Alternative Retirement Income Arrangements and Lifetime Income Inequality: Lessons From Australia

This paper examines the implications for lifetime income equality of alternative retirement income arrangements, using the Australian scheme as a benchmark. In Australia, the pay-as-you go financed age pension is means-tested and thereby provides a contrast with those countries where part or all of a basic pension is paid to all aged persons. Many governments are considering an increase in the level of means-testing. The results show that the introduction of a universal pension coupled with significant changes and simplifications to the structure of taxation and superannuation have little effect on the redistributive impact of the tax structure in a life cycle framework. The presence of means-testing appears to have no significant effect on life-time inequality. The results suggest that it is possible to eliminate complexities from the system providing retirement benefits without having any deleterious effect on equity. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

机会不平等对收入不平等的影响研究——基于60—80后三个群体的问卷结果与实证检验

采用对60后、70后和80后三个不同群体所做的问卷调查数据,按照Roemer(1998)的机会不平等分解法,实证检验了导致机会不平等的各客观环境因素对个体收入不平等的影响。结果发现,从全样本来看,性别、出生地、受教育程度和工作类型对收入产生了显著的影响;而父亲的收入、职业类型和受教育程度在代际转移中对个体收入不平等的影响均十分显著。从分样本来看,在对60后收入具有显著影响的性别、户籍和父亲工作性质等因素中,性别与户籍对70后、80后收入不平等的影响逐渐弱化,而基于父亲收入和工作性质的不平等现象却愈加彰显,个体受教育程度和工作性质对收入水平的影响亦在不断强化。     

分项收入不平等效应与收入结构的优化

从分项收入角度考察城乡收入不平等,不仅能判断产生收入不平等的原因,还能判断什么分项收入有利于增加收入总量;不仅能量化收入不平等效应,还能根据收入不平等效应来优化收入结构。研究发现,分项收入具有性质不同、大小不等的收入不平等效应,其中工资性收入扩大收入不平等的效应最强、转移性收入次之、财产性收入最小;经营性收入是唯一具有缩小收入不平等效应的分项收入。据此,我们认为,城乡居民收入结构优化的方向应该是,稳定维持工资性收入、适当调整转移性收入、适度控制财产性收入并努力增加经营性收入。     

International Trends in Income Inequality and Social Policy

In most OECD-countries income inequality has increased during the last two decades. In this paper, we investigate whether changes in the overall distribution of income can be attributed to social policy measures. For most (but not all) countries we find a possible relationship between changing welfare state policies (as measured by expenditure ratios and replacement rates) and changing income inequality. Especially the United Kingdom and the Netherlands combined an above-average rise in inequality with a reduction in the generosity of the welfare system.A more elaborate budget incidence analysis for the Netherlands indicates that in the period 1981–1997 inequality of disposable household income increased sharply. The two main forces behind this phenomenon were a more unequal distribution of market incomes and changes in social transfers. Fundamental social security reforms in the Netherlands indeed seem to have made the income distribution less equal. However, income inequality in the Netherlands is still below the OECD average at the end of the observed period.     

人力资本、社会保障与中国居民收入不平等——基于个体相对剥夺视角

本文通过Kakwani个体相对剥夺指数测度中国城乡居民的收入不平等程度,并分析了人力资本和社会保障对居民个体收入不平等的影响机制及其城乡差异。研究发现:人力资本积累和社会保障制度能够有效抑制居民收入不平等程度的恶化,人力资本和社会保障主要通过收入增长效应和收入差距减缓效应来降低居民收入不平等程度,且稳健性检验结果依然显著;城乡之间不同收入人群在人力资本积累和社会保障再分配上存在群体差异性和阶层分化,导致城乡居民收入不平等的异质性。加强人力资本要素集聚和提高生产效率,构建城乡一体化的社会保障体系,遏制城乡居民多维贫困的代际传递,对于降低城乡居民收入不平等尤为关键。     

Change and discontinuity: Forecasting for the 1980s

This outline of forecasting takes a very broad view—covering many of the diverse approaches now available—so that attention can be paid to the role of forecasting in discovering and analysing alternatives, as well as to its established role in prediction. The philosophy of forecasting and the differing methodological approaches are discussed, highlighting particularly the problem of continuity and discontinuity in change, and the concepts of the cultural barrier and the paradigm shift. The author, applying the idea of discontinuity in social change (the paradigm shift), examines some possibilities for the 1980s. He argues that in the field of social forecasting, which is now becoming an important element in all other types of forecasting, the forecaster's capability to foresee broad changes in values is crucial, since such changes will themselves lead to further developments throughout society. Forecasting is now reaching the stage where its methods and philosophy allow us to assess potential hazards, and to preset, rather than react, to them.     

Financial Development and Income Inequality: Long-Run Relationship and Short-Run Heterogeneity

This article examines the dynamic relationship between financial development and income inequality using the PMG. We find that financial development will reduce inequality in the long run, while it can increase inequality in the short run. Using the estimates of country-specific short-run coefficients, we also find that adverse short-run effects of financial development are associated with the vulnerabilities of countries in terms of their greater susceptibility to crises and poor quality of governance. Good governance seems to be important for achieving inclusive growth though financial development.     

Forecasting inflation in the 1980s

Refined forecasting techniques are rendered practically useless in the face of the current instabilities in the international system—and the repercussions these could have on domestic economies. Currently, there is no convincing forecast of the probable medium-term course of stagflation. Nor is there likely to be while the money markets are faced with the problems of recycling OPEC surpluses and funding the debts of less developed countries. This heavily interdependent and fragile system could easily be shaken by unpredicted shocks. Domestic economies will continue, through their links with it, to be subject to the vagaries of a system beyond their control or forecasting abilities.     

Human resources in the 1980s

As the decade of the 1970s closes, new trends in human resources will test the ingenuity of corporate planners to produce policies for the 1980s that will match changing corporate demands with changing employee expectations. The 1970s have produced much-publicized problems--for example, the introduction to the work force of larger numbers of minorities and women--that are not yet fully resolved and that can be expected to continue. But the 1980s will bring their own special challenges. Shifting populations (such as legal and illegal immigrants), the women's movement's demand for equal pay for work of comparable worth, and the push for civil liberties at the workplace are all factors that will dramatically change the business climate. With these factors in mind, the author examines the 1980s' business environment, takes a backward look at planning policies in the 1970s, and shows how the priorities of those policies will have to be reevaluated to meet the challenges of the future.     

Globalization, Poverty, and Inequality since 1980

One of the most contentious issues of globalization is the effectof global economic integration on inequality and poverty. Thisarticle documents five trends in the modern era of globalization,starting around 1980. The first trend is that growth rates inpoor economies have accelerated and are higher than growth ratesin rich countries for the first time in modern history. Developingcountries’ per capita incomes grew more than 3.5 percenta year in the 1990s. Second, the number of extremely poor peoplein the world has declined significantly—by 375 millionpeople since 1981—for the time in history. The share ofpeople in developing economies living on less than $1 a dayhas been cut in half since 1981, though the decline in the shareliving on less than $2 per day was much less dramatic. Third,global inequality has declined modestly, reversing a 200-yeartrend toward higher inequality. Fourth, within-country inequalityin general is not growing, though it has risen in several populouscountries (China, India, the United States). Fifth, wage inequalityis rising worldwide. This may seem to contradict the fourthtrend, but it does not because there is no simple link betweenwage inequality and household income inequality. Furthermore,the trends toward faster growth and poverty reduction are strongestin developing economies that have integrated with the globaleconomy most rapidly, which supports the view that integrationhas been a positive force for improving the lives of peoplein developing areas.      

我国城镇居民收入流动对长期收入不平等影响研究

收入流动是研究收入不平等问题的一个重要视角。笔者通过对我国城镇居民收入流动对长期收入不平等影响的分析发现:(1)在考虑到收入流动的情况下,城镇居民的长期收入不平等并没有各个单独年份的收入不平等那么严重;(2)收入流动对长期收入不平等的缓解程度取决于收入流动的自身变动情况,我国城镇居民收入流动在2000年后呈现整体下降态势,其对我国城镇居民长期收入不平等的缓解程度也出现下降。(3)导致阶层固化的收入流动不利于缓解长期收入不平等,这也解释了进入2000年后我国城镇居民收入流动对长期收入不平等缓解程度呈现明显下降。     

中外所得税会计准则比较

所得税会计诞生于西方的会计学领域,并经长期研究和实践已发展得较为成熟.而我国所得税会计则还处于起步发展阶段.本文通过对IAS 12、SFAS 109,FRS 16和19与我国相关制度的比较,介绍了所得税会计准则的国际动态和我国的现状,为我国所得税会计准则的制定提供指导.     

Going public in the 1980s: Evidence from Sweden

The paper explores the going public decision in a sample of family-owned corporations in Sweden, 1970–1991. the issuers' motivations for going public are documented and contrasted with economic theory. We find that the average firm is old, that a significant portion of the shares are sold by existing shareholders, that most going public activity took place after an exceptionally sharp stock price increase, and that going public activity is not related to the business cycle. the findings suggest that firms were taken public by their owners who wanted to liquidate their investment to finance consumption or portfolio diversification. the findings strike the common view that firms go public to finance growth. Data from other European countries exhibit similar patterns and suggest that our findings for Sweden may extend to other markets as well.     

Intra-mediterranean trade relations in the 1980s

This paper deals with an important problem of trade policy confronted by the countries of the Mediterranean Basin: what should be their goals and strategy in the 80s for trading links with other neighbouring countries, regions or trading superpowers?     

Bondholder Wealth Effects in Mergers and Acquisitions: New Evidence from the 1980s and 1990s

We examine the wealth effects of mergers and acquisitions on target and acquiring firm bondholders in the 1980s and 1990s. Consistent with a coinsurance effect, below investment grade target bonds earn significantly positive announcement period returns. By contrast, acquiring firm bonds earn negative announcement period returns. Additionally, target bonds have significantly larger returns when the target's rating is below the acquirer's, when the combination is anticipated to decrease target risk or leverage, and when the target's maturity is shorter than the acquirer's. Finally, we find that target and acquirer announcement period bond returns are significantly larger in the 1990s.     

The Great Inflation of the 1970s

The two leading explanations for the poor inflation performance during the 1970s are policy opportunism ( Barro and Gordon 1983 ) and "inadvertently" bad monetary policy ( Clarida, Gali, and Gertler 2000 , Orphanides 2003 ). The main models of the latter category are that of Orphanides (loose monetary policy was the outcome of mis-perceptions about potential output rather than of inflation tolerance) and of Clarida, Gali, and Gertler (weak policy reaction to expected inflation led to indeterminacies). We show that both of these models can account for high and persistent inflation and also have satisfactory overall performance if an exceptionally large decrease in productivity took place at that time.     

Internal Migration Decision and Rural Income Inequality: A Counterfactual-Based Gini Decomposition Analysis

We examine the decision between internal migration and home production for Chinese rural households and its impact on rural income distribution. By constructing counterfactual scenarios under which households are allowed to switch freely between internal migration and home production, we find that the migrant households in the studied region could have earned higher simulated income if they choose to work in local sectors, with potential sample selection bias corrected by the two-step Heckit method. Based on the counterfactual results, we conduct a Gini decomposition analysis and illustrate that rural income inequality would also be reduced if migrants choose to work locally. The findings are compatible with the fact that a nontrivial portion of the internal migration in China tends to be involuntary.     

Growth, Income Inequality, and Fiscal Policy: What Are the Relevant Trade-offs?

We develop an endogenous growth model with elastic labor supply, in which agents differ in their initial endowments of physical capital. In this context, the growth rate and the distribution of income are jointly determined. We then examine the distributional impact of different ways of financing an investment subsidy. Policies aimed at increasing the growth rate result in a more unequal distribution of pre-tax income, consistent with the positive correlation between income inequality and growth observed in the recent empirical literature. However, there is no conflict between efficiency and equity if inequality is measured in terms of the distribution of welfare.