Fiscal Explanations for Inflation: Any Evidence from Transition Economies?

Recent arguments, motivated partly by the new fiscal theory of price level, suggest that fiscal deficits undermine price stability in transition economies. This paper addresses these claims by examining vector-autoregressive models of inflation for three transition economies (Bulgaria, Romania and Russia). The results indicate that fiscal deficits have increased inflation in Bulgaria and Romania but not in the case of Russia. In Bulgaria and Romania, money aggregates and exchange rate have also been more influential to inflation than fiscal deficits. The analysis based on this method therefore suggests that while fiscal deficits have some influence on inflation, monetary factors mostly determine inflation in these three countries.     

危机时期政府对经济的财政金融调节机制的建立

为应对“非典”危机 ,政府已经投入了一百个亿 ;为了应付“非典”危机对经济的影响 ,政府还需要投入更多的资金。“非典”类危机是不确定的 ,时时有可能爆发 ,为此 ,政府要建立起危机管理机制 ,其中包括财政金融调节机制。     

On the cost-benefit of the regionalisation of the National Health Service

In this paper we analyse in formal terms the desirability of the regionalisation of a National Health Service. The policy consists of a devolution process, i.e. the increase in the health services provision to be decided by a region and financed by an increase in its revenues. The change is a marginal one, as it regards the part of supply of the health services exceeding a minimum standard, which for purposes of equity is maintained uniform in the national territory. As the central government is responsible for this component of the provision of health care (a federal “mandate”), the level of the said component is chosen by this authority and financed by federal taxation. Moreover, the government also applies an equalisation scheme based on the difference between a standard level of tax revenues and the revenues which the region is deemed able to raise for this purpose. Within the theoretical context of welfare improving reforms with distortionary taxation, we derive two conditions which focus on the regional, as well as the social, convenience of regionalisation. Received: May 5, 1999 / Accepted: January 21, 2000     

A multiregional model of China and its application

China's rapid economic transformation since 1979 has been accompanied by a stark regional disparity with the coastal provinces integrating swiftly into the world markets while inland regions lagging far behind in the industrialisation process. The growth imbalance has placed China's provinces into different stages of development and called for different policy responses to deal with different challenges they are facing. Similarly, a national policy initiated by the central government is likely to be interpreted and implemented in different ways when local governments take into consideration the different conditions in their localities. Therefore, it would be extremely valuable for policy makers and researchers to have an analytical tool that is capable of studying interactions among the provincial economies and the dynamic relationship between the centre and local governments. The multiregional econometric model of China presented in this paper is the first attempt to provide such a tool. The pioneering model consists of over 1200 equations, covering 30 provinces of China that are linked by inter-regional flows of goods and services. The model is used to study the impact of fiscal recentralisation in the 1990s. The counterfactual simulation results show that when China's central government diverted tax revenue from provincial governments, it achieved higher budgetary revenue for the central government but at the expense of lower overall budgetary revenue and slower economic growth.     

土地财政、虚高城市化与土地粗放利用

本文从我国当前土地利用低效的现实出发,借助制度经济学和博弈论等理论方法,分析了我国体制转型期土地财政、虚高城市化以及土地粗放利用之间的因果联系。研究表明,我国在城市化过程中出现的种种土地低效利用现象,与体制转型期地方政府的行为,尤其是追求土地财政的冲动密不可分。城市化虚高除表现在城市拓展与产业结构升级背道而驰、人口城市化明显滞后于土地城市化之外,更直接的表现则是许多地方热衷“摊大饼”式的城市化扩张模式。在以经济增长为导向的发展目标激励下,作为城镇建设土地的所有者、供给者与垄断者“三位一体”的政府,会倾向于通过权衡土地的成本和收益,从而赋予土地宏观方面的增长功能。由于中央政府对地方政府的软预算约束,在城市化过程中,地方政府采取“经营城市”、“经营土地”的策略行为就成为题中应有之义,土地的粗放利用也成为必然之后果。     

美国地方财政体制再思考——以佐治亚州为例

美国的地方财政体制受其政治体制的影响,无论是支出责任还是税权在地方政府间的配置都有其特点,具备一定的效率优势。分析美国地方财政体制,明确中国税费改革理念,构建成熟的税费体系,以期对我国地方财政体制的改革和完善有所助益。     

我国省以下财政分权对环境污染的影响

基于我国2003-2011年地级市的数据,文章采用联立方程模型,实证分析了省以下财政分权对地级市环境污染的影响。回归结果表明：从总体上看,省以下财政分权对地级市污染物的排放有正向影响,省以下分权程度的提高不利于污染物排放量的减少,不利于增加地方政府管制污染物排放的努力程度。研究还表明,由于各地区的经济发展水平不同,并且各种污染物的外溢效应不同,使得财政分权对污染物排放的影响程度存在显著差异。     

地方财政体制权责不对称问题研究

地方财政体制权责不对称已经成为分税制后我国地方财政管理体制运行中的一个较为突出的问题。主要表现为：事权划分原则性不强且缺乏法制化基础导致了政府间事权下移，地方政府级次过多与“倒轧账”式的分税模式引起了地方政府间财权上移，转移支付制度不规范造成了地方政府间财力差距日益扩大。为此，我们应选择相应的治理对策来完善我国地方财政体制。     

Macroeconomic policy cooperation and the G20

Has the G20 achieved its goals in macroeconomic cooperation since 2008? The paper organises the G20's efforts under five themes: macroeconomic stimulus, fiscal consolidation, monetary policy, the global financial safety net and global imbalances. The G20 was initially successful in each of these areas, but this success was short‐lived. While the G20 met its goals on macroeconomic stimulus, it has been less successful in reducing deficits and debt. While it was successful in increasing its resources, the global financial safety net remains too small, too fragmented and institutional reform is incomplete. While the G20 succeeded in moving to more market‐determined exchange rates and avoiding competitive devaluations, it struggled to avoid negative spillovers. Despite years of effort, the G20 has made limited progress in reducing global imbalances. Current account imbalances are creeping back to pre‐crisis levels. Public debt remains high and most economies are moving in the wrong direction in correcting imbalances in household savings and debt. The paper concludes that the G20 has done better in some areas than others. But to suggest the G20 is a forum in decline ignores its shift from reactive crisis response to longer‐term structural challenges outside of the pressing need of an immediate crisis.     

我国省际间财政差异趋势与影响因素的实证研究

本文通过1980-2005年间的样本数据,揭示1980年以来我国省际间财政差异的变化趋势,以及这种变化趋势的影响因素.我们的研究表明,在财政收入方面,受地区经济差异加大的影响,1994年以后财政收入差异有扩大态势,而分税制改革有助于缩小省际间财政收入差异.在财政支出方面,1995年以后财政支出差异呈上升趋势,这是地区间经济发展水平差异与分税制共同作用的结果,但是前者的作用远远大于后者.因此,缩小省际间财政差异的途径除转移支付外,还应当主要致力于缩小省际间经济发展水平差异.