The Food Stamp Program in an Era of Welfare Reform: Electronic Benefits and Changing Sources of Cash Income

Linked survey data and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) records are used to investigate the distinct roles played by food stamp benefits and cash income in the household budget at different times of the month. Using data from Maryland in 1993, household budgets and food spending patterns are found to differ qualitatively, depending on whether the main source of cash income is welfare benefits, Social Security or Supplemental Security Income, or labor market earnings. These differences have implications for understanding the Food Stamp Program during the welfare reform period as many households move from welfare to work.     

江苏居民收入差距与收入分配制度改革

改革开放以来,江苏居民收入水平不断提高,与之相伴的是我省居民收入差距的全方位扩大。在造成我省居民收入差距的众多因素中,由市场规律作用导致的收入差距起到了促进经济发展的作用。而由体制改革不到位引起的收入差距,如寻租、垄断、腐败等造成的收入差距,是不合理的,但却是造成我省收入差距的最为重要的因素。因而,全面推进体制改革,建立权力公平、机会均等的收入分配制度,是缩小江苏居民收入差距的根本。     

Single Mothers,Emergency Food Assistance,and Food Stamps in the Welfare Reform Era

This article documents the characteristics, circumstances, and factors linked to concurrent use of food stamps among single‐mother food pantry clients in Wisconsin in 1999. Most of these mothers use food pantries as an alternative, rather than a supplement, to food stamps, despite appearing to meet food stamp income criteria. Concurrent food stamp use is more common among mothers with weaker employment ties, more recent welfare involvement, and residence in a county that experienced smaller food stamp caseload declines in the welfare reform years.     

论个人所得税制度的改革

我国现行的个人所得税制度经过十多年的实践,其弊端日渐突出:征税范围过于狭窄;现行的分类课税模式不符合按能负担原则;费用扣除不规范;税率结构不合理;征管方式落后。因此必须进行改革,使个人所得税整体功能得到正常发挥。     

Children’s Labor Market Involvement,Household Work,and Welfare: A Brazilian Case Study

The large numbers of children working in developing countries continue to provoke calls for an end to such employment. However, many reformers argue that efforts should focus on ending the exploitation of children rather than depriving them of all opportunities to work. This posture reflects recognition of the multiplicity of needs children have and the diversity of situations in which they work. Unfortunately, research typically neglects these complexities and fails to distinguish between types of labor market jobs, dismisses household chores as irrelevant, and conceptualizes children’s needs largely in terms of the education they require for successful careers. Based on data collected in schools in Franca, Brazil, where children often combine school with work in the shoe industry, this study first examined the implications of labor market jobs and household work for their health, life satisfaction, and education. Analyses suggested that both forms of work negatively affected children’s welfare, but the effects of household work were more extensive, especially for girls. The second part focused on children with labor market jobs and examined how facets of their jobs as well as their after-work household duties affected their welfare. A lack of discretion on the job undermined the health of both boys and girls, higher pay adversely affected boys’ education, and housework had detrimental effects on all indicators of girls’ welfare. This paper discusses the implications of these findings for further research and suggests the needs for attention to different forms of work activities within families. It concludes with suggestions for multinationals sourcing in developing areas that go beyond the usual calls for ridding their facilities and supply networks of child workers.     

当前我国养老福利机构改革存在的问题与对策——以徐州市FH福利院为例

当前，我国改制后的民营性福利机构的管理模式和运作机制已逐渐步入正轨，取得了显著成果，但仍存在很多问题。在对徐州FH福利院进行深入调查的基础上，提出了完善我国养老福利机构改革的具体路径：提高人员素质，关注老人心理；引入现代机制，完善绩效管理；多方筹集资金，完善监督机制；深入市场调查，完善养老结构；树立组织文化，强化品牌意识。     

新一轮个人所得税改革的收入再分配效应研究——基于CHIP 2018的测算分析

个人所得税是重要的再分配工具,其再分配效应一直受到各界的关注。本文使用CHIP 2018数据库,对2018年个人所得税改革方案的收入再分配效应进行测算分析,研究发现:综合课征有利于提高个人所得税的平均税率、累进性和再分配效应;基本减除费用标准提高、专项附加扣除和税率级距改变均在不同程度上提高了个人所得税的累进性,降低个人所得税的平均税率,从而削弱个人所得税的收入再分配效应;综合课征会增强基本减除费用标准、专项附加扣除和税率结构改变对个人所得税收入再分配效应的影响;在各项改革措施的共同作用下,此次税改整体上提高了个人所得税的累进性,但导致个人所得税的平均税率和收入再分配指数大幅降低50%以上。本文使用改革当年的住户调查数据,全面考察个人所得税改革的收入再分配效应,丰富了有关新一轮个人所得税改革再分配效应的研究。     

我国个人所得税制度的缺陷与改革思路

随着我国经济的不断发展,居民收入水平在得到不断提高的同时,居民收入差距也在不断扩大。本来,利用个人所得税的收入分配矫正机制可以缩小居民收入差距,但是,由于我国个人所得税制度存在缺陷,自从开征该税以来,虽然对增加国家财政收入发挥了巨大作用,但在矫正居民收入差距方面却收效甚微。因此,有必要对我国个人所得税进行深入的改革。     

我国城镇居民收入分配福利比较与动态演变

改革开放以来,伴随着我国经济的高速增长,居民收入水平不断提高,居民收入差距也持续扩大。将收入差距扩大与收入水平提高纳入同一研究框架,正确测度并分析改革开放对我国居民福利水平的综合影响,科学分析我国居民收入水平提升与收入差距扩大共同影响下社会福利效应动态变化的趋势与特征,对今后我国收入分配改革路径与策略的确定具有非常重要的意义。运用阿特金森、舒罗克斯和森的广义洛伦兹优势定理和福利函数定理,通过计算和比较基尼系数、广义洛伦兹优势及福利指数可以发现,居民福利的切实改善离不开收入水平的提高,居民收入水平的整体提高是居民福利水平提升的根本前提,只有在居民收入水平整体提高的基础上寻求控制差距的办法和路径,才是辩证客观的思路和做法。为更好地将福利理念纳入居民收入分配的制度与政策框架,一要增强福利意识,提升收入分配改革的目标;二要认识差异性发展的现实,提高政策优化水平;三要关注城镇化进程,深层次探寻收入分配政策的关键路径与多赢点;四要推出财税新政,回归财政税收应有的调节功能。     

个人所得税改革与收入分配——基于女性视角的微观模拟

本文采用微观模拟模型．利用全国范围内的抽样调查数据对我国2008年和2011年两次个人所得税制度改革对女性收入分配影响进行实证分析。模拟结果表明：我国2008年和2011年的个人所得税制度改革对缩小女性职工单位间收入差距具有一定的作用;2011年个税改革较2008年的个税改革更具收入调节作用;2011年个税制度对女性低收入阶层不利,对高收入阶层具有一定的抑制作用,但抑制作用十分有限。因此,实行综合与分类相结合的个人所得税税制是个税发展的必然。建议在条件成熟时对个人所得税实行家庭联合申报制度．并且根据不同群体就业特征制定有针对性的税收政策及就业政策。     

Work after retirement: intentions,realities and implications

The economic security of families in retirement is a function of levels of inflation and how well families can adjust their retirement incomes to meet inflation. One way of buffering the effects of inflation is to work part-time after retirement from one's main job. Studies of retired people, however, have indicated that levels of post-retirement work are low. This study of a near-retirement aged cohort offered a special early retirement incentive indicates that intentions to work after retirement from their main job are consistent with previous retired cohorts' work levels. On average, respondents anticipated working less than 3·5 h per week or less than 10 weeks per year. Major factors affecting the hours or weeks of work desired were age, life expectancy, perceived retirement income adequacy, marital status, health, sex, area of residence and education.     

AFTA,Income Growth,and Income Convergence in ASEAN

The rapid economic growth experienced by the core ASEAN members (comprised of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia) since the 70s was generally attributed to openness policies adopted by the respective governments. Despite this contention, however, there is little evidence to suggest that greater openness will eventually lead to a convergence of the member countries, particularly with the present of external shocks. The introduction of ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 1992 was also partly an attempt to hedge the region from external shock, while possibly further promoting economic development in the region. This study, therefore, is an attempt at examining in greater detail the impact of AFTA and openness on ASEAN economic growth, in the present of external shock. The results indicate that convergence in ASEAN is conditional upon several control variables taking place, in addition to openness. Additionally, while AFTA has a positive effect on economic growth, its impact on convergence is somewhat ambiguous in the presence of external shocks.     

现行个人所得税制改革的思考

随着我国经济的高速发展 ,城乡居民的个人收入增长迅速 ,个人所得税法在新的经济形势下暴露出诸多问题。所得税制度不合理 ,工资薪金所得费用扣除标准过低 ,边际税率过高 ,审报制度不规范 ,配套措施不健全 ,个人所得税的调节作用失灵 ,为适应我国目前实际情况的需要 ,针对以上问题 ,必须尽快对我国个人所得税制度进行改革     

“国富民穷”PK“未富先老”——兼谈收入分配制度与社会保障制度改革

"劳动光荣"、"勤劳致富"的观念和理念并未过时,它也永远不会过时。要想让"劳动光荣"、"勤劳致富"重新回归社会,关键是要改革我们的收入分配制度。     

利率市场化改革的福利经济学分析

利率市场化是我国金融改革的一个基本取向，由于利率是引导金融资源配置流向的信号，因此这一改革必将对原有的各经济利益主体产生很大的冲击。这种冲击可以表现为各种形式，但从经济学的角度来说，我们最关心的是利率市场化改革对各相关经济主体福利的影响。     

关于政府收支分类改革与政府治理效果的研究

政府收支分类是观察和研究政府公共经济行为的基础,完善的政府收支分类是实现善治的重要工具和必要条件。目前正在进行的政府收支分类改革在改善政府治理水平方面取得了较为令人满意的成果:它调整了政府收支分类体系的结构,扩大了收支分类涉及的范围,细化了收支分类的内容;并由此提高了政府行为的透明度,改善了公共决策的合意性,强化了对决策执行过程的财政控制,提升了公共监督的效力。不过,目前的改革成果与理想状态相比,在系统性、全面性、准确性和细致性方面仍然存在一定的差距。为此,建议政府进一步拓展支出分类维度,调整部分科目的类别归属,并在条件成熟的时候逐步扩大收支分类的内容范围。     

税收征管、企业避税与企业全要素生产率——基于2002年企业所得税分享改革的自然实验

提高全要素生产率(TFP)是加快转变经济发展方式的关键。税收征管力度的高低会直接影响企业的生产经营决策,从而影响企业的发展转型。本文基于2002年实施的企业所得税分享改革自然实验,采用双倍差分法(DID)探讨了税收征管对企业TFP的影响。研究发现:(1)税收征管力度的下降会降低企业的TFP水平;(2)机制探讨过程发现,降低税收征管力度会增加企业避税行为,而避税增加会减少企业的研发投入,从而对企业TFP产生负面影响;(3)异质性分析发现,税收征管对非高新技术企业、非民族自治区域企业以及高避税程度企业的TFP的负面影响更大。本文的研究结论对于未来的税收体制改革具有重要启示。     

Ethics,Income and Religion

This paper investigates the relationship between ethics and income among individuals of different religions in the HKSAR of China. The presence of both traditional Chinese religion and Christianity from the West makes our study particularly interesting. The content of ethical beliefs varies with religion and thus the effect of ethics on income may also vary across religion. Furthermore, a reverse causal relationship may run from income to ethics. Since culture and taste affect the consumption behavior of a person, depending on the religion of the person, a person with a higher income may or may not like to ‘acquire’ more ethics. Our empirical results find that there is indeed a simultaneous relationship between income and being ethical so that a single equation estimation of income on ethics and vice versa generates biased estimates. Using a two-stage instrumental variable estimation, our study finds that being ethical contributes to higher income for Christians and the non-religious group, but lowers it for people of traditional Chinese religion. On the other hand, an increase in income increases the likelihood of a person’s being ethical for both Christians and the people of traditional Chinese religion, but reduces it for the non-religious group. Dr. Kit-Chun LAM is Professor in Economics Department of the Hong Kong Baptist University. She is also Guest Professor in the Centre for Business Ethics of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, China. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Comparative Economics, Canadian Journal of Economics, Economica and Labour Economics. Dr. Bill Hung is Associate Professor in Economics Department of the Hong Kong Baptist University. His work has appeared in the Journal of International Money and Finance, Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Atlantic Economic Journal, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, etc.     

论农民增收和加速传统农业改造的核心问题

农民增收和加速传统农业改造的途径有多种,但其核心问题是提高主体农户的农产品商品率.这对农民增收和加速传统农业改造具有一系列重大意义.在如何提高主体农户农产品商品率问题上,关键是要明确其实现途径及制度、政策措施.