Stabilizing Endogenous Instability: Proposals for An Institutionalist Reform of Financial Regulation

A major and persistent question behind economic theories and related policies is whether the market can self-regulate without any restrictive exogenous intervention or whether regular and binding public regulation is necessary for ensuring the reproduction of the economic system in a sustainable way over time. This article considers this question with regard to the working of financial markets in a liberalized environment. Drawing upon an institutionalist stance, the article shows why the operation of a financialized capitalist economy usually leads to systemic imbalances and crises. The article then suggests an alternative framework for a consistent financial regulation that could prevent market actors from developing short-sighted strategies and gambling on macro stability.     

Asymmetric stabilizing impact of international reserves

This article studies international reserves’ nominal exchange rate stabilizing impact in emerging markets and developing countries, with a particular focus on its nonlinearity and asymmetry across different states of the economy. Using the fixed-effects and dynamic panel threshold models, we find the reserves to short-term debt threshold ratio after which the marginal stabilizing effect of reserves begins to fall during tranquil times. Such diminishing returns, however, do not appear to exist even at the excessive level of reserves during the global financial crisis, partly justifying precautionary demand for international reserves. These results call for extending reserve pooling or swap arrangements to enhance efficiency of reserve management by holding adequate, rather than excess, international reserves with an access to emergency lending during the crisis.     

The brighter side of being socially responsible: CSR ratings and financial distress among Chinese state and non-state owned firms

We examine the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) quality ratings on the financial distress levels of Chinese enterprises by using the previously unexplored new China-specific Altman ‘Z_China Score’ in the context of CSR and data from 749 firms over the 2009–2014 period. First, we find that CSR quality ratings significantly reduce Chinese firms’ distress levels. Second, we find that the ability of CSR to reduce distress levels in non-state-owned Chinese firms is higher than state-owned ones. Finally, we find similar results when we divide the data into high-low CSR ratings and levels of distress. Our results are robust to potential endogeneities.     

Introduction to special section on “Risk and Technology”

Technology has grown rapidly, a characteristic of our advancing civilization. Technology provides many valuable tools, but also introduces new risks. This special section of Technological Forecasting and Social Change provides the state of the art studies of risk and technology management.     

关于我国农村金融与农业技术进步的实证分析——基于时间序列数据的研究

金融发展通过＂资本积累＂和＂技术进步＂两条途径来实现对经济增长的影响,技术进步才是决定长期经济增长的关键因素。判断（农村）金融能否可持续发展的标准应该是其能否促进（农业）技术进步。基于1985-2005年的时间序列数据的实证分析,认为我国农村金融发展与农业技术进步之间存在着长期的、均衡的、单向因果关系,即农业技术进步对农村金融发展有着推动作用,而农村金融发展对我国农业技术进步的作用不明显。因此,我国农村金融深化改革应该以促进农业技术进步为导向,以实现农村金融资源的优化配置。     

金融与区域发展国际研究进展及启示

关于金融与区域发展关系的研究大多沿用宏观金融发展理论的思路和方法来分析金融与区域发展的关系,以两者的因果关系和识别金融促进区域经济增长的机制为重点,往往将区域视为封闭的、孤立的,忽略区域所具有的空间结构属性。而最近一些研究极其强调自地理学的空间视角来研究金融及其与区域发展的关系。这些研究多来自金融地理学领域,一些来自区域金融学领域,文章从金融空间和金融空间与区域发展两个方面评述国际有关研究,在此基础上提出我国需要特别关注的金融与区域发展问题。     

极端天气事件导致基础设施破坏间接经济损失评估

极端天气事件造成的经济损失包括直接经济损失和间接经济损失.间接经济损失是衡量现代经济系统脆弱性的重要指标,也是灾后恢复重建的重要参考依据,加强间接经济损失评估具有十分重要的意义.以2008年中国南方低温雨雪冰冻灾害为例,应用非正常投入产出模型对灾害过程中电力和交通基础设施破坏造成的间接经济损失进行了评估.结果显示,电力、交通等基础设施破坏对经济系统其他产业生产造成严重影响,影响依据相互关联程度不同而存在差别,造成总的间接经济损失超过100多亿元.因此,极端天气事件风险分析和应急管理应该把间接经济损失评估纳入其中.非正常投入产出模型为经济系统脆弱性分析以及间接经济损失的估算提供了有力的工具.     

Real interest rate linkages in the Pacific-Basin region

This paper examines the linkage of real interest rates of a group of Pacific-Basin countries with a focus on East Asia. We consider monthly real interest rates of US, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Thailand from 1980 to 2006. The impulse response analysis and half-life estimation are conducted in a multivariate setting, adopting the bias-corrected bootstrap as a means of statistical inference. It is found that the degree of capital market integration has increased after the Asian financial crisis in 1997. The overall evidence suggests that the crisis has substantially changed the nature of the short run interactions among the real interest rates. Before the crisis, both the US and Japanese capital markets dominated the region. After the crisis, the dominance of the Japanese market has completely disappeared, while the US market remains as a sole dominant player and the Korean market has become more influential.     

当前中国出口贸易形势分析及对策

当前,世界经济增长将全面放缓,美国次贷危机不断深化,全球金融持续动荡,国际形势的恶化对中国进出口的影响不断加深.因此,外贸企业应树立信心,优化出口商品结构,增强抵御外部风险的能力,保证中国经济平稳健康发展.     

Public Knowledge and Financial Regulation: Two Post Crisis Periods

Abstract:

Since at least the days of Adam Smith there has been the recognition of essentially two forms of capitalism: in their theoretical extremes, one in which private companies determine the conditions of the social provisioning of credit and money, and one in which the State representing the general interest does. As we argue, the zeitgeist of the 1930s was a high water mark in the popular understanding of money and banking and its relationship with society. In contrast, today the general population is woefully ignorant on these points. As we argue, the relationship between financial governance and those governed hinges on the knowledge of the latter. Today’s public discourse reveals a widespread ignorance over financial matters that must accompany a likewise extreme moment of private control over nations’ money and credit. As we argue, the first steps towards a capitalism at the service of humanity and under public control, the first priority is publicly diffused knowledge.