Fiscal policy and fiscal reconstruction in Japan

This paper investigates the macroeconomic effect of fiscal policy and the fiscal reconstruction movement in Japan. I first summarize Japanese fiscal policy in the recent years and discuss sustainability of government deficits. Then, I investigate the macroeconomic effect of Japanese fiscal policy and evaluate the plausibility of the Keynesian and non-Keynesian effects. I also analyze political constraints in the fiscal reconstruction attempts and the possibility of crowding-in effect of fiscal reform. Finally, I discuss some measures for the successful fiscal reconstruction reform in the near future. JEL Code H30 · H60     

Fiscal policy in the face of long-term expenditure uncertainties

A number of uncertainties about long-term expenditure commitments in industrial countries are examined: (i) the assumptions underlying the projections, (ii) the potential to further reduce non-age-related expenditures, (iii) the implicitly assumed absence of “shocks,” and (iv) the potential for raising revenue. This paper concludes that (i) there is scope, but within narrow limits, to reduce non-age-related expenditures; (ii) fiscal policy frameworks tend to understate risks; and (iii) prevailing tax rates leave little room for increasing taxation in the countries facing the strongest aging pressures. In sum, governments will have to adopt a much more ambitious fiscal policy stance to cope with aging populations. JEL Code H5 · H6     

对中国财政分权度的研究

以财政分权理论述评为基础,文章构建了支出法财政分权度衡量指标,计算并分析了中国总体和分省财政分权度.研究发现:中国总体财政分权度已接近或达到最优水平;东、西、中部财政分权度依次递减;财政分权地区差异较大,西部地区财政分权不均衡现象尤为严重;各地区财政分权度缓慢收敛.文章较客观完整地反映了我国财政分权状况,指明了我国未来财政分权化改革的方向在于局部分权程度的调整而非整体分权程度的扩大.     

Dynamic fiscal policies and unemployment in a simple endogenous growth model

This paper analyzes the growth and employment effects of dynamic fiscal policies in an overlapping generations model with endogenous growth and imperfect labour markets. With balanced-budget policies, the modelled closed economy grows at a constant rate which is higher, the lower are the labour tax rate and the unemployment rate. Constant-flow budget policies are not feasible, while government Ponzi games are feasible only if economic agents have implausibly high savings rates. Furthermore, while constant-stock fiscal policies are sustainable, an increase in the debt-to-capital ratio is accompanied by higher taxes, a rise in unemployment and lower economic growth. JEL Classification E24 · J51 · H63 · O41     

Federal fiscal transfers in monetary unions: A NOEM approach

In the debate over EMU, a widely accepted view is that a federal fiscal mechanism is needed for the participating states to cope with asymmetric shocks. In this paper, we explore the properties of federal fiscal transfer schemes with regard to their capability to stabilize national consumption, production and employment. We consider direct transfers among private sectors and indirect transfers among national fiscal authorities. We show that federal fiscal arrangements can provide perfect insurance. Our analysis builds on the New Open Economy Macroeconomics framework which allows us to portray the transmission of shocks and the properties of transfers in detail. JEL Code E42 · E63 · F33 · F42     

Fiscal-monetary policy interactions in the presence of unionized labor markets

This paper develops a framework for studying the interactions between labor unions, fiscal policy, monetary policy and monopolistically competitive firms. The framework is used to investigate the effects of labor taxes, the replacement ratio, labor market institutions and monetary policymaking institutions on economic peformance in the presence of strategic interactions between labor unions and the central bank. Given fiscal variables, higher levels of either centralization of wage bargaining, or of central bank conservativeness are associated with lower unemployment and inflation. However the forward shifting of changes in either labor taxes or in unemployment benefits to labors costs is larger the higher are those institutional variables. The paper also considers the effects of those institutions on the choice of labor taxes and of unemployment benefits by governments concerned with the costs of inflation and unemployment, as well as with redistribution to particular constituencies. A main result is that, normally, higher levels of centralization and conservativeness induce government to set higher labor taxes. JEL Classification: E5 · E6 · H2 · J3 · J5 · L1     

政府间收入分成与财政收入预算偏离

降低收入决算和预算之间的偏离程度是现代预算制度的基本要求,长期以来,中国政府的收入预算偏离一直处于高位运行状态。本文研究了政府间财政收入分成对收入预算偏离的影响。理论上,财政收入分成的上升会对下级政府产生减小财政压力和加大财政扩张两种截然相反的影响,前者会减少政府的收入预算偏离,而后者则会扩大收入预算偏离。运用市县层面加总的预决算数据,实证分析较为稳健地支持了财政压力机制:财政收入分成降低1个百分点,收入预算偏离会增加0.3个百分点。进一步分析表明,收入分成对预算偏离的影响相比市县级,在省本级层面不显著,并且其对预算偏离的影响会随着经济发展水平的上升而降低。本文研究的现实意义是,政府间收入划分的改革方案要兼顾长期稳定性与财力支持性,这对于降低收入预算偏离、推进现代预算制度建设和国家治理现代化具有重要作用。     

财政压力、企业要素投入扭曲与经济绩效

本文利用中国取消农业税改革作为准自然实验,探讨区县级政府财政压力对政府决策和微观企业资源配置的影响,进而分析由此带来的宏观经济绩效影响效应。研究发现:地方政府行为受到财政压力的影响,农业税改革带来的财政压力使企业资本要素投入的边际收益和边际成本的缺口上升5.72%,企业资本要素投入不足情况加剧,而对劳动要素投入的影响并不显著;进一步的机制分析表明,财政压力对企业资本要素投入的扭曲效应更多源于税收征管提高、环境规制放松、交易费用增加和企业规模分布变异,这一干扰效应最终导致经济总量生产率平均下降约19.32%。     

财政合理分权与县乡财政解困

本文从财政分权的理论视角探讨当前的县乡财政困难问题,在阐明财政合理分权的若干基本原则的基础上指出,当前我国县乡财政困难的根源在于财政分权不合理的制度安排,而县乡财政解困的根本途径也必然是寻求各级政府间的财政合理分权.     

正确把握大思路配套推进分税制--兼与"纵向分两段,横向分两块"的主张商榷

本文在总结并充分肯定了1994年分税制改革的大方向和基本制度成果的基础上,提出了省以下财政体制并没有真正进入分税制轨道的基本判断,进而提出了"跳出财政看财政"的全局性思维观念,对症下药,结合国情寻求在渐进改革中以"扁平化"为导向,逐步落实省以下的分税制.     

财政分权与经济增长可持续性——基于情势转换与聚类视角的分析

经济增长可持续性不仅取决于增长速度还取决于增长稳定性。本文利用我国245个地级市1978—2014年间面板数据和马尔科夫情势转换聚类面板模型,从情势转换与聚类视角考察了地级市经济增长动态特征,识别出不同的动态增长模式及其可持续性,进而剖析了财政分权的影响。研究表明,地级市经济增长呈现出三种动态增长模式,这三种模式在平均增速、增长状态及其持续期、增长波动性进而在增长可持续性方面存在明显差异。支出分权显著增加了地级市归属为低增长、高波动模式的概率,不利于经济可持续增长,而在1994年分税制改革后则产生了较积极的作用。收入分权总体有利于增强经济增长可持续性,1994年分税制改革后,受地方纵向财政失衡加剧的不利影响,这一积极作用有所减弱。增加地方财政自给度(即增加地方收支分权匹配度、减小地方纵向财政失衡)有利于增强经济增长可持续性,这一作用在1994年分税制改革后表现得更为突出。本文研究结论对优化完善财税体制以有效促进经济可持续增长具有良好启示。     

财政分权、贸易不平衡与区域间资本流动

本文基于经典的宏观经济理论及储蓄与投资相关关系检验法,采用空间面板模型,对中国的财政分权与贸易不平衡对区域间资本流动性的影响及分地区的资本流动性进行了研究.研究发现,在全国层面,财政分权的提高或贸易不平衡度的降低会促进区域间资本流动,在地区层面,环渤海、东南、西北、中部、西南和东北地区内的资本流动性依次减弱.总体上,为提高区域间资本流动性,政府应进一步财政分权,同时着力降低区域的贸易不平衡度.     

财政分权与经济增长可持续性——基于情势转换与聚类视角的分析

经济增长可持续性不仅取决于增长速度还取决于增长稳定性。本文利用我国245个地级市1978—2014年间面板数据和马尔科夫情势转换聚类面板模型,从情势转换与聚类视角考察了地级市经济增长动态特征,识别出不同的动态增长模式及其可持续性,进而剖析了财政分权的影响。研究表明,地级市经济增长呈现出三种动态增长模式,这三种模式在平均增速、增长状态及其持续期、增长波动性进而在增长可持续性方面存在明显差异。支出分权显著增加了地级市归属为低增长、高波动模式的概率,不利于经济可持续增长,而在1994年分税制改革后则产生了较积极的作用。收入分权总体有利于增强经济增长可持续性,1994年分税制改革后,受地方纵向财政失衡加剧的不利影响,这一积极作用有所减弱。增加地方财政自给度(即增加地方收支分权匹配度、减小地方纵向财政失衡)有利于增强经济增长可持续性,这一作用在1994年分税制改革后表现得更为突出。本文研究结论对优化完善财税体制以有效促进经济可持续增长具有良好启示。     

Stress testing the EU fiscal framework

This study evaluates the efficiency of the cyclically-adjusted budget balance (CABB) as the central gauge in the reinforced European fiscal framework for evaluating fiscal discipline. We do this by means of a simulation experiment. We use an estimated DSGE model to simulate all the macroeconomic data needed to assess the CABB according to the official EC methodology. Additionally, the model contains an expenditure fiscal rule that accounts for non-automatic variation in the budget, which allows us to observe the true discretionary measures of fiscal policy. Our results indicate that the EC methodology frequently fails to identify the true fiscal policy stance and also frequently fails to correctly signal potential violations of the SGP limit on structural deficit. In the latter case triggering corrective fiscal contractions to comply with the SGP results in increased macroeconomic instability. In addition, we show that allowing for a bigger role for stability-oriented discretionary policy and thus relaxing the SGP limit on structural deficit could enhance the stabilization efficiency of fiscal policy without reducing the degree of compliance with the Maastricht Treaty. These conclusions apply to small countries in a monetary union as well as large countries with independent monetary policy.     

财政自主权、财政支出结构与全要素生产率——来自230个地级市的检验

本文尝试将财政自主权、财政支出结构与经济效率联系,在我国财政分权理论框架下揭示地方财政自主权与技术进步之间的关系。在理论上,提出了"地方财政自主权越高,技术进步水平也越高,但随着经济性财政支出边际效率递减以及社会性财政支出的长期不足,财政自主权对技术进步的影响正在减弱"的命题假说。在实证上,以1999—2013年230个城市数据,采用工具变量法检验了财政自主权对城市全要素生产率的影响。实证结果表明:(1)城市财政自主权对城市全要素生产率影响较弱,主要是对TFP组成中的规模效率(SE)和技术进步(TP)产生了较为明显的正影响;(2)财政自主权越高的城市,越倾向于增加经济性财政支出比重,而对于社会性支出则更有动机展开"逐底竞争";(3)财政自主权对全要素生产率构成中的规模效率(SE)和技术进步(TP)的影响呈现出减弱的趋势;(4)城市财政自主权的提高可以显著改进微观企业层面的全要素生产率水平。     

我国积极财政政策风险实证分析

本文从宏观经济运行和财政运行两个方面对我国积极财政政策的风险问题进行实证分析。基本结论是：(1)积极财政政策在一定程度上实现了部分预期目标，实施该政策要比不实施该政策要好。如果企图通过一直实施该政策来实现预期目标，则财政风险是存在的；(2)我国国债在总量上不存在风险问题，财政风险主要存在于结构上。     

浅谈分权与市场经济条件下的财政体制

本先就市场经济条件下进行适当的财政分权的理论依据进行了论述，随后对集权的理论依据也进行了论述。本指出，当前，对于我国财政体制的完善来说，并不是简单的分权问题，而应在规范政府收支的同时，根据政府职能的实现来理顺集权与分权的关系。     

政府财政激励、税收征管动机与企业盈余管理——以财政"省直管县"改革为自然实验的研究

政府对企业利润享有征税权,事实上是几乎所有企业的最大的中小股东,因此有动机对企业进行严格的税收征管,进而影响公司治理。本文以1998-2006年中国工业企业为样本,以财政“省直管县”改革为自然实验,从企业盈余管理的角度对此进行了考察。研究发现:财政“省直管县”改革能够显著抑制县辖区内企业的盈余管理行为,并且仅对具有征管权限的企业发挥作用;同时,当县级政府财政状况较差和税基较大时,财政“省直管县”对辖区内企业盈余管理行为的抑制作用更强,表明财政“省直管县”改革能够激励县级政府加强税收征管,进而改善辖区内企业盈余质量。更进一步地,本文还发现财政“省直管县”改革能够抑制企业逃税,提升县级政府财政收入。本文的研究不仅丰富了政府行为影响公司治理方面的文献,同时也为财政“省直管县”如何缓解县级政府财政困难提供了微观证据。     

Fiscal spillovers in the Euro area

This paper analyses the dynamic effects of fiscal imbalances in a given EMU member state on the borrowing costs of other countries in the euro area. The estimation of a multivariate, multi-country time series model (specifically a Global VAR, or GVAR) using quarterly data for the EMU period suggests that euro-denominated government yields are strongly linked with each other. However, financial markets seem to be able to discriminate among different issuers. Consequently, fiscal imbalances in Italy and in other peripheral countries should be closely monitored by their EMU partners and the European institutions.     

Toward A Second-Generation Theory of Fiscal Federalism

Drawing on a wide range of literature and ideas, a new “second-generation theory of fiscal federalism” is emerging that provides new insights into the structure and working of federal systems. After a restatement and review of the first-generation theory, this paper surveys this new body of work and offers some thoughts on the ways in which it is extending our understanding of fiscal federalism and on its implications for the design of fiscal institutions.JEL Code: H77, H11