GENERATIONAL ACCOUNTING—AN AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVE

This paper presents a set of generational for Australia, following the approach developed in the U. S. by Auerbach, Gokhale and Kotlikoff. In Contrast to the Auerbach et al. , results for the U. S., the generational accounts presented here do not imply that a disproportionately high fiscal burden will have to be borne by future generations in Australia. In the paper, generational accounts are used to estimate intergenerational redistribution related to policy changes in the area of public retirement pensions.     

A FRAMEWORK FOR REGIONAL ACCOUNTS: AN AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVE

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has recently published a set of experimental estimates of gross State product at factor cost and its income components for the States of Australia (1): The regular compilation and publication of the estimates is also commencing. In compiling the estimates, certain conceptual issues were confronted. Others were recognized but have not required final resolution as yet because they are beyond the scope of the estimates presently compiled.
This paper considers the development of a framework for regional accounts for countries with regional characteristics broadly similar to those of the Australian States by starting with the SNA framework that applies at the national Ievel. The difficulties that arise are highlighted and alternative approaches for dealing with specific issues discussed. These alternative approaches can have a significant impact on measured State relativities and performance over time. In some instances the choice between approaches may be narrowed because of practical considerations in the same way that the SNA is a conceptual framework that nevertheless has to take account of practicalities. The issues largely involve consideration as to whether or not to regard certain activities as extra-territorial in nature. If an extra-territorial concept is not adopted choices must be made on how to allocate data items related to such activities by State.     

INTERACTIONS BETWEEN FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRADE OPENNESS

This paper empirically investigates the interaction between financial development and trade openness through simultaneous‐equation systems. The identification and estimation of the systems rely on the methodology of identification through heteroskedasticity proposed by Rigobon (2003). Using a panel consisting of 70 countries over the period 1960–2007, we find a two‐way causal relationship between financial development and trade openness. A better‐developed financial sector induces higher openness to trade, while higher openness in goods market stymies financial development. And such findings hold well for low‐income, high‐inflation, or low‐governance countries.     

中国进出口贸易顺差的原因、现状及未来展望

以工业制成品进出口为主导,并附之以初次产品进口的国际贸易分工模式所带来的大量贸易顺差,是中国经济的资源禀赋和对外投资、贸易政策共同作用的结果;而顺差变化幅度的轨迹则表明,中国经济正在实现通过外向型政策创造比较优势,向依靠国内大市场培育的规模经济和近乎无限供给的劳动力条件形成的、自发的比较优势转变这一过程。因此,贸易顺差的扩大是未来相当长时期内中国经济对外贸易的基本态势,不存在任何低成本的快速降低贸易顺差的短期措施。     

基于贸易视角的人民币区域化研究

本文综述了人民币区域化的相关研究,从宏观经济的角度分析了人民币区域化的区域经济环境。并采用最优货币区标准内生性的模型,选取1989—2003年的数据,验证了中国同亚洲其他经济体双边贸易关联度与经济相关程度之间的关系。此外,本文从贸易的角度对人民币“区域化”的收益以及相应的效应做了实证分析,通过对中国与亚洲其他经济体的贸易情况,以及中国经济发展对亚洲经济体贸易流量和贸易结构等方面的影响,来判断在亚洲贸易发展的趋势下人民币“区域化”的可行性。     

MODELLING PRODUCTIVITY EFFECTS OF TRADE OPENNESS: A DUAL APPROACH*

A cost function framework is used to model the productivity effect of trade openness in terms of cost saving. The idea of ‘cost saving’ is closer to the entrepreneur's view of productivity. An entrepreneur would expect a reduction in the cost of production if trade openness brings any benefits to their firm. The output‐enhancing (primal) productivity effect of openness is obtainable from the cost‐saving (dual) productivity effect through the cost‐output link. The cost‐function framework also enables us to investigate whether trade openness induces firms to adopt a technology that is biased towards the use or saving of any factor of production. An empirical exercise based on time series data for the Australian two‐digit manufacturing industries reveals significant cost‐saving and output‐enhancing productivity effects of trade openness. Trade openness is biased towards the saving of labour and the use of capital. These results are quite insensitive to the choice of alternative measures of openness.     

中国贸易开放与通货膨胀持续性关系研究

本文分别利用修正的综合贸易强度公式和卡尔曼滤波方法估计了中国改革开放以来的贸易开放度和时变的通货膨胀持续性,并在此基础上对中国贸易开放与通货膨胀持续性关系进行了实证研究。结果表明:中国贸易开放度的变化表现出明显的阶段性特征;中国的通货膨胀持续性处于不断波动的过程中,从趋势来看,中国的通货膨胀持续性呈现出不断下降的趋势;贸易开放度的提高对中国的通货膨胀持续性具有显著的负向影响。     

贸易开放、人口规模与中国地方政府规模：驱动还是补偿*

针对贸易开放、人口规模和中国地方政府规模之间联系究竟是驱动促成还是补偿所致的争论,本文基于中国29个省份1978—2013年三个维度样本数据,首先考察三者之间的关系,研究发现贸易开放对地方政府规模具有正向影响,人口规模对地方政府规模的影响不确定,人口规模对贸易开放存在正向影响。采用多种内生性处理方法的估计表明,贸易开放对地方政府规模的正向影响是因果性的。上述结论在不同的估计方法、数据类型、模型设定下均十分稳健。人口规模并未在贸易开放与中国地方政府规模的正向联系中起到居间驱动作用,贸易开放基于风险补偿机制直接推动了中国地方政府规模的不断膨胀。因此,伴随“一带一路”的有序推进,适度提高地方政府在民生领域的支出规模可能势在必行。     

CORRUPTION AND CORPORATE FINANCE PATTERNS: AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract.  This study demonstrates the importance of government corruption in shaping corporate finance patterns across countries. Corruption contributes to a more prevalent and higher degree of corporate equity ownership concentration and more reliance on bank financing in raising external finance. It argues that corporate governance under corrupt governments is particularly poor. Firm management, taking advantage of political capital acquired through bribery, is especially powerful in expropriating from outside investors. Ownership concentration and reliance on bank financing are means of mitigating the corporate governance problem under a corrupt government.     

UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE PRODUCTIVITY SLOWDOWN: AN EFFCIENCY WAGE PERSPECTIVE

Many OECD economies suffered a productivity slowdown beginning in the early 1970s. However, the increase in unemployment that followed this slowdown was more pronounced in European economies relative to the USA. In this paper we present an efficiency wage model, which enables us to identify two basic channels through which the productivity slowdown can affect workers' effort incentives. Predictions of the model are consistent with the different trends in unemployment across countries over this period in the face of a similar slowdown in productivity. We also demonstrate how the link between growth and unemployment depends upon labour market institutions in such a way that we can reconcile the mixed empirical results observed in the literature.     

对外开放与TFP增长:基于中国省际面板数据的经验研究

本文运用DEA的方法,先测算出1986—2003年各省域经济的技术效率、技术进步和TFP增长,然后实证研究人力资本、国际进出口及FDI对三者的影响。结果表明,人力资本和出口对技术效率的提高有正向作用,进口负向影响技术效率,FDI的影响不显著。出口对技术进步和TFP增长有轻微的负向影响,进口对二者具有小幅度的正向促进作用;而人力资本、FDI对技术进步和TFP增长的正向影响要大于进口。综合来看,对外开放能够促进TFP的增长,但是其影响只有人力资本正向效果的十分之一。