Provincial Conditional Income Convergence in China, 1953-1997: A Panel Data Approach

This paper examines the tendency towards income convergence among China's main provinces during the two periods: the pre-reform period 1953-1977 and the reform period 1978-1997 using the framework of the Solow growth model. The panel data method accounts for not only province-specific initial technology level but also the heterogeneity of the technological progress rate between the fast-growing coastal and interior provinces. Estimation problems of weak instruments and endogeneity are addressed by the use of a system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator. The main empirical finding is that there is a system-wide income divergence during the reform period because the coastal provinces do not share a common technology progress rate with the interior provinces.     

农村居民收入差距适度性问卷调查

基于中国31个省份2 852份农村居民家庭问卷调查数据,运用Gini系数等指标,对中国农村居民收入差距现状进行统计测算;从农户家庭基本特征、物质资本、人力资本、政治资本、地理环境和地区差异、家庭人均年收入水平等方面对中国农村居民收入差距及其主要影响因素进行统计分析;对现阶段中国农村居民收入差距适度性相关问题进行问卷调查。研究结果表明:中国农村居民收入差距较大;农户人均年收入及收入差距由于农户家庭特征、人力资本、物质资本、政治资本不同、地理环境和地区差异而存在较大差异;现阶段农村居民收入差距已经超过了合理的界限;"农村劳动力缺少就业技能"和"缺乏农业技术与资金"是造成农民增收难的最主要原因;农村居民对收入差距扩大的承受力较弱,对当前的收入分配状况不满意,但对国家实施的三农政策比较满意;"社会保障"、"教育"和"公共基础设施"是对农村居民不公平的主要表现;"贫富差距过大"是阻碍经济效率的主要风险;"改善城乡二元结构"、"提升农村劳动力整体素质"和"构建城乡均衡的社会保障制度"是缩小城乡收入差距的主要途径。     

西部农村居民收入流动性结构研究

改革开放以来,中国西部农村收入差距日益扩大。本文基于1989-2011年CHNS提供的西部省区调查数据,研究西部农村居民收入流动性的结构特征和影响因素。运用收入转换矩阵及结构指标分析不同收入阶层的动态演进轨迹,结果表明贫富阶层僵化现象严重,中间阶层趋于脆弱化。用多分类逻辑模型揭示收入结构、支出结构和职业特征对收入流动性的影响显著。从制度和体制上改善西部农村收入流动性结构确实已刻不容缓。     

Performance analysis of machine repair system with single working vacation

Abstract

This paper studies a machine repair problem with repairman’s single working vacation in which repairman works with a lower repair rate rather than completely terminating repair during vacation period. Employing Markov process theory and matrix analytical method, various system performance measures are obtained in transient and stationary regimes. Moreover, we deduce the system reliability, the mean time to failure, the repairman’s busy period and the waiting time of failed machine by using the probabilistic properties of phase type distribution. Further, some numerical examples are provided. Finally, a cost model is developed to determine the optimum value of operating machines.     

中国人口年龄结构与居民医疗保健消费

本文借助中国2001—2010年的省级面板数据,运用动态面板GMM估计方法,考察了中国人口年龄结构(少儿和老年抚养系数)变化对居民医疗保健消费支出的影响。结果发现,中国少儿抚养系数对居民医疗保健消费支出的影响不显著;老年抚养系数对居民医疗保健消费支出有正影响,即老年抚养系数的上升会带动居民人均医疗保健消费支出的增加。此外,本文还发现,医疗保健消费支出的滞后一期系数都为正,系统GMM两步估计系数为0.51,表明居民医疗保健消费支出存在较强的惯性;人均收入增长对居民医疗保健消费支出有正向的显著影响。     

基于PLS分析的中国互联网扩散影响因素研究

基于2000—2011年的时间序列数据,利用偏最小二乘法进行回归建模,对影响中国互联网扩散的因素进行了实证分析,研究结果表明:信息基础设施、经济水平、收入水平、上网设备、科技水平、教育水平、城市化水平、上网费用是影响中国互联网扩散的主要因素。基于2011年的31个省市的截面数据,利用变量投影重要性指标进一步分析了互联网发达地区和欠发达地区网络扩散的主要影响因素,结果表明移动电话普及率、人均可支配收入、电脑普及率是影响发达地区互联网扩散的前三位因素,移动电话普及率、人均GDP、城市化水平是影响欠发达地区互联网扩散的前三位因素。     

我国农村区域间收入差距构成的实证分析

 摘　　要:本文针对我国改革开放以来，农村东、中、西部三大区域间及其内部各省际间收入差距变动趋势进行分析，首先运用泰尔指数，探究到三大区域之间农民收入差距是我国农民收入差距拉大的主要原因；其次借助基尼系数，层次地挖掘到农民收入差距的拉大根源于工资性收入及农村产业结构的变革；再次通过横向比较，进一步揭示出工资性收入是缩小三大区域内部、拉大三大区域之间农民收入差距的关键所在；最后针对现存问题，提出了对策建议，以期为我国经济的增长、社会的和谐与稳定持续发展献计献策。     

Bootstrapping mean‐squared errors of robust small‐area estimators: Application to the method‐of‐payments surveys data

This paper proposes a new bootstrap procedure for mean‐squared errors of robust small‐area estimators. We formally prove the asymptotic validity of the proposed bootstrap method and examine its finite‐sample performance through Monte Carlo simulations. The results show that our procedure performs well and competes with existing ones. We also provide an application to the estimation of the total volume and value of cash, debit card, and credit card transactions in Canada as well as in its provinces and subgroups of households. In particular, we found that there is a significant average annual decline rate of 3.1% in the volume of cash transactions and that this decline is relatively higher among high‐income households living in heavily populated provinces. Our bootstrap estimator also provides indicators of quality useful in selecting the best small‐area predictor among several alternatives in practice.     

环境质量、居民收入与医疗健康支出关系研究——基于截面相关的省际面板数据模型

准确测度环境质量、居民收入对医疗健康支出的影响有利于完善环境保护与医疗改革政策。基于医疗技术进步、医疗政策等不可观测性,构建了截面相关的面板数据模型,采用了迭代GMM估计方法,分析了环境质量、居民收入对医疗健康支出的效应以及医疗支出的区域差异性。研究表明：环境质量的恶化导致居民医疗健康支出的增长,环境保护政策制定应以人为本;医疗保健支出的收入弹性略小于1,提高城镇居民收入水平能显著地改善居民健康状况;医疗支出上涨压力与地区经济发展水平呈负相关性,政府应重视西部欠发达地区的医疗健康支出压力,给西部欠发达地区更多的政策扶持。     

中国省域信贷风险判别分析

现阶段，商业银行信贷仍是我国社会资金配置的主要方式。出于盈利和风险考虑，商业银行信贷行为天然具有顺周期特征。为实现稳增长目标，政府更倾向于逆周期调节。受到地方财政收支状况影响，省级地方政府会采取不同方式、不同程度地干预省域资金配置。十九大报告明确指出，要健全货币政策和宏观审慎政策双支柱调控框架。因此，省域信贷风险判别是一个动态过程，需在经济周期与宏观审慎政策框架下整体考虑。在此背景下，本文基于新古典经济学分析框架，建立了2008年以来省域信贷风险识别模型，研究发现，第一，地方财政支出收入比与不良贷款率存在正向影响关系，资本回报率与不良贷款率存在负向影响关系，且地方财政支出收入比对不良贷款率的影响程度更大；第二，依据分类准则，属于信贷高风险的省域分别是：河南，海南，重庆，四川，贵州，云南，陕西，甘肃，青海，宁夏，新疆，西藏；第三，在地方财政支出收入比、资本回报率的显著作用影响下，我国各省域不良贷款率呈现U型变化，不良贷款率阈值为1.49%，即当不良贷款率大于1.49%时，省域贷款风险较高；第四，当我国资本回报率处于企稳阶段，不良贷款率处于低于阈值的谷底阶段，且省域间风险差异性较小。当我国资本回报率处于下行阶段时，不良贷款率上升至阈值线以上，且省域间风险差异性较大。     

Model Averaging for Prediction With Fragmentary Data

ABSTRACT

One main challenge for statistical prediction with data from multiple sources is that not all the associated covariate data are available for many sampled subjects. Consequently, we need new statistical methodology to handle this type of “fragmentary data” that has become more and more popular in recent years. In this article, we propose a novel method based on the frequentist model averaging that fits some candidate models using all available covariate data. The weights in model averaging are selected by delete-one cross-validation based on the data from complete cases. The optimality of the selected weights is rigorously proved under some conditions. The finite sample performance of the proposed method is confirmed by simulation studies. An example for personal income prediction based on real data from a leading e-community of wealth management in China is also presented for illustration.     

中国省际农村居民收入分配的动态演变:2001-2009年

近十年是我国经济发展变化最快的一段时期,然而“三农”问题日益突出,农民收入是亟待解决的根本问题。本文利用趋同检验、核密度估计以及转移矩阵等方法刻画了我国省际农村居民收入分配的动态演变。实证分析表明,我国贫困地区农村居民收入水平比富裕地区有更高的增长率,从而导致省际农村收入差距呈逐渐缩小趋势,但不同省份的相对收入状况的变动却有所不同。     

数字经济、人工智能制造与劳动力错配

文章基于2013—2019年中国30个省份的面板数据,先运用模拟退火优化投影寻踪模型测算中国数字经济发展指数,再采用双向固定效应模型和广义空间两阶段最小二乘法验证数字经济和人工智能制造对劳动力资源错配的影响效应。结果表明,2013—2019年我国数字经济发展水平整体呈现稳中有进的趋势,年均增速为11.8%。尽管数字经济发展先行区主要位于东部沿海地区,但近年来西部地区各省份年均增速较高,已形成"东部领跑,西部追赶"的空间分异格局。数字经济能显著缓解劳动力错配,人工智能制造在其中发挥着重要的中介作用,这一结论经过稳健性检验后依然成立。     

中国地区大气环境效率的异质性、动态演化与成因识别

提升大气环境效率是改善中国大气环境质量、减少雾霾天气频发的重要途径。利用非径向DDF与Luenberger生产率指标考察了2006-2015年间中国13个主要工业省市大气环境效率的异质性、动态演化及其成因。研究结果显示:中国13个主要工业省区大气环境效率偏低,地区异质特征显著,效率改进空间较大,纯技术效率是大气环境效率较低的主要制约因素;通过动态效率的分解,发现中国主要工业省市大气环境效率的提升完全依靠技术进步来驱动;根据大气污染防治优劣势分析结果,发现中国主要工业省市大气环境效率两极分化趋势非常明显,省市之间的效率差距有可能继续扩大。所得结论以期为中国主要工业省市有针对性地制定大气污染防治对策提供依据。     

Approximated Transient Queue Length and Waiting Time Distributions via Steady State Analysis

Abstract

We propose a method to approximate the transient performance measures of a discrete time queueing system via a steady state analysis. The main idea is to approximate the system state at time slot t or on the n-th arrival–-depending on whether we are studying the transient queue length or waiting time distribution–-by the system state after a negative binomially distributed number of slots or arrivals. By increasing the number of phases k of the negative binomial distribution, an accurate approximation of the transient distribution of interest can be obtained.

In order to efficiently obtain the system state after a negative binomially distributed number of slots or arrivals, we introduce so-called reset Markov chains, by inserting reset events into the evolution of the queueing system under consideration. When computing the steady state vector of such a reset Markov chain, we exploit the block triangular block Toeplitz structure of the transition matrices involved and we directly obtain the approximation from its steady state vector. The concept of the reset Markov chains can be applied to a broad class of queueing systems and is demonstrated in full detail on a discrete-time queue with Markovian arrivals and phase-type services (i.e., the D-MAP/PH/1 queue). We focus on the queue length distribution at time t and the waiting time distribution of the n-th customer. Other distributions, e.g., the amount of work left behind by the n-th customer, that can be acquired in a similar way, are briefly touched upon.

Using various numerical examples, it is shown that the method provides good to excellent approximations at low computational costs–-as opposed to a recursive algorithm or a numerical inversion of the Laplace transform or generating function involved–-offering new perspectives to the transient analysis of practical queueing systems.     

Estimation of a probability density function using interval aggregated data

ABSTRACT

In economics and government statistics, aggregated data instead of individual level data are usually reported for data confidentiality and for simplicity. In this paper we develop a method of flexibly estimating the probability density function of the population using aggregated data obtained as group averages when individual level data are grouped according to quantile limits. The kernel density estimator has been commonly applied to such data without taking into account the data aggregation process and has been shown to perform poorly. Our method models the quantile function as an integral of the exponential of a spline function and deduces the density function from the quantile function. We match the aggregated data to their theoretical counterpart using least squares, and regularize the estimation by using the squared second derivatives of the density function as the penalty function. A computational algorithm is developed to implement the method. Application to simulated data and US household income survey data show that our penalized spline estimator can accurately recover the density function of the underlying population while the common use of kernel density estimation is severely biased. The method is applied to study the dynamic of China's urban income distribution using published interval aggregated data of 1985–2010.     

关于个人所得税公平效应的定量分析

成熟的个人所得税制度是其发挥公平效应的保障。通过定量分析发现，现行个人所得税免征额的每一次调整都会使高收入者比中低收入者受益更多，而超额累进税率结构设计不尽合理，对高收入者缺乏特殊税收政策，直接导致个人所得税难以发挥其调节收入差距和缓解贫富矛盾的公平效应。因此，应尽快改革税制，实行免征额指数化，减少税率级次，扩大低税率级距，对高收入者试行综合征收制，更好地发挥个人所得税的公平效应。     

An Exact Analysis of the Multi‐class M/M/k Priority Queue with Partial Blocking

Abstract

We consider a multi‐server queuing model with two priority classes that consist of multiple customer types. The customers belonging to one priority class customers are lost if they cannot be served immediately upon arrival. Each customer type has its own Poisson arrival and exponential service rate. We derive an exact method to calculate the steady state probabilities for both preemptive and nonpreemptive priority disciplines. Based on these probabilities, we can derive exact expressions for a wide range of relevant performance characteristics for each customer type, such as the moments of the number of customers in the queue and in the system, the expected postponement time and the blocking probability. We illustrate our method with some numerical examples.     

Collective Labor Supply,Taxes, and Intrahousehold Allocation: An Empirical Approach

ABSTRACT

Most empirical studies of the impact of labor income taxation on the labor supply behavior of households use a unitary modeling approach. In this article, we empirically analyze income taxation and the choice of working hours by combining the collective approach for household behavior and the discrete hours choice framework with fixed costs of work. We identify the sharing rule parameters with data on working hours of both the husband and the wife within a couple. Parameter estimates are used to evaluate various model outcomes, like the wage elasticities of labor supply and the impacts of wage changes on the intrahousehold allocation of income. We also simulate the consequences of a policy change in the tax system. We find that the collective model has different empirical outcomes of income sharing than a restricted model that imposes income pooling. In particular, a specification with income pooling fails to capture asymmetries in the income sharing across spouses. These differences in outcomes have consequences for the evaluation of policy changes in the tax system and shed light on the effectiveness of certain policies.     

A MAP/G/1 Queue with an Underlying Birth–Death Process

Abstract

In this paper, we define a birth–death‐modulated Markovian arrival process (BDMMAP) as a Markovian arrival process (MAP) with an underlying birth–death process. It is proved that the zeros of det(zI ? A(z)) in the unit disk are real and simple. In order to analyze a BDMMAP/G/1 queue, two spectral methods are proposed. The first one is a bisection method for calculation of the zeros from which the boundary vector is derived. The second one is the Fourier inversion transform of the probability generating function for the calculation of the stationary probability distribution of the queue length. Eigenvalues required in this calculation are obtained by the Duran–Kerner–Aberth (DKA) method. For numerical examples, the stationary probability distribution of the queue length is calculated by using the spectral methods. Comparisons of the spectral methods with the currently best methods available are discussed.