The link between credit markets and self-employment choice among households in rural China

Our paper examines how credit markets operate through wealth to influence households’ entrepreneurial choices. Our results show that policy-led bank branch withdrawal in rural China has a significant negative impact on credit availability to rural households, though unexpectedly the effect is felt more strongly in informal than formal credit markets. Furthermore, we observe that self-employment is impeded by reductions in wealth associated with credit contraction. Policies which provide more and better formal financial services to rural households are predicted to increase the flow of credit, through both formal and informal channels, thereby supporting accumulation, diversification, and economic growth.     

Finance theory: A house without windows

In this paper we aim to build on the existing critical finance literature by exploring how finance theory maintains both its momentum and hegemony. More specifically, by using an example at the core of finance theory (namely, portfolio asset allocation) we illustrate how finance keeps itself artificially alive by taking data from the outside world, often ignoring the rich complexities of the context which has given rise to the data, and using these ‘new facts’ to create puzzles which then lead onto more activity to see how the accepted core can or cannot be extended to incorporate the ‘new facts’. Against this process the paper then shows how the more obvious approach of engaging with the various participants can lead to greater insight and understanding. Given this approach, facts are not just anomalies which need to be explained away but part of the environment which help us to understand the various activities of individuals and organisations. The paper concludes by outlining a research agenda which develops a number of streams of research in critical finance and needs to be addressed in an open manner if traditional finance is to move from being closed and increasingly moribund to a subject which captures the vibrancy and dynamism of financial activities/markets across the globe.     

农村公共产品供给体制与农村公共产品供给不足的关联分析

国内许多学者从不同的角度、采用不同的方式对农村公共产品不足原因进行了研究和探索,形成了一系列的研究成果,但对农村公共产品不足原因的研究大多是从现实中寻找答案,缺少深入规范的理论分析。在分析了我国农村公共产品供给体制与供给现状的基础上,将非均衡经济学中的理论分析方法引入对我国农村公共产品供给不足的原因分析中,给出了政府供给公共产品不足的理论模型,并建立计量模型,用1989-2003年的数据检验了理论模型的正确性。通过理论与实证的分析发现:造成农村公共产品不足的原因主要是农村公共产品供给体制、财政的预算约束和政府对农民偏好的不了解。     

新农村建设与农村金融创新研究

经过近多年的改革,我国农村金融服务水平有所提高,但还存在着一些不和谐因素,主要是农村金融服务的覆盖面低、农民贷款难、小额信贷发展不足、邮政储蓄资金严重外流、农村金融机构发展的可持续性差、政策性金融不到位等,这些问题已经成为了制约新农村建设的瓶颈。我们认为,解决当前农村金融服务中存在的上述问题,必须以中央农村金融改革的方针为指导,进一步解放思想,开阔思路,深化农村金融改革,加快农村金融创新,构建一个多种形式并存、合理分工、功能互补、适度竞争、可持续发展的多元的、竞争性、开放性的农村金融体系,采取全方位的政策措施来构筑社会主义新农村建设的强大金融基础。     

新农村建设中农村金融体系的重构

在中国金融业即将对外全面开放的前夕,我们迎来了一个“穷人的银行家”获奖的喜讯:2006年10月13日,2006年度诺贝尔和平奖授予了孟加拉银行家穆罕默德.尤努斯及其创立的格莱明乡村银行。孟加拉乡村银行的实践解决了两大困扰金融深化和经济平衡增长的理论问题:一是信贷规模及其绩效是可以与抵押品相脱离的;二是金融资源的投入可以与收入水平相脱离,并成为推动低收入群体脱贫的“原始”推动力。尤努斯推行的小额信贷模式有两个最显著的特点,一是不需要贷款人抵押,二是银行盈利。正因为不需要抵押,孟加拉的贫穷妇女才能到农村银行申请贷款,从而使58%的人现已脱离贫困线;也正因为9年盈利,孟加拉乡村银行的1227个分行才能正常运转,从而实现可持续发展。这给我们一个深刻的启示:只有公益与效率的完美结合才能使穷人的脱贫成为可能。尤努斯的非政府小额信贷模式获得了诺奖的认可,这给我们的有益启迪是多重的:它不仅发现了穷人信用的经济意义,而且给予了诺贝尔和平奖更深刻的社会内涵———持久的和平只有在大量的人口找到摆脱贫困的方法时才会成为可能。这个奖项近期之所以在中国引起广泛的关注和热烈的讨论,其原因之一恰恰是中国广大农村贫困地区正面临严重的金融抑制而导致的贷款难题已经成为政府一个头疼的难题,一个挥之不去的心病。这也发出了一个清晰的信号:社会底层贫困群体的脱贫问题已受到更加强烈的关注,而银行业已在这方面展现了一个成功的范例。面对当前中国贫富差距不断加大的现实,要实现党的十六届六中全会提出的加快构建和谐社会的宏伟目标以及十六届五中全会提出的建设社会主义新农村的伟大任务,破解新农村建设存在的金融抑制,平衡中国金融资源配置,实现金融发展与经济增长的匹配,加快贫困群体走向富裕之路的步伐,尤努斯的成功实践极具示范效应。本文刊发谌争勇同志的论文,对“三农问题”及其金融支持的理论进行了梳理,并从金融抑制理论角度提供一点可操作性政策建议。     

Institutions for Financial Development: What are they and where do they come from?

Abstract.  Among the fundamental causes of long-run economic performance, differences in 'institutions' have received considerable attention in recent years. At the same time, a large body of theoretical and empirical work shows that financial development can have a big effect on economic performance. This raises the more fundamental question as to why some countries have developed financial markets while others do not. This paper reviews the theoretical and empirical research on this issue and shows that one of the channels whereby better institutions may have an effect on economic development is through the consolidation of larger and better financial markets. An issue that is left aside in this paper relates to what regulations and policies lead to better functioning capital markets. At some level, one can think of regulations and policies as particular types of institutions. Nonetheless, institutional problems are deeper causes leading to poor economic performance; bad policies might simply be part of the channels through which they influence performance. Thus, addressing the question of what determines the emergence of 'good' institutions – i.e. institutions that promote financial development – seems particularly important. Recent research providing some answers to this question is also reviewed.     

农村义务教育财政支出结构实证分析

本文从农村义务教育财政体制投资支出结构现状出发,采取定性与定量的方法对农村义务教育财政体制投资支出结构变化趋势进行了实证分析,对我国农村义务教育投资支出结构特征进行了研究,以达到合理分配投资支出结构,促进农村义务教育的快速协调发展.     

中国GDP结构升级和金融结构转变的协调性研究

理论上GDP结构升级和金融结构转换具有关联性,二者若协调可相互促进,良性循环.实证研究表明,中国的GDP结构升级和金融结构转变的协调性很弱,并据此提出了相应的金融发展战略,以促进GDP结构调整和升级,保证我国经济长期稳定发展.     

政策性金融与开发性金融之辨析及其转型定位研究

政策性金融和开发性金融是本质上截然不同的两个逻辑概念,前者既不是后者的一个初级阶段,后者也不是前者的一个组成部分;政策性金融也必须讲求财务效益,实现非主动竞争性盈利。策性金融理论是发展中的科学理论。我国政策性银行改革的方向,应该是政策性业务与非主动竞争性盈利的有机统一。政策性银行的定位,应该是包括其性质定位和职能定位的有机统一。     

中国金融控股集团公司发展研究

在发达国家中,不同的制度背景造就了不同的金融经营模式,其中金融控股公司在金融业的混业经营中具有明显优势,因此随着经济全球化的不断加深而在欧美得到了长足发展。中国金融公司的发展已经起步,但依然存在着需要清除的诸多障碍,并亟待规范化。