A Semiparametric Method for Valuing Residential Locations: Application to Automated Valuation

This paper is motivated by automated valuation systems, which would benefit from an ability to estimate spatial variation in location value. It develops theory for the local regression model (LRM), a semiparametric approach to estimating a location value surface. There are two parts to the LRM: (1) an ordinary least square (OLS) model to hold constant for interior square footage, land area, bathrooms, and other structural characteristics; and (2) a non-parametric smoother (local polynomial regression, LPR) which calculates location value as a function of latitude and longitude. Several methods are used to consistently estimate both parts of the model. The LRM was fit to geocoded hedonic sales data for six towns in the suburbs of Boston, MA. The estimates yield substantial, significant and plausible spatial patterns in location values. Using the LRM as an exploratory tool, local peaks and valleys in location value identified by the model are close to points identified by the tax assessor, and they are shown to add to the explanatory power of an OLS model. Out-of-sample MSE shows that the LRM with a first-degree polynomial (local linear smoothing) is somewhat better than polynomials of degree zero or degree two. Future applications might use degree zero (the well-known NW estimator) because this is available in popular commercial software. The optimized LRM reduces MSE from the OLS model by between 5 percent and 11 percent while adding information on statistically significant variations in location value.     

Incentives and Information Exchange in International Taxation

The exchange of taxpayer-specific information between national tax authorities has recently emerged as a key and controversial topic in international tax policy discussions, most notably with the OECD's harmful tax practices project and the EU's savings tax initiative. This paper analyzes the effects of information exchange and withholding taxes, recognizing that countries which agree to exchange information do not forfeit the ability to levy withholding taxes, and also focusing in particular on the effects of innovative revenue-sharing arrangements. Amongst the findings are that: (i) the transfer of withholding tax receipts to the residence country, as planned in the European Union, has no effect on equilibrium tax rates, but acts purely as a lump-sum transfer; (ii) in contrast, allocating some of the revenue from information exchange to the source country—counter to usual practice (though no less so than the EU agreement)—would have adverse strategic effects on total revenue; (iii) nevertheless, any withholding tax regime is Pareto dominated by information exchange combined with appropriate revenue sharing; and, in particular, (iv) sharing of the additional revenues raised from information provided, while efficiency-reducing, could be in the interests of large countries as a means of persuading small countries to provide that information voluntarily. JEL Code: H77, H87, F42     

Testing for Vertical Fiscal Externalities

The purpose of this paper is to design a test of whether the vertical external effects associated with tax base sharing among local and regional governments have become internalized via the intergovernmental transfer system. Such tests are important in the sense that the income tax rates chosen by different levels of government will generally be correlated, even if the resource allocation is optimal from society's point of view. By using panel data for the Swedish local and regional public sectors, the results imply that an increase in the regional income tax rate induces the municipalities in the region to decrease their income tax rates. In addition, we are able to reject the null hypothesis that the vertical external effects have become internalized.     

Complementary currencies: what role should they be playing in local and regional government?

The current climate of fiscal austerity has seen a resurgence in ‘complementary currencies’ as local and regional governments look for ways to use under-utilized assets, maintain employment and avoid local economic decline. The authors explore how local and regional governments can facilitate complementary currencies to reduce the impact of external economic shocks and enable their economies to continue to function in the face of austerity. They recommend that localities consider participating in existing complementary currency ‘circles’.     

财政分权、地方政府行为与地方政府规模——基于区域差异的视角

利用1995~2008年省际面板数据针对中国财政分权对地方政府规模影响的地区差异效应进行计量检验。研究发现,中国财政分权对地方政府规模影响存在地区差异。财政转移支付制度、财政竞争形式、地方政府父爱主义倾向以及地方政府对境外投资资本优惠力度等是造成此现象的主要原因。     

我国现行环境税费的环保效果:基于地方政府视角的分析

财政联邦主义理论告诉我们,地方财政行为可能会影响环境政策的执行,在财政分权的情况下,可能出现地方政府为了促进经济增长和增加税收收入而采取放松环境质量管理的策略行为,导致"竞争到底"现象的出现。基于这一理论假设,从地方政府的角度,建立计量经济模型对我国现行环境税费的环保效果进行实证检验,得出如下结论:我国应积极推行绿色GDP等考核指标;明晰中央政府和地方政府各自的环保责任;中央政府应规范地方政府之间的竞争,等等。     

地方债为公共品融资:条件与效应分析

地方债的发行期与偿还期往往不一致,与资本性地方公共品不一致的建设期和受益期相对应,再加上法律明确赋予的举债权,地方债因此而成为世界各国经常采用的资本性地方公共品的融资方式。利用地方债为地方公共品融资,可以实现降低对政府收入依赖程度的预算效应、过度刺激地方政府利用公债投资的负激励效应以及影响居民迁入与移出的迁移效应。     

嵌入全球价值链的地方产业集群发展--地方建筑陶瓷产业集群研究

以集群为发展模式的地方经济已逐渐纳入全球产业网络,它的竞争力提升,不仅需要挖掘集群的内部联系,更需要在全球价值链中与区域外的经济行为主体积极互动、不断调整自身嵌入全球产业价值链的方式,创造、保持和捕捉价值。文章以建筑陶瓷产业的实例分析为依托,阐述意大利、西班牙建筑陶瓷产业集群如何通过嵌入全球价值链实现集群的升级和发展,并控制全球产业的动态变化;探讨中国本土建筑陶瓷集群与国际建筑陶瓷集群间基于全球价值链的互动,对中国建筑陶瓷地方产业集群产生、发展、升级和区域经济带来的巨大影响;分析目前国内集群在全球价值链中面临的挑战,提出在全球产业视角下促进集群升级的可能途径。     

本土代工企业竞争力构成要素及提升路径

代工模式是常见的跨国合作模式，但理论上以委托制造为主题，立足于代工企业的研究却很少。同一般企业竞争力的表现不同．本土代工企业的竞争力主要体现在其与国际品牌客户建立与发展长期的战略伙伴关系方面。本文运用组织间关系理论，分别从代工企业的代工能力、可替代程度及合作关系的建立与发展能力等方面分析了其竞争力的构成，并提出了本土代工企业可以通过业务的延伸与拓展、自创品牌以及多种业务的动态组合等路径提升其竞争优势。