Intergenerational Transfers and Asset Inequality in Japan: Empirical Evidence from New Survey Data

This paper quantitatively examines the impact of intergenerational transfers on asset inequality among Japanese households. We estimate an intergenerational asset transfer function with various control variables, using a unique micro dataset taken from a survey conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office. Employing three different models, a Tobit model, an interval regression model and an ordered probit model, to ensure that our results are independent of the specific econometric approach used, we investigate whether asset transfers received are correlated with households’ financial strength. We find that higher income households are likely to receive larger asset transfers. However, the contribution of intergenerational transfers to asset inequality appears to be small.     

Life cycle and bequest savings A study of Japanese and U.S. households based on data from the 1984 NSFIE and the 1983 survey of consumer finances

This paper investigates whether the elderly save or dissave in light of two newly available sets of cross-section micro data, the 1983 “Survey of Consumer Finance” for the United States and the 1984 “National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure” for Japan. Contrary to dominant earlier findings we find for the United States that families after retirement dissave on average about a third of their peak wealth by the time of death, leaving the rest (mostly their homes) as bequests. For Japan, special handling is made to eliminate possible sample selection bias due to the different economic characteristics of the elderly forming independent households and those living with children. We find that the elderly belonging to both groups continue to save, and moreover, there appear to be significant signs of ongoing wealth transfer between the generations. The data in both countries also show that the elasticity of saving with respect to a life time income measure is significantly greater than unity, and more strongly so within higher age groups. J. Japan. Int. Econ., December 1988, 2(4), pp. 450–491. Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6297, and National Bureau of Economic Research.     

迪拜危机：昭示资产飙涨风险

2009年10月25日,阿联酋公国迪拜的政府投资机构迪拜世界集团称,该集团请求债权人签署一份“暂停还款协议”,以推迟其偿还债务的时间。截至2009年8月底,迪拜世界集团的负债为590亿美元,在迪拜的800亿美元债务总额中占了多数比例。     

对政府行为扭曲资产交易价格的解释

本文考察非市场因素中的主要力量——政府作用对我国上市公司并购重组行为的影响。本文的研究证明，政府参与公司并购的动机的确较大程度上扭曲了资产交易价格。这一现象表明，尽管股票市场可以解决上市公司的资金饥渴，但在上市公司与非上市公司之间的资源配置上，资本市场的主要推动力量还是来自于政府，并购重组的经济效率低下。     

A dynamic demand analysis for electrical energy by class of consumer

Conclusion In the preceding discussion, the price responsiveness of consumers has been estimated. The results not only indicate consumer reaction to changes in price is significant, but also they should completely dispel any argument over the efficacy of the market mechanism to restore equilibrium between supply and demand. Note, however, that demand is relatively inelastic, implying that a large change in price is needed to induce a sufficient change in the quantity demanded for the restoration of equilibrium. If the problem is to curtail the sales of electricial energy, the solution is obvious. The author would like to thank Joseph R. Antos and J. Wilson Mixon of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for helpful comments. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the policies of the Bureau of Labor Statistics or the views of other BLS staff members.     

Extinction of the human race: Doom-mongering or reality?

Summary In this paper a simple growth model is extended with an assimilation function that is founded on the natural sciences literature. Moreover, the possibility of a breakdown of the earth's life-support system, wich implies extinction, is explicity taken into account. Under the hypothesis of full information it is concluded that extinction can be an optimal policy. The market outcome is such that a breakdown of the life-support system is inevitable. However, if extinction is not optimal, the government may internalize the externality. It can do so by levying a traditional Pigouvian tax that must (in some cases) be accompanied by a new tax instrument, the overendowment tax.     

环保企业融资方式研究:资产证券化

随着我国环保产业的发展,选择合适的融资方式对于企业来说至关重要.最为流行,也是最适合环保企业的融资方式就是资产的证券化.资产证券化不仅可以解决环保企业融资困难的问题,而且还进一步完善了我国的环保产业的融资体系,可以有效促进我国经济结构转型.但目前,我国环保企业资产证券化的融资方式中还存在着一些问题,需要采取有效措施给予解决,以便更好地促进环保产业发展.     

Foreign Currency Accounting Policy: The Impact of Asset Specificity*

Abstract. Before 1986 Australian companies' unregulated foreign currency accounting practices were diverse. Firms variously recognised exchange rate gains or losses on foreign currency long-term debt (1) as the exchange rate moved, (2) when the debt was settled, or (3) progressively over the term of the debt. This study tests empirically whether the voluntary accounting policy choices were endogenous to contractual equilibria between claimants against the firm and management. Managers' choices are explained as an efficient means to report the impact on debt and equity values from exchange rate movement effects on the value of investments in foreign currency earning assets domiciled in Australia. The study finds that asset specificity and the ratio of firms' investments in assets in place to growth options are significant in explaining the accounting policy choice. Firms used accounting methods that provided accounting exchange rate hedges concurrent with their economic exchange rate hedges of specialised assets in place. Résumé. Les méthodes de comptabilisation des opérations en devises — qui ne faisaient l'objet d'aucune réglementation— variaient dans les sociétés australiennes. Les entreprises constataient de différentes manières les gains ou les pertes de change sur les dettes à long terme libellées en devises, soit (1) à mesure que le taux de change évoluait, soit (2) lorsque la dette était réglée, soit (3) progressivement pendant la durée de la dette. L'auteur vérifie au moyen d'un test empirique si les choix volontaires de politique comptable étaient endogènes aux équilibres contractuels entre les parties par rapport à l'entreprise et à la direction. Les choix des gestionnaires sont, explique-t-il, un moyen efficient de faire état de l'incidence sur la valeur de la dette et des capitaux propres des effets des mouvements du taux de change sur la valeur des placements que possèdent les entreprises australiennes dans des éléments d'actif rapportant des bénéfices en monnaie étrangère. L'auteur constate que la spécificité des éléments d'actif et le rapport entre les placements en immobilisations et les options de croissance sont déterminants du choix de politique comptable. Les entreprises, observe-t-il, utilisaient des méthodes comptables offrant une couverture comptable des taux de change concurremment à la couverture économique des éléments d'actif spécialisés qu'elles possédaient.     

The effect of human capital on the economic status of divorced and separated women: Differences by race

This study investigated the impact of investments in human capital on the economic well-being of black and white women immediately following marital disruption. It also explored the extent to which the observed differences in income between the two groups were due to differences in the levels of qualities (endowments) or differences in the impact of these qualities (discrimination). The average differences in endowments explained almost two-thirds of the income gap between black and white women. Most of this explanatory power was due to differences in educational attainment, work experience, and region.     

The modern theory of consumer behavior: Ordinal or cardinal?

Summary and Conclusion In sum, the cardinal utility numbers generated by neoclassical utility functions provide more information than do their ordinal counterparts. In fact, for any given set of bundles they contain all of the information implicit in ordinal utility numbers for the same set, plus they provide additional information concerning the intensity of the preference for any one bundle relative to any other. It is precisely because utility functions cannot be used to calculate ordinal rankings of bundles without prior calculation of their cardinal utility numbers that the use of utility functions is unacceptable for economic purposes. Moreover, although meaningless with respect to the reality of actual individuals’ preferences, this extra information is harmful because it is misleading. I conclude by reiterating the purpose of this article. I have attempted to demonstrate that neoclassical utility functions are an invalid means of analyzing consumer behavior for three reasons: first, and most important, because such functions, and their attendant rankings, are cardinal, not ordinal in nature; second, because, with respect to the set of bundles relevant to actual human beings, such functions are not continuous and, therefore, not differentiable; and, third, because such functions do not correctly, consistently, and properly include dimensions/units. Let me put this in another way. I will accept the validity of utility functions as soon as its proponents can show me how to perform basic mathematical or arithmetic operations on such ordinal numbers as 1^st, 3^rd, 6^th, and 17^th. Although the paper has been vastly improved through their exertions, the author is still responsible for all remaining errors and infelicities.     

Testing Macro Models by Indirect Inference: A Survey for Users

With Monte Carlo experiments on models in widespread use we examine the performance of indirect inference (II) tests of DSGE models in small samples. We compare these tests with ones based on direct inference (using the Likelihood Ratio, LR). We find that both tests have power so that a substantially false model will tend to be rejected by both; but that the power of the II test is substantially greater, both because the LR is applied after re-estimation of the model error processes and because the II test uses the false model’s own restricted distribution for the auxiliary model’s coefficients. This greater power allows users to focus this test more narrowly on features of interest, trading off power against tractability.     

资产价格波动差异:由股市与房价观察

我国股票市场和住宅市场的市盈率与货币幻觉代理变量通货膨胀率、名义利率呈现明显的反向关系,即在高通胀时,市场被低估;在低通胀时,市场被高估。通货膨胀通过货币幻觉,影响资产估值高低。股市的市盈率波动幅度远大于住宅市场,股票价格波动主要来自估值倍数变化;而住宅的估值倍数波动小,房价波动更多地受到了估值倍数与租金变化的综合影响。     

主权财富基金规模的实际表征:经济要素抑或政府行为

在综述已有文献的基础上,对影响一国主权财富基金规模的因素进行实证研究。对宏观经济、政治以及基金治理三个方面的分析表明,一国的总储备、能源出口、总储蓄、人均GDP、话语权和问责制、政治稳定程度以及基金的结构、管理、问责制和透明度、建立的时间长度等因素对主权财富基金的规模具有显著影响;而一国的政府效率、监管质量、法制环境、腐败控制以及基金的投资行为等因素对主权财富基金规模的影响不显著。