Declining State Funding and Efficiency Effects on Public Higher Education: Government Really Does Matter

A stochastic cost frontier with inefficiency effects is estimated to investigate the impacts of decreases in state funding support on the operating efficiency of public colleges and universities in the U.S. Panel data for 378 institutions spanning 10 academic years, 2004 through 2013, captures the efficiency effects of declines in state funding from 32 % to 23 %. There are several improvements over early work of like kind that was, however, confined to four academic years, 2005 through 2008, and could not account for the accelerated effects of state funding decreases that followed the financial crisis. Inefficiency effects are extended to include both private giving as a substitute revenue source and federally funded Pell Grants. Empirical results are robust and support the notion that government does matter. Decreases in state funding create inefficiency in producing public higher education. Results also suggest the same for private giving and Pell Grant support, although the former was statistically weak at best. On the cost side, the results, not surprisingly, indicate that university administrators held costs down with hiring increases in non-tenure track faculty and staff relative to tenure track and tenured faculty.     

The Role of Market Size in the Formation of Jurisdictions

Administrative and political reorganization is being actively debated even in the mature, stable economies of Western Europe. This paper investigates the possibility that such a reorganization is tied to the integration of economic markets. The paper describes a model where heterogeneous individuals form coalitions for the provision of a public good and shows that the number and composition of these jurisdictions depend on the overall size of the market. The range of economic activities engaged in by jurisdiction members increases when the size of the market increases, and so does the range of their preferences over the public good. The result is a change in the endogenous borders of the jurisdictions, and a reorganization of all coalitions. The optimal number of jurisdictions is unique and increases with market size. In the absence of compensating transfers, however, the decentralized equilibrium need not be optimal and is not unique, although     

Investment with Uncertain Tax Policy: Does Random Tax Policy Discourage Investment

We consider the impact of tax policy uncertainty on firm level and aggregate investment, comparing investment behaviour when uncertainty is due to a shock following Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM) versus when random discrete jumps in tax policy occur. Expectations of the likelihood of a tax policy switch have an important negative impact on the gain to delaying investment in the latter model and time to investment can fall with increasing tax policy uncertainty. Aggregate investment simulations indicate that capital formation is adversely affected by increases in uncertainty in the traditional GBM model but can be enhanced in the jump process model.     

Tax Ratios in Macroeconomics: Do Taxes Really Matter?

In various empirical studies so-called tax ratios (tax revenues expressed as a ratio of some aggregate tax base) are employed as approximations for tax burdens. The most difficult problem in calculating tax ratios is the way in which personal income tax revenues are attributed to labour and capital. We argue that the methodology of Mendoza et al. (1994) is seriously flawed in this respect. Using information from national sources, we calculate more accurate tax ratios for eight OECD countries that differ substantially from those of Mendoza et al. (1997). Still, the results of the empirical analysis of Mendoza et al. (1997) do not change significantly if we use our tax ratios instead of those of Mendoza et al.. However, the results change once country specific effects are taken up in the model. Capital taxes are, e.g., shown to reduce economic growth. We find that the results of Daveri and Tabellini (2000) are neither sensitive to the use of the tax ratios nor to the specification of the model: high labour taxes have increased unemployment in Europe.     

Tax efficiency in selected Indian states

This paper attempts to measure pure tax efficiency of fifteen major Indian states (Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) for the period 1980–81 to 1992–93 in a manner that allows this efficiency to vary both across time as well as across states. It is discovered that there is a moral hazard problem in the design of central grants in that higher grants by the central government to the state governments reduce efficiency of tax collection by these states. The less poor states are more efficient in tax collection. The rankings of states by tax efficiency for the various years do not converge. An index of aggregate tax efficiency is calculated and it appears that this index has been stagnating. It is argued that the weight placed on tax effort in the formula determining central grants to state governments should be increased to improve tax efficiency of state governments. First version received: November 1997/final version received: November 1998     

The Efficiency Consequences of Local Revenue Equalization: Tax Competition and Tax Distortions

This paper shows how a popular system of federal revenue equalization grants can limit tax competition among subnational governments, correct fiscal externalities, and increase government spending. Remarkably, an equalization grant can implement efficient policy choices by regional governments, even in the presence of differences in regional tax capacity, tastes for public spending, and population. If aggregate tax bases are elastic, however, equalization leads to excessive taxation. Efficiency can be achieved by a modified formula that equalizes a fraction of local revenue deficiencies equal to the fraction of taxes that are shifted backward to factor suppliers.     

Scale Economies In Cellular Telephony: Size Matters

Strategic positioning and potential cost savings are popular explanations for growing consolidation in the wireless telephone industry. This research estimates economies of scale for a large panel of GTE Wireless cellular market areas. Contrary to previous findings, our results indicate scale economies exist throughout the system and provide a rationale for the industry trend of consolidation.     

最优银行业结构存在地区差异吗

以WBES提供的问卷调查数据开展实证研究后发现:在全样本下,银行业结构与中小企业受到融资约束的概率之间呈现U型相关,即存在最优的银行业结构;而江苏省的样本则体现出银行业结构越集中,中小企业受到融资约束的概率反而越小的特征。这些结论与传统上认为发展小银行有利于中小企业融资的观点不完全相符。进一步的分析表明,城市的信用环境改善、中小企业发展水平的提高以及大银行审批权的上升能推动最优银行业结构朝着大银行占比更高的方向变化。不同地区的最优银行业结构水平存在差异。因此,一个城市在构建有利于中小企业融资的银行业结构时,要充分关注地区差异的影响,寻找到适合本地的最优银行业结构。     

文化创意产业技术效率的空间差异及影响因素——基于异质性随机前沿模型(HSFM)的实证分析

文化创意产业是经济、文化、科技和创新深度融合的产物,是整个经济发展机制的重要组成部分,但当前对其技术效率的研究尚显不足。本文构建技术时变的异质性随机前沿模型,基于中国31个省(市、区)1998²009年的面板数据,对文化创意产业的技术效率及其影响因素进行实证研究,结果表明:中国文化创意产业的技术效率整体水平不高,效率损失约为37.1%,但随时间呈小幅上升趋势;技术效率区域差异明显,东部的技术效率最高,并且区域间技术效率出现收敛趋势;文化创意产业规模与技术效率正相关,经济发展水平、社会资本、信息化水平和科技水平对技术效率具有积极作用,而人力资本增加了技术无效率。     

税收效率和公平原则的理论与税收完善

该文较深入地探析了税收的效率和公平原则的有关理论观点,并根据这两个理论原则和我国实际情况,对如何完善我国税制,其中包括要完善消费税、企业所得税、资源税、个人所得税、增值税、财产税,以及设置环境保护税和社会保障税等方面提出了有益的见解。     

Evolving Efficiency of Dually-Listed Indian Stocks: A Nonlinear Perspective

This paper examines the degree of efficiency of Indian ADRs and their underlying stocks trading in NSE/BSE from an adaptive markets hypothesis (AMH) perspective that is theoretically grounded in nonlinear serial dependence. For this purpose, the authors employ the windowed as well as the rolling hinich bicorrelation test procedures on ADRs and the underlying stocks issued by Indian firms such as, and limited to, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Infosys, Wipro, Tata Motors, and Sterlite Industries. The study’s findings indicate that the degree of market efficiency witnessed at the level of individual scrips (ADRs or underlying domestic stocks) differs considerably from the degree of efficiency of the broader stock market in which such scrips trade. Further, the degree of efficiency witnessed amidst all US and Indian scrips considered for this study was found to be heterogeneous in nature and in-turn warrants a ranking approach. Lastly, the degree of efficiency witnessed in certain (not all) dually-listed Indian scrips was found to be homogenous across trading locations. However, this does not happen to be the case for all other dually-listed scrips considered for this study. The study’s findings bring to light the need for disaggregated, firm level market efficiency studies aimed at examining firm-level market efficiency at different trading locations and in-turn identifying the antecedents behind homogeneity (or lack-thereof) in firm-level market efficiency across multiple trading locations.

     

个人所得税税制模式:公平与效率的权衡

税制模式是一个涉及所得税公平与效率权衡问题的重要因素,对其的研究引起了学界和纳税人的广泛关注。然而,税制模式的改变不应该是一个建立于情绪化的公平偏好或公众舆论导向的产物,而应该是一个缜密的理论分析和客观的实践总结的结果。本文在分析各种税制模式在公平与效率方面的理论描述及其各国模式选择实践的基础上,得出了一个基本结论:即我国现行的特殊分类税制是符合现实税收环境的恰当税制模式。     

Time Varying Efficiency in Indian Sectors: An Event Study on Demonetization

The study examines the level of inefficiency present in three different sectors of India. More specifically, it applies different estimation techniques to measure the level of efficiency across the agriculture, service and manufacturing sectors by choosing twenty stocks from each of them. Since there are multiple industries belonging to a particular sector, capturing the intra-industry differential in their efficiencies is also crucial. Presence of long range dependence and the time-varying efficiency across the industries belonging to different sectors have been tested. Then, the impact of recent macroeconomic event of Demonetization on these industries have been explored using six event windows. The results confirm that the impact of this event on the industry returns are mostly negative and significant. However, the magnitude of impact varies across industries depending on the level of demand uncertainty and their cash dependence. Finally, the robustness of our findings has been checked using fixed effect panel regression which further validates the results of the event study.

     

Growth Effects of Capital Income Taxes: How Much Does Endogenous Innovation Matter?

The paper compares the way economies with exogenous and endogenous innovation respond to capital income taxes. If innovation is exogenous, tax cuts increase saving. If innovation is endogenous, tax cuts increase innovation as well. Faster innovation raises capital productivity and calls forth still more saving. A larger capital stock lowers the discount rate, increases the present value of monopoly profit and calls for faster innovation. How large a difference endogenous innovation might make is an open question. We calculate numerical solutions of a model including features of the U.S. tax code that affect incentives to innovate. The results suggest that models with exogenous innovation substantially underestimate long–run effects of capital income taxes.     

效率与公平兼顾的最优所得税:理论框架及最优税率估计

最优所得税主要探讨税收如何兼顾公平与效率问题,以及给定公平偏好程度下,如何确定最优边际税率水平。即使在崇尚罗尔斯社会福利函数的社会里,政府同时兼顾再分配和财政收入目标的基础上,只要略加考虑税收对劳动供给的效应,哪怕是微弱的考虑和兼顾,最高边际税率都不会达到100%。而且,借鉴斯特恩最优线性所得税模型及美国个人所得税制度,估计我国现行个人所得税最高边际税率还可以适当降低到36%左右。     

Real Options Effects on Employment: Does Exchange Rate Uncertainty Matter for Aggregation?

Abstract. In a baseline micro model a band of inaction due to hiring and firing costs is widened by option value effects of exchange rate uncertainty. Based on this micro foundation, an aggregation approach is presented. Under uncertainty, intervals of weak response to exchange rate reversals (called ‘play’ areas) are introduced on the macro level. ‘Spurts’ in new employment or firing may occur after an initially weak response. Since these mechanisms may apply to other ‘investment’ cases where the aggregation of microeconomic real options effects under uncertainty are relevant, they may even be of a more general interest.     

中国区域技术效率的空间收敛性分析：1994—2008

空间计量经济学认为一个地区空间单元上的同一现象或属性值与邻近地区空间单元上同一现象或属性值是相关的。文章通过对我国地区技术效率的空间依赖性检验发现我国地区技术效率存在显著的空间依赖性。因此本文在地区技术效率宅间依赖性的基础上对我国地区技术效率的收敛性及其影响因素进行了分析,实证结果表明我国地区技求效率存在显著的条件收敛性,其中地区对外开放水平、资源禀赋条件、市场化程度是我国地区技术效率趋异的重要因素;而地区工业化水平、人力资本水平、科技投入水平则是促进我国妯区技术效率趋同的雷辱陶素．     

Cross-Sectoral Patterns of Efficiency and Technical Change in Manufacturing

This article uses data from 11 countries for 19 years to investigate the forces driving output change in 6 manufacturing sectors. A flexible model is adopted that allows for the decomposition of output changes into three types of change: technical, efficiency, and input. This framework allows, among other things, for the investigation of (1) the relative roles of the three components of output growth in each sector, (2) the manner in which efficiency change moves over the business cycle, and (3) potential technical spillovers from one sector to another.     

房产税、资源配置与城市生产效率

作为一项房地产市场长效调控的重要政策,房产税将会对要素市场的资源配置乃至城市经济发展产生深远影响.文章利用2011年上海市房产税政策的冲击,采用合成控制法估计了房产税改革对城市生产效率的影响,证明了房产税对上海市生产率的提升作用.对比重庆市的房产税政策效果,我们发现房产税税基相对较宽的特点缓解了住房价格的非理性上涨,一定程度上能够改善资本和劳动力要素资源在行业间的配置,这是城市生产率提升的重要原因之一.文章的结论丰富了房产税实施细则及其政策效果方面的研究,为宽税基、低税率房产税方案具备的政策优势提供了更多佐证,对构建房地产市场长效调控机制以及经济高质量发展的实现路径提供了政策抓手.     

Regulated Firms with Transboundary Pollution: Does International Competition Improve Efficiency?

We consider a model of strategic trade and environmental policies with transboundary pollution. A regulated monopoly produces in each country and emits pollution. Under complete information, opening borders leads to a reallocation of the production from the large country to the small one. Total production increases, leading to an increase in the total level of pollution. The creation of a common market sometimes leads to a deterioration of total welfare. Under asymmetric information, the international competition generated by the common market decreases the informational rents of the firms, thereby reinforcing the potential gain to open markets to international competition.