Are Production Decisions Decoupled under a Bond Scheme? Experimental Evidence

Experimental economics procedures were used to investigate impacts of a proposed bond scheme on production decisions. As expected, production with subsidy payments tied to a support price was substantially higher than with no policy. A shift from the support price to equivalent annual or lump-sum payments not tied to price resulted in production at or near no-policy levels, providing empirical evidence to support the theoretical prediction that bond schemes would not result in production distortions. Potential extensions to the basic model used in this study also are presented.     

Would China＇s Sovereign Wealth Fund Be a Menace to the USA？

The sovereign wealth club acquired a new member with the official launch of the China Investment Corporation （CIC） on 29 September 2007. The arrival of CIC has further heated up debate regarding sovereign wealth funds （SWFs） and their potential implications for global financial markets. This is because, in carrying out its investments, CIC can tap into China＇s huge official foreign exchange reserves, which by April 2008 had surged to US$1.76tn. CIC＇s initial working capital of US$2OObn makes it the fifth largest SWFs in the world today. This article seeks to analyze CIC＇s investment strategies, as well as their potential economic and political implications for global as well as US financial markets.     

The role of income tax in student loan repayments

West keeps score of the continuing and growing inadequacies of the British student loan scheme to 1998 and shows how an income-contingent loan could better satisfy its aims. He explores a common objection to any form of student loan scheme, that students pay for their university education through progressive income taxes. West shows how this argument falls short, and hence that some form of income contingent loan is required if equity and efficiency are to be satisfied.     

Trade liberalization,labor reforms and formal–informal employment dynamics

This paper studies gross worker flows to explain the rise in informality in Brazilian metropolitan labor markets from 1983 to 2002. In particular, we examine the impact of trade and constitutional reforms (that include increased firing costs, tighter restrictions on overtime work, and fewer restrictions on union activity) occurring during the period. We find aggregate sectoral movements to be driven largely by changes in the hiring rates which, in turn are driven largely by the constitutional reforms. Trade liberalization accounts for roughly 1–2.5% of the increase in informality, while the constitutional reforms account for 30–40%.     

Indicators of Housing Finance Intergenerational Wealth Transfers

This paper sheds light on intrafamilial gifts for housing. By using Austrian intergenerational survey data various questions are addressed. First, is familial aid more or less widespread in given social strata? Second, what are the determinants and motives for family gifts? And third, what are the possible impacts on the choice set of their recipients? Probit estimates show that gifts significantly depend on the parents lifetime financial position, consistent with life cycle permanent income (LCPI) approaches. Gifts to remove liquidity constraints are more difficult to reconcile with LCPI. “Dynastic” gifts that support household formation and ownership acquisition may be interpreted as intergenerational exchange. They occur more frequently than periodical cash transfers where altruistic behavior cannot be ruled out.