Status, the Distribution of Wealth, and Growth

We analyze a simple model of endogenous growth in which individuals care about both consumption and their rank in the distribution of wealth. We show that the steady-growth rate of the economy increases with both the strength of the status-seeking motive and the initial equality of the wealth distribution. Contrary to the basic model of endogenous growth, the equilibrium growth rate is not necessarily smaller than in the social optimum, and we identify the circumstances under which the two coincide.     

收入分配、财产分配和渐进改革--纪念《经济社会体制比较》杂志创刊20周年

首先。我想谈一谈收入分配问题。收入分配是整个社会经济系统中一个十分重要的子系统。收入分配的状况不仅影响生产的效率，而且影响人们的切身利益，从而影响社会的协调与稳定。从1988年以来，我和国内外一些同行合作研究中国居民收入分配问题，出版了《中国居民收入分配研究》和《中国居民收入分配再研究》等书。通过系统的实证分析，我认为应该客观全面地看待中国经济改革和经济发展过程中收入分配格局的变化。在这些变化中，有三个问题特别值得重视。     

Bequests, Inter Vivos Transfers, and Wealth Distribution

This paper constructs a heterogeneous agent overlapping generations model with bequests and inter vivos transfers. In the model, households in the same family line behave strategically to determine their consumption, working hours, gifts, and savings. Calibrating the model to the U.S. economy, the paper measures time preference and parental altruism consistent with the economy's capital-output ratio and the size of intergenerational transfers. The model with intergenerational transfers better explains, although not fully, the wealth distribution of the United States. The paper also analyzes the effects of government policy changes on wealth accumulation, distribution, and social welfare. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: D31, D64, D91, H31.     

Wealth Effects, Incentives, and Productivity

Comparative static effects of varying the wealth level of a risk-averse agent in a moral hazard setting with limited liability constraints are investigated. There are two principal opposing effects of increasing wealth: the incentive effect, which allows stronger punishments for poor performance, thereby encouraging higher effort; and the preference effect, which reduces the agent's effort incentives owing to income effects in the demand for leisure. It is shown that optimal effort levels are initially constant, subsequently increasing and eventually decreasing in wealth. Hence agents with intermediate wealth levels are the most productive.     

Heterogeneous Households,the Distribution of Wealth,and the Laursen-Metzler Effect*

To study the effects of a terms-of-trade deterioration the paper constructs a dynamic model with heterogeneous households that maximize intertemporal utility. It shows that insofar as this shock leads to a redistribution of wealth-an outcome ignored by the literature because of the representative-agent assumption invariably adopted-it may give rise to an initial current-account deficit and nonmonotonic adjustment paths. the paper also buttresses the argument that heterogeneous-household models help explain the observed “excess smoothness” of consumption.     

价值、财富与分配"新四说"

目前，学术界在商品价值、社会财富和分配关系的基本理论研究方面仍没有取得共识。为了清晰地使有关价值、财富与分配的各种现象和本质联系都可得到圆满的科学说明，笔者提出“新四说”：各种生产性活劳动创造商品价值——活劳动价值说；全生产要素或经济要素创造社会财富或商品使用价值——全要素财富说；多种产权关系决定按资和按劳等多种分配方式——多产权分配说；按生产要素贡献分配的形式是要素所有者创造价值和财富并据此参与分配，而实质是按生产要素产权分配——按要素贡献的分配形式与实质说(按贡分配形质说)。     

论财富的时间原理

从分析时间观、财富观的变迁出发,论证了经济学、时间、财富之间的历史逻辑,认为现代经济学采用的是绝对时间观,财富主要建立在物理时间度量之上,经济学虽以心理分析为基础,但未引入心理时间的研究.针对现代经济学的缺陷,从广义虚拟经济视角对财富与时间的本质进行了重新解读,诠释了时间价值的经济学意义,根据虚拟价值非边际化和信息态的特点,提出财富的时间价值可分解为物理时间价值和心理时间价值.虚拟价值主要用心理时间度量.虚拟价值拟物化和时间寻租是发展虚拟经济的重要法则.     

不成熟债权国、估值效应与中国的财富流失风险

中国从20世纪90年代初期开始转变为净国外资产持有者,目前是全球最大债权主体之一。但由于人民币尚未国际化,中国处于不成熟债权国地位;从债权结构看,由官方储备和债务性资产所构成的“风险资产”是中国净国外债权的主体部分;这一债权状况增加了中国的财富流失风险。基于向量误差修正模型和状态空间模型的实证检验结果表明,中国净国外债权变动中存在相当大的负估值效应,在国际金融危机期间尤为显著,人民币汇率变化是引起负估值效应的重要因素之一。因此,调整对外投资策略、稳定人民币汇率并积极推进人民币国际化是增强中国外部资产管理水平的关键。     

The German Unemployment Compensation System: Effects On Aggregate Savings And Wealth Distribution

The effects of the German unemployment compensation system on aggregate savings and the distribution of wealth are studied in a general equilibrium 60–period OLG model. The distribution of wealth is derived as an endogenous function of the parameters characterizing the unemployment compensation system, which comprises unemployment insurance (Arbeitslosengeld), unemployment assistance (Arbeitslosenhilfe), and welfare payments (Sozialhilfe), the latter two being subject to a means test. As our main results: (i) both aggregate savings and wealth equality are a monotone decreasing function of unemployment benefits; (ii) optimal unemployment compensation declines over the spell of unemployment; (iii) asset–based means tests are shown to reduce welfare if the allowable wealth level is below the average wealth in the economy.     

澳大利亚家庭财富的结构与分配

《经济与社会变化的动态研究——澳大利亚家庭收入与就业动态调查之分析》,是一项大型的研究计划。本文只是该计划之下的一个子课题。这项子课题获得澳大利亚研究理事会的资助,(拨款编号为DPO342970)。我们在文中引用的数据,部分来自家庭与社区服务部辖     

网络产业组织理论的历史、发展和局限

自上个世纪80年代以来,网络产业的研究一直沿用着新古典经济学的理性经济人假定,普遍采用博弈论的方法,并依照产品的特征分别侧重对直接网络外部性与间接网络外部性的讨论。经典模型的研究发现,网络外部性的存在会影响消费者对网络的选择,以及企业的技术选择和兼容决策,进而影响社会福利,有可能出现并非最优的均衡。早期的拓展模型传承着经典模型的最基本的假定与函数形式,进一步考虑各种竞争状况。近十年,从双边市场的角度研究具有网络外部性的产业成为网络产业组织理论分析的热点。本文梳理了传统的网络产业组织理论及在此基础上的各种拓展与最近的进展,不仅对研究的内容进行了归纳,更重要的是对研究的思路与模型拓展的方式进行了总结。     

Consumption, Wealth, and Indebtedness in the Context of Uncertainty: The Consumption Function Meets Portfolio Theory

The objective of this paper is to provide a sound theoretical framework for the empirical analysis of consumer indebtedness, by integrating Portfolio theory with the Life-Cycle hypothesis (LCH) model of consumption. Modern versions of this LCH theory almost always assume that utility is additive over time, but in this study, the multiplicative Cobb–Douglas function is used. The new synthesis also explains the stochastic properties of consumption more fully and clearly than previous studies, in particular the uncertainty arising from rates of return on risky assets. The new theory will also help to improve the explanation of the surprise changes in consumption because these sources of risk are incorporated explicitly into the analysis.     

Economic Organization,Distribution and the Equality Issue: The Marx-Engels Perspective

This paper has four related themes. It demonstrates that Marx's Communism in its first or Socialist phase would recognize the essential inequality of labour on grounds of efficiency and growth. It offers an explanation for the apparent paradox that Marx and Engels championed a fully-fledged control system notwithstanding appreciation of the allocation functions of a competitive market system. It highlights common ground relating to market process between Marx and Engels and the modern classical liberals Mises and Hayek. And it traces the evolutionary nature of the Marx-Engels perspective on transitions between and within economic systems.     

社会财富及其源泉--使用价值形成论

在现代发达市场经济和高技术的生产过程中,呈现出生产要素的多维化：除了劳动力、工具力,对象力,科学力而外,管理力,环境力等成为生产过程的有效因素,并且对产品使用价值和社会形成发挥重要作用,从而表现出生产方式进步中社会财富新泉源到开发和富源的多样化。主要依托科学力（知识力）创造财富是人类进行财富创新的最高形式,也是财富创造效率最高的方式,在使用价值形成中非劳动要素作用和贡献的增大和活劳动的作用,功能的减缩,并不意味着劳动创造价值命题的失效,劳动是财富生产的原动力,是要素力的启动力,是多要素有机结合的粘合力。     

The Effects of Health, Wealth, and Wages on Labour Supply and Retirement Behaviour

This paper estimates a life cycle model of labour supply, retirement, and savings behaviour in which future health status and wages are uncertain. Individuals face a fixed cost of work and cannot borrow against future labour, pension, or Social Security income. The method of simulated moments is used to match the life cycle profiles of labour force participation, hours worked, and assets that are estimated from the data to those that are generated by the model. The model establishes that the tax structure of the Social Security system and pensions are key determinants of the high observed job exit rates at ages 62 and 65. Removing the tax wedge embedded in the Social Security earnings test for individuals aged 65 and older would delay job exit by almost one year. By contrast, Social Security benefit levels, health, and borrowing constraints are less important determinants of job exit at older ages. For example, reducing Social Security benefits by 20% would cause workers to delay exit from the labour force by only three months.     

Wealth Distribution and Imperfect Factor Markets: A Classroom Experiment

The author presents a simple exercise to demonstrate how initial property distribution can affect final wealth patterns in developing areas of the world. The simulation is a variant of the Monopoly board game in which students role play different members of a market in which they each face different rules of credit access and salary patterns. The property distribution and new mortgage rules reflect the reality of many developing areas. The simulation can be completed in one full class period and has proven successful in making students more sensitive to wealth distribution issues. Students have suggested several variations of this simulation to make it applicable across more settings.     

Health, Wealth, and Fairness

How much health should we have and how should it be distributed? This paper studies how to define social objectives for the allocation of health and income in a setting where individuals may differ in their preferences about health and consumption, earning ability, and health disposition. It is shown, on the basis of three simple ethical principles, that a reasonable social objective is to apply the maximin criterion to “full‐health equivalent” incomes. An application to the choice of the optimal health policy illustrates how this social objective may be used.