Fiscal policy in Central and Eastern Europe with real time data: cyclicality,inertia and the role of EU accession

This article evaluates the cyclicality, inertia and effect of EU accession on fiscal policy in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) using a real time dataset. Budget balances are found to react in a stabilizing way to economic activity – every extra percentage point of economic growth is associated with an improvement in the budget balance of 0.3 percentage points of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – and there is no evidence of an asymmetric reaction to the cycle. Balances are much less inert than is typically found in Western Europe. However, there is clear evidence of a fiscal loosening in the run-up to EU accession. This began in 1999 in larger central European countries, often identified as ‘front-runners’. The other seven began loosening in 2001, after the Nice Treaty was agreed. For both sets of countries, this loosening cumulatively amounts to some 3% of GDP.     

"入世"对中国寿险公司产业组织的影响——基于2001-2005年非平衡面板数据的实证分析

文章采用2001-2005年中国寿险公司的非平衡面板数据,从微观领域实证研究了中国寿险业市场结构、市场竞争行为、市场绩效之间的关系及"入世"对上述关系的影响。实证结果表明,现阶段我国寿险公司产业组织中,市场份额与竞争努力程度负相关,而市场份额和竞争努力程度均与寿险公司经营绩效正相关。"入世"促使我国寿险公司间的无序竞争向有序竞争转变,对寿险公司经营绩效具有积极作用。     

《中国加入议定书》研究的两个十年——兼论加入议定书的强制执行性等问题

2001年中国入世后,国内外学者对中国加入议定书及"加入WTO法"进行了比较广泛和深入的研究。在2011年的原材料案裁决之后,国内外的研究进入了新阶段,尤其体现为对加入议定书法律地位等根本性问题的反思。中国的加入议定书包含了大量特殊义务,中国迄今作为当事方的WTO争端有半数以上与议定书条款有关,因此进一步深化加入议定书研究具有重要的实践价值。本文就议定书研究的方法论提出了建议,并就加入议定书的"间接适用论"以及2016年后其他成员是否有权在对华反倾销中继续使用特殊的价格比较方法这两个具体问题发表意见。