Determinants of Remittances: Recent Evidence Using Data on Internal Migrants in Vietnam*

The present paper examines the determinants of remittance behavior for Vietnam using data from the 2004 Vietnam Migration Survey on internal migrants. It considers how, among other things, the vulnerability of a migrant's life at the destination, their link to relatives back home, and the time spent at the destination affect remittances. The paper finds that migrants act as risk‐averse economic agents and send remittances back to the household of origin as part of an insurance exercise in the face of economic uncertainty. Remittances are also found to be driven by a migrant's labor market earnings level. The paper highlights the important role of remittances in providing an effective means of risk‐coping and mutual support within the family.     

Remittances,social security,and the crowding-out effect: Evidence from Vietnam

In the absence of adequate social security systems, many people in developing countries, especially the poor and vulnerable, cope through migration-related remittances. However, when remittances, internal or international, provide social benefits similar to public transfers they may overlap: ‘crowding-out’ effects occur. Employing three long-sample Vietnam Household Living Standard surveys undertaken during the 2000s, this paper studies the crowding-out effects of remittances in Vietnam, a developing country that has experienced a soaring inflow of remittances since 2000. Significant crowding-out effects for both domestic and international remittances on income are found below the poverty line in Vietnam, consistent with an altruistic motive. Beyond this, transfer derivatives are positive and statistically significant in both areas, suggesting a switch of motives from altruism to exchange at the poverty line. The substituting relationship between public transfers and remittances observed for the rural poor reveals key challenges to delivering an equal and efficient social security system in the country.     

产品内国际分工对收入分配的影响研究

产品内国际分工的发展对参与分工各国的收入分配产生了重要的影响,文章利用中国省级面板数据研究产品内国际分工时我国收入分配的影响.从全国层面角度的分析显示,产品内国际分工显著导致收入分配恶化,在针对中国不同地区的实证研究表明,东中西部地区在参与产品内国际分工的过程中,产品内国际分工对于收入分配的影响方向一致,但是呈现东中西逐渐减弱的态势.在此基础上,验证了产品内国际分工对于收入分配的影响呈现倒“U”曲线特征,实证结果表明当前中国的产品内国际分工的收入分配效应处于倒“U”曲线的上升阶段.     

Remittances and Competitiveness: The Case of the Philippines

The paper looks at the impact of migration and workers’ remittances on the competitiveness of the home economy. It extends existing research that concentrated on the exchange rate effects of remittances, the so-called Dutch disease effect, by adding labor market effects. The results show that the labor market effects of emigration and remittances have a significant impact on competitiveness that goes beyond the traditional exchange rate effect.     

Effects of Free Trade on Women and Immigrants: CAFTA and the Rural Dominican Republic

We construct a disaggregated rural economywide model with a focus on gender and immigration as well as on the allocation of time to wage work, household production activities, and housework (reproduction). We use this model to simulate the impacts of the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) on rural incomes and welfare in the Dominican Republic. We find that elimination of agricultural import tariffs hurts both agricultural and non-agricultural households, via adverse factor-market effects, but impacts vary substantially by workers’ gender and country of origin. Females and Haitian immigrants tend to fare better than Dominican males, and there are ramifications for both market and non-market activities.     

Distributional Effects of Freedom and Income on Life Satisfaction: Evidence from East Asian Chinese Societies

We estimate the distributional effects of freedom and income on life satisfaction (LS) for East Asian Chinese societies through an ordinal parametric quantile regression approach. The results show that freedom and income exhibit positive and mostly significant effects across societies and LS levels. The freedom effects generally become larger for those at higher LS quantiles. However, the income effects decline as the LS quantile level increases. Thus, one may have a trade-off between freedom and income without compromising individual LS. The trade-off of freedom (income) for income (freedom) is more pronounced for people at a lower (higher) LS level.     

国际关联方交易内部结转价格的所得税税收和会计策略

国际关联方交易的内部结转价格是指跨国公司内部各个实体之间销售产品或者提供劳务所使用的一种内部划拨价格。跨国公司利用内部结转价格可以达到缴纳最少所得税等目的,国际上为了有效地对跨国公司国际关联方交易的内部结转价格在所得税方面进行税务和会计监督,执行着＂局外价格＂、＂比较价格＂和要求跨国公司揭示更多的财务信息的三种方法。文章认为,无论哪种方法都存在缺乏在世界范围内的统一规范、统一运作和统一监督的问题,应该成立一个由经济专家、会计专家和税务官员组成的全世界范围内的协会或组织予以协调。在我国应该结合具体国情选择相应的方法,并逐步向＂局外价格＂和＂比较价格＂过渡。     

经营性、财产性收入的个税调节:由2002～2009年分配现状

对2002～2009年城镇居民工薪收入、经营净收入、财产性收入及转移性收入的分配现状及前三类收入分类个人所得税累进性的实证研究发现:从基尼系数看,工薪收入的分配比较均衡,经营净收入的分配差距逐步拉大,财产性收入的分配差距非常大,转移性收入几乎没有调节贫富差距的功用。累进性分析反映整体个税呈弱累进性,工薪收入个税累进性与总累进性接近,对其贡献最大,起征点提高至3500元并未提高累进性,反而有降低及减缓累进的效果;经营收入税基本呈比例税,多数年份呈弱累退性,扣除额提高至3500元提高了累进性;财产收入的累进性高于工薪收入,但其累进的效率不如工薪类所得税。结论显示,应采取措施加强经营性收入和财产性收入的个税调节。     

制度促进收入增加的理论分析：AS－AD视角

基于AS－AD模型,从需求拉动和供给推动两个角度考察了制度对收入的影响。研究表明,制度质量越高,消费需求和投资需求越多,从而总需求越多;制度质量越高,全要素生产率越高,通过劳动力市场决定的均衡就业越多,从而总供给越多。上述两个机制决定了制度质量越高,通过总供给和总需求决定的均衡收入水平越高。提高制度质量对于扩大有效需求,促进供给增加,进而实现收入增加有重要意义。     

Income mobility in a high-inequality society: Evidence from the first two waves of the National Income Dynamics Study

The study of income inequality and income mobility has been central to understanding post-apartheid South Africa's development. This paper uses the first two waves of the National Income Dynamics Study to analyse income mobility using longitudinal data, and is the first to do so at a nationally representative level. We investigate both the correlates and root causes of moving up and down the income distribution over time. Using both absolute and relative changes as reference points, we highlight some of the factors associated with South Africans moving into and out of poverty.     

The Long‐Term Consequences of Cultural Distance on Migration: Historical Evidence from China

This paper uses a unique dataset of long‐run migration in China to provide new measures of cultural distance based on biological evidence. We utilise this information to examine the effect of cultural distance on migration in China from the Song Dynasty until the twentieth century. Our findings show that culture has strong effects on migration between regions when controlling for other socio‐economic and geographical factors. Population flow is greater where there are fewer cultural differences. This finding not only provides quantitative empirical evidence on linking cultural distance and migration but also leads to a better understanding of the mechanisms resulting in migration for much of China's history.     

个人所得税对收入分配的影响:由税收累进性和平均税率观察

个人所得税收入调节作用的发挥取决于税制的累进程度和平均税率。从税收累进性和平均税率两方面对我国个人所得税的再分配效应进行解析,得到以下三点基本判断:第一,我国个人所得税的法定累进水平和实际累进水平均已达到发达国家水平;第二,我国个人所得税的平均税率大大低于世界平均水平;第三,我国个人所得税的再分配力度非常小,而平均税率过低是制约我国个人所得税收入调节功能发挥的最主要障碍。因此加强个人所得税收入调节功能的关键是在坚持综合课税改革方向的基础上,通过完善税收征管,不断拓宽个人所得税的课税面、提高其占个人收入的比重。     

百年炮火中的未竟之学——对民国时期国际关系研究与教学的回溯

作者凭借史料,并参考、评价和补充既有学术史研究成果,对民国时期的国际关系学进行回溯。作者首先聚焦学术著作、教材和大学课程设置,认为民国时期国际关系学形成于国际关系史学和国际法学的基础之上、并逐渐朝多元化发展的过程演进,中国的国际关系学科是在20世纪30年代形成的。其次,文章考察了20世纪30年代中国期刊发表外交论文情况,以《外交月报》与《外交评论》为考察对象,重点探讨了民国学者在外敌压境下,放眼国际形势、关注国际格局、思考中国问题,在舆论界发出学术界的声音,尝试以智识指导舆论。国际关系学在民国时期的发展始终与国家的命运相联系,在百年炮火之下,国人眼界逐步放宽,学界亦秉持务实的精神,为实现中国之自由与平等,从被动学习到主动研究,从了解世界到救亡图存,在西学与中学交汇、政治与公众之间寻求自身的平衡点。百年前的未竟之学,要求我们对整个国际关系加以深入的研究,从而建立起一个完整的国际关系学。