Regulation of Personal Social Services – The Israeli Experience

The current article explores the aspects of regulatory policy in the field of personal social services. In Israel, the government sets standards, and finances and oversees personal social services, while the services themselves are provided primarily by non‐governmental organizations. Based on a qualitative study we examined two questions. First, what characterizes the implementation of regulatory mechanisms in the field of personal social services in Israel? Second, how can we explain the outcomes of regulation in the personal social services in Israel? In a unique approach, we used the institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework to explore the regulatory practices implemented in community residences and hostels for people with intellectual disabilities and in after school programmes. The findings revealed that although there were implementation gaps in both cases, the IAD might improve our understanding of the nature and magnitude of these gaps. Furthermore, the insights gained may have implications for policymakers in their development of regulatory policy.     

金融产业集聚与区域经济增长

金融产业集聚对区域经济增长起着不容忽视的作用,本文在金融产业集聚对经济增长影响机理分析的基础上,选取我国生产性服务业的典型代表——北京市为案例,描述其金融产业集聚与经济增长状况,并基于6大主城区的数据,利用扩展的C-D函数及混合面板模型对金融产业集聚对区域经济增长的影响进行了实证检验.研究发现：北京市金融业已形成良好的金融集聚态势;金融业集聚对区域经济增长有着明显的正向促进作用.在此基础上,提出了进一步加强金融集聚及其对区域经济增长作用的政策建议.     

对完善我国外国法查明制度的探讨

在当代国际社会,一国能否正确把握国际私法中外国法内容的查明制度,已经成为该国法院能否保障司法程序公正和促进国际民商事关系协调发展的重要基础.然而,我国对外国法的性质、外国法查明的责任主体、各责任主体同责任的划分、外国法查明的途径、外国法无法查明的认定以及外国法无法查明时的处理方法等问题的规定在立法、理论和实践上尚存在一些问题.借鉴国外的有益经验,对上述问题进行深入探讨,将有益于促进我国外国法查明制度的完善和国际民商事关系的协调发展.     

1894-1914年俄国酒销售垄断政策目的与结果为何相悖(上)

从古至今酗酒问题一直困扰着俄国。国家垄断酒销售既是政府增加财政收入的举措,也是治理民众酗酒问题的手段。1894—1914年俄国实施了酒销售垄断政策,初衷是增加国家岁入,同时引导民众文明饮酒和减少酗酒,然而,减少民众酒消费和增加国库收入存在根本矛盾,二者很难兼顾,因此面临取舍的难题。而在俄国政府看来,国库利益永远高于戒酒利益,当国家财政紧张时就更是如此。这是酗酒问题难以根除的客观原因,民众的饮酒方式和习俗则是主观原因,俄国各阶层民众都有饮酒习惯。围绕对酒垄断的原则与目的、酒销售垄断的财政结果、影响烈性酒消费收入增加的若干因素、酒销售垄断与酒消费、民众饮酒方式和习俗的探讨,可以理解酒垄断时期俄国政府的两难处境与未能缓解民众酗酒的原因。     

《劳动合同法》对企业成本影响的测算方法与实证研究——金融危机下的应急措施

<劳动合同法>实施以来,在国内学术界和实业界引起了轩然大波.2008年以来,一些企业的倒闭、搬迁,更将这部立意颇好的法律推到了风口浪尖.针对实施<劳动合同法>对企业成本影响的问题,采用分层目录抽样方法,抽取了珠三角、粤东、粤西、粤北地区13个具有代表性的城市,不同类型、不同行业共650户企业进行调研,运用成本测算直接法和间接法,对广东调研企业成本进行统计测算.测算结果显示,广东实施<劳动合同法>对企业人均人工成本的影响区间为2.54%～4.90%,用调研事实澄清了社会上流传的10%～70%的谬误.还从政府、企业和员工角度分别提出在实施<劳动合同法>过程中应对金融危机的对策,为各级政府和企业决策提供依据.     

公用事业特许经营的政府监管研究

特许经营制度是公用事业市场化的主要实现形式,政府监管是公用事业特许经营法治化的重要内容。公用事业特许经营监管的基础是实现监管权的统一与独立。应从实体和程序两个方面完善特许权授予的监管。建立科学合理的价格模型及周期性审查和调整是公用事业特许经营价格监管的核心。公用事业特许经营质量监管的主要内容是督促建立内部质量管理制度、制定可量化的标准及建立质量检验体系。政府监管应推动公用事业的网络化普及、排除歧视性及完善补偿机制,以确保特许经营项目履行普遍服务。此外,必须加强对公用事业特许经营政府监管的监管制度建设。     

Family identification facilitates coping with financial stress: A social identity approach to family financial resilience

Family financial stress research has typically examined negative effects of deprivation on mental health, which in turn erode financial coping. While this work acknowledges family support’s role in buffering these effects, it has typically overlooked how family identification can act to structure the experience of, and response to, economic challenge. We adopt a Social Identity approach, arguing that family identification predicts increased social support and improved well-being, which predicts more effective coping with financial problems. We explore this in two community surveys (N = 369; N = 187). In the first we show that stronger family identification and support predict better well-being, which predicts better evaluation of economic coping. In the second we replicate these findings, and also show that the relationship between well-being and financial distress is fully mediated by perceptions of ‘Collective Family Financial Efficacy’. These findings point to a more positive understanding of how family cohesion can promote mental well-being/resilience.     

Childhood exposure to the Second World War and financial risk taking in adult life

Adverse childhood experiences might have long-lasting effects on decisions under uncertainty in adult life. Merging the European Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement with data on conflict events during the Second World War, and relying on region-by-cohort variation in war exposure, we show that warfare exposure during childhood is associated with lower financial risk taking in later life. Individuals who experienced war episodes as children hold less – and are less likely to hold – stocks, but are more likely to hold life insurance, compared to non-exposed individuals. Effects are robust to the inclusion of potential mediating factors, and are tested for nonlinearity and heterogeneity. Moreover, we provide evidence of hedonic adaptation to war, as high and low intensity of war exposure have comparable long-term effects. We also document that war exposure in childhood increases sensitivity to financial uncertainty since exposed-to-war individuals are less likely to hold stocks after periods of high volatility. Finally, we shed light on the most likely mechanism in the relationship between war exposure and financial risk taking – i.e., enhanced sensitivity to uncertainty – and we show that preferences, and not beliefs, channel this relationship.     

审计定价管制与交易剩余——2010年审计定价管制失效的自然实验

在经济下行压力加大、资本市场进一步开放的新形势下,厘清审计市场交易——监管机制,完善审计服务市场尤为必要。借由2010 年审计定价管制政策失效的自然实验,本文通过嵌入双边随机边界模型,得到审计双方的定价交易剩余指标,运用双重差分模型解析价格管制与交易定价的作用机制。研究发现,定价管制失效的原因不在于规制俘获,而在于价格管制与当前的市场效率不匹配。下限管制尽管能够提高审计师剩余,但同时会放大交易定价风险,增加剩余的错配,扰乱交易秩序。上限管制则进一步固化市场的低价竞争。进一步研究发现审计师剩余与盈余质量显著相关,2014年的放开定价管制政策提高了审计师剩余。研究厘清了审计市场交易机制,有利于未来研究审计交易机制的微观影响及与盈余质量的关联,为在新时代把握审计市场交易——监管规律、培育自发良性交易的审计市场提供有益借鉴。     

How do countries choose their monetary policy frameworks?

This paper investigates the determinants of countries’ choices of monetary policy framework. A brief narrative focused on groupings of countries motivates an econometric analysis which draws on previous work on the determinants of exchange rate regimes, bringing in standard factors as well as the trade networks of potential anchor currency blocs and the financial market depth that are emphasised in the narrative. The model turns out to be able to predict three quarters of countries’ choices, and there is no obvious systematic pattern in the errors. The results have important implications for how countries should choose their monetary policy frameworks.