《服务贸易总协定》及其对中国贸易的影响

我国已成为WTO成员国，因此必须遵守WTO所有规则，特别是要遵守《服务贸易总协定》，为我国服务业发展服务，解读和掌握这一协定的基本知识、规则，就显得极其重要和必要。     

美国钢铁贸易保护争端及其对世界经济贸易的影响

美国钢铁保障措施的出台是经济衰退期外贸政策保护主义倾向进一步加强的具体表现。作为WTO成员，美国按国内法201条款实施的钢铁保障措施必须符合WTO保障措施规则。但美国钢铁保障措施即使符合WTO规则，也是通过损害其钢铁贸易伙伴正当利益来追求本国利益最大化。因此，在全球贸易体制约束下，美国的行为必然引起各相关方与美国之间运用全球贸易规则的利益博弈，并由此对世界经济贸易产生重大影响。     

Commodity currencies

This paper looks at real exchange rate behavior by focusing on three OECD economies (Australia, Canada, and New Zealand) where primary commodities constitute a significant share of their exports. For Australia and New Zealand especially, we find that the US dollar price of their commodity exports (generally exogenous to these small economies) has a strong and stable influence on their floating real rates, with the magnitude of the effects consistent with predictions of standard theoretical models. However, after controlling for commodity price shocks, there is still a purchasing power parity puzzle in the residual. The results here are relevant to developing commodity-exporting countries as they liberalize their capital markets and move towards floating exchange rates.     

Does direct foreign investment affect domestic credit constraints?

Firms in developing countries cite credit constraints as one of their primary obstacles to investment. Direct foreign investment may ease credit constraints by bringing in scarce capital. Alternatively, if foreign firms borrow heavily from domestic banks, they may crowd local firms out of domestic capital markets. Using firm data from the Ivory Coast, we test whether: (1) domestic firms are more credit constrained than foreign firms, and (2) whether borrowing by foreign firms exacerbates domestic firm credit constraints. Results provide support for both hypotheses. We also find that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are less financially constrained than other domestic enterprises.     

The complex integration strategies of multinationals and cross country dependencies in the structure of foreign direct investment

The behavior of many multinational enterprises is not well described by existing models of foreign direct investment (FDI). Firms often follow strategies that involve vertical integration in some countries and horizontal integration in others, a strategy known as complex integration. This paper presents a three-country model that is used to analyze why firms might follow a strategy of complex integration. My analysis reveals that complex integration strategies create complementarities between potential host countries that have important implications for the structure of FDI. The analysis also shows that falling transport cost between countries may increase the importance of complex integration strategies.     

Globalization frustrated: The case of white goods

This paper challenges the common view that mature industries are always ripe for global strategies. Based on data from the European Domestic Appliance industry, this paper shows how changing economic conditions can diminish the value of global strategies. Critical in these shifts were simultaneous rises in demand for variety (that eroded the benefits of scale and continental market share) and decreases in manufacturing scale (that permitted new supply options), which reduced the extent of the strategic market to national dimensions. They added complexity that decreased the profitability of the global players and increased that of national strategies. The fluctuating fortunes of leading firms are shown to have been caused primarily by choices of strategy, not by national factor costs.     

中国外商直接投资的区位决定因素分析:城市数据

本文以全国210个地级以上城市为对象,分析了外商直接投资的区位决定因素。本文采用OLS和逐步回归分析方法以及2002年的横截面数据,在以往研究的基础上选择四项区位决定因素包括三种成本因素、三种市场因素、四种集聚因素和四种制度因素进行实证研究。结果表明,劳动力成本对各城市的外商直接投资的区位选择影响不明显,而市场规模、基础设施、教育和研究开发条件以及地方金融规模对外商直接投资的区位选择的影响具有显著性。本文的逐步回归分析结果还表明,就东部地区而言,能源条件和市场规模是较重要的区位决定因素;就中西部地区而言,市场规模、基础设施、教育和研究开发条件以及地方金融成为较重要的区位决定因素。     

2005年国际金融市场回顾与2006年展望

2005年的国际金融市场走势跌宕起伏,股票市场表现不一,债券市场基本上是区间波动走势,外汇市场美元一枝独秀,石油价格冲高回落而黄金的表现也引人注目。决定市场走势的因素是美国经济表现稳健,欧、日经济相形见绌,同时美国利率持续上升。2006年受房地产市场降温的影响,美国经济可能温和放缓,利率很快见顶,将对金融市场产生重大影响,总体而言风险加大。     

Analysis of the Trade Dispute of Chinese Agricultural Products and Its Countermeasures

The trade dispute of agricultural products has become one of the hot issues that international community has paid close attention to for three years. This paper analyzes the current dispute situation, the characters and the causes in international export trade. It also points out how the government, enterprises and employer＇s organizations deal with the trade dispute of agricultural products.     

外资银行在拉美国家银行改革中的作用

20世纪80年代末至90年代初,受“华盛顿共识”影响,拉美国家开始了大规模的银行私有化改革。1994年末的墨西哥金融危机之后,为了缓解危机和提高银行经营效率,多数拉美国家在银行私有化改革中积极鼓励外资银行进入。对于新兴市场国家而言,盲目地西化,照抄照搬发达国家的经济模式不利于本国经济的健康发展。只有依据经济规律,根据本国实际采取适合自己发展水平和管理水平的金融体系,各个经济要素才能实现最优配置和利益的最大化。