Taxing Times in Indonesia: The Challenge of Restoring Competitiveness and the Search for Fiscal Space

Indonesia’s economic growth picked up slightly in mid-2016 but remains below the level demanded by government and popular aspirations. Despite a plethora of reforms intended to increase efficiency and productivity, some policies are perverse and longstanding problems of implementation remain. The share of manufacturing has declined, the real exchange rate has appreciated, exports have dwindled, and growth has been trending downwards. The banking sector is stable but inefficient, with wide net interest margins and numerous barriers to competition. Trade protection, particularly in basic food commodities, has created high costs that weigh particularly heavily on the poor. Declining government revenues have placed increasing pressure on the public budget, even as the current administration aims to increase spending on infrastructure and welfare and to enhance productivity. In an effort to increase revenues, the government has announced a tax amnesty program and other measures. In addition, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, the new finance minister, has taken steps to cut non-essential expenditure in order to secure high spending on infrastructure and at the same time keep within the 3% budget deficit limit stipulated by law. Although the overall debt situation is not yet alarming, declining revenues and budget cuts that do not fully reflect this decline are putting pressure on increasing debt levels. The government’s high-profile tax amnesty program was the major policy initiative implemented in the second half of 2016 that aimed to relieve this pressure. Despite widespread criticism of, and scepticism about, the tax amnesty (both within and outside Indonesia), its first phase had a much higher participation rate than most independent accounts expected. Revenues raised so far through the amnesty are less than 60% of the official target, but this is actually a strong result for the short term. The bigger question, however, is whether the amnesty is a key element of a more encompassing strategy to overhaul the system of taxation and tax administration.     

利用膜技术回收利用碱性废水研究进展

回顾了利用膜分离技术处理碱性废水的工艺与综合利用技术所取得的丰硕成果，总结了各种治理方法的特点、适用性及发展方向。     

The causes of Japan's ‘lost decade’: The role of household consumption

In this paper, I analyze the causes of the prolonged slowdown of the Japanese economy in the 1990s and find that the stagnation of investment, especially private fixed investment, was the primary culprit. I then investigate the causes of the stagnation of household consumption during the 1990s and find that the stagnation of household disposable income, the decline in household wealth, and increased uncertainty about the future are among the contributing factors. Finally, I consider whether demand side factors or supply side factors were more important as causes of the prolonged slowdown of the Japanese economy in the 1990s and conclude that the former (especially misguided government policies) were probably more important.     

Stature growth in industrializing Argentina: The Buenos Aires industrial belt 1916-1950

A sustained long-term increase in average stature accompanied the process of import-substituting industrialization in the main suburban area of Argentina, the Buenos Aires Conurbano. This gain in net nutrition was attained before the rise to power of a re-distributionist political party: the Peronists. The article also provides evidence of a decline in average heights during the period 1939-1945, which challenges us to revise the traditional wisdom about the impact of World War II and Peronist social policies and its implications for the nutrition and health of children. The new evidence on heights shows also persistent social and regional differences over time that had not been documented before.     

The Transfer of Property Rights from the Public to the Private Sector in Hong Kong: A Critical Assessment

Abstract

The privatization idea may have lost some of its luster in recent years, but it remains relevant in today's socio-economic environment and is pursued consistently in industrialized and industrializing countries alike. Hong Kong has followed the general pattern in a manner reflecting its particular circumstances and its institutional modus operandi. The underlying logic may not appear highly compelling, from a short-term perspective, yet there are sound grounds for approaching the task positively, if viewed from a multi-year standpoint. Rather surprisingly, for such a quintessentially capitalist society, Hong Kong has not confronted the privatization challenge astutely on the political front and has handled it somewhat mechanically in managerial terms. The benefits to the community may have thus been more modest than one could legitimately expect, given the historical backdrop.     

Measuring performance: Ranking state success over two decades in India

This paper proposes new composite measures of relative and dynamic state performance to improve governance and delivery of public programs in developing countries with a federal structure. We illustrate the use of the indices to rank the performance of 19 major Indian states on two large development programs launched by the Indian government over the last two decades using publicly available data. Although we find volatility in performance over time, there exists a positive correlation between measures of initial (administrative) state capacity, development and accountability with program outcomes. Our findings have important implications for both the design and implementation of large-scale public programs across developing countries.     

Thinking regionally: Aviation and development implications in the Karoo region,South Africa

This study focuses on regional economic development in South Africa, across provincial political jurisdictions. The article argues that remote hinterlands can be more usefully understood as forming an integrated whole, rather than functioning as the poor rural cousins of their provincial metropoles. This article considers three propositions: that key transport projects (such as airports) may unlock regional development; that this may stimulate regional spatial integration; and that this may spur the South African government to address its weak regional planning system. All three propositions are speculative, drawn from the international literature, but they contribute to an argument for greater spatial coherence in South African planning in rural regions. The argument is illustrated with reference to the Karoo region of South Africa, and the potential of a new airport to impact on regional economic dynamics. Furthermore, the article argues that such impacts will require new regional planning systems, which are currently absent from the South African political system.     

中国遭遇国外反倾销调查的现状原因及对策

自1995年以来,中国产品已经连续14年成为全球反倾销调查的头号对象,近3年来全球超过1/3的反倾销调查针对中国产品。本文首先研究了目前中国遭遇国外反倾销调查的现状,接着阐述了国外对我国进行反倾销调查的原因,最后提出我国的对策。     

泥炭在农业上的综合利用

泥炭富含矿物质、腐殖酸、蛋白质等多种有益成分，具有良好的水物理、物理一化学、生物学特性，在农业上有广泛的用途，本文概述了泥炭的农用价值，我国泥炭的资源概况，以及国内外泥炭在农业中的利用状况，其中重点介绍了泥炭作为优质肥料、饲料及其添加剂、动植物生长激素以及园艺培养土的重要作用。并对泥炭在农业中的应用前景作出展望。     

红三角地区旅游业发展的SWOT分析与对策探讨

红三角地区属于粤西北、赣西南以及湘东南广大地域,旅游资源丰富,区位条件优越,交通便利,各地方政府开发旅游的热情很高,但同时存在旅游资源行政分割、开发观念落后以及旅游人才、资金和技术缺乏等不足,面临区域同类产品竞争、旅游管理模式落后与旅游相关产业发展薄弱的威胁。针对红三角旅游业发展的SWOT分析,提出在建立多元化协调机制的基础上,培育红三角大旅游区思想,实施互动化的运作体系,构建精品化旅游线路,建立统筹化的区域合作,提高红三角旅游业整体竞争力的发展对策。     

Which firms benefit the most from agglomeration? New evidence from an emerging country with consistent measure of productivity

Productivity influences of agglomeration for developed countries has been well documented so far, however, the studies are still rare for emerging and developing countries, especially ones focusing on firm heterogeneity. This article empirically investigates the effects of agglomeration on productivity using firm-level data from Vietnam – a typical emerging country. Firstly, the consistent productivity measure of each individual firm is yielded using the control function approach along with the instrumental variable procedure. Next, it is regressed on proxies of agglomeration, controlling firm and regional characteristics. Potential issues of self-selection and endogeneity are dealt with using the fixed effects technique and taking advantage of micro data. Findings show the productivity-enhancing influences of employment density and industrial diversity but no clear evidence on the productivity gains from specialization for a general firm. In addition, the most advantaged firms in highly agglomerated regions are proved to be foreign-owned, small-sized, or young. Finally, several sensitivity checks demonstrate that the estimated results are robust across various productivity measures, industrial levels, and samples.     

FORMAL–INFORMAL ECONOMY LINKAGES AND UNEMPLOYMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa's high unemployment and small informal economy has been attributed to barriers to entry in informal labour markets. We develop a general equilibrium model based on a typology of informal activities that captures formal/informal linkages in product and labour markets. Simulations reveal that trade liberalisation increases formal employment, hurts informal producers, and favours informal traders and may explain the dominance of traders instead of producers. Wage subsidies also raise employment but further heighten competition for informal producers. Cash transfers favour informal employment, albeit with a fiscal burden. Results confirm the role of formal/informal linkages and product markets in explaining policy outcomes.     

房地产宏观调控政策要充分考虑其投资品性质

房地产的宏观调控关系到中国未来的经济发展。房价飞涨的根源是投机，房地产投机的根源在于其本身的投资属性。房地产泡沫的挤压，只有真正从打压投机入手，才能取得长远的效果。因此，抑制房地产投资品性质，突出其消费品性质，是建立和完善符合中国国情的住房政策体系的根本。