Income Distribution and Redistribution

Abstract:

It seems that some observable structural trends in recent decades such as globalization, skills-biased technological advances and level of unionization all over the world have been affected by income distribution, in addition to other economic variables. The latest trends in the 2000s exhibited a widening gap between the rich and the poor not only in some of the already high inequality countries, but also in traditionally low inequality countries. In order to mitigate inequality, many countries have followed redistribution policies (taxes and transfers). In this article, we will mainly focus on the effects of redistribution policies consisting of income taxes and social transfers on income inequality using the micro data in Turkey. Additionally, since financial crises have been becoming more important with increasing frequency of crises all over the world, we also search for the effects of crises on inequality and the degree of mitigation of redistributive policies, especially during the Global Recession.     

技术变化与收入分配

本文以20世纪70年代的信息技术革命为背景，运用美国商务部经济统计局生产率数据库，在此较五，六十年代和七、八十年代工资结构的基础上，提出了一个简单的技术变化模型。通过模型以及与经验观察相一致的实证研究，指出技术变化引起工人工资不平等的两种渠道；直接的途径是对于既定的资本劳动力比率来说，新技术能生产更多的产量；间接的途径是资本从非技能工人流向技能工人，从而使得前者的人均资本在技术变化前变得更少，本文的结论是：运用革命性的新技术对传统行业进行改造，构成了经济增长的最终主体，人力资本水平之高低越来越影响到最终经济的财富的总量。     

收入分配与乘数效应

传统的乘数理论忽视了收入分配因素，因此在宏观经济政策分析中有很大局限性。论文以我国城镇居民微观消费行为的分析为基础，建立了引入收入分配因素的乘数效应模型，并根据我国近年来的统计数据作了验证，证实它与我国的经验是一致的。由此可以得出收入再分配政策与财政政策，货币政策在方向上具有一致性的政策结论。     

International Trade as Determined by Income and Income Distribution

Abstract

In standard trade theory, consumption is normally assumed to be homothetic. Consequently, income and its distribution have no role in determining international trade patterns. This paper examines the assumption and its implications. The assumption of homothetic preferences is rejected at the 1% level. It further demonstrates that the Heckscher–Ohlin–Vanek (HOV) model modified by allowing for non-homothetic taste improves the performance of HOV prediction and explains some of the trade puzzles and paradoxes.     

收入分配、财产分配和渐进改革--纪念《经济社会体制比较》杂志创刊20周年

首先。我想谈一谈收入分配问题。收入分配是整个社会经济系统中一个十分重要的子系统。收入分配的状况不仅影响生产的效率，而且影响人们的切身利益，从而影响社会的协调与稳定。从1988年以来，我和国内外一些同行合作研究中国居民收入分配问题，出版了《中国居民收入分配研究》和《中国居民收入分配再研究》等书。通过系统的实证分析，我认为应该客观全面地看待中国经济改革和经济发展过程中收入分配格局的变化。在这些变化中，有三个问题特别值得重视。     

收入分配的首要问题:差距过大还是分配不公

目前我国的收入分配问题包括收入差距过大和收入分配不公两个方面,收入差距过大不等于收入分配不公;收入分配的首要问题不是收入差距过大,而是收入分配不公;当务之急是采取切实可行的有效措施,重点解决好目前令人担忧的收入分配不公的问题,把我国的收入差距控制在合理适度的范围之内。     

Income Distribution,Econophysics and Piketty

Piketty, Atkinson and Saez have put the analysis of income distribution back on center stage. The distinction between property income and labor income plays a central role in this framework. Property income derives from the rate of return on stocks of income-earning wealth and is more unequally distributed than labor income. Piketty argues that, because the rate of return (r) is generally greater than the rate of growth of the economy (g), property income tends to grow more rapidly than labor income, so that rising income inequality is an intrinsic tendency of capitalism despite interruptions due to world wars and great depressions. This article argues the exact opposite. The rise of unions and the welfare state were the fruits of long-term historical gains made by labor, and the postwar constraints on real and financial capital arose in sensible reaction to the Great Depression. The ‘neoliberal’ era beginning in the 1980s significantly rolled back all of these. The article uses the econophysics two-class argument of Yakovenko to show that we can explain the empirical degree of inequality using two factors alone: the profit share and the degree of financialization of income. The rise of inequality in the neoliberal era then derives from a reduction in the wage share (rise in the profit share) in the face of assaults on labor and the welfare state, and a sharp increase in the financialization of incomes as financial controls are weakened. These are inherently socio-political outcomes, and what was lost can be regained. Hence, there is no inevitable return to Piketty’s ‘patrimonial capitalism’.     

教育均衡与中国区域间收入分配

本文利用受教育年限、人力资本及个人收入之间的关系,对省区间教育均衡性进行研究,分析教育均衡对个人收入影响的相关关系,结论表明:我国各省区间教育差距与人力资本存量呈负相关关系,但受教育总体水平有向均衡发展的趋势。以此,政府应加大对落后地区的投入,提高这类地区的人力资本存量,以促进各地区教育的均衡发展、缩小区域间的收入差距。     

Income Distribution and the Demand Constraint

This paper argues thatthe interaction between inequality and the demand patterns forgoods is a potential source of persistent inequality. Incomedistribution, in the presence of non-homothetic preferences,affects the demand for goods and, due to differences in factorintensities across sectors, it alters the return to factors ofproduction and the initial distribution of income. Low inequalityleads to high demand for medium skilled intensive goods, providinga bridge over which low skill dynasties may transition to thehigh-skilled sector in the long run. Under high inequality however,the initial lack of demand for medium skilled labor breachesthis bridge from poverty to prosperity and inequality persists.     

Share Ribs and Income Distribution*

The connection between changes in commodity prices and the distribution of income is a question of active interest since the 1941 Stolper-Samuelson Theorem. In higher dimensions results are obtained only if structure is imposed. Here we assume that each of n-industries is alike in the shape of the profile (rib) of distributive factor shares with a permutation of factor numbering such that industry n is most intensive in factor n. Such a structure reveals either a strong version of the Stolper Samuelson Theorem or a Neighborhood oscillation pattern depending on the shape of the share ribs.     

Personal Income Distribution and Market Structure

Income distribution affects market demand and its elasticity, and, as a consequence, the optimal behaviour of firms and market equilibrium. This paper focuses on the effects of income polarization, and presents a model where – for any unimodal density function describing income distribution of the consumers – income polarization leads to market concentration, i.e., to a smaller number of firms able to survive in the long run, provided that the firms' fixed costs are sufficiently low.     

收入分配研究述评

收入差距拉大引发的社会两极分化问题已成为中国社会最为敏感问题之一,这一问题也影响着社会与经济的可持续发展。收入分配不公带来的社会冲突、分层加剧、资源配置失衡等危害也已引起政府的高度关注。本文着重从行业垄断、税收调控、社会保障等方面评述影响收入分配差距拉大的因素。为改善我国收入分配不平等状况,需要对初次分配与再分配加以规范。因此,限制公共权力,加强对垄断的监管,规范劳动力市场是关键,与此同时,税收、转移支付与社会保障等宏观调控手段应被广泛采用。     

略谈我国的收入分配问题

收入分配悬殊是引起我国目前诸多经济问题的重要原因。本文运用国际上通用的三种标准即①劳动分配率②洛伦斯曲线与基尼系数③工资的差异率。分析了我国收入分配中存在的问题及如何正确对待这些问题。     

收入分配一元论

在我国收入分配理论中出现的收入分配多元论是所有制决定分配的集中表现,但这种理论既不能解释真实世界里的收入分配现象又不能解决实际中的收入分配问题。分配理论上的重大缺陷导致了分配上的混乱。因此,必须建立与社会主义市场经济相适应的统一的分配制度即收入分配一元论。     

当代收入分配理论的新发展

本文全面介绍了当代收入分配理论的最新发展。当代收入分配理论从不同角度研究了收入分配与经济增长的关系及收入分配格局的动态演化。在收入分配对经济增长的影响方面 ,本文重点介绍了理论上发展得比较充分的政治经济机制 ,以及教育—生育决策、社会稳定性和市场规模等机制 ;在收入分配的动态演化方面 ,本文介绍了内生收入分配格局的人力资本机制、工资机制、利率机制 ,考察了技术变化、金融发展与收入分配动态演化的关系及Lucas的偏好扰动理论。本文还介绍了收入分配福利评价理论。     

中国居民收入差距的演变——基于金融深化视角的实证研究

对中国金融发展与收入差距的关系进行分析发现：（1）中国居民收入差距与金融深化进程遵循倒“U”曲线的演化路径;（2）我国金融深化与收入差距之间存在着扩大的库兹涅茨效应。对此考察后,我们认为：随着金融的发展和现代部门在经济中比重的提高,政府在利用金融体系调控经济中的政策倾向在一定程度上诱导了这一现象的发生。同时,我们预计我国居民收入差距呈扩大趋势并将延续一段时期。