Bias Reduction in Dynamic Panel Data Models by Common Recursive Mean Adjustment*

The within‐group estimator (same as the least squares dummy variable estimator) of the dominant root in dynamic panel regression is known to be biased downwards. This article studies recursive mean adjustment (RMA) as a strategy to reduce this bias for AR(p) processes that may exhibit cross‐sectional dependence. Asymptotic properties for N,T→∞ jointly are developed. When ( log ²T)(N/T)→ζ, where ζ is a non‐zero constant, the estimator exhibits nearly negligible inconsistency. Simulation experiments demonstrate that the RMA estimator performs well in terms of reducing bias, variance and mean square error both when error terms are cross‐sectionally independent and when they are not. RMA dominates comparable estimators when T is small and/or when the underlying process is persistent.     

地方政府利益、地方政府行为与经济增长

目前,对中国地方政府的经济行为的研究强调了在经济转型过程中地方政府在多样化的地方经济发展模式中的主导作用,注意到了地方政府目标的多重性,本地区社会福利最大化,政府利益最大化以及中央政府的满意程度等。对地方政府在公共产品的提供、就业、收入分配、实现社会公平等方面行为不到位方面的研究是从定性方法来论证。本文试图在定性分析基础上建立一些基本的数学模型为将来的计量研究提供一个模型框架。     

A Unified Model of Corporate Acquisitions and Divestitures: An Incentive Perspective

The purpose of this paper is to unify corporate acquisitions and divestitures (e.g., spin-offs, equity carve-outs and sell-offs) into a simple but comprehensive agency model where risk and managerial incentives interact to determine an optimal corporate governance and an incentive compensation scheme. Emphasizing human and nonhuman aspect of corporate assets, the model not only explains existing empirical evidence regarding contractual and organizational changes, but also suggests new perspective regarding firms' behavior around corporate acquisitions and divestitures. Thus, it attempts to reconcile between synergistic and agency viewpoints in the takeover literature and provides determining factors in choosing between spinoffs and equity carve-outs.     

Managing low‐skill workers: a study of small UK food manufacturing firms

Low‐wage work is of growing significance in the UK. This article tests the model of the low‐skills equilibrium (LSE) through a study of 27 small firms in a sector, food manufacturing, widely identified as being in an LSE. Three hypotheses are tested. (1) There will be a single, fixed equilibrium. We find more variety, reflecting the specific circumstances of firms. (2) An equilibrium is sustained by weak support institutions and a product market dominated by low value‐added goods. The expectation about institutions is supported, but the product market permitted some, albeit weak, opportunities to escape the LSE. (3) Skills will be low, and workplace regimes will be characterised by work intensification. Some firms were developing employee skills. Work intensification was rare, reflecting the absence of Taylorisation and the importance of face‐to‐face relationships. Overall, some firms had the will to escape the LSE, but weak institutional support and a ready supply of labour substantially reduced the incentives to do so.     

同辈群体对大学生学习心理的影响--以南昌高校为例

从同辈群体的基本特征出发,通过问卷调查与访谈,研究大学生同辈群体之间的学习心理特点,论述了同辈群体对大学生在认知、情绪、行为等方面的影响力,以期高校教育工作者积极引导这种影响力,正确发挥同辈群体的作用,进一步提升大学生的学习心理素质。     

灾害冲击、“大饥荒”与内生的财政分权

1959~1961年发生的"大饥荒"改变了政治集权体制下推行财政分权模式的路径,为中国后来的政府间财政关系奠定了基础。文章利用县级层面的数据,通过气象灾害引发粮食作物减产的外生冲击,检验了饥荒严重程度与财政分权度之间的因果关系。实证结果表明,饥荒越严重的县,其后来的财政分权度越低。财政分权可能内生于"大饥荒"之后中央通过财政集权加强对地方的控制、降低政治经济风险的需要。这一发现拓展了"大饥荒"长期影响、财政分权决定因素以及分成合约与风险分担等领域的相关文献,有助于更好地理解集权体制的运行模式以及县际财政分权度差异的形成机制。     

Patent pools,litigation, and innovation

This article analyzes patent pools and their effects on litigation incentives, overall royalty rates, and social welfare when patent rights are probabilistic and can be invalidated in court. With probabilistic patents, the license fees reflect the strength of the patents. We show that patent pools of complementary patents can be used to discourage infringement by depriving potential licensees of the ability to selectively challenge patents and making them committed to a proposition of all‐or‐nothing in patent litigation. If patents are sufficiently weak, patent pools with complementary patents reduce social welfare as they charge higher licensing fees and chill subsequent innovation incentives.     

Performance of Foreign and Global Mutual Funds: The Role of Security Selection,Region‐Shifting,and Style‐Shifting Abilities

We examine the performance of U.S.‐based foreign and global funds after controlling for their regional and style exposure. We show that, on average, the total performance (TP) and security selection abilities of both foreign and global funds are significantly negative and exhibit short‐term predictability. Additionally, R² reflects funds’ security selection abilities, consistent with previous findings for domestic mutual funds. Investors can earn higher abnormal returns and TP in the short run by purchasing past winners with low R² than by purchasing past losers with high R². However, there is no evidence of predictability in the funds' region‐shifting and style‐shifting abilities.     

财政存款、银行竞争与僵尸企业形成

银行以优惠利率贷款为低质企业“输血”,是企业僵尸化的重要成因。然而,基于中国背景的文献,对银行“输血”动机的研究并不充分,本文从地方财政存款影响银行信贷分配的视角,分析僵尸企业形成的内在机理。首先,通过构建理论模型对银行竞争财政存款及影响企业融资和投资绩效进而僵尸化的逻辑进行刻画,而后依据省份财政存款、银行竞争与微观企业财务数据,对理论推论进行了验证。研究发现,财政存款占当地存款比重越大,企业僵尸化概率越高,并且银行竞争助长了企业僵尸化。此外,基于工具变量估计处理了核心变量的内生性问题,并进行了多种稳健性检验。机制检验表明,财政存款的信贷分配效应,促使企业过度投资,导致经营绩效恶化,进而提高了企业僵尸化概率,银行竞争则会加剧该效应。本文拓展了财政存款的经济效应与僵尸企业形成方面的文献,对于僵尸企业治理有一定参考意义。