Econophysics review: I. Empirical facts

This article and the companion paper aim at reviewing recent empirical and theoretical developments usually grouped under the term Econophysics. Since the name was coined in 1995 by merging the words ‘Economics’ and ‘Physics’, this new interdisciplinary field has grown in various directions: theoretical macroeconomics (wealth distribution), microstructure of financial markets (order book modeling), econometrics of financial bubbles and crashes, etc. We discuss the interactions between Physics, Mathematics, Economics and Finance that led to the emergence of Econophysics. We then present empirical studies revealing the statistical properties of financial time series. We begin the presentation with the widely acknowledged ‘stylized facts’, which describe the returns of financial assets—fat tails, volatility clustering, autocorrelation, etc.—and recall that some of these properties are directly linked to the way ‘time’ is taken into account. We continue with the statistical properties observed on order books in financial markets. For the sake of illustrating this review, (nearly) all the stated facts are reproduced using our own high-frequency financial database. Finally, contributions to the study of correlations of assets such as random matrix theory and graph theory are presented. The companion paper will review models in Econophysics from the point of view of agent-based modeling.     

Econophysics review: II. Agent-based models

This article is the second part of a review of recent empirical and theoretical developments usually grouped under the heading Econophysics. In the first part, we reviewed the statistical properties of financial time series, the statistics exhibited in order books and discussed some studies of correlations of asset prices and returns. This second part deals with models in Econophysics from the point of view of agent-based modeling. Of the large number of multi-agent-based models, we have identified three representative areas. First, using previous work originally presented in the fields of behavioral finance and market microstructure theory, econophysicists have developed agent-based models of order-driven markets that we discuss extensively here. Second, kinetic theory models designed to explain certain empirical facts concerning wealth distribution are reviewed. Third, we briefly summarize game theory models by reviewing the now classic minority game and related problems.     

行为经济学和实验经济学的理论与实践研究

丹尼尔·卡纳曼和弗农·史密斯由于在行为经济学和实验经济学方面所做的杰出贡献而荣获了今年诺贝尔经济学奖 ,这两门边缘学科在国外已经有了半个多世纪的发展历史 ,但我国学者在这方面的研究却是甚少。本文就结合卡纳曼和史密斯的研究成果 ,对行为经济学和实验经济学进行综合介绍并作出相应的评述。     

略论理论经济学与应用经济学的关系

当前经济学研究中存在重实务、轻理论的倾向，这种倾向不利于理论经济学的正常发展，也将阻碍应用经济学的发展。理论经济学是现实经济现象的概括和总结，是各种应用经济学的基础。理论经济学与应用经济学的关系是理论与实践的关系。没有理论基础的论文不能算论文。要提高学生的理论功底，就要使学生深刻理解理论经济学与应用经济学的关系，要改变传统的教学手段和学习方法。     

僵尸经济学

经济僵尸化未必会使人更穷,毕竟财富是取决于经济生产力而不是人口总数或者年龄状况,尽管后者会造成一些影响。     

企业治理中的劳动者参与研究--一个西方经济学和马克思主义经济学的综述

关于劳动者参与企业治理的研究,在西方经济学范式框架内,一般是从员工持股、参与式管理、分享经济、利益相关者治理、合作经济和人力资本参与等方面进行的,员工持股、参与式管理和分享经济分别是所有权、控制权和剩余索取权的劳动者参与;而利益相关者治理、合作经济和人力资本参与则是劳动者对三种权利的全面参与.马克思主义经济学的研究,大致可以归纳为自由人联合体、工人自治、劳动雇佣制、劳动者参与等几个方面,前三个方面描述的都是不同于资本主义的企业治理模式,即劳动者治理;后者则立足于当代社会主义经济的实践,在资本所有者和劳动者共同治理的企业中,力图探索劳动者参与企业治理的现实机制和途径.     

Financial Economics and Actuarial Practice

Abstract

Starting in the United Kingdom and continuing through the U.S. and Canadian actuarial professions, proponents of financial economics have been forcefully promoting a review of traditional actuarial practices and training. In particular, the financial theories first proposed by Modigliani and Miller and subsequently developed by others have been used to highlight serious weaknesses in typical actuarial thinking. In summary, it is claimed that much actuarial advice wrongly specifies value, that guidelines and standards need radical revision, and that traditional actuarial intuition suffers in comparison to newer modes of thought adopted by other professions.

This paper examines concepts from both financial economics and actuarial science as applied to defined benefit schemes using a simple discounted cash-flow framework as a reference point. The general finding is that many standard modes of actuarial thought are, in fact, indefensible when examined with the tools and techniques of financial economics. The call for revision of actuarial training and practices is credible and necessary.

However, the paper also touches upon areas where a heavy-handed application of finance theory could be misguided due to limitations in the simple financial economic models presented. It concludes that financial economics should be carefully integrated into actuarial thought rather than appended to existing actuarial theory or inserted as a wholesale replacement.     

循环经济与节约型社会

发展节约型经济是人类社会始终为之奋斗的事业,循环经济则是人类社会为突破资源与生态环境恶化两大瓶颈而进行的经济发展范式的革命。循环经济不是人类社会任一阶段均可采用的经济发展方式,而是人类社会发展到一定阶段才能采用的经济发展方式。发展循环经济内涵提高经济效率与实现生态平衡两大目标。两大目标并举,是我国经济社会发展的现实要求。     

新制度经济学的兴起对发展经济学的影响

由于其前期的理论没有能够成功地引导广大发展中国家从贫穷走向富裕，发展经济学自20世纪70年代末起便受到严厉的批评，学科本身则面临生存危机，20世纪80年代以后，随着新制度经济学向发展经济学的渗透，为经济发展学提供了全新的视角。在短短的十几年内，新制度经济学的分析方法已经引起了发展经济学们的高度重视，制度内生的经济发展理论已成为发展经济学的一种流行的观点。     

论金融经济学

金融经济学研究金融对经济的影响，研究资产选择和投资组合并注重对经济危机的预测与实证分析，经济发展程度不同的国家对金融经济学研究的程度不同并存在差异。发展中国家应该不断提高金融经济学的研究水平，在研究方法上不同的传统习惯应当互相借鉴。     

Environmental Economics and Modeling Marketable Permits

This paper reviews fundamental concepts in environmental economics and explores theoretical results regarding the choice of the key policy instruments for the control of externalities: taxes, subsidies and marketable permits. The paper explains why today market mechanisms are increasingly being used as a tool for allocating unpriced rights and scarce resources. We survey how significant market imperfections, a pre-existing regulatory environment and concentration in both permit and output markets can impede the proper functioning of a permit system. The main factors that affect the effectiveness of marketable permits are then discussed. Given the importance of understanding the emission permit price formation, we overview recent attempts at developing valid price models for emission permits, taking into account banking and borrowing opportunities, pollution abatement measures, strategic trading interactions and the presence of asymmetric information in the permit market.     

全球金融危机与新凯恩斯主义经济学

本文首先对新凯恩斯主义经济学进行了简要阐释,然后用新凯恩斯主义经济学对这次全球金融危机产生的原因进行分析,对当前金融危机中的若干经济现象进行解释,最后,从新凯恩斯主义经济学的分析视角,对政府干预及其有效性进行了探讨.     

Economics, equity and sustainable development

As a fashionable catchword, ‘sustainable development’ has provoked a large but nebulous literature. In the interests of communication and relevance it is necessary to narrow down the various definitions that have been given and show how a revised conception of sustainable development can be integrated into practical decisionmaking. This article suggests one approach. Sustainable development is categorized by economic change subject to ‘constancy of the natural capital stock’—the stock of environmental assets is held constant while the economy is allowed whatever social goals are deemed appropriate. Such a rule, which has its own difficulties, accommodates the main concerns of the advocates of sustainability—equity between generations, equity within a generation, economic resilience to external shocks, and uncertainty about the functions and values of natural environments in social systems. It may also accommodate some of the concerns of the ‘deep ecology’ movement by respecting rights in nature.