FDI,Export Sophistication,and Quality Upgrading: Evidence from China's WTO Accession

This paper identifies a positive effect of FDI liberalization on manufacturing export sophistication, exploiting China’s adjustment of its Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries upon its accession to WTO. It further investigates the underlying causes in the lines of firm ownership type, trade mode, product type, and intensive vs. extensive margins. The positive effect comes from, e.g., the increase in the export share of foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) and firms with processing trade, and the increase in the export sophistication of privately-owned enterprises (POEs), of ordinary trade, and of intermediate goods. The intensive margin rather than extensive margin is accountable for the effect. Liberalizing FDI does not seem to have any significant effect on product quality.     

Banking deregulation,consolidation, and corporate cash holdings: U.S. evidence

This paper tests the effects of banking deregulation on the cash policies of nonbanking firms in the United States. We document a significant and negative relation between intrastate banking deregulation and corporate cash holdings. We show that the negative relation is driven by financially constrained firms, especially by constrained firms with low hedging needs. Further, we construct indexes measuring the intensity of bank consolidation in local markets. We find that the intensity of in-market bank mergers is negatively related to corporate cash holdings. However, in-market bank mergers in highly concentrated markets tend to be positively related to corporate cash holdings.     

Opening the OTC drug market: The effect of deregulation on retail pharmacy’s performance

Governments in many countries have deregulated the retail pharmacy market to offer easier and broader access to pharmacy services. Such deregulation has spurred the competition by allowing the entry of new drug distribution channels. Current research leverages the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law revision introduced in South Korea in November 2012. The policy change allowed 24-hour convenience stores to sell 13 first-aid drugs directly to patients. This research investigates the causal effect of new retailers’ entry on incumbent pharmacies’ financial performance in terms of pricing, revenue, and market exit. The findings, based on the panel data of 2,795 pharmacies in a 36-month period from 2011 to 2013, suggest deregulation posed a significant competitive threat to incumbent pharmacies, resulting in lower average prices for the deregulated drugs, significant drops in revenue and accelerated financial failures. A significant heterogeneity in the treatment effect is found across pharmacies. Pharmacies with less loyal customers and poorer financial performance suffered more after deregulation. Our findings suggest that although such deregulation is intended to enhance consumers’ access to health care, opening the OTC drug market to new retailers may hamper consumers’ access to pharmacy services because of the exit from the market of underperforming incumbents.     

英国电信业放松规制研究及对我国的借鉴

本文详细介绍了英国电信业放松规制的历程,从这个放松规制的案例分析中证明了放松规制有利于提升产业绩效。随后通过介绍我国电信业放松规制的事实,批驳了我国行政垄断行业不能放松规制的观点。基于此,笔者提出我国需要进一步放松仍在行政垄断的产业,放松规制势在必行。     

INSTABILITY OF THE U.S. MONEY DEMAND FUNCTION

Abstract. The paper surveys the two major episodes of instability of the U.S. money demand function known respectively as 'the mystery of missing money' and 'the great velocity decline'. It also assesses the recent literature on open economy money demand models and their usefulness in explaining the puzzling behaviour of money demand manifested shortly after the transition to floating exchange rates.     

Financial Deregulation and Economies of Scale and Scope: Evidence from the Major Australian Banks

In this study a parametric approach employing a flexible translog functional model is used to estimate economies of scale and scope in the four major Australian banks (ANZ, NAB, CBA and WESTPAC). Two hypotheses are tested to determine whether bank economies of scale have changed and also whether economies of scope were exhausted following financial deregulation. The analysis reveals that there is evidence for a continuing difference in banks' economies of scale as a result of deregulation. The empirical evidence also suggests that economies of scope were not exhausted by financial deregulation. In addition, there is continuing evidence of considerable economies of scope in the four major banks. In other words, Australian banks have not fully embraced deregulation and adjusted their joint production in a cost efficient manner. Findings in this study indicate that further deregulation would create a more competitive and efficient banking environment in Australia.     

强制性管制放松与边缘性进入的发生--"小灵通"现象的深层思考

本文的分析表明“小灵通”现象的发生是市场需求结构、管制放松的路径和管制权力安排共同作用的结果。以拆分原有在位者为主要手段的电信业管制放松,所造成的需求与价格的矛盾为“小灵通”的发生提供了市场机会,而高盈利业务的被剥离,迫使原有在位者利用尚存的垄断势力或优势,以及和管制者的“拆分—补偿”关系,向新运营商的市场进行了局部的渗透。这种行为表面上加剧了中国电信业管制的无序和混乱,但却提高了市场的可竞争性和消费者剩余。     

Changes in executive compensation following an environmental shift: the role of top management team turnover

In this study we examine the changes in executive compensation at the top management team (TMT) level following an environmental shift. Using the context of deregulation in the airline industry, we find that: (1) a dramatic environmental change that heightens managerial discretion leads to greater pay level and performance sensitivity of TMT compensation; and (2) the greater the magnitude of turnover among TMT members following the environmental shift, the greater the compensation change. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中国天然气行业改革发展与展望

在国内外复杂的经济与环境背景下,中国天然气行业改革正在提速,气价并轨使天然气定价机制向市场化定价迈进了一大步。未来天然气行业将形成上下游自由竞争,中游垄断经营且由政府严格监管并实施公平接入的行业结构和监管体系。而上游的市场化改革、监管体制和机构的完善、管网的公平接入和交易市场的建立将是改革的难点。     

Expansion and consolidation of bancassurance in the 21st century

Bancassurance has received much attention from both researchers and policymakers, as it is a major step towards the creation of universal financial markets in the 21st century which are no longer segregated based on industry operations. This study is the first comprehensive study to identify and measure the determinants of bancassurance using a sample of firms from 28 developed and developing countries. Our results complement the existing literature on bancassurance demand, insurance demand, and international insurance services, while also providing additional insight in key areas. The empirical results, based on panel analysis, indicate that reduction in company risk, the size of the company, reductions in company costs and increases in company revenues, the size of the national banking industry, the level of financial deregulation within a country, and the national inflation rate all play significant roles as determinants of bancassurance.