A cost-benefit analysis of the random assignment UK Employment Retention and Advancement Demonstration

This article presents a cost-benefit analysis of Britain’s Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) demonstration, which was evaluated through the first large-scale randomized control trial in the UK. ERA used a combination of job coaching and financial incentives in attempting to help long-term unemployed men and low-income lone parents sustain employment and progress in work once they were employed. Using both administrative and survey data, ERA’s effects on benefits and costs were estimated through impact analyses, which exploited the experimental design. The findings indicated that ERA was cost beneficial for long-term unemployed adult men, but not for lone parents. The key findings appear robust to sensitivity tests. Uncertainty, as implied by the SEs of the estimated impacts, was addressed through a Monte Carlo analysis, an approach seldom previously used in cost-benefit analyses of social programs.     

Cattle as a consistently resilient agricultural commodity

This study compares a range of agricultural commodities over periods of varying economic circumstances. These commodities are examined over three categories, including returns, risk, and contribution to portfolio optimisation. Consistency in these categories is determined over four equal three-year stages which comprise pre-GFC (Global Financial Crisis), GFC, post-GFC and post-post GFC. To demonstrate resilience in the most extreme circumstances, the study uses Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR), which measures extreme risk in the tail of a distribution, as the risk measure and risk-return optimiser. The study thus provides a unique and comprehensive extreme-risk based focus which identifies and ranks the consistency of performance of agricultural commodities over a range of criteria and conditions. Cattle commodities consistently demonstrate the strongest overall performance in the categories examined.     

China's macroeconomic stability – an empirical study based on survey data

A complete financial stability analysis should include investigation on macroeconomic stability since macroeconomic development and potential imbalance can increase the financial instability and trigger a financial crisis. Survey data of rating on China's macroeconomic stability is analyzed by estimating an ordered logit model with random effect. Among the candidate macroeconomic indicators, we found that inflation is the key variable that determines China's macroeconomic stability, followed by the change in budget balance and GDP growth gap.     

Entrepreneurial innovativeness and growth ambitions in thick vs. thin regional innovation systems

Research in economic geography has paid increasing attention to regional innovation systems (RISs) as a potential vehicle for growth and development. Yet despite an increasing amount of research studying RISs in particular and economic regions in general, we have limited knowledge about their influence on entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. We respond to this knowledge gap and study if entrepreneurs’ localization in thick vs. thin RISs affects their innovativeness and growth ambitions. Thick RISs are predominately urbanized spaces that include organizations of higher-level education, R&D intensive milieus, and an ample industry sector, while thin RISs to a lesser degree encompass these features. Empirically, we analyse 870–917 entrepreneurial firms in Agder of Southern Norway. Based on trade and labour markets, as defined by the EU’s classification of local administrative units (LAU1), we identify two thick and six thin RISs in Agder. Econometric analyses show that entrepreneurs located in thick RISs are more innovative than entrepreneurs located in thin RISs, but there are no significant differences concerning entrepreneurs’ growth ambitions. In light of our findings, we discuss the potential agency role played by entrepreneurial firms at a micro level on path dependent features of RISs at a macro level.     

政府随机审计的动态博弈模型及政策启示

本文在一个三阶段动态博弈框架下,对政府随机审计过程中的政府审计机关与政府审计对象以及国家与政府审计对象之间的动态博弈特征进行了分析。分析结果显示：政府审计机关与政府审计对象之间存在一个纯策略纳什均衡,而国家和政府审计对象之间存在一个混合策略纳什均衡。政府审计对象接受国家实质性审计的概率是政府审计对象被政府机关审计发现违规或不作为后的惩罚倍数的单调递减函数,而政府审计对象的违规或不作为的概率分别是政府审计对象被政府机关审计发现违规或不作为后的惩罚倍数和政府审计对象的应尽义务或责任的单调递减函数,却是政府审计机关审计行为成本的单调递增函数。同时,结合研究结论和中国政府审计全覆盖的现实,给出了一些政策建议。     

基层财政解困:一个财政体制变迁的分析框架

基层财政困难已影响到部分地方经济发展与社会稳定,是迫切需要解决的问题.基层财政陷入困境的最直接根源是财政体制不规范,事权与财权高度不对称.解困的根本出路在于规范政府间财政关系,进行财政体制创新.但财政体制变迁不能局限于边际微调,须考虑政府财政级次问题.本文提出推行"省管县"体制与撤消乡镇级政府两项改革,将政府层级由五级简化为三级,对应形成三级财政.并以这三级财政为架构,重新设计财政体制,合理配置政府间事权财权,以推动基层财政彻底解困.     

《经济应用数学》课程分层次教学调查与思考

随着近年高校招生规模的扩大,学生数学基础差和数学水平参差不齐的状况越来越明显。通过对高职高专学生进行分层次教学问卷调查,试用分层次教学调动学生学习数学的积极性,满足不同层次学生的学习需求,从而使他们顺利达到教学目标,提高学生的数学素质及能力。     

中国人口性别比偏高的成因与影响分析

中国的人口性别比自20世纪80年代已经超过106的警戒线,近十几年来婴儿出生性别比过高的趋势有进一步加剧的倾向。拟从影响人口性别比的三个方面即婴儿出生性别比、两性保存几率的差异和人口迁移,特别是婴儿出生性别比方面分析中国人口性别比偏高的形成原因以及可能带来的社会问题,并有针对性地提出解决人口性别比偏高问题的政策建议。     

我国保险资金运用风险分析

随着保险资金规模的不断扩大,其面临的投资风险也越来越大。分析结果表明,保险资金投资于国债、基础设施建设的风险相对较低;投资于银行存款的风险主要是政府运用利率手段调节宏观经济的结果;而投资于股票市场和证券投资基金的风险非常大。同时,算例分析显示,保险资金应扩大债券类资产的投资份额,慎重选择证券投资基金和股票。     

上市公司市盈率的微观影响因素分析

市盈率指标具有重要作用,影响我国上市公司市盈率的微观因素除了股利支付率、公司成长性和公司风险的一般因素外,还需要考虑流通股比重、盈利能力等。本文基于这样的考虑,利用面板数据对沪深2001～2004年A股上市公司数据进行了实证研究,分析表明各财务指标对市盈率的影响关系基本同假设一致,但有些关系不显著。意外地,净利润增长率与市盈率负相关,需要结合我国具体情况来认识市盈率,作出合理的解释。