The Dynamics of Household Wealth Accumulation in Italy

We examine the dynamics of wealth accumulation distribution in Italy using data drawn from the Survey of Household Income and Wealth, a representative survey of the Italian population conducted by the Bank of Italy. We compare survey data with National Accounts data and discuss sample representativeness, attrition and measurement issues. We then look at wealth inequality (the cross‐sectional dispersion of wealth) and wealth mobility (individual transitions across the wealth distribution) and examine the age profile of wealth using repeated cross‐sectional data. Finally, we consider various explanations for the pattern of wealth accumulation in Italy, focusing on retirement, bequests, income risk, health shocks and credit market imperfections.     

国防支出与经济增长的关系研究——基于中国、日本、韩国的实证分析

文章使用Enders-Siklos不对称门槛共整合模型,检定中国、日本及韩国的经济增长与国防支出之间不对称的长期均衡关系,并以门槛误差修正模型(T-ECM)探讨三国的经济增长与国防支出之间领先-落后的因果关系,以及长期均衡关系调整的不对称性。经研究发现:第一,采用Enders-Siklos不对称门槛共整合检定,发现中国、韩国的经济增长与国防支出之间存在不对称的共整合关系,日本的经济增长与国防支出之间具有对称的共整合关系;第二,由Granger因果关系检定,发现韩国、中国的经济增长与其国防支出之间存在有不对称的长期性领先-落后关系,日本的经济增长与国防支出不存在长期性因果关系;第三,由Granger因果关系检定,发现中国的经济增长与国防支出之间存在短期的双向因果互动关系,而日本、韩国则是经济增长单向领先其国防支出。     

Marketing Innovation in Rural Small Food Industries in Iran

Marketing innovation is essential for small industries to transform products into profit; therefore, understanding its nature and determinants is of utmost importance. This study aimed at understanding marketing innovation and its determinants in the 60 small food industries in the rural areas of Tehran province, Iran. Using a census sampling method, 111 managers of these firms were interviewed. Results showed that the firms’ performance in marketing innovation is generally weak, and a higher level of radical innovation in marketing is perceived compared to the incremental innovation. Also, a cause-and-effect relationship exists between both product and organizational innovations and marketing innovation. Furthermore, while incremental marketing innovation was negatively influenced by formal R&D unit, product diversification, and the manager’s years of experience, radical marketing innovation was affected by the capacity of production, product diversification, and managers’ age and education. The study concluded that in order to boost marketing innovation, innovation should be made also in products and organization. In addition, in order to facilitate the process of marketing innovation, practical and updated training for managers encouraging incremental innovation in marketing, product diversification, and improving R&D activities in the studied firms should be regarded.     

Spatial and economic patterns in life expectancy among US States

This study investigates the determinants of gender-specific life expectancy across US states over the period 1995–2007. We employ a production function specification where life expectancy depends on health expenditure, income, education and lifestyle variables, allowing for spatial effects. Empirical results suggest that education attainment and health expenditure are the main factors behind improving longevity, whereas smoking bears a strong negative influence. For robustness purposes, we also use health spending as well as education criteria, apart from geographical ones to model interstate spillovers. In the former case, states with similar health expenditure are ‘neighbors’ and affect positively the life expectancy process. If education is applied instead of health spending together with geographic proximity, the spatial correlation is insignificant, i.e. education ‘neighbors’ do not affect life expectancy. Our findings do not imply significant gender differences regarding health production. The results suggest that health care policy will have to focus on wider economic and social considerations, like education and lifestyle changes, except medical care provision in order to exploit the full potential for life expectancy improvements of the US population.     

The Thrifty Food Plan and low-income households in the United States: What food groups are being neglected?

Food assistance programs in the United States provide low-income households with the resources to purchase a healthy, nutritious, and palatable diet, if they buy the market baskets of food outlined in the Thrifty Food Plan. This study compares the cost of these baskets with actual spending on food at home by low-income households. Simulations reveal at-home food spending by low-income households to represent only 86% of what is needed to follow the Thrifty Food Plan. Married couples with children and female-headed households with children spend only 73% and 82%, respectively, and just 43% and 50% for at-home fruits and vegetables.     

The Reasons of Income Gap between Urban and Rural Areas in China and its Policy Suggestions

This paper points out that one of the main reasons for income gap between urban and rural areas in china is difference of human capital reserve on education which are decided by Chinese government＇s urban area privileged policy and the current education system. This paper also compares the different human capital reserve in two area, and analyzes the under-qualified human capital reserve in rural areas is resulted by these following reasons： The shortage of public spending in compulsory education for several decades has contributed to low school attendance and the great illiteracy beyond urban areas; the inefficient educational system has caused peasants to lose interest in education; No support for adult education has closed the doors for adults to earn money in non-agricultural industries. Vocational schools cannot attract the huge number of potential customers since their curricula and skills are out of date. As policy suggestions, governments should invest enough money in compulsory rural education, and creating a pragmatic rural education system is also vital.     

Macroeconomic effects of government spending shocks: New narrative evidence from Canada

This paper examines the macroeconomic effects of government spending shocks in Canada for the period of 1949–2012. We construct a novel measure of news about exogenous government spending changes identified through the narrative approach. We use government documents, mostly the budget speech, to identify the size, timing, and principal motivation for all planned major federal government spending changes. To achieve identification, we consider those changes that are unrelated to the contemporaneous movements in the economy. The implied government spending multiplier estimates using our exogenous government spending news series are between 1.08 and 1.69.     

大型研发企业的研发投入分析——基于全球前2000家企业研发投入数据

利用2006年全球研发投入居前2000位的企业数据,考察了这些企业研发投入的一些基本特征,如产业分布、国家分布,以及研发的集中度,并探讨了企业研发投入与企业规模之间的关系。研究结论是：研发具有产业异质性;研发在一些国家集中;企业研发的总量水平、研发比率、研发增长率与企业规模具有非线性关系．中型企业具有较高的研发投入量,而小型企业与大型企业具有较高有研发投入比,以及研发增长率。     

贴现评价指标在互斥项目评估中的矛盾协调研究

净现值、内部收益率和盈利指数是投资项目评估中的三种贴现指标。但三者在互斥项目评估中有时会出现矛盾冲突。分析了三种贴现指标在互斥项目评估中出现矛盾冲突的原因,并在此基础上提出了关于协调此类矛盾冲突的方法。