20 YEARS AFTER: THE FALL AND RISE OF SOCIALISM IN EAST GERMANY

Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, public opinion in East Germany is dominated by a deep hostility towards free markets and an uncritical attitude towards state intervention. This article argues that the mistakes that have been made in the economic transformation of East Germany continue to have an effect to this day. Supporters of the free economy failed to explain why the grievances people faced were not caused by allegedly 'unbridled' markets, but by false policies. Hopefully, a future reunified Korea will avoid repeating these mistakes.     

当前农村社会治安综合治理的对策

随着农村经济和社会的发展，农村相继出现诸多新情况和新问题，严重影响农村社会稳定和经济发展，解决和处理农村这些社会热点问题仍是社会治安综合治理工作的首要任务，也是维护国家安全与社会和谐稳定的重要举措。     

经济和谐发展中的利益兼容与生态文明建设

中共十七大明确提出,要建设生态文明,基本形成节约能源资源和保护生态环境的产业结构、增长方式和消费模式。本文在分析了我国生态文明建设背景现状的基础上提出了构建和完善财政、税收、金融、价格等宏观调控手段,以服务生态文明建设。     

城市房屋拆迁的制度分析

我国城市房屋拆迁制度是一项重要的公共政策制度。通过介绍城市房屋拆迁的研究现状,回顾中国城市房屋拆迁制度变迁的三个阶段,分析现行的拆迁制度存在的制度性障碍,有针对性地提出了通过事前公示制、补偿听证制、公开招投标、慎用行政性强制拆迁来规范拆迁市场的政策建议。     

节约型社会理念与饭店客房低值易耗品的成本控制

节约型社会理念是党中央在新的时期提出来的社会绿色发展模式，有利于在资源稀缺的时代背景下实现社会各个层面的可持续发展，具有重要的战略意义和战术指导意义。以此理念来探讨其在饭店企业行为中的运用，从饭店客房低值易耗品成本控制理念与方法的转变入手，分析传统控制方法所存在的弊端，以及与时代要求脱节的现象，研究在节约型社会理念的倡导下如何在技术、管理、理念3个层面对客房低值易耗品进行成本控制及应采取的具体操作方式。     

国外开发性金融机构转型的模式述评及启示

本文首先将国外开发性金融机构的转型模式归纳为三种:低政策下①的单一业务模式;低政策下的多元业务模式;无政策下②的多元业务模式.其次从信用建设和金融稳定的角度,对这些模式进行了比较分析.最后提出对国开行转型的两点启示:一是转型不能削弱政策性金融供给,德国的分离的、低政策下的多元业务模式值得国开行借鉴;二是转制和转型同样重要,国开行在转型中要重视产权制度改革和业务经营范围等问题.     

日本实施《家电再生利用法》解析

在战后日本经济高速增长时期,电视、冰箱和洗衣机被称为"三大件",并开始向普通日本家庭普及。此后,随着日本经济的发展及国民生活水平的提高,更多种类的家电产品被生产和销售。时至今日,包括"三大件"及空调等在内的家电产品已经成为普通家庭的生活必需品。与此同时,废旧家电数量也逐年上升,为了促进废旧家电中有用资源的再利用,减少废弃物的排放,构建循环型经济社会,1998年6月日本制定了《家电再生利用法》,自2001年4月开始实施。对日本实施《家电再生利用法》的成效进行分析,可以对中国发展循环经济、构建环境友好型社会提供有益借鉴。     

注重公平分配 构建和谐社会

我国城乡居民收入水平大幅提高的同时,居民收入差距也在进一步扩大,城乡居民收入差距呈现扩大趋势,收入差距区域化,行业化。收入差距过大已严重影响了社会稳定。注重公平分配是社会主义和谐社会建设的必然要求。政府在维护公平分配中要发挥核心作用,促进和谐社会的建设。     

Finding Generators for Markov Chains via Empirical Transition Matrices, with Applications to Credit Ratings

In this paper we identify conditions under which a true generator does or does not exist for an empirically observed Markov transition matrix. We show how to search for valid generators and choose the "correct" one that is the most compatible with bond rating behaviors. We also show how to obtain an approximate generator when a true generator does not exist. We give illustrations using credit rating transition matrices published by Moody's and by Standard and Poor's.     

Fiscal cost of demographic transition in Japan

This paper quantifies the fiscal cost of demographic transition that Japan is projected to experience over the next several decades, in a life-cycle model with endogenous saving, consumption, and labor supply in both intensive and extensive margins. Retirement waves of baby-boom generations, combined with a rise in longevity and low fertility rates, raise the old-age dependency ratio to 85% by 2050, the highest among major developed countries, and generate a significant budget imbalance, as the government faces rising costs of public pension and health and long-term care insurance. Preserving the current level of the transfers will require a major increase in taxation. Using consumption taxes to balance the government budget, the tax rate reaches the maximal value of 48% in late 2070s. A pension reform to reduce benefits by 20% results in a peak tax rate of 37%, which can be reduced further to 28% if the retirement age is also gradually raised by 5 years.