The Prevalence and Impacts of ‘Envelope Wages’ in East–Central Europe

ABSTRACT

To evaluate the prevalence and impacts of the illegitimate wage practice where employers pay formal employees both a declared wage and an additional undeclared ‘envelope wage’, a survey involving 10,171 interviews across 10 East–Central European nations is reported to evaluate its commonality and evidence from 313 interviews conducted in Moscow to analyse its impacts. Finding that 10% of employees were paid envelope wages during 2007 amounting on average to two-fifths of their gross wage, and that this arrangement has deleterious implications for both employees and the economy, the article concludes by discussing how it might be tackled.     

Japanese Foreign Direct Investment in the UK Electronic Industry: The Eclectic Approach

This article analyses the combined effects of Japanese firms' ownership and location advantages on the size of foreign direct investment (FDI). The size of FDI is measured by two proxies, the firm's employment level and its total assets. Econometric models are estimated. The estimated regression models show that the parent company's firm-specific resources and the external economies in the located region determine the flow of FDI at the time of entry of Japanese electronic firms in the UK. This result shows that empirical analysis on FDI flows should combine both the ownership and location advantages, as suggested by Dunning's eclectic paradigm.     

Mauritius Financial System Stress Index: Estimating the Costs of the Subprime Crisis

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to develop a FSSI model for the Mauritius based on 11 components which reflect the core characteristics of Mauritius. Findings show that Mauritius had been affected by the crisis with the costs hovering around 3.4 to 5.4%. Latent risks are identified under public debt sustainability, tourist arrivals and earnings, central bank equity, quality of balance of payments sustainability, trade finance, net foreign investments on the stock market and future GDP growth paths in Europe and USA. Evidence is found of an impotent interest rate channel, a robust credit channel and a vibrant exchange rate channel. Banks’ profitability structure is found to be crisis-immune following a maintained interest rate spread at 7% despite a decline in the TED spread. The authorities should concentrate on tourism and credit channels while curtailing the interest rate spread to reinvigorate the interest rate transmission channel.     

次贷危机的形成机理及其对货币政策框架的涵义

金融系统"过度顺周期性"的潜在特性,以及由信贷结构产品和发起-分销模式,导致市场参与者难以准确评估风险,这是次贷危机的形成机理。在此基础上,分别分析其在风险承担的积累时期和金融失衡的释放时期对现行货币政策框架的涵义,认为现行货币政策框架可以减缓金融失衡的释放而导致的对经济金融的冲击,但难以约束以承担更高风险方式所导致的金融失衡,因而,必须对现行货币政策框架做出改进。最后阐述了对我国货币政策框架的启示。     

资本市场开放影响人民币汇率稳定吗——基于不同开放类型和领域的视角

资本市场开放是否会影响汇率稳定,现有研究并没有给出确切的答案.本文采用分类事件研究法,探究了不同类型和领域的资本市场开放对人民币汇率稳定性的影响.结果表明:(1)在资本市场开放的两大类型中,被动型开放不会对人民币汇率稳定性产生显著影响,主动型开放能显著增大汇率波动,但对汇率水平的影响不显著;(2)在主动型开放的三个领域中,基金领域的开放所起作用最为显著,股市和债市的开放不会对汇率稳定性产生显著影响;(3)稳健性检验发现,处于下行周期的人民币汇率的稳定性比处于上升周期的要差,且资本市场开放更容易造成汇率波动幅度扩大.据此,本文从资本市场开放类型、开放领域以及汇率变动周期等角度提出了相应的结论与政策启示.     

关于完善上市公司股权激励税收政策的思考

在实施“大众创业、万众创新”的战略大背景下,股权激励作为一种长期薪酬激励制度与促进创业创新的重要手段备受关注.股权激励效应的充分发挥有赖于税收政策的大力支持与有效配合.而我国现行股权激励税收政策设计遵循的是“公平优先、兼顾效率”原则,未能有效地引导、促进股权激励的发展,尚存在一些问题:一是股权激励税收政策设计目的与股权激励目标有冲突;二是股票期权计划分类不科学、税收政策导向不明确;三是授权日或行权日纳税的规定影响股权激励效用的发挥,极易诱发高管的机会主义行为;四是股权激励税收优惠政策不完善、税收优惠力度不足;五是上市公司与非上市公司、个人所得税与企业所得税有关股权激励的税收政策不协调.文章回顾了股权激励税收政策的已有研究,梳理了上市公司股权激励征税的国际经验,提出了完善我国上市公司股权激励税收政策的建议.     

数字加密货币运行的法律基础——以货币信任与信用为视角

技术信任和法律信任是相辅相成、互为补充的关系。传统货币是依托国家和权威第三方以及法律为基础的货币信任模式。大多数数字加密货币依托区块链为底层技术,形成以技术信任为基础的“去中心化”货币信用机制。但以区块链技术为核心的去中心化的信任机制并不能完全取代传统货币的信任基础。货币的价值源于社会信任及其自身信用,数字加密货币目前面临严重的技术和程序限制,各个国家接受程度不尽一致,难以单独建立起使社会群体信任的货币信任方式。数字加密货币信任机制的建立,既离不开国家信任背书,也需要依靠其自身技术和成熟的内部规则。通过法律治理和区块链技术自动化治理的结合,使法律规则和技术规则融合,以全新的治理模式形成新的货币信任机制。     

不同渗流场作用下均质土坝稳定性评价

由于填筑材料的关系,均质土坝坝体土中孔隙水不易及时排水,因此渗流作用对坝体稳定性影响很大。本文以四川地区某均质土坝为例,利用有限元对坝体进行渗流计算,分析了大坝在校核洪水位、设计洪水位和正常蓄水位三种工况下,渗流场变化情况,并以此得出不同渗流场作用下该大坝稳定性评价。     

谁获得了国有股权？

本文以中国上市公司国有股权协议转让为样本,考察了国有股权转让中的几个核心问题,即国有股权转让的动机、定价机制及经济后果。结果表明,中国上市公司的国有股权约以42:50:1:7的比例分别转让给了国企、私企、个人和外企,转让动机表现为经济和政治动机并存;在定价方面,转让给国有和非国有经济体的股权溢价并无显著差异,但相比转让给国企,转让给外企股权的价格较高;尽管国有股权转让不会显著影响企业绩效,但通过股权转让实现民营化的公司,其绩效会有显著的提升。     

Age effects in Okun’s law with different indicators of unemployment

We reassess the results from the literature on the relationship between the youth unemployment rate and GDP growth (Okun’s law), based on the concern that the unemployment rate is not an ideal indicator for teenagers and young adults. Using the unemployment ratio instead, we find that youth unemployment (15–24 years old) is not significantly more responsive to economic growth than prime-age (25–64) unemployment. However, compared to prime-age unemployment, teenagers’ unemployment (15–19) is relatively unresponsive, whereas young adult’s (20–24) unemployment is more strongly correlated with economic growth. These results are quite different than those obtained with the unemployment rate as the dependent variable.