Endowment,industrial structure,and appropriate financial structure: a new structural economics perspective

Standard policy advice at times of fiscal adjustment is to protect public spending on the poor. However, the political economy of fiscal adjustment could well indicate the opposite direction, to protect the non‐poor from adjustment. This point is illustrated by three case studies based on research on social programs in Argentina, Bangladesh, and India, focusing on how targeting performance varied with aggregate outlays. The results suggest a tendency for program spending on the non‐poor that is protected from budget cuts.     

The new institutional economics and its relevance to social economics

There has been a quiet revolution in economic theory, led by the New Institutionalists. Pioneered by Douglass C. North, this group argues that institutions are the main determinants of economic performance, yet neoclassical economics has no role for institutions. Contrary to many misconceptions, this theory of institutions can be integrated with neoclassical economics, leaving mainstream economic theory in tact, but broader and more relevant. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, the main arguments of the New Institutionalists are summarized. Second, the bridge between institutions and social economics is explored. The article concludes by arguing that the New Institutional approach is fruitful, and that the theory will gradually be integrated with neoclassical economics, until the two merge into a single body of theory.     

模仿经济学:一种新的方法论

创建模仿经济学的重大意义在于它为观察、解释经济现象和预测经济趋势提供了一种新的方法论、一种新的视角。作为一门边缘学科，模仿经济学的生命力在于它能借助社会心理学的科研成果，重新对主流经济学所关注的问题进行解释，并提出正确的政策建议。从方法论角度看，模仿经济学所提供的方法论立足于人的互动关系。从个体出发，同时又归结到群体，在理性与非理性的双重属性中观察经济现实，因而其用途极其广泛。     

住房的政治经济学:国际政治经济学的一个新视界

住房的政治经济学是欧美近年刚刚出现的研究领域,主要以比较政治经济学和国际政治经济学,特别是日常政治经济学作为理论基础,重新对住房金融制度、住房政策体系和住房市场进行审视。住房政治经济学为分析住房政策和当前的金融危机提供了不同的视角,并得出新的结论。这些视角和结论对中国发展和社会改革具有启示意义。本文按照主要议题、运行机制和理论基础对住房政治经济学研究进行了解读,并从时代背景、理论建构、逻辑关系和研究视角四个方面对住房政治经济学的发展方向和不足之处进行了剖析。最后讨论了住房政治经济学研究对当前中国的现实启示。     

A critique of the new comparative economics

We examine the “new comparative economics” as proposed by Djankov et al. (2003) and their use of the concept of an institutional possibilities frontier. While we agree with their general argument that one must consider a variety of institutions and their respective social costs, including legal systems and cultural characteristics, when comparing the performance of different economic systems, we find various complications and difficulties with the framework they propose. We propose that a broader study of clusters of institutions and such newly emerging forms as the new traditional economy may be better suited as ways to approach the study of comparative economics in the era after the breakdown of the old comparison of market capitalism and command socialism that came to an end with the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Transition to market economics: Employment and informal activity in rural areas

According to the neo-liberal model, the high levels of unemployment and collapsing real wages of transition will reallocate labor to new activities. But whether and how households actually reallocate labor is the subject of growing debate. We use survey data from Bulgaria to develop a typology of rural households based on their labor allocation characteristics. We find a diversity of outcomes. A significant share of households experience no change in labor allocation, some shift labor to own commercial enterprises, but a significant minority are displaced from the emerging market economy. Potential for informal activity among these households appears limited. Of great concern is the regional concentration of such households.     

Transition to market economics: Employment and informal activity in rural areas

According to the neo-liberal model, the high levels of unemployment and collapsing real wages of transition will reallocate labor to new activities. But whether and how households actually reallocate labor is the subject of growing debate. We use survey data from Bulgaria to develop a typology of rural households based on their labor allocation characteristics. We find a diversity of outcomes. A significant share of households experience no change in labor allocation, some shift labor to own commercial enterprises, but a significant minority are displaced from the emerging market economy. Potential for informal activity among these households appears limited. Of great concern is the regional concentration of such households.     

当代新凯恩斯主义货币经济学的新发展

将垄断竞争和名义刚性假设引入MIU模型,新凯恩斯主义者建立了与AS-IS-LM模型简单线性形式相一致的一般动态均衡模型,实现了基于微观最优行为的动态一般均衡货币理论模型与适用于货币政策分析的线性宏观经济模型的统一,政策分析的重点转向政策目标和工具规则的统一.但是,在政策目标选择,通货膨胀的动态性和政策工具规则设定方面仍未达成共识.     

Humanistic economics: The new Challenge: A review essay

This paper discusses the role of social, institutional, and psychological factors in the consumption and borrowing behavior of low-income households, and makes arguments in favor of policy interventions to alleviate some of the challenges of these households. Focus group evidence and findings on the current behaviors and borrowing patterns of low-income families are provided to support and motivate this perspective on consumption and policy. While the data are drawn from a specific region, the observations and findings could be generalized to other communities after accounting for different cultural and social characteristics. This research provides an in-depth understanding of the challenges confronted by low-income individuals at achieving their economic desires for lives of basic dignity, explores both economic and non-economic motivations, and provides insights useful for policy deliberation and model development.     

Social economics and economics imperialism

Address delivered at a session on April 2, 1993 at the Midwest regional meetings of the Association for Social Economics, Indianapolis, IN.     

Resolving the impasse on hospital scale economics: a new approach

The existence of scale economies in hospitals in important for both public and managerial policy, yet production and cost function studies have found conflicting evidence. More recently, more sophisticated studies have typically found scale diseconomies, which is inconsistent with the views of industry participants and observers. In the early 1980s. California deregulated both private and public health insurance (Medical), which provides a natural laboratory for examining hospital efficiency. Using Stigler's original and multivariate survivor analysis, we resolve the conflict in favour of scale economies, and reconcile the controversy. The survivorship methodology in simple to apply, and a useful tool in conjunction with statistical cost and production studies.     

马克思企业理论和新制度经济学企业理论的比较

本文从企业的产生、企业的边界、企业的内部控制,以及分配三个方面对马克思主义经济学和新制度经济学的企业理论进行比较。马克思主义经济学用历史唯物主义方法将企业看作资本主义经济运行过程中的一个环节,揭示了企业产生和发展的原因,并精辟地分析了隐藏在物的背后的两大阶级之间的矛盾对立关系;新制度经济学采用逻辑实证的方法对企业进行分析,认为交易费用是决定企业产生及规模变化的重要因素,企业内部的控制和分配关系是由效率来决定的——这种将所有生产要素都看作是客观资源的分析方法,掩盖了利益分配的实质,从而忽视了人的主体性因素。     

马克思失业理论与西方经济学失业理论:一个新的综合

马克思失业理论与古典经济学失业理论、凯恩斯失业理论、货币主义失业理论、新古典经济学失业理论尽管存在差别,但也存在相当程度的一致性.正是二者的一致性与差异,为失业理论进行新的综合分析提供了基础与前提.     

新制度经济学的新发展:历史比较制度分析

新制度经济学在完全理性与有限理性之间左右摇摆,限制了制度理论的发展。以格雷夫为代表的历史比较制度分析,在有限理性前提下,通过大量案例研究,提出了自己关于制度及其变迁的真知灼见:(1)克服两个“两分法”,发展了统一的制度概念;(2)将制度理解为博弈均衡,重点解释古典博弈论成为制度分析有用工具的条件;(2)研究制度在变化的环境中如何存续、内生的制度变迁以及过去制度影响后续制度的原因和作用机制;(3)提出了独具特色的互动的特定历史情景分析,将重复博弈理论与特定历史情景结合起来去识别制度,解释其出现、存续和变迁。     

Bioeconomics of some nonhuman and human societies: new institutional economics approach

New institutional economics (NIE) has been very successful in explaining the role of institutions such as the firm, money, and contract law in facilitating production and exchange in human societies. In this paper, I will show that the NIE approach, which so far has been used by economists to analyze institutions and organizations in human society, including the ethnically homogeneous middleman groups, can also be extended to explain the high degree of cooperation and coordination of activities of honeybees, ants, and schooling fish. In addition, the paper emphasize the importance of identity in nonhuman and human societies in eliciting cooperation and in detecting cheaters or fakers. This paper thus contribute to the integration/consilience of economics and biology by providing a more unified view of aspects of the bioeconomics of nonhuman and human societies.     

De Finetti meets Ellsberg

The paper outlines an exchangeable non-Bayesian model of preference generalizing the Savage/de Finetti classic model of subjective expected utility preference with an exchangeable prior. The treatment is informal, and the emphasis is on motivation and potential applications rather than on axiomatic foundations and technical details. The objective is to provide a widely accessible introduction to research that is reported in detail elsewhere.     

女性主义经济学与中国经济学的本土化

经济学研究的是具体社会关系下人的理性行为以及人类行为造成的经济现象,因而具有强烈的人文性;而且,随着经济学研究领域的不断拓宽,人们已经开始引入了制度、文化等社会性因素,经济学的人文性已日益明显.正是基于这种人文性特征引发了人们对具体社会中人之理性的重新审视,以及对社会中人之行为的关注,并导致20世纪80年代之后女性主义经济学的勃兴;经济学领域的性别差异又进一步引发了社会性的思考,从而引发了对经济学本土化的探讨.事实上,不同社会文化下的经济学是有差异的,经济学本质上无法像自然科学那样科学化、客观化和通用化,而是具有强烈的本土化的色彩;而且,如果经济学理论没有本土化,就没有根植性,也就没有创新性,当然也就没有现代性和世界性.