Transition economies and trust building: a network perspective on EU enlargement

Many transition economies are characterised by a relativelyrudimentary institutional framework. Weak legislative structuresand the absence of effective market regulation and propertyright enforcement rules diminish the chance of mutually profitablebusiness transactions and—more generally—restrictthe chances for innovation and sustainable growth. Against thisbackground, we analyse the extent to which more efficient governancemechanisms can contribute to a more favourable business environment.In doing so, we adopt a network perspective. We argue that bothin developed market economies as well as in centrally plannedeconomies much of economic exchange takes place in networks.However, the characteristics of these networks, in particularthe concept of trust, can differ significantly. This leads usto conclude that the real challenge of the process of economictransition is connected to building new economic exchange networks.In this paper, we discuss this argument and analyse how thecurrent enlargement of the EU into Eastern Europe may favourablyaffect this process of institutional change in the accessioncountries.     

低碳经济转型和中国-东盟FTA贸易与环境的协调

在金融危机全面影响实体经济、世界经济加速向低碳转型的2009年,中国-东盟FTA的构建进入关键时期。尽管双方并没有因此延缓贸易自由化的推进步伐,于2010年1月1日如期建成FTA,但包括贸易与环境的摩擦及冲突在内的中国威胁论的不和谐之音还是若隐若现。低碳经济转型为中国-东盟FTA建设贸易与环境的协调提供了极为重要的契机和内部驱动力量。     

State dependence in youth labor market experiences, and the evaluation of policy interventions

We investigate the extent and type of state dependence in labor market outcomes for young low-skilled Australians. Our model allows for three labor force states, employment, unemployment and out of the labor force, and for observed and unobserved heterogeneity. We find evidence of occurrence dependence, but no lagged duration dependence. A past employment spell increases the probability of employment in the future, but the length of the spell does not matter. A past spell of unemployment undoes the positive benefits from a spell in employment. Interpretations of these effects and implications for labor market policies are discussed.     

MIND THE GAP: UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE NEW EU REGIONS

Abstract.  The paper surveys the theoretical and empirical literature on regional unemployment during transition in Central and Eastern Europe. The focus is on optimal speed of transition (OST) models and on comparison of them with the neo-classical tradition. In the typical neo-classical models, spatial differences essentially arise as a consequence of supply side constraints and institutional rigidities. Slow-growth, high-unemployment regions are those with backward economic structures and constraints on factors mobility contribute to making differences persistent. However, such explanations leave the question unanswered of how unemployment differences arise in the first place. Economic transition provides an excellent testing ground to answer this question. Pre-figuring an empirical law, the OST literature finds that the high degree of labour turnover of high unemployment regions is associated with a high rate of industrial restructuring and, consequently, that low unemployment may be achieved by implementing transition more gradually. Moreover, international trade, foreign direct investment and various agglomeration factors help explain the success of capital cities compared to peripheral towns and rural areas in achieving low unemployment. The evidence of the empirical literature on supply side factors suggests that wage flexibility in Central and Eastern Europe is not lower than in other EU countries, while labour mobility seems to reinforce rather than change the spatial pattern of unemployment.     

A 10-year retrospective on the determinants of Russian stock returns

We study factors influencing returns at the Russian stock market from 1995 to 2004, putting emphasis on how these evolved over time. We find that the relationship is highly unstable and this instability is not confined to financial crises alone. Most computed statistics exhibit constant ups and downs, but there has been recently a sharp rise in explainability of stock returns. Domestic factors have been playing a gradually diminishing role, while the importance of international factors has been increasing. In recent years, the effect of oil prices and foreign exchange rates has diminished, the impact of US stock prices and international and domestic interest rates has increased, while the influence of monetary aggregates such as gold reserves and credit balances has fallen to practically zero.     

Financial dollarization: Short-run determinants in transition economies

This paper examines the determinants of financial dollarization in transition economies from a short-run perspective. Using aggregate monthly data of deposit and loan dollarization we study the drivers of short-term fluctuations in dollarization and test their importance at different levels of dollarization. The results provide evidence that (a) the positive (negative) short-run effects of depreciation (monetary expansion) on deposit dollarization are exacerbated in high-dollarization countries; (b) short-run loan dollarization is mainly driven by banks matching of domestic loans and deposits, currency matching of assets and liabilities, international financial integration, and institutional quality; and (c) both types of short-run dollarization are affected by interest rate differentials and deviations from desired dollarization.     

Land use transitions: Socio-ecological feedback versus socio-economic change

The concept of land use transition highlights that land use change is non-linear and is associated with other societal and biophysical system changes. A transition in land use is not a fixed pattern, nor is it deterministic. Land use transitions can be caused by negative socio-ecological feedbacks that arise from a depletion of key resources or from socio-economic change and innovation that take place rather independently from the ecological system. Here, we explore whether the sources of land use transitions are mostly endogenous socio-ecological forces or exogenous socio-economic factors. We first review a few generic pathways of forest transition as identified in national case studies, and evaluate the varying ecological quality of expanding forests associated with these pathways. We then discuss possible explanatory frameworks of land use transitions. We use the case of the recent forest transition in Vietnam as an illustration. Socio-ecological feedbacks seem to better explain a slowing down of deforestation and stabilization of forest cover, while exogenous socio-economic factors better account for reforestation. We conclude by discussing the prospects of accelerating land use transitions in tropical forest countries.     

转型中的财政分权、地区增长差异与公共品供给

现有的分权理论大多强调分权对经济转型的激励作用,却很少提及其负面效应,尤其是无法清晰地解释分权程度与地区经济增长差异间的关系。本文结合Dewatripont and Maskin（1995）提出的DM模型和Zhuravskaya（2000）的模型,构造了符合中国这样区域发展不平衡转型大国的理论模型,并对此进行深入研究,认为：1）经济发达地区分权程度增加对公共品投资及经济增长有正向的激励;2）经济落后地区,分权程度增加很难激励有效的公共品投资和经济增长,政府职务消费反而会增加;3）分权程度的增加很可能会导致地区经济差距加大。     

粤港澳大湾区创新生态系统内部耦合时空演化及空间收敛分析

在构建以国内大循环为主体、国内国际双循环相互促进的新发展格局下,高效协同的区域创新体系有助于将粤港澳大湾区三地建设成为具有全球影响力的科技创新中心。通过构建创新生态系统综合评价指标体系,采用耦合协调模型和空间计量模型,实证检验大湾区10个城市2007-2019年创新生态系统内部耦合协调水平、时空跃迁特征以及收敛性。研究发现,大湾区整体及各城市耦合协调度呈上升趋势,基本实现从失调衰退区到协调过渡区的转化,具体可划分为4个等级层次;大湾区创新生态系统协调耦合度存在显著的绝对β与条件β收敛趋势,即最终收敛于同一稳态水平,且城市间差距逐渐缩小。其中,经济发展水平、对外交流水平、人力资本水平对创新生态系统协调耦合度起显著正向作用。     

资本形成路径与资本存量调整模型——基于中国转型时期的分析

本文综合考察了我国生产性资本的总量水平、形成路径及其调整机制。通过改进的方法所估算的资本存量在改革开放以来已经翻了不止两番 ,年平均增长率为7 3 6 % ,积累极为迅速。资本形成路径明显分为两个阶段 ,增量改革推动的配置效率改进使资本—产出比率在 1 994年之前持续下降 ,而近年来的资本形成过快是由于经济增长越来越倚重资本深化 ,必须通过全方位结构调整加快转型进程。本文进一步给出了我国转型期资本存量调整的供求决定框架 ,实证结果表明 ,需求导向的资本存量调整机制和投资行为已经在中国的转型经济中基本形成 ,产出水平与资本成本均为资本调整与投资需求的主要决定因素