Firm–Specific Assets and the Link between Exchange Rates and Japanese Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: A Re–examination

Blonigen has studied Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) in the USA using panel count models and data for 1975–92. He reports that appreciation of Japanese yen had a positive impact on Japanese FDI in the USA. We re–examine the robustness of this conclusion using Blonigen’s data and a family of econometric models—finite mixture panel count models—that are more flexible and appear to provide an improved fit to his data. Although our results broadly support Blonigen’s conclusions regarding the link between the exchange rate and Japanese FDI in the USA, our approach highlights the considerable diversity in the response of FDI to exchange rate variations. JEL Classification Number: C25.     

工业投资的长期效应——来自抗日战争的证据

基于特定地区的工业投资是后发国家(或地区)干预经济的重要手段,但其长期政策效果却未引起足够关注.文章搜集整理了各种史料,构建了抗日战争时期后方十省的县级工业数据库,探究抗日战争时期大后方地区的工业投资对经济发展所带来的长期影响及其作用机制.研究发现:(1)如果1942?1945年间县内工业企业数量越多,那么其在新中国时期经济发展水平越高,不过该效应随时间逐渐减弱.(2)近代大后方地区的工业投资通过路径依赖和初始物质资本积累对长期经济发展产生了正向影响.历史上工业投资越高的地区,当下的工业化程度也越高,但工业企业的生产效率并没有显著差别.(3)历史上拥有更多工业投资的地区在当下能够吸引更多的人口迁入,同时拥有更高的城市化率,不过该历史基础并未显著影响与农村相关的变量,如婴儿死亡率以及农村居民纯收入等.上述结论说明,向特定地区的大规模投资可以帮助其更快地完成工业化,逆比较优势的产业布局在短期会带来效率损失,但在长期却可能带来正面效应.     

The Effect of Corruption on Investment Growth: Evidence from Firms in Latin America,Sub‐Saharan Africa,and Transition Countries*

Most of the empirical studies that analyze the impact of corruption on investment have three common features: they employ country‐level data on investment, corruption is measured at the country level, and data for countries from several regions are pooled together. This paper uses firm‐level data on investment and measures corruption at the firm and country level, and allows the effect of corruption to vary by region. Our dependent variable is firms' investment growth and we employ six measures of corruption from four different sources—two firm‐level measures and four country‐level measures. We find that the effect of corruption on investments varies significantly across regions: corruption has a negative and significant effect on investment growth for firms in Transition countries but has no significant impact for firms in Latin America and Sub‐Saharan Africa. Furthermore, for Transition countries, corruption is the most important determinant of investment.     

投资环境对外资企业效益的影响--来自企业层面的证据

本文利用企业层面数据 ,研究中国内地 44个城市的投资环境对外资企业效益的影响。我们发现 :一方面 ,投资环境 (尤其是法制环境 )对外资企业的效益有显著的正向影响 ;另一方面 ,在中国经营时间长、外方投资者投资次数多的外资企业对投资环境的依赖程度比较低。数据中外资企业效益的变化可能是由于外资企业效益真正发生了变化 ,也可能是外资企业出于纳税的考虑而改变了利润隐瞒的程度。我们的实证结果支持了前一种观点 ,而只是部分支持了后一种观点。     

Strategic Foreign Direct Investment and Exchange‐Rate Uncertainty

We investigate how exchange‐rate uncertainty affects the foreign direct investment decision of a risk‐neutral multinational firm (MNF). We assume the firm can open plants, each with decreasing average costs, in two different countries. Under certainty, the MNF would open only one plant. We demonstrate that with sufficient exchange‐rate volatility, the firm can increase expected profits by opening several plants. We also show that if the MNF faces a competitor in the foreign market, the exchange risk, by inducing the MNF to open plants in both markets, may prevent entry by the local competitor.     

Optimal Investment and Financial Strategies under Tax‐Rate Uncertainty

Abstract. In this paper, we apply a real‐option model to study the effects of tax‐rate uncertainty on a firm's decision. In doing so, we depart from the relevant literature, which focuses on fully equity‐financed investment projects. By letting a representative firm borrow optimally, we show that debt finance not only encourages investment activities but can also substantially mitigate the effect of tax‐rate uncertainty on investment timing.     

Investment Crowding‐Out and Labor Market Effects of Financialization in the US

This paper studies the impact of financialization on unemployment in the United States. We estimate a dynamic multi‐equation macro labor model including labor demand, labor suppy, wage‐setting, and capital accumulation equations. Financialization appears as a key determinant of capital accumulation which, in turn, is the transmission channel toward its unemployment effects. We conduct a series of counterfactual simulations where we quantify the macroeconomic consequences of the recent swings experienced by the financialization process. We find that it has had relevant unemployment effects in all periods considered, even in those where financial payments were not the main driver of capital accumulation. We also identify a structural change in the financialization process in the early 1980s, and find that it has caused USA unemployment to systematically fluctuate around 2 percentage points above what it would otherwise have done. We call for a reappraisal of the way financial markets work, and stress the vital need of preventing financial devices that result in productive investment crowding‐out.     

“一带一路”倡议的对外投资促进效应——基于2005-2016年中国企业绿地投资的双重差分检验

本文采用目前可获得数据中较详实和准确的2005—2016年《全球企业绿地投资数据库》,运用事件评估的有效识别方法——双重差分法对"一带一路"倡议的投资促进效应进行全方位的评析。主要结论是:首先,"一带一路"倡议实施显著促进了中国企业对外绿地投资的增长,"一带一路"沿线国家的投资项目数增长幅度达32%左右,且一系列的有效性和稳健性检验均表明这一促进效应显著存在。其次,"一带一路"倡议对中国企业绿地投资的积极促进效应通过"五通"实现,即设施联通、政策沟通、资金融通、贸易畅通、民心相通。再次,通过异质性分析发现,在地理上,"一带一路"倡议更显著地促进"海上丝绸之路"沿线国家和与中国邻近"一带一路"国家的投资增长,且对高政治风险经济体的投资不存在显著的促进效应。从投资动态来看,现阶段"一带一路"倡议的投资促进效应主要表现为集约边际的扩张,即主要带动已有投资基础或投资项目经济体的投资增长。此外,基于三重差分估计的结果看,在行业上,该倡议的对外投资促进效应主要集中在能源、交通和通信等基础设施相关领域;在投资来源上,该倡议尚未对"一带一路"重点省份产生显著的投资促进效应。     

略论中小企业的品牌营销策略

主要论述了中小企业进行品牌营销的基本内涵与策略。认为品牌的实质是能给其拥有者产生增值和长期竞争力的一种无形资产。实施品牌营销是中小企业走出产品同质化困境的有效措施,应重点把握品牌创建、品牌运用和品牌维护三个环节并提出了相应对策,其核心任务是培养和提高消费者对企业及产品品牌的忠诚度。     

Keiretsu and Relationship‐Specific Investment: A Barrier To Trade?

This article develops a model of informal procurement within Japanese keiretsu so as to consider effects on intermediate-good imports, such as auto parts. Parts-suppliers make relationship-specific investments that benefit the automaker and prices are determined by bargaining after investment has been sunk. Although this investment raises efficiency, it limits the range of imports to less important parts, such as tailpipes, and it is possible that no parts are imported, despite lower foreign costs. Lack of information concerning investment rents combined with counterintuitive responses of imports to changes in output and costs could create unwarranted perceptions of a trade barrier.     

税收优惠与企业创新绩效 ——基于研发投入和非研发创新投入的双重中介效应

税收优惠政策对企业创新绩效的影响广受关注,其传导机制更是一个有待深入探讨的问题。基于2000-2015年全国规模以上工业企业的省级面板数据,采用中介效应分析方法,研究税收优惠对企业创新绩效的影响,并运用面板门槛模型对两者之间的非线性关系进行探讨。结果表明:税收优惠一方面可以直接对创新绩效产生正向推动作用,另一方面可以通过研发投入和非研发创新投入发挥部分中介效应,间接提高企业的创新绩效,中介效应值为39.5%,且两者还存在着正向的协同效应。同时这种内在的传导机制存在着区域异质性:对于东部沿海地区而言,研发投入和非研发创新投入同时发挥中介效应;但是对于中西部地区而言,非研发创新投入的中介效应不显著。而且税收优惠对企业创新绩效的促进效果并非一成不变,而是随着研发投入和非研发创新投入的逐渐增加呈递增态势。因此,进一步地加大税收优惠力度的同时,合理规划自主研发和外源技术的资金安排,有利于实现企业创新绩效的最大化。     

The Impact of Exchange Rate Uncertainty on the Level of Investment

Conventional wisdom has it that increasing price or exchange rate uncertainty will depress investment. Using the Dixit–Pindyck model, we find that there are situations where this will happen; and situations where it does not. There are threshold effects which allows us to identify when rising volatility would increase or decrease investment; and also to identify which types of industries would gain, and which would suffer, from a move to fixed exchange rates. This is important for monetary union in Europe since it is likely that, even if trade is insensitive to exchange rate volatility, investment with its longer horizon will be affected.     

The Behaviour of Banking Stocks During the Financial Crisis and Recessions. Evidence from Changes‐in‐Changes Panel Data Estimations

This paper examines the impact of the financial crisis and economic recessions on bank shares compared to the overall stock market index for 18 OECD countries from 1993 to 2015. The empirical methodology utilizes the changes‐in‐changes approach. We compare and contrast the returns of the banking stock price index (treatment group) in each country with their general stock price index (control group), which experiences smaller changes. Our results suggest that bank returns on average perform significantly worse than that of the general stock price index during recessions. In addition, we also find significantly greater volatility in bank share returns.     

中国股市价值反转投资策略有效性实证研究

本文以中国深沪A股股票市场为考察对象 ,分析了价值反转投资策略的有效性。作者通过实证分析发现 :在中国深沪A股股票市场上 ,以帐面价值与市场价值比 (B M)、B M GS等指标构造的价值反转投资策略可以产生显著的超额收益率 ,并且其显著程度因持有期不同而不同。接着 ,作者利用CAPM模型、Fama French三因素模型并引入了协偏度 (coskewness)和协峰度 (cokurtosis) ,构造出多风险因子模型来解释价值反转投资策略超额收益率。我们发现 :在经过传统风险因素调整后 ,价值反转投资策略效果依然明显 ;CAPM模型无法解释价值反转投资策略超额收益率 ;Fama French三因素模型对价值反转投资策略超额收益率的解释能力最为显著 ,但对于有些价值投资策略 ,在Fama French三因素基础上加上协偏度和协峰度因子后 ,模型的解释能力有所提高     

台湾中小企业辅导政策体系的社会性特点解读

台湾中小企业辅导政策是一项产业促进政策,但其在政策目标追求、实施方式和政策产出等方面又具有明显的社会政策特点,体现了效率和公平的较好结合.台湾中小企业辅导政策的成功经验,为后发国家和地区经济快速发展过程中社会问题的协调解决,提供了一个重要的参照.     

中国工业企业投资的资本成本敏感性分析

本文以新古典投资模型为分析框架,首次使用1999—2007年中国全部国有及规模以上工业企业数据库,采用GMM动态面板方法估计了中国企业投资的资本成本敏感性,并检验了市场化改革是否显著提高了国有企业投资的资本成本敏感性。估计结果显示:(1)中国工业企业投资的资本成本敏感性显著为负,但相比净现金流系数,企业投资受资本成本的影响较小;(2)私营和外资企业的投资对资本成本较为敏感,而国有和集体企业的投资对资本成本不敏感;(3)市场化改革显著弱化了各类型企业的融资约束,但并没有显著提高各类型企业尤其是国有企业投资的资本成本敏感性。中国目前利率传导机制不畅的重点环节在企业投资,双轨制的利率模式和管制利率的低估扭曲了利率的价格信号作用,并创造了资金套利空间,加重了资金市场的二元结构特征,加快利率市场化步伐和继续深化国有企业改革是提高价格型货币政策工具有效性的必要途径。     

New Evidence on Intra‐Household Allocation of Resources in Japanese Households

This paper examines intra‐household allocation of resources to gain insight into family relationships and gender bias in Japanese households. We take the Engel curve approach to examine how adult consumption is affected by the presence of a child, either a boy or a girl, in the family. Empowered by diary‐based high quality spending data from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey, our empirical results show that adult consumption is significantly reduced in households with children; furthermore, gender bias is not observed in total adult expenditures, while responses of adult clothing expenses to the presence of a child are significantly different between a boy and a girl: spending on a father's clothing is reduced when the child is a school‐aged daughter, while spending on a mother's clothing decreases when a school‐aged son is in the home. Our analysis also shows that after the early 2000s girls receive a larger share of spending for children's clothing as well as for high school education than boys.     

Management Buyouts and Firm–Level Productivity: Evidence from a Panel of UK Manufacturing Firms

This paper presents an empirical investigation of the productivity effects of UK management buyouts (MBOs) over the period 1986–1997. It is the first study to use an augmented production function approach in order to determine and quantify: the Hicks–neutral productivity, the marginal productivity of labour, and the marginal productivity of capital effects of MBOs. The main findings are consistent with MBOs providing incentive and control systems that lead to improved firm–level productivity in the post–buyout organisation via reduced agency costs, debt bonding, and monitoring by buyout specialists.