Foreign investment,corporate governance and performance in the Chinese listed A Share companies

We present a novel lens on the presence and impact of qualified foreign institutional investors (QFII) in top shareholdings of the non-financial domestically listed Chinese ‘A’ share firms. The initial results suggest that the presence of a QFII as a top shareholder in these companies is associated with their better performance, using both Tobin’s Q and ROA as the performance measures. Our models include variables representing corporate governance mechanisms, foreign legal person shares, a proxy for international affiliations and a number of time-variant firm characteristics. Economically, the coefficient of impact on the market measure is the more significant, while the effect of having a QFII in top shareholdings on both performance measures is empirically significant. Previously, studies have often ignored the potential for reverse causality beyond using lagged regressors. This is problematic. Therefore, we follow up with a 2SLS instrumental variables and system GMM model to further mitigate this potential and find the empirical relationship holds. Contrary to earlier work on QFIIs and governance post-implementation of the QFII scheme, the findings from our models suggest that the presence of a QFII top shareholder augments market performance holding equal existing corporate governance mechanisms and other controls.     

Rise of the gold market in China: liberalisation and market development

The Chinese gold market is rapidly rising to global prominence in the recent decades. The paper reviews the history of the gold market in China and its liberalisation process amid the country’s opening to the outside world. Details of the current market structure and its main business are presented. Global impacts of the rise of the Chinese gold market are discussed.     

Access to Finance,Financial Development and Firm Ability to Export: Experience from Asia–Pacific Countries

With particular reference to Asia–Pacific countries, the present study examines how access to finance and financial development affects firms’ ability to enter export markets. Using firm‐level data from the World Bank Enterprises Survey, we found that access to finance plays a significant role in improving firms’ ability to export. In addition, development of the financial sector fosters export market entry. Among the financial development indicators, reach of the banking sector variable is most prominent. The present study suggests that improvements in access to finance and financial development (increases in the reach of the banking sector) enable firms operating away from capital or major cities to enter export markets easily. The present study supports policy intervention to strengthen access to the financial sector, which would encourage firms to export, and to facilitate export market entry for remotely located firms.     

Financial risk exposure of returns to education: Panel evidence from Korea*

The present study examined financial market risk exposure of human capital returns, which are represented by the returns to education, using panel data for Korea. Overall, financial market shocks seem to be irrelevant to returns to education. However, when we divide a financial market shock into cash flow news and discount rate news leading to a negative risk premium, returns to education increase after positive news about future cash flows and unexpected increases in discount rates Therefore, the risk exposure to cash flow shocks is offset by the exposure to discount rate shocks. The returns to education of low‐income workers were significantly exposed to the cash flow risk as compared to those with a high income, but they were offset by the positive correlation to discount rate shocks. In contrast, considering the gap between generations, the old generation was not only less exposed to the cash flow risk compared to the young generation regarding returns to education but also positively correlated with the discount rate shock, resulting in less exposure to financial market risks.     

Do Indian States Mimic,Compete or Interact in Local Public Spending? A Spatial Econometric Analysis

This paper analyses spatial interaction in public spending decisions across 22 Indian states during the period 1980–1981 to 2014–2015. In particular, we estimate interactive hypotheses for different proximities of states using a spatial panel data approach. The empirical results support strong spatial interaction and yardstick competition in public spending. Interactive behavior among the states has been found to be consistent and conditional on per capita income, fiscal transfers, infrastructure, literacy and population density. Interaction arising from yardstick competition significantly affects public spending decisions. The present study realizes the need for a well‐developed and comprehensive network to strengthen the interdependence in public spending among the states for higher welfare gain.     

Mercantilism: a materialist approach

ABSTRACT

Historians and economists have shown renewed interest in mercantilism over the last couple of years. From this interest, a dispute has arisen about whether mercantilism should be seen as an incoherent economic thought or if it is possible to ‘reconstruct’ its basic principles. In line with this latter attempt, this paper is intended to provide a materialist explanation for varying degrees of belief in shared mercantilist assumptions. My hypothesis is that belief in mercantilist assumptions is significantly dependent upon how economic and security issues materially interact in a given time and space, with uncertainty and insecurity profoundly favouring mercantilist dispositions in economic thought. To analyse this hypothesis, the paper sets the first steps for relating the credibility of mercantilism with changes in British economic and military history from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. Section 3 presents ideas to further investigate this hypothesis. Section 4 concludes the paper.     

辽宁高端装备制造业技术创新联盟的公共政策研究

辽宁高端装备制造业近几年发展迅猛,围绕区域产业集群初步形成了一些技术创新联盟,但由于缺乏有力的公共政策支持,技术创新联盟不能真正发挥应有作用。从研究标准联盟公共政策的影响因素入手,提出了适合辽宁高端装备制造业技术创新联盟组建和发展的公共政策建议,这些政策建议可以促进辽宁高端装备制造业技术创新联盟迅速壮大,提高技术创新联盟的竞争力。     

供给和需求双向视角下的农村正规金融改革探析——以福建省农村信用社为例

农村金融改革的成败关系到整个新农村建设能否顺利推进.根据福建省相关经济金融统计指标的实证分析,福建省正规金融对农业经济增长的贡献率偏低,农村金融总体上存在供给和需求双重抑制的问题.面对农村不同地域不同主体迥异的金融需求,作为农村正规金融主力军的农村信用社,其改革必须改变原先"为农村服务"的模糊定位,要对农村信用社的服务对象进行明确界定.     

基于排队论的公交站点停车位优化及实证分析

优化设计公交站点停车位数是站点建设的一步重要工作,停车位数过多或过少都会影响公交系统的运营效率和服务质量。鉴于此,此文将探讨基于排队理论的公交站点停车位数优化方法,并以武汉市街道口站为例,运用该方法进行了实证分析,以期对武汉市的公共交通建设提供理论上的参考。     

我国政府公共危机管理问责制的完善——基于矿难行政责任追究的视角

现阶段,我国政府公共危机管理的绩效评价工作才刚刚起步,“官员问责”还存在着一些问题。在政府公共危机管理体系中,绩效评价和问责是较为薄弱的一环。文章通过对我国近几年发生的六起煤矿特别重大事故行政责任追究结果的分析,厘清我国政府公共危机管理绩效评价和问责存在的问题。在此基础上,借鉴国外政府公共危机管理绩效评价工作的做法,提出应分别从问责目标、问责主体、问责对象、问责内容、问责程序和方法、问责结果的应用等方面完善我国政府公共危机管理问责制。