Macroeconomic Volatility and Welfare in Developing Countries: An Introduction

Macroeconomic volatility, both a source and a reflection ofunderdevelopment, is a fundamental concern for developing countries.Their high aggregate instability results from a combinationof large external shocks, volatile macroeconomic policies, microeconomicrigidities, and weak institutions. Volatility entails a directwelfare cost for risk-averse individuals, as well as an indirectone through its adverse effect on income growth and development.This article provides a brief overview of the recent literatureon macroeconomic volatility in developing countries, highlightingits causes, consequences, and possible remedies. It then introducesthe contributions of a recent conference on the subject, sponsoredby the World Bank and Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona.     

Price Setting in the Euro Area: Some Stylized Facts from Individual Producer Price Data

This paper summarizes the microevidence on the setting of producer prices in the euro area. The main findings are: (i) 21% of producer prices are adjusted each month, (ii) producer prices are changed more frequently and by smaller amounts than consumer prices (even after controlling for product characteristics), (iii) price decreases are relatively frequent, (iv) inflation correlates positively with the difference between the frequency of price increases and decreases, and (v) there is substantial variation in price flexibility across sectors, which can be explained in part by differences in the cost structure, the degree of competition, and the level of sectoral inflation.     

Stock Market Development and Financial Intermediaries: Stylized Facts

World stock markets are booming, and emerging stock marketsaccount for a disproportionate share of this growth. Yet economistslack a common concept or measure of stock market development.This article collects and compares a broad array of indicatorsof stock market and financial intermediary development, usingdata from forty-four developing and industrial countries duringthe period from 1986 to 1993. The empirical results exhibitwide cross-country differences for each indicator as well asintuitively appealing correlations between various indicators.The article constructs aggregate indexes and analyzes them todocument the relationship between the emergence of stock marketsand the growth of financial intermediaries. It produces a setof stylized facts that facilitates and stimulates research intothe links among stock markets, economic development, and corporatefinancing decisions.     

中国居民储蓄率的特征事实及其政策含义

本文使用资金流量表数据探讨了中国国民储蓄的部门特征以及居民储蓄在其中的地位及其变化、研究显示：1978年以来。中国居民储蓄率总体上呈现出明显的上升趋势,其中在上世纪90年代的增速最快．而在2000年以后一直保持在较高水平：并且中国的居民储蓄率明显高于世界主要发达国家和转型经济国家的同期水平;从国民储蓄的部门特征来看：居民储蓄始终是国民储蓄中最重要且稳定的组成部分,进一步的分析显示．近年来居民部门的收入占比呈现出较大幅度的下降,但居民储蓄倾向却增长明显,从而导致居民部门储蓄率的基本稳定。文章最后提出了相关的政策建议．     

Capital Mobility in Developing Countries: Some Measurement Issues and Empirical Estimates

A fundamental determinant of the macroeconomic properties ofan economy is its degree of financial integration with the outsideworld. Yet very little is known about this characteristic ofmany developing economies. An important stumbling block in theempirical assessment of financial integration is the multiplicityof approaches to measurement. This article describes and evaluatesalternative tests of capital mobility and applies four suchtests to assess the degree of integration with external financialmarkets exhibited by a large group of developing countries inrecent years. The evidence suggests that a substantial numberof developing countries can be considered financially open.     

外商直接投资、经济波动与宏观调控政策

外商直接投资与人民币汇率、国内外经济增长、劳动成本、资本市场收益率当中某一个变量之间的长期均衡关系受制于其它变量。与国内因素相比较,国际因素对外商直接投资长期趋势的影响更大。与人民币汇率的短期变动相比较,外商更加重视人民币汇率的长期趋势。另外,只有当经济系统失衡较小时,外商直接投资增长率才会在短期内对系统失衡做出显著反应。所以,宏观调控政策必须把握时机,尽量避免经济系统出现较大偏差。     

部分发展中国家农业税制及其借鉴

部分国家的农业课税制度 1．秘鲁。 秘鲁拟把农产品加工业的所得税率从原来的30％降至15％，将现在执行的对开发荒地从事农……     

股票价格、货币政策和宏观经济波动

本文对包含股票价格在内的新凯恩斯模型的结构方程进行估计,分析了股票价格和货币政策与宏观经济波动之间的关系,认为股票价格与宏观经济波动密切相连,货币政策调整可以平滑经济波动。在此基础上,比较了不同的货币政策规则的宏观调控效果,得到的结论是,将股票价格波动纳入货币政策的调控范围会改善货币政策效果,有助于稳定宏观经济。     

Macroeconomic Adjustment and Poverty in Selected Industrial Countries

The business cycle affects the incidence of poverty, as shownby evidence from Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, andthe United States. Many of the poor in these countries are outsidethe labor market, and transfers are a major source of incomefor many others, but the unemployment and wage reductions thatoccur in recession increase the incidence of poverty. Majorcauses of poverty are unemployment in Australia and the UnitedKingdom and low wages in the United States. Similar cyclicaleffects are observed in Sweden, but a vast transfer programvirtually eliminates poverty. There are several policy optionsfor combating poverty caused by recession. A combination ofunemployment insurance for a limited period followed by a jobguarantee is the most effective policy toward unemployment,whereas poverty caused by low earnings can be remedied by redistributionthrough the tax system.     

土地价格、土地财政与宏观经济波动

本文在一个包含金融加速器的新凯恩斯动态一般均衡模型中引入土地财政和政府隐性担保融资机制,借此考察在土地财政体制下土地价格的波动特征、驱动因素和对宏观经济的影响机制,同时使用2004Q1到2016Q1的中国宏观经济数据对模型进行贝叶斯估计。方差分解的结果表明,在样本期间,土地需求冲击、土地供给冲击和货币政策冲击是驱动中国土地价格变动的主要因素,货币政策冲击和土地供给冲击是引起短期土地价格波动的主要因素,土地需求冲击在长期中驱动了土地价格波动。数值模拟结果发现,土地财政对宏观经济波动具有放大效应,正向的土地需求冲击将推高土地价格,并通过抵押约束机制引起宏观经济波动,地方政府对土地财政的依赖将放大该效应,并进一步对土地价格形成正向反馈,从而引起宏观经济更大的波动;在土地财政体制下,正向的土地供给冲击有助于抑制土地价格上涨,并减少宏观经济波动。     

Urbanization in Developing Countries

The rapid urbanization in many developing countries over thepast half century seems to have been accompanied by excessivelyhigh levels of concentration of the urban population in verylarge cities. Some degree of urban concentration may be desirableinitially to reduce inter- and intraregional infrastructureexpenditures. But in a mature system of cities, economic activityis more spread out. Standardized manufacturing production tendsto be deconcentrated into smaller and medium-size metropolitanareas, whereas production in large metropolitan areas focuseson services, research and development, and nonstandardized manufacturing.The costs of excessive concentration (traffic accidents, healthcosts from exposure to high levels of air and water pollution,and time lost to long commutes) stem from the large size ofmegacities and underdeveloped institutions and human resourcesfor urban planning and management. Alleviating excessively highurban concentration requires investments in interregional transportand telecommunications to facilitate deconcentration of industry.It also requires fiscal deconcentration, so that interior citiescan raise the fiscal resources and provide the services neededto compete with primate cities for industry and population.      

Saving in Developing Countries: An Overview

This article reviews the current state of knowledge on the determinantsof saving rates, presenting the main findings and contributionsof the recently completed World Bank research project, ‘SavingAcross the World.’ The article discusses the basic designof the research project and its core database, the World SavingDatabase. It then summarizes the main project results and placesthem in the context of the literature on saving, identifyingthe key policy and nonpolicy determinants of private savingrates. Special attention is paid to the relationship betweengrowth and saving and the impact of specific policies on savingrates. The article concludes by introducing the studies includedin this special issue.     

房价调控、地方政府债务与宏观经济波动

在地方政府债务高企的背景下,房价调控能否使资本流向非房地产部门？房价调控如果触发地方政府债务违约,宏观政策应如何应对？本文基于中国宏观经济的特征事实,引入地方政府的土地财政行为,将房价变动与地方政府的偿债能力联系起来。研究表明,由于地方政府依赖土地出让和土地抵押贷款筹集收入,房价管控导致的地价下降会带来地方政府收入的下降,直接影响地方政府的偿债能力。如果地方政府债务不出现违约,那么房价管控带来的地价下降会降低地方政府从金融部门获得的抵押融资额,使非基建部门的融资成本下降,非基建部门投资和产出上升。而如果调控房价带来的地价下降导致地方政府出现债务违约,金融部门资产受损,使金融中介减少贷款和提高贷款成本,带来整个社会的信贷紧缩,经济中各个部门的产出大幅下降。进一步的政策分析表明,有必要在避免地方政府债务违约的同时,使用财政资金补充银行资本金等多种方式稳定金融中介的资产负债表,从而将房价调控对经济的负面影响程度降到最低。     

金融危机与经济波动特征事实:中美两国比较

本文对金融危机前后(2006~2009年)中美两国经济指标的波动性和协动性进行系统比较,发现两国的宏观经济波动特征有显著差异。这种差异有些属于金融危机期间的非常规现象,有些与中国特殊的调控措施、经济发展模式有关。就上述差异的理解对于分析宏观经济形势、制定宏观调控政策都是非常有帮助的。     

典型事实、极值理论与金融市场动态风险测度研究

本文在金融市场典型事实约束下,运用ARFIMA模型对金融市场条件收益率建模,运用GARCH、GJR、FIGARCH、APARCH、FIAPARCH等5种模型对金融波动率进行建模,进而运用极值理论(EVT)对标准收益的极端尾部风险建模来测度各股市的动态风险,并用返回测试(Back-testing)方法检验模型的适应性。实证结果表明,总的来说,FIAPARCH-EVT模型对各个市场具有较强的适应性,风险测度能力较为优越。进一步,本文在ARFIMA-FIAPARCH模型下,假定标准收益分别服从正态分布(N)、学生t分布(st)、有偏学生t分布(skst)、广义误差分布(GED)共4种分布,对各股市的动态风险测度的准确性进行检验,并和EVT方法的测度结果进行对比分析。结果表明,EVT方法风险测度能力优于其他方法,有偏学生t分布假设下的风险测度模型虽然略逊于EVT方法,但也不失为一种较好的方法;ARFIMA-FI-APARCH-EVT不仅在中国大陆沪深股市表现最为可靠,而且在其他市场也表现出同样的可靠性。     

Optimal Dynamic Order Submission Strategies in Some Stylized Trading Problems

This study derives optimal dynamic order submission strategies for trading problems faced by three stylized traders: an uninformed liquidity trader, an informed trader and a value-motivated trader. Separate solutions are obtained for quote- and order-driven markets. The results provide practicable rules for how to trade small orders and how to manage traders. Transaction cost measurement methods based on implementation shortfall are proven to dominate other methods.
Since investors demand liquidity when they submit market orders and supply liquidity when they submit limit orders, the results improve our understanding of market liquidity. In particular, the models illustrate the role of time in the search for liquidity by characterizing the demand for and supply of immediacy.     

经济波动对现金持有量的影响：一个理论分析框架

宏观经济波动作为影响产业以及企业行为的外生性变量,对企业的现金持有水平在特殊时期起到十分关键的作用,本文从现金持有的权衡理论、融资优序理论和代理成本理论三个方面分析了宏观经济波动下企业持有现金的动机,从而揭示宏观经济波动对企业现金持有决策的作用机理,为研究企业现金持有量的决定因素开辟了新的视角。     

Brain Drain in Developing Countries

An original data set on international migration by educationalattainment for 1990 and 2000 is used to analyze the determinantsof brain drain from developing countries. The analysis startswith a simple decomposition of the brain drain in two multiplicativecomponents, the degree of openness of sending countries (measuredby the average emigration rate) and the schooling gap (measuredby the education level of emigrants compared with natives).Regression models are used to identify the determinants of thesecomponents and explain cross-country differences in the migrationof skilled workers. Unsurprisingly, the brain drain is strongin small countries that are close to major Organisation forEconomic Co-operation and Development (OECD) regions, that sharecolonial links with OECD countries, and that send most of theirmigrants to countries with quality-selective immigration programs.Interestingly, the brain drain increases with political instabilityand the degree of fractionalization at origin and decreaseswith natives' human capital.     

Capital Structures in Developing Countries

This study uses a new data set to assess whether capital structure theory is portable across countries with different institutional structures. We analyze capital structure choices of firms in 10 developing countries, and provide evidence that these decisions are affected by the same variables as in developed countries. However, there are persistent differences across countries, indicating that specific country factors are at work. Our findings suggest that although some of the insights from modern finance theory are portable across countries, much remains to be done to understand the impact of different institutional features on capital structure choices.     

美联储政策变化、国际资本流动与宏观经济波动

本文构建包含国际投资者、外资企业和银行流动性冲击的DSGE模型来探究美联储货币政策变动和政策不确定性对我国宏观经济的影响和作用机制。研究发现:(1)美联储加息会导致我国产出、投资和通货膨胀的下降、汇率贬值、国际资本外流和银行系统流动性紧张。随着金融摩擦程度的增加和银行杠杆率的上升,美联储加息对我国产出、投资和资产价格的负面影响会进一步增强。(2)美联储货币政策不确定性的增加会直接导致外资企业的投资、劳动需求和产出的下降,并对我国总产出、总投资和资产价格产生明显的负向外溢效应,进一步加剧我国宏观经济的波动。(3)为应对美联储的利率变动,适当限制国际资本流动能有效稳定我国经济波动和改善社会福利,而实施固定汇率和央行盯住美国利率的政策会加大宏观经济的波动,并导致社会福利下降。