Does democratization spur growth?

Many studies have considered how democratization affects economic growth. We expand this work by allowing short‐ and long‐run effects of democracy upon growth to differ since effects during political transitions need not coincide with those under established democracies. We also allow these short‐ and long‐run effects to differ across world regions since history, demography and geography vary across regions. Using annual, cross‐county data from 1960 to 2010, we find that democratizations increased growth rates in sub‐Saharan Africa both in the short run and in the long run but lowered them in Europe. Effects in other regions appear less strong. Our results suggest that democracy could be most beneficial for growth in poorer, less stable regions. We also do not find any evidence of a transitional cost. Stronger evidence arises that these effects come from rising productivity rather than through greater investment. Finally, some support though mixed suggests that democracy's ability to mitigate the effects of ethnic heterogeneity provides a partial explanation for the cross‐regional heterogeneity.     

解析GDP增长率

GDP是人们生活中使用最频繁的一个统计指标,但存在对这个指标使用过度的现象,。本文首先从国民经济核算的角度在对GDP指标全面分析后认为：GDP有重大缺陷和偏差,GDP不能区别经济增长的数量和质量,GDP不能反映知识产出,GDP的增加只是一种手段,GDP的增加不能区别经济的表面增加和实际增加。必须正确理解、看待和使用以GDP表示的经济增长率,各级地方政府和部门可以不再计算GDP总量及其增长率,至少应该逐步淡化,盲目追求速度势必会造成宏微观出现反差的不正常现象。     

绿色GDP:急需核算的梦

在过去二十多年．我国保持了高速的经济增长，同时也面临着严峻的能源和环境问题。本文通过对我国经济增长代价的分析，提出用“绿色GDP”来重新审视我国的经济增长。     

Property and contract rights in autocracies and democracies

We present and test empirically a new theory of property and contract rights. Any incentive an autocrat has to respect such rights comes from his interest in future tax collections and national income and increases with his planning horizon. We find a compelling empirical relationship between property and contract rights and an autocrat's time in power. In lasting—but not in new—democracies, the same rule of law and individual rights that ensure continued free elections entail extensive property and contract rights. We show that the age of a democratic system is strongly correlated with property and contract rights.     

Government Spending and Taxation in Democracies and Autocracies

The paper develops a theoretical rationale for a non-linear relationship between the level of democracy and government spending. A model is presented showing why and how political participation influences the spending behavior of opportunistic governments that can choose an optimal combination of rents and public goods to attract political support. If the level of democracy remains low, governments rationally prefer rents as an instrument to assure political support. With increasing democratic participation, however, rents become an increasingly expensive (per unit of political support) instrument while the provision of public goods becomes more and more efficient in ensuring the incumbent government's survival in power. As a consequence, an increase in democracy, which drives a country from a pure autocracy to a semi-participatory system, tends to reduce government spending, while an increase in political participation from a semi-participatory country to a full democracy tends to raise the size of the public sector.     

Sustainable Growth: A Circular Economy Perspective

Abstract:

Since the Brundtland Report was released in 1987, research on sustainable development has become an urgent issue of common concern. To meet the present consumption without compromising the needs of future generations, it is essential for society to practice the “don’t waste waste” principle and to promote sustainable growth. As this article illustrates, sustainable growth can be understood as an institutional arrangement of regenerating circular GDP in a sustainable manner. In the circular economy system, sustainable growth is not only theoretically feasible, but also looks very promising. To promote sustainable consumption and investment, a certain degree of institutional planning (i.e., a process of progressive institutional change) initiated by a community or a government is necessary. Sustainable growth is, in essence, a dynamic process of mutually-interacting socioeconomic activities of learning and training in sustainability issues, and this requires great effort as well as the active participation of people from all walks of life.     

中国金融发展对经济增长内在传导渠道研究——基于内生增长理论的实证比较

文章基于内生增长理论,结合中国经济增长的典型事例,确定了经济增长的影响因子,并将其与金融发展的指标变量建立回归模型组,探讨了金融发展对经济增长的内在传导机制。研究结果表明,资本存量、人力资本以及制度因素是中国金融发展与经济增长之间三条显著的传导渠道,资本积累是金融发展对中国经济增长最主要的传导渠道;技术进步并不是显著的传导渠道;同为金融发展作用于经济增长的传导主体,金融中介的作用明显要大于金融市场。     

Health and Income Variation – A Panel Data Study on the Developed and Less Developed Economies

In this paper, human capital in the form of ‘health status’ is introduced into a neoclassical economic growth model as one of the main factors differentiating rich and poor countries. Various panel data models are used to examine how health and other growth factors affect average income in different countries. Our main empirical finding indicates that a one-year increase in life expectancy (the health status measure) raises GDP per capita by 0.5–0.9%. Based on this result, a baseline health status can be established to help poor countries achieve a targeted economic growth rate.     

货币超发:原因探析与实证检验

改革开放以来,中国的M2/GDP不断攀升,2011年货币化率高达180%,我国货币超发已成必然事实。外汇占款激增导致基础货币增加,弥补财政赤字和偿还国债,长期高储蓄率,货币流通速度下降,银行不良资产和金融机构高存贷差都是我国货币超发的直接原因,如以货币超发为衔接点构建我国经济增长模式的分析框架可知,高货币化率的深层次原因是粗放型的经济增长模式倒逼货币总量规模的扩大。     

中国西部地区的能源开发与经济增长——基于"资源诅咒"假说的实证分析

Based on resource curse hypothesis, this paper carries out an econometric analysis on the relationship and its transmission mechanism between energy exploitation and economic growth with cross-province panel data over 1991–2006. Results reveal that there is the significantly negative correlation between energy exploitation and economic growth, which indicates since the 1990s, the resource curse effect from energy exploitation has appeared evidently; though, before the implementation of the Western development strategy, energy exploitation acted negatively on opening degree, S&T innovation and human capital input, the effect was yet uncreated. However, after the implementation of the strategy, the effect emerged evidently as a result of the enhanced negative effect of energy exploitation on S&T innovation and human capital input. Moreover, further tests indicate that energy exploitation impeded economic growth mainly through three indirect transmission channels: The crowding-out effect towards human capital input and S&T innovation, and the weakening of institution aroused by rent-seeking and corruption. And among them, human capital input is the strongest transmission factor. __________ Translated from Jingji yanjiu 经济研究 (Economic Research Journal), 2008, (4): 147–160     

ANTECEDENTS TO MARKET ORIENTATION IN THE WORKER COOPERATIVE ORGANIZATION: THE MONDRAGON GROUP

Given the socio‐economic importance of cooperative firms and in the light of evidence that they are an effective option for competing in complex environments, an intensive examination of their organizational model is required. It is significant that some of the most consolidated worker cooperative organizations have focused on Market Orientation. The central purpose of this research is therefore to examine the influence of a set of internal antecedents of market orientation found in cooperatives. We shall then verify the possible benefits of market orientation on their business performance. The subject of this analysis will be the worker‐owned businesses that make up the Mondragon cooperative group, a global pioneer in democratic business practice.     

增长速度与增长转型:孰轻孰重?--关于中国GDP调增的冷思考

经过经济普查,2004年中国GDP调增16．8％。GDP调大虽然使一些比例关系得到优化并有利于今后的科学决策。但是,我们应该清醒地看到,GDP调大并不表示财富从天而降,更不意味着GDP制造过程中的诸多问题自动清零,调整增长战略、创新增长方式,应该成为我们最大的追求。     

Uncertainty and risk analysis of the Langrun Chinese GDP Forecast: Fan Charts revisited

In this paper, we develop a fan chart methodology for Chinese economic growth to incorporate uncertainty analysis into the gross domestic product growth forecast. Using the ‘Langrun Forecast’ project results exclusively, we estimate the density distribution for Chinese gross domestic product growth forecasts and build corresponding fan charts for the first time. Our analysis shows that the fan chart method effectively highlights the overall uncertainty and balance of risks surrounding Chinese gross domestic product growth, especially during the past international financial crisis between 2007 and 2009. Wallis' interval forecast test is conducted to evaluate the performance of the produced fan charts, and the results indicate that our forecasts perform well for the period being investigated.     

财政经济理论需要创新——以科学发展观为视角

通过对主流财政经济理论的理性、价值、国家、发展观等重大基础理论问题进行重新审视,发现主流理论存在许多非科学的成分。要建立符合科学发展观的税收制度,其首要任务是进行理论创新。具体来说,从宏观上看,GDP的增长并不能真正反映一个国家的发展水平,因为它不能反映社会秩序和自然秩序的变化状态。从价值理性准则的角度看,如何处理好理性工具与理性准则的关系,这是税制改革的前提。从理性的性质来看,GDP的增长和税收的增长之间应该有相应的协调关系。     

中国区域经济增长差异及影响因素分析

随着中国经济的高速增长,区域经济差异日益突出。此项研究通过对地区经济差异的统计描述,并运用经济计量模型,在传统的资本要素和劳动力要素的基础上,增加了技术要素和制度要素两个变量来考察区域经济增长的差异,得出了结论和启示。     

Forecasting GDP all over the world using leading indicators based on comprehensive survey data

Comprehensive and international comparable leading indicators across countries and continents are rare. In this paper, we use a free and instantaneous available source of leading indicators, the ifo World Economic Survey (WES), to forecast growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 44 countries and three country aggregates separately. We come up with three major results. First, for more than three-fourths of the countries or country-aggregates in our sample, a model containing one of the major WES indicators produces on average lower forecast errors compared to a benchmark model. Second, the most important WES indicators are either the economic climate or the expectations on future economic development for the next six months. And third, adding the WES indicators of the main trading partners leads to a further increase in forecast accuracy in more than 50% of the countries. It seems therefore reasonable to incorporate economic signals from the domestic economy’s main trading partners.