Social Exclusion—New Language, New Challenges for Local Authorities

National policy initiatives such as the establishment of the Social Exclusion Unit and the new government strategy, 'Opportunity for All', have provided a new stimulus to local authorities to develop more effective local strategies to promote social inclusion. The major features of current local initiatives are described, and the leadership and management challenges presented to local authorities are discussed. However, for local government to tackle social exclusion and poverty more effectively it is also necessary for the structural and regional dimensions of social exclusion to be taken more into account by central government, and for a new equilibrium between central, regional and local initiative to be achieved.     

External Regulation and Best Value in Local Government

Best Value has been presented by central government as a means of promoting local diversity and innovation. However, it contains a large superstructure for regulating the behaviour and performance of local authorities, through performance indicators, audit, and inspection. The characteristics of these regulatory instruments are analysed and their potential strengths and weaknesses are assessed. The instruments overlap not only with local authorities' own internal management processes, but also with each other. Therefore it is concluded that the costs of regulation may outweigh the benefits.     

Central Government Control over Local Authority Expenditure: The Overseas Experience

This article compares the macroeconomic performance of centralized countries and decentralized countries in the OECD between 1984 and 1995. It considers three views of decentralization: the level of state and local taxes, the degree of decentralized power over tax rates, and the freedom of access for states or local authorities to capital markets. The evidence does not support the commonly held fear that decentralized countries may perform worse. In terms of growth, the two types of country seem evenly matched, and in terms of inflation and unemployment, decentralized countries actually seem to perform consistently better. It is possible, because central governments in decentralized countries concentrate on fewer activities, such as macroeconomic policy, that they tend to perform these activities better.     

Intervention or Persuasion? Strategies for Turnaround of Poorly-Performing Councils

This article provides early results from a long-term evaluation of the turnaround strategies by poorly-performing local authorities in England. The history and theory behind central government interventions into local government is reviewed, focusing on the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). The journeys taken by 10 local authorities, after being labelled as 'poor' or 'weak', are described and these responses are located within the literature on theories of turnaround and public sector service improvement. The authors conclude by setting out a research agenda for the future.     

Taxation and Migration in a Federal System

This paper discusses how taxation may affect migration, economic efficiency and income distribution. The institutional framework is a federal system, in which local authorities are responsible for the supply of public services and the financing of these services, and where the central authorities are in charge of income redistribution. The main conclusion is that a moderate policy of income redistribution is associated with greater centralization of the work force and greater economic inefficiency than is the case with both radical and more limited policies of redistribution.     

The politics of urban climate risks: theoretical and empirical lessons from Ulrich Beck’s methodological cosmopolitanism

Abstract

In the face of global climate risks, world cities increasingly figure in academic and policy discourse as strategic spaces for harnessing the expertise and governance capacity needed to steer societies toward more sustainable and low-carbon futures. This article reviews existing approaches to the study of urban climate politics, by way of asking what contribution Ulrich Beck’s theory of world risk society – and principles of methodological cosmopolitanism – make to such epochal conversations? Three main analytical frameworks stand out: low-carbon transition literature highlight generic processes of socio-technical ‘greening’ of urban infrastructures; urban policy mobility work documents growing intercity networks around climate and sustainability; and actor–network theory-informed takes on urban controversies engage the localized politics of specific city-based ‘riskscapes’. While each framework makes valuable contributions, this article suggests that all of them remain under-theorized from the point of view of the specific dynamics of local–global interdependencies in urban climate risk politics. In response, the article draws on Beck in outlining the contours of new urban–cosmopolitan risk communities. To this effect, empirical studies into large-scale East Asian and European port cities is used to illustrate how a shared transnational risk imaginary (e.g. of future sea-level rises) may help spur collective action and new forms of trans-boundary solidarity. Reflecting on such research practices, the article ends by pointing to the need for reworking methods of (multi-sited) ethnography and comparison as central parts of realizing Ulrich Beck’s cosmopolitan sociology in the domain of urban climate risks.     

The Use of Budget Reforms to Modernize Governance in German Local Government

This article provides early results from a long-term evaluation of the turnaround strategies by poorly-performing local authorities in England. The history and theory behind central government interventions into local government is reviewed, focusing on the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). The journeys taken by 10 local authorities, after being labelled as ‘poor’ or ‘weak’, are described and these responses are located within the literature on theories of turnaround and public sector service improvement. The authors conclude by setting out a research agenda for the future.     

Future visioning of local climate change: A framework for community engagement and planning with scenarios and visualisation

There is an urgent need for meaningful information and effective public processes at the local level to build awareness, capacity, and agency on climate change, and support planning and decision-making. This paper describes a conceptual framework to meet these requirements by generating alternative, coherent, holistic climate change scenarios and visualizations at the local scale, in collaboration with local stakeholders and scientists. The framework provides a template for a process to integrate emission scenarios with both mitigation and adaptation strategies, and to link local manifestations of impacts and responses with global climate change scenarios. The article outlines the empirical application of this framework in the Local Climate Change Visioning Project in British Columbia, Canada. The project collaboratively localized, spatialized, and visualized possible climate change effects and community responses in the community's ‘backyards’. The article concludes with lessons learned and suggested principles for future visioning efforts to engage communities in possible policy and behavioural choices.     

The Role of Leadership in the Modernization and Improvement of Public Services

This article examines the central role of leadership in the Government's conception of modernization and improvement, before outlining key approaches to understanding leadership and the management of influence in and by local authorities. Local authorities are increasingly concerned with distributed leadership (even though new structural arrangements may concentrate political leadership); of leadership at the cross-roads of different organizational cultures and structures; of the importance of inter organizational leadership not just leadership by individuals; and the importance of influence across organizational boundaries not just control of the internal organization. The authors call for models of leadership to be updated to reflect new challenges.     

推进"长三角"金融协调发展

统筹区域协调发展是党中央、国务院确定的一项重要国家战略,也是深入贯彻落实科学发展观的重要内容。文章阐述了长三角金融协调发展的积极意义,并提出了推进长三角金融协调发展的五个方面的政策建议:第一,要促进地方政府、金融管理部门、金融企业的跨区域合作与协调)第二,以金融创新促进长三角地区资金跨行政区流动*第三,促进区域对外贸易投资活动和区域内外汇资金流动便利化*第四,促进区域内金融基础设施建设的功能整合*第五,构建共同防范金融风险、维护金融稳定的机制。     

Vulnerability to climate change: Are innovative countries in a better position?

The impact of climate change on organizations and economies remains one of the most significant yet underestimated threats. Although the consequences of climate change have started to gain attention among policy makers, international business research on this issue is lagging behind. Drawing from the knowledge and innovation literatures, we explore the impact of a country’s degree of innovation on its vulnerability to climate change. Using a longitudinal sample of 73 countries for the years of 1998–2013, we examine the impact of innovation, openness to trade, and regulatory quality on a country’s vulnerability to climate change. We find that R&D expenditures as a percentage of GDP (innovation input), openness to trade, and regulatory quality decrease a country’s vulnerability to climate change. We also find that openness to trade moderates the effect of patenting rates (innovation output) on a country’s vulnerability to climate change.     

社会保障城乡统筹发展、地方政策革新与农民社会公民权演进——以基本养老保险制度变迁为例

中国自2002年以来推行了一系列旨在统筹城乡发展的社会保障制度革新。本文以地方基本养老保险制度变迁为例,探讨这些制度革新如何影响农民社会公民权的发展以及中央和地方在此过程中的不同角色。研究发现,农村居民的社会权利发展基于其不同的身份(职业)类型和所处地区而呈现时序、内容上的明显差别。近年来,地方政府受本地利益驱动积极打破社会保障供给的身份、职业区隔,但这些政策革新主要惠及本地农村居民。由于地方政府倾向于将权利和资源的分配限定在本辖区内,外地农村居民的社会权利受到限制,农民享受的权益存在地区间不公平。中央政府在弱化社会保障的地域边界上发挥了一定的作用,但仍需强化财政责任和统筹协调职能,促进在全国范围内形成更包容、公平的社会保障体系。     

资产价格膨胀,货币政策转向

近期,货币当局的一系列言论都涉及了一个敏感的话题,即货币政策和资产价格的关系.央行货币政策司司长张晓慧以个人名义公开发表<关于货币政策与资产价格>一文,她认为鉴于当前全球通胀机理所发生的变化,中央银行需要重新思考货币政策如何应对资产价格.此文一出,学术界纷纷揣测未来货币政策的目标是否会出现新的动向,不过监管当局随后的表态则说明,央行虽然非常关注资产价格变化及其成因,特别是宏观层面的原因,但央行目前仍不以资产价格作为货币政策直接调控目标.     

On the effectiveness of monetary policy under fixed rates of exchange

The IS-LM framework traditionally used to discuss the role of monetary policy under fixed rates of exchange has several weaknesses. The theoretical findings based on such a model cannot be accepted uncritically. The paper reassesses the role of monetary policy by appropriately modifying the IS-LM apparatus so that its resilts can be easier to compare with much of the existing literature. The meaning and effectiveness of monetary policy is analysed in short-run equilibrium, stock-flow equilibrium and full long-run equilibrium. Dynamical equations linking the short to the long run are specified. The notable implication is that monetary policy is effective in the short run and need not be ineffective in the long run. Complete emasculation of monetary policy occurs when the central authorities relinquish control over the flow distribution of government debt between money and bonds in favour of an independent use of a set of fiscal instruments. Perfect capital mobility requires that the central authorities decide whether monetary or fiscal policy become totally dependent on external forces. Whether one or the other is chosen is more a matter of specific circumstances than theoretical necessity. Critical comments are directed at the literature on offsetting capital flows.     

The usefulness of performance reporting in local government: comparing Italy and Spain

This article presents a comparative analysis of the perceived usefulness of performance information by managers in local authorities in Italy and Spain. Italy and Spain have similar cultural and administrative characteristics and in both countries there are external requirements (from central government) to adopt performance indicators. The adoption of performance indicators was found to be almost symbolic in both states.     

财政引导创新资源配置效率及其影响因素——来自18个高新区与新区的经验分析

基于18个国家级新区所在地和其高新区的数据,运用四阶段 DEA模型,考量企业在创新资源配置过程中的财政政策效率,研究发现:多数地方的新区和高新区的财政政策效率均大于1,且中部地区的财政政策效率不管是在新区还是其高新区均是最小,说明多数地区财政政策对企业创新的作用表现为"激励效应";结合Tobit模型的影响因素分析发现,高新区与新区的财政政策效率影响因素差异较大,一些能对新区财政政策效率造成显著影响的因素,并不能对高新区财政政策效率造成影响,说明高新区的发展已相对成熟,对产业集聚及创新资源引导发挥了较好作用,而新区仍有提升的空间.     

Central bank communication,corporate maturity mismatch and innovation

This paper analyzes the relationship between central bank communication and corporate innovation. The results show that: (1) Communication in a loose direction of the central bank will promote corporate innovation. (2) The higher the degree of consistency between words and deeds, the stronger the positive impact of central bank communication on corporate innovation. (3) The increase in the proportion of policy continuity words in the central bank communication text will amplify the positive impact of the loose communication on corporate innovation. (4) Communication in the loose direction of the central bank will inhibit the corporate behavior of “Corporate Maturity Mismatch”, so as to promote corporate innovation. (5) The positive impact of central bank communication on corporate innovation is more significant in companies with stable investor sentiment and a high degree of management myopia. (6) The period of low moderation of monetary policy will help to strengthen the role of central bank communication in promoting corporate innovation.     

CONTROL OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE

In recent years there has been an increasing emphasis upon more central controls over local authorities. This paper develops the possibility of giving local authorities greater freedom provided they will exercise self-discipline and adhere to accounting prudential ratios. While proposals to date have been rejected by local authorities on pragmatic grounds, this suggestion has not been considered in academic accounting literature. Academics are encouraged to address this topic and join the debate.     

The Eurosystem, the U.S. Federal Reserve, and the Bank of Japan: Similarities and Differences

The paper provides a systematic comparison of the Eurosystem, the U.S. Federal Reserve, and the Bank of Japan. These monetary authorities exhibit somewhat different status and tasks, which reflect different historical conditions and national characteristics. However, widespread changes in central banking practices in the direction of greater independence and increased transparency, as well as changes in the economic and financial environment over the past 15–20 years, have contributed to reduce the differences among these three world's principal monetary authorities. A comparison based on simple "over-the-counter" policy reaction functions shows no striking differences in terms of monetary policy implementation.     

碳定价、双重金融摩擦与“双支柱”调控

本文构建包含异质性企业、双重金融摩擦和“双支柱”政策的DSGE模型来探究碳税和碳交易这两种碳定价政策对中国宏观经济的长短期影响和作用机制。研究发现:(1)两种碳定价政策均会导致经济在短期出现一定衰退,但在长期则有助于推进经济高质量发展,达到更高的均衡水平;(2)在面对碳排放技术冲击时,相比碳税政策,碳交易政策下,碳价大幅波动会进一步加剧经济波动,在碳交易市场中对碳价设定上下限,可以有效地减轻碳排放技术冲击所导致的经济波动;(3)面对气候政策冲击,包含金融部门风险规避的双重金融摩擦会进一步加剧气候政策对宏观经济的负面影响;(4)在经济转型过程中,结构性供需不平衡会引发一定的通胀现象,但此时货币政策不宜对通胀做出过多反应,而应刺激产出,支持绿色发展,推动供需平衡,从根源上解决通胀问题。引入“双支柱”调控后发现,考虑到经济转型风险的宏观审慎政策能显著减弱气候政策所导致的经济波动和金融不稳定,提高居民福利。