A call for more elaborate and transparent pension data to inform policy‐making: A critical examination of World Bank data for Eastern Europe

This article offers a critical analysis of the methods by means of which data relating to the performance of second pillar pension schemes are collated, compared and reported. This is done with regard to the performance of mandatory private second pillar pension funds in Eastern Europe. By critically examining data published in a number of World Bank studies, and through the identification of data problems and irregularities, the article argues that a much more elaborate and transparent approach to the collation, comparative analysis and reporting of data is needed. Required is the establishment of a consensus regarding what should represent a robust basis for making credible policy recommendations, not least with regard to pension re‐reforms in the countries of Eastern Europe and elsewhere. In the absence of such a consensus, unresolved data problems and irregularities may potentially continue to influence the formulation of incomplete national policy conclusions regarding the performance of second pillar pension funds and, in turn, the ability of policy‐makers to evaluate appropriately the need for, and assess the feasibility of implementing in a sustainable manner, pension re‐reform.     

From pension funds to piggy banks: (Perverse) consequences of the Stability and Growth Pact since the crisis

As part of their strategy for economic and monetary union, European governments committed themselves to fiscal discipline – particularly by placing limits on annual deficits and on public debt. Subsequently, and as they sought to respond to the “current crisis”, they embraced the view that only if public finances were kept under control would sustainable recovery be possible. Rules of fiscal governance were strengthened. To help them meet these rules, the governments of many member States of the European Union made changes to their pension systems or to funds they had established specifically to pay the costs of population ageing. The intention was not to cut retirement benefits or to improve the efficiency of the relevant pension schemes and institutions. Rather, it was to free up resources immediately. Funded pension schemes and pension funds were treated like “piggy banks” that were raided when times became hard. Moreover, the policies pursued succeeded in meeting their objectives only because the system of national accounts according to which outcomes are judged does not recognize the way in which most of the fiscal gains are matched by future fiscal liabilities.     

Linking taxation and social protection: Evidence on redistribution and poverty reduction in Ethiopia

Although redistribution results from the simultaneous effects of taxes and transfers, analyses of their distributional effects in low‐income countries have largely been undertaken from singular perspectives. This article jointly assesses the distributional effect of taxes and transfers (through social protection) using Ethiopia as a case study. We find that Ethiopia's flagship social protection programme is more effective than income taxation in achieving poverty reduction, while neither policy achieves a sizeable reduction in overall inequality. We also find that Ethiopia does not currently have the capacity to close the poverty gap or to fully fund its main safety net programme using domestic income sources alone.     

Contingent Hybridity: The Cultural Politics of Tepoztl‡n's Anti-Golf Movement

In order to maintain some level of local control over both ideological and material resources, local social activists construct hybrid cultures that reflect their simultaneous insertion into local, national, and global cultural discourses. Theirs is a contingent hybridity in that it reflects the specificities of their experience as well as the conscious attempts to resist the homogenizing tendencies of global discourses while not isolating themselves from those discourses. This article analyzes the conflict in the town of Tepoztl?n, Morelos, Mexico, over the construction of a golf course and the ensuing movement against the project. While emphasizing local practices and making use of local communicative networks, movement leaders were also quite adept at moving between the cultural realities of Tepoztl?n and their own experiences outside of the town in order to forge alliances with transnational organizations. As a result, many Tepoztecos now make use of such labels as "environmentalist," but do so within the embedded social and cultural structures of their community.     

Explorando el concepto de exclusión social: diferencias entre la psicología social euronorteamericana y la latinoamericana

Resumen

Se defiende que el concepto de “exclusión social” tiene un tratamiento diferencial por parte de los psicólogos sociales que se mueven en la órbita euronorteamericana, respecto a los que lo hacen en la latinoamericana. Mientras que los primeros lo consideran como sinónimo de prejuicio, diferenciación social o estereotipia, los segundos lo hacen a partir de consideraciones económicas, políticas y sociales, refiriéndolo básicamente a la pobreza estructural que se vive en estas comarcas.     

Creencias y expectativas respecto de la consulta médica: Un análisis de diferencias culturales

Resumen

Se compararon 102 mujeres del área metropolitana de los Angeles divididas en tres grupos según su grado de aculturación (mejico-americanas vs. anglo-americanas). Las variables consideradas se refirieron a las expectativas respecto al médico en contextos terapéuticos. Se consideraron las puntuaciones de tres medidas: La puntuación total en expectativas respecto del médico, las puntuaciones respecto a las expectativas referentes al comportamiento afectivo del médico y las puntuaciones respecto a las expectativas de tratamiento concreto. Los análisis de los resultados y el control de diversas variables tales como edad, gravedad de la enfermedad, etc., muestran la ausencia de diferencias interculturales en lo que las mujeres de la muestra esperan del médico. Si estos resultados se confirman obligarían a identificar más claramente cuándo son importantes las diferencias de aculturación y cuándo no lo son.     

La influencia de la inducción afectiva sobre el prejuicio racial

Resumen

El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar la influencia del afecto inducido sobre el prejuicio racial. Para ello se activó, mediante fotos, el estereotipo de la categoría racial «negros» y de «blancos». Posteriormente, se observó el efecto de esta activación en un test de evaluación de palabras que se presentó como una tarea no relacionada con lo anterior, y que los participantes debían responder en situaciones de inducción afectiva. 38 sujetos participaron en un diseño factorial de 2 × 2 × 3, con las dos primeras variables intragrupo (Priming: foto de blanco vs. negro, y Tipo de palabra: positiva vs. negativa) y una variable intergrupo (estado afectivo: positivo vs. negativo vs. neutro). La variabledependientefue el Tiempo de Reacción utilizadopor los sujetos para decidir la respuesta adecuada en cada asociación Priming (Foto)-palabra.

Los resultados muestran cómo el priming mediante fotos produjo un efecto sobre la respuesta de los participantes de modo que las fotos de los negros fueron asociadas más rápidamente a los estímulos negativos que a los positivos. Por otra parte, los sujetos a los que se indujo un estado afectivo negativo manifestaron mayor grado de prejuicio que los otros dos grupos experimentales. Los resultados son discutidos de acuerdo al modelo asociativo (Bower, 1981).     

The sustainability of China’s Urban Employees’ Pension Programme: A case of getting old before getting rich?

This article examines the sustainability of China’s Urban Employees’ Pension Programme – the main component in China’s overall old‐age support system. It looks at the sustainability of the programme generally and, in particular, at case studies of two areas (Tianjin municipality and Guangxi province) to highlight both the extent of regional variations and the common challenges facing Chinese policy‐makers. It discusses a number of key issues that should assist policy‐makers to address the challenge of population ageing. It concludes that the challenge facing China is no more severe than that already faced by other countries in Europe and Asia. Moreover, the ageing of the population is not uniform across the regions of China. Consequently, those areas where the demographic shift is more advanced will provide some opportunity for policy experimentation. Given the experience to date of slow progress on various aspects of pension policy reform, the article suggests that it seems unlikely that paradigmatic change will be significant. Nonetheless, the study suggests a range of parametric policy measures that China should consider. The challenge facing China’s policy‐makers is to ensure that China gets old and rich at the same time.     

基于交易对称度的市场结构测度方法 改进与实证分析

对产业组织理论SCP分析范式中的市场结构测度方法进行了评述,针对行业集中度指标存在的不足,提出了更好的指标——交易对称度概念、定义和模型,并以天然橡胶生产消费市场为例进行实证分析,改进了市场结构测度方法,弥补了存在的不足。     

存在道德风险的委托--代理模型的激励和监督问题

首先简要地介绍存在委托代理关系问题的激励理论,然后对存在道德风险的委托-代理模型进行分析并认为,委托人对代理人努力程度的监督与对自然状态的观测所产生的效果具有可替代性,最后通过对模型的拓展和信息非对称问题的贝叶斯分析得出了一些有新意的结论.