovery.     

Is per capita real GDP stationary in China? Sequential panel selection method

This paper investigates the time-series properties of per capita real GDP in China. The Sequential Panel Selection Method (SPSM) using the Panel KSS test with a Fourier function, a novel approach to panel unit testing, is applied to the data on 31 Chinese provinces over the period of 1979 to 2009. The SPSM classifies the whole panel into the group of stationary and non-stationary series, which identifies how many and which series are characterized by stationary processes. The results indicate that the per capita real GDP are non-stationary in all of these 31 regions in China, providing important policy implications.     

Convergence of interest rates around the Pacific Rim

This article applies the panel data unit root tests provided by Im, Pesaran and Shin (Discussion paper, 1997) to examine the interest rate convergence of small-open Asian countries with major financial centres. With monthly data from 1988:1 to 1997:6, it was found that the nominal interest rates of these countries converge to the US rates rather than to Japan's. This finding is consistent with the view that the monetary authorities of non-Japan Asian economies pegged their exchange rates overwhelmingly to the dollar rather than the yen before the financial crisis of 1997.     

A confirmatory analysis of the unit root hypothesis for OECD consumption-income ratios

This article investigates the existence of a unit root in the consumption-income ratio for a sample of 23 OECD countries over the period 1960 to 2005. For that purpose, we first use recently developed unit root tests with good size and power. Second, we employ the more powerful panel unit root tests of Pesaran (2003 Pesaran, MH. 2003. A Simple Panel Unit Root Test in the Presence of Cross-Section Dependence mimeo, Cambridge University [Google Scholar]) and Smith et al . (2004) that take the null of nonstationarity and a bootstrap version of the test of Hadri (2000 Hadri, K. 2000. Testing for stationarity in heterogeneous panel data. The Econometrics Journal, 3: 148–61. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) that takes stationarity as the null hypothesis. Overall, our confirmatory analysis renders clear-cut evidence that OECD consumption-income ratios contain a unit root.     

中部塌陷、金融弱化与中部崛起的金融支持

本文从分析中部地区经济与金融发展的现状入手,探究中部地区经济增长瓶颈以及金融弱化之间的关系,并运用中部六省的省级数据,通过面板数据单位根检验、协整检验与误差修正模型,对中部地区金融发展与经济增长总量、产业结构优化以及城镇化水平之间的长期关系和短期关系进行了研究。结果显示,中部金融发展与经济增长具有长期的均衡关系,金融发展能够为中部崛起提供有利的支持,但在短期则无明显关系。在此基础上,提出了实现中部崛起与金融发展的路径选择与政策建议。     

Nonlinear models with panel data

Panel data play an important role in empirical economics. With panel data one can answer questions about microeconomic dynamic behavior that could not be answered with cross sectional data. Panel data techniques are also useful for analyzing cross sectional data with grouping. This paper discusses some issues related to specification and estimation of nonlinear models using panel data.JEL Classification: C230The research behind this paper was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Gregory C. Chow Econometric Research Program at Princeton University, and Danish National Research Foundation (through CAM at the University of Copenhagen). The author thanks Ekaterini Kyriazidou, Hong Li, Marina Sallustro, and the editors for helpful suggestions.