On the test score gap between Roma and non‐Roma students in Hungary and its potential causes

Using unique data from Hungary, the gap in reading and mathematics test scores between Roma and non‐Roma 8th grade students is assessed and a substantial gap between them revealed. Standardized test scores as well as the fraction of students with competences considered inadequate are examined. Regardless of measurement and subject area, the bulk of the gap is explained by social differences in income, wealth and parental education. Using reduced‐form regressions, two major mediating mechanisms are identified: first, on average the home environment of Roma children is less favourable for cognitive development; second, the educational environment of the average Roma student is different from the average non‐Roma student. Comparing students with similar home environments from the same school and class, the ethnic gap in test scores is found to be insignificant. Ethnic differences in the home environment are explained by social disparity, and ethnicity seems to play no additional role in that regard. The unequal distribution of Roma students in schools and classes is found to be explained predominantly by social difference, too, with a significant residual portion, indicating the effect of ethnic segregation.     

房地产属性、收入差距与房价变动趋势

以往关于收入差距与房价之间关系的研究,较少兼顾房地产的消费与投资双重属性。文章基于双重属性的角度,首先从理论上阐述了收入差距与房价之间的动态关系。在经济发展水平较低的情况下,房地产的消费属性凸显,收入差距扩大会抑制房价上涨;随着经济的进一步发展,房地产单一属性不明显,收入差距变化对房价不存在显著影响;当经济发展水平较高时,房地产投资属性占优,收入差距扩大会促进房价上涨。进一步对理论结果进行实证研究发现,整体上我国收入差距与房价之间无显著相关关系,单一属性不明显;但就省际差异而言,在经济发展水平较高的省份,收入差距促进了房价上涨,而在经济发展水平较低的省份,收入差距则抑制了房价上涨。随着时间的变化,收入差距由抑制房价上涨转变为促进房价上涨。     

Do pensions foster education? An empirical perspective

The paper examines the effect of population ageing on public education spending. On the one hand, ageing is expected to have a negative effect on education, as an increasing number of retirees results in ‘intergenerational conflict’ and, hence, the condemnation of education expenditure. On the other hand, ageing, in combination with pay-as-you-go pension systems, offers incentives for the working-age generation to invest in the public education of the young in order to ‘reap’ the benefits (that is, higher income tax/contributions) of their greater future productivity. Empirical evidence derived from the application of a fixed effects approach to panel data for OECD countries shows that the increasing share of elderly people has a non-linear effect on education spending. This indicates a certain degree of intergenerational conflict. Nevertheless, we find that future population ageing, which reinforces the mechanism linking public education and pensions, reflects positively on education expenditure. Furthermore, by disaggregating total education expenditure by educational levels, we observe that this effect is led by levels of non-compulsory education, probably as a reflection of the direct connection to labor productivity.     

要素市场配置与我国城乡居民收入差距研究

在我国城乡要素市场人为分割情况下,劳动力、土地、资本等要素在城乡间的流动受到限制,要素的这种错误配置导致了较低的配置效率,从而使得城乡间经济收敛的内在机制无法发挥作用。通过选取一定的统计指标,对1990-2011年我国城乡要素收入进行分解,用定性与定量相结合的方法分析要素市场配置对城乡居民收入差距的影响。研究表明,土地要素和劳动力要素对城乡居民收入差距影响最大。应采取完善要素市场配置体制,促进劳动力、土地、资本等要素合理配置,完善政府宏观调控职能等政策缩小城乡居民收入差距。     

基础养老金全国统筹收入再分配给付水平及适度性检验

依据生存公平和劳动公平统一原理,从基础养老金计发办法及规则分解入手,设定相应的全国统筹计发方案并分析不同方案对高低收入地区的财富分配的影响,同时从宏观适度性、微观适度性以及福利改进角度对基础养老金全国统筹各方案进行评价和适度性检验。利用地区间物价差异修正后的全国统筹计发方案,既可以解决劳动力跨统筹范围流转的难题,实现养老保险的地区间收入再分配和地区间基础养老金给付水平适度性的优化,也可在适度区间标准上实现福利改进。     

Statistical Discrimination and Gender Wage Gap: A Model

In this paper, I extend the model in Coate and Loury (CL) (1993) to show how statistical discrimination by employers can help create gender wage gap for men and women with equal earning potentials. Given that employers do not perfectly observe a worker’s skill type and partly rely on the average skills level of his (her) peers for inference purpose, employers’ differential treatment of male and female workers can create different skill-investment incentives for them, which in turn justify employers’ discrimination in the first place. The second result of this paper which is not possible within the original CL framework is that I point to the possibility that there exist circumstances under which the gender wage gap can not be eliminated without the formerly advantaged sex being negatively affected.     

养老基金最低收益保证制度下的最优资产配置——来自中国1998-2008年数据的模拟分析

文章主要研究养老基金最低收益保证制度及其框架下的资产配置问题.利用鞅方法创新性地给出了最优资产配置策略,随后分析了最低收益保证制度对最优资产配置的影响.结果表明,外部机构的利润分享比例越大,保证额度越高,养老基金投资风险资产的比例越高,但随着时间的推移,其风险投资将逐步降低.最后,文章利用所得结论为我国设立最低收益保证制度提供了建议:即我国应设立相对额度的最低收益保证制度;应由政府部门或非盈利机构提供这种最低收益保证,且不宜采取利润分享原则;保证额度应适度,过高会导致养老基金的投资风险过高,而过低则达不到稳定退休者收入的效果.     

我国农村金融供求缺口分析——基于制度因素的考察

我国农村金融存在巨大的结构性缺口,主要形成原因是金融制度的供给偏差,政府对满足小规模经济需求的民间金融制度供给不足。为了加快社会主义新农村建设,必须增加农村民间金融制度的有效供给,营造农村金融制度的市场供给机制,进一步加强非正规金融的风险防控,通过提高制度的效率来改善农村金融供求关系。     

基于可持续性的养老保险个人账户目标模式

养老保险个人账户的模式有完全积累制和名义账户制等。文章从社会整体、投资收益率、社会总福利和动态发展等四个角度,分析了各种养老保险模式的优劣,并提出:当前我国可实施名义账户制;在未来,在我国储蓄率和人口结构发生变化后,可适时调整养老保险制度的模式。     

经济人口重心的动态转移与区域经济发展

改革开放以来到20世纪90年代初,我国经济重心的主要变动方向由北向南,区域经济差距的矛盾主要体现为南北矛盾.90年代中期以后,南北差距逐渐缩小,而东西差距有所扩大,区域经济差距的矛盾由南北转向东西,人口重心主要在南北方向上不均衡.由于地区经济发展水平的差异是导致人口迁移的主要因素,人口重心滞后于经济重心的变化,人口迁移的流向是影响人口重心迁移的重要因素.有计划地促进沿海和内陆地区间较均衡的经济发展,将有利于实现人口迁移与经济的协调发展.