The Legislator as Political Entrepreneur: Investment in Political Capital

This paper applies the standard Austrian theory of capital investment to the standard interest group model of legislator behavior. Distinguishing between reputational capital and representative capital as interdependent forms of political capital, I argue that legislator behavior (specifically roll call voting) can be explained as entrepreneurial investment in political capital under uncertainty. I discuss several examples in which this approach can potentially add predictive power regarding legislative voting.     

关于构建社会主义和谐社会的战略性研究

本文研究构建社会主义和谐社会的可能性和长期性问题。当前我国经济社会发展已进入人均GDP从1000美元向3000美元跨越的关键阶段。这既是加快发展的黄金期,又是社会矛盾的凸显期。“和平与发展”的世界主流,长期稳定增长的国内经济形势,科学合理的国内发展布局,民主法制的不断进步,都是构建社会主义和谐社会的有利因素。这些因素的不断发展并相互作用,为社会主义和谐目标的实现提供了可能。构建社会主义和谐社会的长期性构想,源于社会和谐是中国特色社会主义的本质属性,社会和谐是中国特色社会主义的重要目标,解决政治体制和经济体制的不协调需要很长的时间,实现社会和谐是一个分步骤持续推进的长期历史过程。     

Does support from government help firms survive? Evidence on financial and political assistance in China, 1998–2007

ABSTRACT

Using the National Bureau of Statistics data set over the period 1998–2007, this article examines the dual roles of financial assistance and strong political links on firm survival in China by applying a semi-parametric duration model. We find that generally either financial assistance or strong political links had a positive effect on the likelihood of firm survival. Furthermore, if firms received both types of support from government, their survival rate was around two times as high compared to only receiving a single support. The likelihood of survival depended on the amount of assistance a firm received. We also find firm ownership impacts on its survival pattern. Lastly, China joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO) coincided with (cet. par.) higher firm failure, especially with regard to state-owned firms; however, this period also saw the authorities targeting political and financial help on the ‘better’ firms (especially SOEs) with characteristics likely to increase their chance of survival.     

老龄化社会和谐与保险行业创新

在建设和谐社会的过程中，必须面对我国人口老龄化的现实，从这层意义上说，建设我国和谐社会，也就是建设一个老龄化的和谐社会。因此，必须加快保险行业制度创新与产品创新步伐，主动适应社会发展要求，以保险业自身的创新及和谐进步来保障老龄化社会和谐建设。     

Do Institutions Cause Growth?

We revisit the debate over whether political institutions cause economic growth, or whether, alternatively, growth and human capital accumulation lead to institutional improvement. We find that most indicators of institutional quality used to establish the proposition that institutions cause growth are constructed to be conceptually unsuitable for that purpose. We also find that some of the instrumental variable techniques used in the literature are flawed. Basic OLS results, as well as a variety of additional evidence, suggest that (a) human capital is a more basic source of growth than are the institutions, (b) poor countries get out of poverty through good policies, often pursued by dictators, and (c) subsequently improve their political institutions.     

河北省金融业发展之对策分析

目前河北省金融业发展水平较低，要建设沿海经济社会发展强省，河北省必须首先成为一个金融强省。河北省金融业定位于围绕京津两个金融中心的区域性产业金融，即立足河北省区域，服务于“三农”、京津冀梯度转移产业、港口产业和海洋产业。应制定金融产业发展规划，采取优化金融生态环境，调整金融产业结构，整合金融资源，开放金融市场等措施来推动金融产业的发展。     

深化改革是构建和谐社会的根本途径

当前影响我国构建和谐社会的主要因素是资源行政性配置量中的权力市场化、市场体系的不完善、社会保障制度滞后、经济转轨和社会转型中的分配不公及利益失衡等体制性因素。因此,构建和谐社会必须从继续深化行政性垄断部门的改革、完善市场体系和运行机制、建立和完善社会保障制度、调节收入分配差距和完善分配制度等体制改革,从根本上革除影响我国构建和谐社会的制度性因素,不能因为改革过程中由于改革不完善而出现的经济社会的不和谐而废止改革。     

从我国能源消费现状看建设资源节约型社会的必要性和紧迫性

本文根据大量最新统计资料，详细分析了我国的能源消费现状以及国际能源市场的最新变化，指出了我国建设资源节约型社会的必要性和紧迫性。针对建设资源节约型社会在能源领域的实现途径．本文随后给出了若干政策建议。     

遏制煤矿事故构建和谐社会

近几年，煤炭企业的伤亡事故频频发生，成为建设和谐社会不能承受之重。我国煤矿事故多发的直接原因是利益的驱动，煤矿事故多发的深层次原因是经济增长方式落后，旧的生产模式遗留的恶果。要以科学发展观指导，建立和完善煤矿安全生产指标及控制体系，提高科学技术水平。遏制煤矿事故，促进社会主义和谐。     

中国传统文化对构建和谐社会的借鉴作用

构建社会主义和谐社会包括人与自然、人与人、人与社会的和谐。文章分别从自然观和"天人合一"思想、伦理道德、价值取向等三个方面,分析了中国传统文化的优秀部分对处理好人与自然、人与人、人与社会关系的借鉴作用及其对构建社会主义和谐社会的启发。