The Emerging Role of the State In Latin America

The article is designed to (a) provide a theoretical framework for analyzing reforms in the role of the state; (b) assess the Latin America experience in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of core government functions at all levels of government (e.g. human resource management, financial management, tax and customs administration and cross-sectoral service delivery though excluding a detailed treatment of sector-specific areas such as education and health); and (c) examine the experience to date in Latin America of successfully implementing institutional reforms with respect to (i) private sector development (legal reforms to facilitate private transactions as well as provide a regulatory role for government in the face of market failures and their enforcement) and (ii) poverty alleviation particularly with respect to reforms in the social security system as well as the introduction of social investment funds.     

论对外开放与分权改革的互动

已有的研究认为,中国改革开放30年来之所以能够在经济转型和增长方面创造出"中国奇迹",是由于分权改革发挥了重要的作用.本文认为,分权改革自身并不一定产生出"趋好的竞争","中国奇迹"的取得是对外开放与分权改革形成良性互动的结果.但是对外开放并不能从根本上消除分权改革所造成的负面影响,因而调整分权改革政策,重构中央政府和地方政府之间的关系是延续"中国奇迹"的必然举措.     

中国财政分权体制改革的路径选择

本文通过财政分权改革的框架下分析中国财政体制的经验研究,总结了财政分权改革进程中各阶段的改革特征,并对现行体制所引发的问题进行归纳。中国由于缺乏法律的保障、地区发展不平衡、事权和财权划分不规范和地方政府预算软约束等方面的问题需要解决,需要在已有研究的基础上对体制进一步的完善。     

Decentralization in a centralized system: Project-based governance for land-related public goods provision in China

The present paper describes a project-based governance approach for public goods provision in the domain of land administration, which is a new decentralized structure within the traditional centralized system in China. Project-based governance represents a new relationship between the central and local governments that aims to cooperatively provide land-related services for public interest projects. The top–down project allocation from the central government and the bottom–up project packaging by local governments together successfully improve the incentives of the local governments and, therefore, achieve the central government’s aim of providing public goods and fostering economic development. We use Fujian Province of China as an example to show the operational process of the project-based governance approach, and we discuss in detail the features and potential effects of the new governance system. The paper may provide new evidence for governance innovation regarding decentralization in a traditionally centralized system.     

The promise of a decentralized internet: What is Web3 and how can firms prepare?

What is Web3, and what does it mean for established companies? Web3 describes a broad range of emerging internet applications for blockchain technology (i.e., a decentralized, public database that allows information to be securely recorded on a network of computers rather than verified and controlled by centralized entities). Central to this evolution of the internet are four distinct blockchain-enabled applications: fungible tokens (cryptocurrencies), nonfungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), and metaverses. In this article, we define each of these applications and discuss their capacity to increase peer-to-peer interactions, decrease large companies’ control of information and services, and facilitate access to user networks at a much lower cost than currently possible. These distinctions make Web3 both a natural evolution of Web 2.0 and a broader paradigm shift that may fundamentally alter the online interface, organizational structure, and business practices. We conclude by addressing how established companies can prepare for a more decentralized internet.     

Bribe payments under regulatory decentralization: Evidence from rights offering regulations in China

This paper investigates why and how firms’ bribe payments vary as a result of the interaction between firms and local public officials under the decentralized regulatory system for rights offerings implemented prior to 2001 in China. Using the gap between the estimated and reported total direct costs of rights offerings as a measure of firms’ bribes payments in the process of rights offering applications under this system, we find that bribe payments are positively related to local governments’ control rights, firms’ opportunity costs of refusing to pay bribes, and the severity of firms’ Jensen agency problems. We further show that after termination of the regulatory system, firms’ bribe payments are substantially reduced, and local governments’ control rights as well as the severity of firms’ Jensen agency problems can no longer explain the variation in bribe payments.     

“乡财县管”改革、基层政府治理与经济发展

县乡两级政府处于我国政府层级的最末端,是大量公共事务的最终承担者,科学合理的县乡财政管理体制,是提升基层治理能力的重要制度保障。2004年以来,我国一些省份相继推行了乡财县管改革,由县级政府直接管理并监督乡镇财政,乡镇财政管理权被大幅度上收到县。本文利用2000-2019年的县域面板数据和双重差分模型,评估了乡财县管改革对经济发展的影响。结果显示,乡财县管促进了县域经济发展。机制分析显示,乡财县管减少了行政管理支出比重,抑制了财政供养人员规模膨胀,降低了税费负担。这些结果表明,加强上级政府对基层政府的财政管理与监督,有助于改善治理水平、促进经济发展。本文也发现,在地形较为复杂的人口大县及经济较发达地区的县,由于改革一定程度上提高了县级政府获取信息的难度,不利于发挥乡镇政府的积极性,乡财县管对经济发展的提升效果相对较弱,这说明,乡财县管不宜“一刀切”地实行。     

International Divider Walls

The subject of this teaching case is the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation at International Divider Walls, the world market leader in design, production, and sales of divider walls. The implementation in one of the divisions of this multi-national company had been successful, and now the Chief Information Officer (CIO) was asked to advise the board of directors on the next step in the worldwide roll out of the ERP system. A choice had to be made between a centrally managed ERP option, and an option in which each of the divisions set up its own ERP project.     

财政分权与经济增长可持续性——基于情势转换与聚类视角的分析

经济增长可持续性不仅取决于增长速度还取决于增长稳定性。本文利用我国245个地级市1978—2014年间面板数据和马尔科夫情势转换聚类面板模型,从情势转换与聚类视角考察了地级市经济增长动态特征,识别出不同的动态增长模式及其可持续性,进而剖析了财政分权的影响。研究表明,地级市经济增长呈现出三种动态增长模式,这三种模式在平均增速、增长状态及其持续期、增长波动性进而在增长可持续性方面存在明显差异。支出分权显著增加了地级市归属为低增长、高波动模式的概率,不利于经济可持续增长,而在1994年分税制改革后则产生了较积极的作用。收入分权总体有利于增强经济增长可持续性,1994年分税制改革后,受地方纵向财政失衡加剧的不利影响,这一积极作用有所减弱。增加地方财政自给度(即增加地方收支分权匹配度、减小地方纵向财政失衡)有利于增强经济增长可持续性,这一作用在1994年分税制改革后表现得更为突出。本文研究结论对优化完善财税体制以有效促进经济可持续增长具有良好启示。     

中国式分权、转移支付与居民收入不平等

本文首先采用基尼系数对我国城乡、城镇和农村居民收入不平等程度进行重新测度,然后以政府转移支付为门限变量建立面板门限回归模型,对财政收支分权与居民收入不平等之间关系进行实证检验,结果发现:一是财政收入分权与收入不平等显著负相关,财政支出分权与收入不平等显著正相关;二是财政收支分权对不同类型收入不平等的作用效果存在较大差异.其中,无论是财政收入分权抑或支出分权对收入不平等的政策效应大小依次是城镇居民＞农村居民＞总体居民;三是政府转移支付在不同区制对居民收入不平等的影响呈现显著地非线性特征.即从相对较低的第一区制跨入较高的第二区制时,转移支付对居民收入不平等的影响由负转变为正.本文以上研究结论不仅对于全面构建央地新型政府间财政关系,还可以为促进公平收入分配提供理论依据与决策参考.