Getting low educated and older people into work: The role of fiscal policy

Raising employment, in particular employment among older individuals and low educated individuals, stands high on the agenda of policy makers in many OECD countries. Increased sensitivity in recent years to rising inequality has made the challenge only larger. In this paper we evaluate alternative fiscal policy scenarios to face this challenge. We construct and use an overlapping generations model for an open economy where individuals differ not only by age, but also by innate ability and human capital. The model allows us to study effects on aggregate employment, per capita income and welfare, as well as effects for specific age and ability groups. We show that well-considered fiscal policy changes can significantly improve macroeconomic productive efficiency, without increasing intergenerational or intragenerational welfare inequality. Our results strongly prefer a reduction in the labor tax rate on older workers and on all low-wage earners, financed by an overall reduction in non-employment benefits. An alternative financing option is to raise the consumption tax rate. These results are to be seen as long-run effects for economies at potential output.     

Payment by results in international development: Evidence from the first decade

Payment by results is a relatively new way of giving development aid, where a recipient's performance against pre‐agreed measures determines the amount of aid they receive. Advocates for the mechanism argue it provides donors with both a ready justification for maintaining aid budgets and better results through innovation and autonomy. It has proved popular, with most bilateral aid donors having at least experimented with the mechanism and the variety of measures stretching from individual health workers being paid for each procedure, to national governments being paid for students' test scores. However, there has not been a robust assessment of whether Payment By Results (PbR) achieves its aims for greater effectiveness. I synthesize the evidence from eight projects fully or partially funded by DFID, the recognized world leader on PbR. This represents the best evidence currently available, and is critically analysed using the leading theoretical framework that breaks each agreement into its constituent parts. I find no evidence that PbR leads to fundamentally more innovation or autonomy, with the overall range of success and failure broadly similar to other aid projects. This may partly be due to the current use of Payment by Results, with no readily identifiable examples of projects that truly meet the idealized PbR designs. Advocates of PbR may thus conclude the idea is yet to be tested. I argue PbR does not deal with the fundamental constraints that donors face, and so it is unsurprising that PbR is subject to the normal pressures that affect all aid spending.     

《孟子》思想及其现代价值新论

《孟子》作为传承儒家思想的载体,在变化的社会形势下阐发了仁义礼智信耻等观念,并在社会政治、经济、伦理道德等方面形成了新的理解,由此丰富了儒家思想体系,从而在中华民族思想史上占有重要地位。几千年来,《孟子》思想作为儒家思想的重要组成部分及传统文化的主流话语之一,其所彰显的价值与意义,指导着传统社会的人生建设,对中华民族的绵延发展起到了凝聚和推动作用。重视并汲取《孟子》思想的精华,使之焕发出新的生机与活力,对于现代人类的生存需求以及中华民族共有精神家园的构建必将产生积极的影响。     

论道家哲学的“无”——从老子到王弼的哲学史考察

在古代道家哲学中,“无”在不同时期的哲学家中都备受关注,但他们说“无”的侧重点不同.《老子》从追问万物的源头入手,提出了“有生于无”生成论构想；庄子否认了普通的知识及认识方式,提出了“不知之知”的最高认知层次；黄老在改造老子无为的基础上,提出了以建立刑名为前提的无为而治；王弼站在本体论的高度将黄老无为和名教有为进行了整合,提出了“以无为本”的哲学思想.“无”经过老子、庄子、黄老学派和王弼的发展演变,已从一个普通的哲学语词上升为万物之本体；“无”主要涉及生成论、认识论、治国论、本体论等方面,这些哲学思想因为“无”而更为深刻、更有意义.     

论法治的妥协性

法治是利益妥协的产物,而个体的分散意志经过妥协形成的法律是对各方利益的均衡。故阶级斗争思维与法治精神相去甚远。民主是多数人的政治,但多数人的权利亦须受到制约,这是由法治的妥协机制所决定的。以权利制约权力、分权制衡体现了法治的妥协性,同时法治的妥协性还体现为对传统的尊重和让步。     

从“藏地三部曲”看西藏故事的西藏化趋向简

范稳的“藏地三部曲”是一片释、耶、爱熔铸成的人间净土。这种“奇观”式的写作呈现出一个被强加了“西藏性”的西藏，而生产和消费“奇观”的代价是将西藏特例化、工艺品化，从而使我们错失了真实的西藏。     

能行中国之道则中国之主——郝经“用夏变夷”的思想和实践

儒家思想在由非汉族统治全国的元朝依然能顺利传延,虽然儒家思想的内在性质非常重要,但如果忽视人在其中的因素,则无法对该问题完全解释。选取该时期著名的思想家郝经为研究对象,运用文本还原、历史逻辑相统一的研究方法,通过对郝经＂能行中国之道,则中国之主＂的深入分析,发现汉儒在少数民族优势地位下对中国文化的理解及其反应,郝经的＂用夏变夷＂思想及实践对于历史发展具有重要的推动作用。     

“重陆轻海”与“通洋裕国”之海洋观刍议

明清两朝正处于世界性海洋历史发展的"千古变局"时代,但统治者沿袭传统模式,在立国思想上"重农抑商"、"重陆轻海",在国防战略上以"禁海"代替海防,禁海迁界、"守土防御",反映其海洋观念的淡薄;而东南沿海地方官员,尤其郑成功"通洋裕国"思想的提出和实践,显露出"以商立国",向海洋空间发展的意涵;传统时代"重陆轻海"与"通洋裕国"所反映的海洋观念,对国家民族发展的影响在某种程度上可以忽略不计,但大航海时代,海洋作为人类的第二生存空间影响到世界历史走向和发展格局时,"重陆轻海"观念所带来的深层影响会因此而改变国家和民族的命运。     

文理兼招专业高等数学课程教学改革探索——以长春工程学院文理兼招专业为例

立足于本校实际情况,论述了文理兼招专业高等数学课程的教学现状,分析其成因,提出了文理兼招专业高等数学课程教学的一些改革措施。     

两晋军府与尚书机构关系考论

两晋时期军府制度逐渐发展定型，并对以尚书制度为核心的国家政治体制产生重大影响，其表现为：在中央层面，加兵公常领录尚书事，或兼领尚书令；地方镇将常兼领尚书省长官。这样，在国家政治生活中就出现了军府制断尚书事，甚至在非常时期成为替代尚书省的“国务总汇”机构，以及军府掾属权过尚书干涉政务等等不正常的现象。这些现象的产生，在一定程度上表明了两晋时期国家政治体制的孱弱。