Over‐indebtedness and microcredit in Cambodia: Moving beyond borrower‐centric frames

Over the past two decades, Cambodia has experienced an unprecedented credit boom, a growth in lending so rapid that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) referred to it as “one of the fastest financial deepening episodes by historical cross‐cultural standards” (IMF, 2016, p. 4). This deepening has been driven by the expansion of microcredit. In tandem, over‐indebtedness has increased among microcredit borrowers, and debt has become a significant political and economic concern. This article explores how over‐indebtedness is understood and explained by stakeholders across microcredit value chains. To do so, we draw on interviews with microfinance institution (MFI) executives, investors, branch managers, partners, financial literacy trainers, loan officers and borrowers in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. We find that across the sector, dominant framings of over‐indebtedness privilege borrower‐centric explanations, while discounting the structural drivers of excessive lending and borrowing. As a consequence, current efforts to limit over‐indebtedness are unlikely to produce the kinds of solutions that are most needed to reduce the debt stress among borrowers. These arguments have implications across the Global South, particularly for contexts where microfinance is rapidly expanding.     

基于SBM-Malmquist-Tobit模型的纺织业上市公司融资效率研究

纺织业是我国重要的经济支柱产业之一，在国民经济发展、促进社会安定与繁荣中起着重要的作用。融资活动会影响上市公司产、供、销各个环节，对于企业持续经营和长远发展起着战略指导作用。契合纺织业“十三五”规划、“一带一路”倡议及“中国制造2025”对纺织业上市公司持续经营和长远发展的更高要求，以我国纺织业上市公司为研究对象，选取2012—2016年的财务数据，通过构建SBM-Malmquist指数模型从静态及动态两个角度对融资效率进行测算，构建指标体系，提出五个假设，构建受限面板Tobit回归模型对影响融资效率的因素进行验证，得出针对提升纺织业上市公司融资效率的实证结论。     

Population aging and long-term care policies in the Gulf region: a case study of Oman

Population aging is a phenomenon occurring across the globe including in countries traditionally exhibiting population dividends and “youth bulges.” The Gulf Corporation Council countries are no exception as they currently experience a process of population aging, albeit at a different stage from many developed countries. However, due to historically high fertility rates and fast-paced epidemiological transition, some of these countries will experience population aging at a higher pace than what has been observed in Europe and the United States. This article reviews recent developments in long-term care policies in the Gulf region with a focus on Oman as an example of a high-income Arab country that is experiencing population aging while still being governed by traditional family aged-care norms. Utilizing existing data and published research complemented by policy analysis and field visits, we analyze the process of population aging in Oman and neighboring countries and its policy implications.     

运营滞后与信用担保互换下的项目投资决策模型

在项目投资面临运营滞后以及债务融资约束的情形下，基于实物期权框架构建了企业家签订信用担保互换契约的两阶段投资决策模型。运用动态规划以及均衡定价方法，给出了企业家股权及期权价值的显示表达，得到了两个阶段担保成本满足的代数方程，并进一步分析了运营滞后和信用担保下企业家的最优投资决策问题。数值结果表明：外部运营时滞会提高杠杆率，导致企业家提前投资，同时会提高企业家第一阶段债务融资的担保成本，但会降低第二阶段债务融资的担保成本；随第一阶段投资额度逐渐增大，企业家的最优投资水平呈U型变化，第一阶段债务融资时的担保成本单调递减，而第二段债务融资时的担保成本呈现倒U型；企业家两个阶段的融资缺口对项目最优投资水平、最优破产水平以及担保成本有显著影响。     

An evaluation of alternative fiscal adjustment plans: The case of Italy

What advice can be given to the policymaker to reduce the burden of public debt after a crisis? In this situation, the debt consolidation calls for fiscal surplus based on increases in taxes and/or reductions in public spending. This paper aims at answering to the above question. Specifically, it evaluates different policy options on the table using the estimated model of the Italian dynamic General Equilibrium Model (IGEM). Our main message is that plans aimed at reducing the public debt based on tax increases rather than expenditure reductions are more effective. Therefore, consolidation should be designed on the former.     

Does a universal non-contributory social pension make sense for rural China?

China’s pension reform during the past three decades has allowed a majority of China’s population to be covered by a pension scheme. Of particular note has been the New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS), a voluntary programme introduced starting in 2009. One goal of our analysis is to assess that pension scheme, using a variety of sources of information including data drawn from recent (2013 and 2015) nationwide China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Surveys (CHARLS). Our analysis involves an exploration of differences between the generosity and structure of the NRPS and other pension schemes currently in place. We also explore the feasibility of reforming the current “quasi-social pension” component of the NRPS by substituting a universal non-contributory social pension pillar. In connection with our assessment of the NRPS, we note the unusually low benefit levels for rural China.     

我国台湾地区消费者债务清理管理人制度研究——兼谈对我国大陆个人破产管理人制度的借鉴

随着我国大陆社会经济发展，个人破产制度的建立已是大势所趋，有必要对个人破产管理人进行探究。我国台湾地区在“双卡风暴”的背景下颁布了针对消费者的《消费者债务清理条例》，构建了个人破产制度，通过对《条例》中关于管理人的内容分析，可以发现其具有自身特点：法律地位上的财团代表属性，设立上的简单化，选任上基于个人债权债务关系的考量，职责的程序性和维持性，酬劳的绝对保障性，监督的严厉性等，对我国大陆个人破产管理人体系的构建具有借鉴意义。     

The impact of managerial political ties on corporate governance and debt financing: Evidence from Ghana

In this study, we draw upon insights from agency theory to examine the impact of managerial political ties on cost of debt and also to explore whether corporate governance mediates this impact. We hypothesize that political ties reduce financial reporting quality, disclosure of non-financial information and board independence, and are therefore associated with higher interest rates. We also hypothesize that the negative effect of political ties on the cost of debt will be stronger if firms borrow from privately-owned banks versus government-owned banks. Using data from Ghana, we find support for our direct and moderation hypotheses; political ties are associated with high interest rates and poor corporate governance. However, we do not find evidence of mediation. Altogether, the findings reveal the dark side of political connections and highlight the cost of political embeddedness in emerging credit markets.     

发达市场地区中小企业融资渠道借鉴

2009年爆发经济危机以来，全球失业率大幅增长，中小企业在提供就业机会、复苏经济方面发挥着不可小觑的作用。中小企业的发展是世界焦点，融资缺口更是全球亟待解决的难题。通过比较发达和发展中国家的融资历史，解析了发达国家地区中小企业融资的渠道类型，为解决中国中小企业融资难题提出了一点建议。