The Limitations of Karl Marx' Social Economics ∗

Studies of the relationship between political democracy and economic inequality have produced diverse findings. This study attempts to mitigate some conceptual and methodological problems inherent in such studies by using multi-indicator concepts of inclusive democracy and economic inequality. Data from the five major historically and culturally homogeneous South Asian countries covering 1980–2003 suggest some bidirectional, positive relationship between inclusive democracy and economic inequality indicating that democracy and equality may not be fully compatible in this region. The paper offers contextual explanations and some mechanisms that may have led to these findings for the region, somewhat deviating from the conventional arguments.     

The French Communication Industry Defined and Analyzed through the Social Fabric Matrix,the Filiere Approach,and Network Analysis

This paper examines the relative impact of economic freedom, civil liberties, and political rights on growth. A system of three simultaneous equations is used to unearth the channels through which these institutional dimensions affect economic growth. These include greater efficiency and enlarged investment in physical and human capital. The sample contains 79 countries and six periods covering the years from 1976 to 2005. The results show that the three dimensions of institutional quality are important for economic growth either through a better allocation of resources or, indirectly, through the stimulation of investment in physical and human capital.     

Mortality,Human Capital and Persistent Inequality

Available evidence suggests high intergenerational correlation of economic status and persistent disparities in health status between the rich and the poor. This paper proposes a mechanism linking the two. We introduce health capital into a two-period overlapping generations model. Private health investment improves the probability of surviving from the first period of life to the next and, along with education, enhances an individual’s labor productivity. Poorer parents are of poor health, unable to invest much in reducing mortality risk and improving their human capital. Consequently, they leave less for their progeny. Despite convex preferences and technologies, initial differences in economic and health status may perpetuate across generations when annuities markets are imperfect.Additional support was provided by the National Science Foundation. Additional support was provided by the National Science Foundation.     

教育不平等、收入非平衡与贫困陷阱——对农村教育和农民收入的考察

研究表明,无论是在短期还是长期内,农村居民受教育水平和职业培训的差异是造成收入差距的一个重要因素.同时,教育差距既推动了收入差距的扩大,又可能伴随着收入非平衡增长的扩大而扩大,低收入农户有陷入贫困陷阱的危险,而解决问题的关键是推进农村教育的均衡协调发展.     

论农村人力资源开发中的思想政治教育功能

社会主义新农村建设,必须紧紧依靠亿万农民,大力开发农村人力资源,造就数以亿计的社会主义新型农民。农村人力资源开发是一个系统工程,涉及很多方面的因素。在众多因素中,思想政治教育,在人力资源开发中发挥着独特的、不可替代的作用,弄清人力资源开发中思想政治教育的功能,既能加深对思想政治教育本质的把握,又能进一步发挥其功能在人力资源开发中的社会作用和战略地位。     

城镇化一定能促进寿险业发展吗?——基于人类发展指数的异质性分析

文章基于未来50年全球城镇化人口增长中95%将来自发展中国家而由此存在巨大人力资本风险保障需求的分析背景,根据Campbell(1980)经典寿险需求的扩展模型,区分了两类不同模式的城镇化类型——提供配套设施等的Ⅰ型城镇化和仅转移人口而无配套设施等的Ⅱ型城镇化,利用151个国家1990-2012年的面板数据实证检验了只有促进人的发展的Ⅰ型城镇化才能促进寿险需求的核心假设.研究表明:(1)在全球水平上城镇化对寿险深度的促进作用为2.3%;(2)促进人的发展的Ⅰ型城镇化对寿险深度的提高作用比未能促进人的发展的Ⅱ型城镇化高出31.2%,后者对寿险深度的影响甚至为负;(3)中介机制检验证实,以人为本的城镇化通过促进人力资本积累推动寿险业发展;(4)寿险业在城镇化过程的增长呈现S形规律,存在一个加速发展的黄金阶段.基于文章的研究结论,建议发展中国家在城镇化过程中加大人力资本的开发力度,同时把握寿险业发展的黄金时机,提供充足的人力资本风险保障.     

预期寿命延长促进经济增长了吗——基于全球121个经济体的实证分析

随着社会进步和生活水平的不断提升,人口预期寿命逐渐延长,全球人口老龄化程度亦不断提高,但这并非意味着人口红利的消失。本文基于1996—2017年121个经济体的面板数据,使用动态面板GMM估计方法分析了预期寿命与经济增长之间的关系。实证研究发现：（1）预期寿命延长对经济增长具有促进作用;（2）纳入收入与预期寿命的交互项后,预期寿命显示出对经济增长的制约作用,而收入水平的提高则中和了这种制约作用,带来经济增长水平的提高;（3）不同性别的预期寿命对经济增长的影响具有异质性。基于此,本文从提高居民可支配收入与提高人力资本水平方面提出了相关的政策建议。     

中国分城镇乡村人口平均预期寿命探析

利用人口普查和人口调查资料,通过生命表的Logit模型估计了2009年全国城镇乡村的人口平均预期寿命,给出了部分普查年份按城乡分年龄性别的预期寿命。分析了近30年来中国平均预期寿命的变化特点,并同发达国家进行了对比分析。其结果可反映中国平均预期寿命的增长趋势,对未来人口发展预测也有一定的参考价值。     

中国老年人口的自理预期寿命变动——二元结构下的城乡差异分析

基于2005年\"小普查\"及2010年\"六普\"的主要汇总数据,利用生命表技术及Sullivan法,分析了城镇与农村老年人口预期寿命、自理预期寿命,及其差异的变化。城镇老年人口预期寿命及自理预期寿命均高于农村,而且随着年龄的提高,预期寿命与自理预期寿命的城乡差异呈缩减趋势。5年间老年人口自理预期寿命占余寿的比重呈上升趋势,而且农村该比重的上升幅度高于城镇。     

Education for the masses? The interaction between wealth,educational and political inequalities

This paper presents a simple model of distribution dynamics, in which the distributions of wealth, education and political power are circularly endogenous. Different levels of education translate into different income and wealth levels. Political power may (or may not) vary with wealth, and in turn affects decisions on the level of public expenditure on education. Since the market for education credit is imperfect, some people might need to rely on public schooling, the quality of which depends on those expenditure levels. As a result, educational opportunities differ along the wealth distribution. The dynamic system displays multiple equilibria, some of which are characterized by a vicious circle of interaction between educational, wealth and political inequalities. These particular equilibria, which are more unequal, are also shown to be inefficient in terms of aggregate output levels. Switching equilibria may be achieved through redistribution of political power.
JEL classification: D31, D63.     

Income Inequality and Economic Growth: Evidence from American Data

While most cross-country studies find a negative relationship between income inequality and economic growth, studies that use panel data suggest the presence of a positive relationship between inequality and growth. This paper uses a cross-state panel for the United States to assess the relationship between inequality and growth. Using both standard fixed effects and GMM estimations, this paper does not find evidence of a positive relationship between inequality and growth but finds some evidence in support of a negative relationship between inequality and growth. The paper, however, shows that the relationship between inequality and growth is not robust and that small differences in the method used to measure inequality can result in large differences in the estimated relationship between inequality and growth.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed:
Grzegorz W., Kolodko, Post-Communist Transition: The Thorny Road
Andrzej, Kozminski and George, Yip, Strategies for Central and Eastern Europe
Vojmir, Franicevic and Milica, Uvalic, Equality, Participation, Transition Essays in Honour of Branko Horvat
Jan, Adam, Social Cost of Transformation to a Market Economy in Post-Socialist Countries; The Cases of Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary
Irwin, Collier; Herwig, Roggemann; Oliver, Scholz and Horst, Tomann, Welfare States in Transition: East and West     

The Middle Class Consensus and Economic Development

A middle class consensus is defined as a high share of income for the middle class and a low degree of ethnic divisons. The paper links a middle class consensus to resource endowments, along the lines of the provocative thesis of Engerman and Sokoloff (1997 and 2000). This paper exploits this association using tropical resource endowments as instruments for inequality. A higher share of income for the middle class and lower ethnic divisions are associated with higher income and higher growth, as well as with more education, better health, better infrastructure, better economic policies, less political instability, less civil war and ethnic minorities at risk, more social modernization and more democracy.