Spanish Influenza Mortality of Ethnic Minorities in Norway 1918–1919

Previous studies into SpanishInfluenza mortality have reported thatindigenous populations were the prime victims.The explanations put forward in those studieswere not convincing, however, as no controlshad been made for possibly confounding factors.The multivariate analysis in this paper showsthat areas of Norway with high shares of theSami population (Laps) had high SpanishInfluenza mortality, net of such confoundingfactors as wealth, poverty, crowding, and occupationalstructure. The cause is probably a lack ofinherited and acquired immunity againstinfluenza among the Sami. Another ethnicminority, Kven (Finnish immigrants and theirdescendants), however, did not differsignificantly from the ethnic Norwegianmajority population with respect to SpanishInfluenza mortality. This is explained by arelatively high degree of economic and culturalassimilation of the Kven in the Norwegiansociety, as opposed to the Sami in the late1910s.     

The Migrant Mortality Advantage: A 70 Month Follow-up of the Brussels Population

There is considerable evidence that first generation immigrants to developed countries tend to have lower mortality than does the population as a whole at their destination. This advantage is usually ascribed to a selection process which makes migrants more robust than the local population and/or an acculturation process whereby third-world migrants lose their natural healthy life style as they take on modern urban dietary and living habits. We investigate immigrant-local mortality differences using a 6-year follow-up of the complete Brussels population aged 25–55, as enumerated at the Belgian census, 1991. We show that adult migrants have lower mortality than their native-born counterparts, despite their often poorer living arrangements, work status and human capital. This effect differs by origin group. The effects of age on mortality are similar for all groups, with mortality increasing about 8% a year. This increase is slightly greater for the Belgian born than for immigrants, which makes the selectivity explanation unlikely. Years since migration does not significantly increase the mortality risk for most groups, contradicting the acculturation hypothesis. Thus, explanations ascribing immigrants' mortality advantage to migrant selectivity, pre-modern cultural practices, or an artefact of population recording practices are insufficient. We propose, instead, an explanation based on the meaning migration has for the immigrant, and the hope engendered in the move, particularly that from a lesser to a more developed country.     

我国商业银行存贷差扩大原因的实证分析

选取城乡居民储蓄率等作为存贷差扩大影响因素的解释变量,运用单位根检验、协整检验和误差修正模型等统计方法对数据进行相应的分析,结果表明,所选解释变量对存贷差的扩大都存在长期影响关系。针对这些对存贷差扩大有影响的因素制定相应的货币政策和财政政策,为构建和谐社会提供一个坚实的资金保障系统。     

基于公司治理因素的财务困境预警实证研究

在对财务困境预警领域已有研究成果进行总结和评价的基础上,选取我国沪、深两市2007、2008年被ST的70家公司,及与其上市时间及主营业务相近的70家非ST公司,提取财务指标及有关治理指标对上市公司财务困境进行预警研究。实证研究结果表明：将公司治理因素引入预警模型能够提高预警的准确程度,财务困境预警研究综合考虑财务指标和治理指标具有积极意义。     

西方血族文化绽放的人性和谐之花

血族文化作为西方文化中一个特别的现象,有其深远的历史文化内涵,它的诞生与发展和宗教文化紧密相关。人类死亡意识的加强,促使人去按照自己的主观想象建构了严密而完善的血族文化社会体系。作为反映人性的一面镜子,血族文化中的“吸血鬼”形象在文学和影视作品中又有了现代延伸。抛弃迷信,现代吸血鬼形象仍具检讨人性得失、有益社会和谐之积极价值。     

双重城镇化率的演变过程、面临挑战与应对策略

当前衡量我国城镇化水平的指标有两个：一是户籍人口城镇化率;二是常住人口城镇化率。常住人口和户籍人口之间,横隔着庞大的农民工群体。双重城镇化率的存在,源于与资本原始积累相依存的城乡二元体制与要素价格剪刀差。通过该制度的设计,人为地降低工业化、城镇化的成本,以加快我国工业化、城镇化步伐。在农村劳动力供大于求的背景下,这种城镇化模式还有发展的空间,当农村劳动力供求出现“拐点”,这种城镇化模式就难以为继,客观上要求必须用“以人为本”的新型城镇化取代传统的城镇化。用户籍人口城镇化取代常住人口城镇化,是城镇化的必然趋势。我国对外来人口实行居住证制度,作为农民工市民化的过渡性措施,或作为提高户籍人口城镇化率的过渡性措施。但对于外来人口来说,其利益最大化的模式,是既保留农村户籍又持有城镇居住证。这就决定了双重城镇化率将存在很长时间。     

我国民间借贷的风险防范研究

我国民间借贷所存在的融资优势是：市场定位适当;效率高、期限短;信息渠道畅通,准入条件较低;对中小企业发展有推动作用。近年来民间借贷发展很快,出现了一系列问题,其中一些问题的出现直接扰乱了金融秩序,尤其以企业为主导进行的民间借贷活动最为明显。存在的风险是：资金大规模流向房地产行业,潜在威胁大;大规模融资易导致非法集资;高利率可能导致中小企业偿债困难。防范民间借贷风险的对策建议是：将民间借贷纳入统一的监管体系;探讨分类法律监管模式,规范中小企业民间融资;加强公众教育,抵制非法集资;建立健全民间借贷风险监督预警机制;引导民间资本选择正确的投资方向,规避投资风险。保护好民间资金市场,积极合理的引导,可以使大规模的民间借贷资金能够为我国实体经济的发展做出贡献。     

降息政策与储蓄增长

自 1996年来 ,为了刺激消费 ,扩大内需 ,促进经济的复苏与繁荣 ,中国人民银行连续八次降低金融机构人民币存贷款利率 ,但我国储蓄依然居高不下 ,降息的政策效果并不明显。该文认为 ,全球经济萧条是外因 ,而经济主体 ,如居民、企业、银行、政府的行为才是导致降息低效的根本原因 ,因此 ,解决这一现实问题需要全社会共同努力 ,将降息与其它政策配套使用才能行之有效。     

金融创新背景下我国货币政策中介目标的选择

金融创新改变了货币需求的稳定性和货币供给的可控性,直接影响了货币供应量这一政策中介目标的效果。从短期来看,由于我国目前金融创新层次较低,货币政策中介目标还可继续沿用货币供应量;从长远来看,金融创新的日益丰富势必影响该中介指标的可用性,因此必然要寻求其他更具适应性的中介指标,对货币政策予以调整。发展方向宜将中介目标和最终目标合而为一,转向通货膨胀定标。     

Segregation and Mortality: The Deadly Effects of Racism?

Elevated rates of mortality for African Americans compared to whites, coupled with the persistence of high levels of racial residential segregation, have directed attention to the structural manifestations of racism as potentially important pathogens for health. Using national mortality and census data for 1990 and a measure of black social isolation from whites, we examine the association between residential segregation and mortality in 107 major U.S. cities. Our analyses revealed that black social isolation tended to predict higher rates of mortality for African American males and females, although the strength of the association varied by cause of death. Socioeconomic deprivation explained a modest part of this association for black males but not for black females. Our analyses also found that a positive association between social isolation and mortality was more pronounced, for both blacks and whites, in cities that were also high on the index of dissimilarity. These findings highlight the need for research to identify the specific mechanisms and processes that link residential environments to adverse changes in health status.