Context and the VSL: Evidence from a Stated Preference Study in Italy and the Czech Republic

We report on the results of a survey based on conjoint choice experiments that was specifically designed to investigate the effect of context on the Value of a Statistical Life (VSL), an important input into the calculation of the mortality benefits of environmental policies that reduce premature mortality. We define “context” broadly to include (1) the cause of death (respiratory illness, cancer, road traffic accident), (2) the beneficiary of the risk reduction (adult v. child), and (3) the mode of provision of the risk reduction (public program v. private good). The survey was conducted following similar protocols in Italy and the Czech Republic. When do not distinguish for the cause of death, child and adult VSL are not significantly different from one another in Italy, and the difference is weak in the Czech sample. When we distinguish for the cause of death, we find that child and adult VSLs are different at the 1% level for respiratory illnesses and road-traffic accidents, but do not differ for cancer risks. We find evidence of a “cancer premium” and a “public program premium.” In both countries, the marginal utility of income is about 20% lower among wealthier people, which makes the VSL about 20% higher among respondents with incomes above the sample average. The discount rate implicit in people’s choices is effectively zero. We conclude that there is heterogeneity in the VSL, and that such heterogeneity is primarily driven by risk characteristics mode of delivery of the risk reduction, and income, while other individual characteristics of the respondent (e.g., age and education) are less important. For the most part, our results are in agreement with environmental policy analyses that use the same VSL for children and adults, and that apply a cancer premium.     

Investment and Finance in de novo private firms: Empirical Results from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland

In this paper we use a survey of 281 Czech, Hungarian and Polish newly-established small private firms in order to shed some light on the constraints these firms face in the credit market. The results of our survey show that imperfections in capital markets in Central European economies do not seem to actually inhibit the growth of new private firms. Credit markets do exist for de novo private firms in the three Central European transition economies studied, and they provide quite a large amount of financing from an early stage of the existence of firms. Financial intermediation works reasonably well as far as de novo private firms are concerned: loss-making de novo firms have a lower probability of getting credit than profitable ones. Banks protect themselves against the risk of a deteriorating pool of borrowers by requiring collateral for their loans. We do not find convincing evidence concerning the existence of adverse selection. Loss-making firms are not ready to pay higher interest rates than profitable firms and are not more likely to ask for credit than profitable firms.     

Dynamic elasticities of tax revenue: evidence from the Czech Republic

Tax revenue elasticities with respect to tax bases are key parameters for the modeling of public finances. Yet the existing studies estimating these elasticities for emerging countries disregard the effects of tax reforms on tax revenue, which renders their estimates inconsistent. We introduce a framework for estimating both short- and long-run tax revenue elasticities using quarterly data adjusted for the effects of reforms. Our results suggest that the long-run elasticities in the Czech Republic are 1.4 for wage tax, 0.9 for value added tax, 1.7 for profit tax and 1 for social security contributions. The adjustment process for value added tax and social security contributions is fast, but for the remaining two categories, it is important to distinguish between the short- and long-run elasticities: the initial response of revenue to changes in the bases is weak. In the case of wage tax it takes half a year for the elasticity to surpass unity.     

投资者能识别稳健性会计吗？——来自中国上市公司的经验证据

会计的稳健程度越高,债权人对企业资产账面值的评价以及股东对企业净资产账面值的评价就越高。相对于会计稳健程度低的企业而言,债权人对会计稳健程度高的企业的评价较高,而股东做出的评价则较低。这表明不同类型的投资者均能在一定程度上识别财务报告的稳健程度。     

税费负担、创新能力与企业升级——来自“新三板”挂牌公司的经验证据

本文运用2005—2015年间全国中小企业股份转让系统挂牌公司的年报数据,分析了税费负担对企业创新能力和升级水平的影响。研究发现,无论是总体税费负担还是直接、间接税费负担的增加都会降低企业的创新能力,减少创新成果,但间接税费的负效应大于直接税费。另一方面,尽管总体税费负担和间接税费负担的增加同样会抑制企业成长,但直接税费负担与企业成长水平呈显著正相关。进一步研究发现,正是创新能力导致不同类别的税费负担影响企业升级水平的差异:企业研发投入增加,在使直接税费负担降低的同时,也导致当期净资产收益率和营业利润率等成长指标下降,结果使得企业的直接税费负担与企业成长呈同向变动。另一方面,随着创新产出和营业收入的增加,以营业收入为税基的间接税费也将增加。因此,进一步降低企业创新活动的税费负担,从长期看不仅有利于促进企业转型升级,而且有利于税收收入的可持续增长。     

Empirical evaluation of nominal convergence in Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary (CPH)

We estimate a four variable structural vector auto regression (SVAR) model of the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary economies in order to evaluate the links between the instruments of monetary policy and inflation outcomes. We find that the linkages between the interest rates and price levels are weak. However, the exchange rate constitutes the most important channel of monetary policy transmission for Poland and Hungary. For the Czech Republic, the link between interest rate rise and price level is rather indirect.     

政治关联、审计需求与会计信息质量——基于我国上市公司的经验证据

以2005—2008年在我国沪深两市的民营上市公司为样本,实证分析了上市公司的政治关系、会计信息质量与审计需求之间的相互关系。研究结果显示,有政治关系的上市公司更倾向于选择低水平的审计师,而选择低质量外部审计服务的上市公司的会计信息质量也更低。     

ERP系统实施、制度环境与会计信息质量——基于中国上市公司的经验证据

本文通过研究2003～2009年实施ERP系统对会计信息质量的影响,发现ERP系统实施有利于上市公司向外部信息使用者披露更相关的会计信息,但会计信息的可靠性受到一定程度的损害,即存在相关性与可靠性的"权衡效应".研究还发现,上市公司所处地区的制度环境对会计信息可靠性有显著的正面影响;同时,完善的制度环境在一定程度上能够削弱ERP系统实施对会计信息可靠性的影响.在完善的制度环境下实施更多ERP功能子系统的上市公司并没有放大这种"权衡效应",而是趋向于对外披露更高质量的会计信息.     

全球性税制改革的经验与教训

20世纪80年代以来,税制改革风潮几乎遍及了全世界。通过对发达国家和发展中国家税制改革的研究和世界银行、国际货币组织的研究,为确定最佳税制改革方案将起到有益的借鉴作用。     

Remittances and the Dutch Disease: Evidence from the Republic of Moldova

This paper analyzes the linkage between exports, real effective exchange rates, and workers’ remittances in the Republic of Moldova based on impulse response functions through a vector autoregressive model. We find that an inflow of remittances leads to an appreciation of real exchange rate and a decline of exports, but the magnitude is small. Another finding is that the exchange rate appreciation does not affect remittance transfers for the first three-quarters.     

Corporate Investment and Tax Disincentive: Evidence from China

This study investigates how taxes influence corporate investment behavior. Based on a census of Chinese industrial enterprises, we utilize a tax-adjusted q model to examine the effects of taxes on corporate investment in fixed assets in China. Results show that the effective tax rate has a relatively small but significantly negative impact on Chinese firms’ investment in fixed assets. We extend the tax-adjusted q model to control for the lagged investment effect and peer effect of investment. Models with these effects do better at explaining the impact of taxes on firms’ investment. The lagged investment models present smaller but significant tax disincentive. Firms compete for investment with other firms both in the same region and in the same industry through peer effect. In addition, the tax disincentive differs among state owned enterprises, private enterprises, and other enterprises in China.     

The willingness to migrate in the CEECs evidence from the Czech Republic

Given the low levels of migration in the CEEC found in the literature, this paper raises the issue of who is willing to migrate in these countries. Using data on the willingness to migrate in the Czech Republic we show that variables measuring regional labour market conditions and amenities contribute little to explaining willingness to migrate, but that personal and household characteristics are more important. The least willing to migrate are the family-house owners, the less educated and the elderly as well as persons residing in regions with above-average unemployment rates. Improving the efficiency of the housing market and focusing on the problems of peripheral regions should thus be primary foci of a policy aimed at improving labour-market adjustment through migration. These policies are, however, unlikely to yield rapid results, since the willingness to migrate of all subgroups analysed (except for the less educated) reacts only weakly to regional labour market incentives and amenities.

Inflation and Productivity: Empirical Evidence from Europe

The paper investigates the empirical association between inflation and productivity in 15 European countries over the period 1960–97. Modern econometric techniques based on integration and cointegra– tion analysis are used to test for the existence of a long–run relationship between inflation and productivity. Recently developed causality tests for possibly cointegrated VAR models are also applied instead of relying on standard Granger causality tests which are inappropriate in the presence of nonstationary variables.     

Priorities and sequencing in privatization: Evidence from Czech firm panel data

While privatization of state-owned enterprises has been one of the most important aspects of the economic transition from a centrally planned to a market system, no transition economy has privatized all its firms simultaneously. This raises the question of whether governments privatize firms strategically. In this paper we examine the determinants of the sequencing of privatization. To obtain testable predictions about the factors that may affect sequencing, we investigate the following competing government objectives: (i) Maximizing efficiency through resource allocation; (ii) maximizing public goodwill from the free transfers of shares to the public; (iii) minimizing political costs; (iv) maximizing efficiency through information gains; and (v) maximizing privatization revenues. Next, we use firm-level data from the Czech Republic to test the competing predictions about the sequencing of privatization. Consistent with the hypotheses of a government priority on revenues and public goodwill, we find strong evidence that more profitable firms were privatized first. The sequencing of privatization is also consistent with maximizing efficiency through information gains. Our results indicate that many empirical studies of the effects of privatization on firm performance suffer from a selection bias.     

所得税会计政策选择的经济动因及实证研究

会计政策的可选择性为企业真实反映经济业务实质创造条件的同时,也为企业管理当局操纵会计盈余提供了机会。分析和检验会计政策选择的动因对企业会计准则的完善与企业会计行为的监管均具有十分重要的现实意义。