The role of corrosive internalisation and denial of responsibility in stabilising inequality in South Africa

ABSTRACT

This paper examines how capabilities inequality is stabilised through its consequences on those at both ends of the distribution. It outlines the development of the balance model, which is argued to help highlight these consequences. Specifically, how adverse environments associated with lack of access to resources and poor treatment can lead to internal consequences which further corrode capabilities. At the same time, denial of this corrosion or its importance is critical for those who benefit from the inequality. To avoid moral constraints being triggered it is important, necessary even, for them to see those who suffer as outside of their moral universe, or their suffering to be in no way associated with their advantage. Corrosion and denial work to stabilise the system. For those in the middle of the distribution, they may work to do so in combination. Appreciating these internalised consequences is key to addressing inequality in South Africa.     

Marx,Sraffa, and Surplus: Observations Prompted by Garegnani (2018)

ABSTRACT

In a posthumously published article, Pierangelo Garegnani (2018. ‘On the Labour Theory of Value in Marx and in the Marxist Tradition.’) depicts Marx’s project in Capital as that of ‘developing systematically the theory of Ricardo and [the] implications of social conflict’ implied by Ricardo’s ‘surplus approach to value and distribution’. This paper argues to the contrary that Marx’s theory of surplus value and exploitation differs from (neo-)Ricardian surplus theory in fundamental ways, and modifies Garegnani’s simple Sraffian model to illustrate the distinctive implications of Marx’s theory.     

The China model view is factually false

ABSTRACT

Using a cross-regional analysis of China, this article shows that the China model view is factually false and the universal model view is factually true. It is the marketization and development of non-state sectors, rather than the strong power of government and the state sector, that have driven the Chinese economy to grow fast and to be increasingly innovative. If China wants to sustain its economic performance, it must stay on the way to continuing marketization. Otherwise, China will fall into stagnation.     

Oil commodity returns and macroeconomic factors: A time-varying approach

This paper analyses the dynamic influence of macroeconomic factors on oil commodity returns (crude oil and heating oil) shown in monthly data over the period of 1990–2013. Using a time-varying parameter model via the Kalman filter, we find that macroeconomic factors are relevant for explaining oil commodity returns. We find that multilateral exchange rates have a negative effect on commodity returns. We confirm the existence of a strong linkage between energy and non-energy commodities. More importantly, we find shifts in global demand and SP500 effects that are not identified through the constant parameter model. These variables have had a progressively positive effect on oil commodity returns, especially since 2008.     

Growth uncertainty,generalized disappointment aversion and production-based asset pricing

We study a production economy with regime switching in the conditional mean and volatility of productivity growth. The representative agent has generalized disappointment aversion (GDA) preferences. We show that volatility risk in productivity growth carries a positive and sizable risk premium in levered equity. Our model can endogenously generate long-run risks in the volatility of consumption growth observed in the data. We show that introducing leverage with a procyclical dividend process consistent with the data is critical for the GDA preferences to have a large impact on equity returns.     

成本计量模式与企业成本控制机制研究

成本计量模式存在着制造环节、价值链与商业模式三个视角的划分,它们反映了不同成本效益对称情形,三者间具有层次演进性。从成本与利润的关系看,企业内部就是成本计量,利润则是市场角度的成本补偿计量,企业机制就可以视为在有意义的领域做出独特或某种与众不同的贡献而进行的成本流程安排。企业健康成本结构应该是一个开放的以接纳先进价值观的信息综合体。企业要获得可持续竞争力就必须树立科学的成本控制观念。     

Foreign Direct Investment in the Enlarged EU: Do Taxes Matter and to What Extent?

Foreign direct investment is of increasing importance in the European Union. This paper estimates the effect of taxes on foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and on three sub-components of these flows for the countries of the enlarged European Union. The model in the spirit of gravity equations robustly explains FDI flows between the 25 member states. Sample selection needs to be addressed in the estimation. We show that the different subcomponents of FDI should and indeed do react differently to taxes. After controlling for unobserved country characteristics and common time effects, the top statutory corporate tax rate of both, source and host country, turn insignificant for total FDI and investment into equity. However, high source country taxes clearly increase the probability of firms to re-invest profits abroad and lower the percentage of debt financed FDI. This might reflect profit re-allocation to avoid taxes. Market size factors have the expected signs.

优化外商直接投资结构的研究——基于行业FDI数据的VAR模型

根据1990—2010年全国国内生产总值（GDP）、FDI在制造业的投资额（FM）、FDI在服务业的投资额（FS）、FDI在房地产业的投资额（FRE）及在教育领域的投资额（FE）的统计数据进行基于VAR模型的实证分析,认为长期看,外商在制造业的投资额（FM）和在服务业的投资额（FS）的增加导致全国GDP的增加,外商在房地产业的投资额（FRE）以及在教育领域的投资额（FE）与GDP反向变动;短期看,对全国经济发展的短期影响程度由高到低,依次是FDI在服务业的投资额（FS）、在制造业的投资额（FM）和在教育领域的投资额（FE）以及在房地产业的投资额（FRE）。建议以国务院颁布的《外商投资产业指导目录》为导向,积极利用外资及优化外商投资结构,在发挥外资对我国经济的积极推动作用的同时尽量减少外资的负面影响。     

改进系列模型延伸法在马鞍山长江公路大桥桥墩局部冲刷试验中的应用

文章采用系列模型延伸法对桥墩周围复杂水流导致的局部冲刷问题进行研究。首先对系列模型的设计原理进行了简要说明,并以煤粉为模型沙,采用选取300年一遇(p=0.33%)、100年一遇(p=1%)和20年一遇(p=5%)3种极限洪水条件,对马鞍山公路大桥桥墩局部冲刷情况进行了试验研究,然后对系列模型试验结果与物理模型试验结果进行对比分析。     

我国货币政策汇率传导机制有效性的实证研究

本文应用当代主流的计量经济学的研究方法,通过对2002年以来相关的经济金融月度数据的实证分析,探究了我国货币政策传导渠道之汇率传导渠道的运作机制以及传导效果。写作本文的目的不仅在于对汇率传导渠道的有效性得出一个基本判断,而且想借此判断在深入分析的基础上,不断完善我国货币政策传导的微观金融环境,期望进一步推动我国的金融市场建设和金融体制改革。