Use of social impact bonds to address social problems: Understanding contractual risks and transaction costs

Social impact bonds, a recent innovation in social finance, are designed to harness capital and knowledge from private nonprofit, for‐profit, and public entities to address pressing social problems. Although there is great policy interest in understanding how social impact bonds can be used to tackle social problems, the emergent nature of social impact bonds makes it hard to find relevant data and evidence. To overcome this challenge, we use single‐significant‐case sampling as our research design strategy. We conduct an in‐depth case study of the Social Innovation Financing Youth Recidivism Project in Massachusetts. Our case study is comprised of a qualitative analysis of the multiparty contract and multiyear quantitative benefit–cost analysis to understand transaction costs. We draw upon contract theory to develop an analytical framework for the case analysis and highlight the risks and safeguards for the various parties to the contract, and conduct a formal benefit–cost analysis to map out transaction costs. We conclude with a discussion of study implications and future research.     

以土地股份合作社推动农村土地规模经营——胶州市推进农村土地承包经营权流转的实践探索

土地股份合作制作为农业经营模式和农村集体土地流转机制的创新探索,进一步优化了农村土地资源配置,推动了农村土地规模经营,促进了农业增效、农民增收.胶州市在实践中,形成了坚持农村基本经营制度;"依法、自愿、有偿";因地制宜、分类指导;有序流转、规模经营的原则及政府推动、把关定向,实现土地流转规范化;特色带动,创新模式,实现土地流转规模化;转移促动、集中资源,实现土地流转社会化的农村土地承包经营权流转模式.     

The Elderly and the Extended Household in Portugal: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis

Portugal, a southern European country, is expected to exhibit a relatively large proportion of extended households. However, following some general trends associated with large social transformations, Portugal is also expected to have an increasingly larger proportion of nuclear families. We use data from the eight waves of ECHP (European Community Household Panel), covering the years from 1994 to 2001, to establish whether these expectations are justified. Among the nuclear households that include elderly members, we isolate those corresponding to single-person households, since they are particularly relevant for policy purposes. Separate analyses are carried out for the elderly with health problems and for those with no health problems, in order to detect different patterns of living arrangements. We also project the living arrangements until 2005, based on an age-period-cohort analysis. We find that the extended households are a very significant form of living arrangement with reference to the Portuguese elderly, and a living arrangement whose importance is not declining over time. In particular, the oldest old constitutes the group that tends to be found living most frequently in extended households, while those with health problems start much earlier than those with no health problems to live in extended households as they grow older. The proportion of individuals aged 65+ living alone has somewhat decreased, but the proportion of this type of household largely increases with age.

Household Composition Among Elders in Sub‐Saharan Africa in the Context of HIV/AIDS

Cross‐sectional and repeated surveys from household components of Demographic and Health Surveys in sub‐Saharan Africa were examined to determine whether household composition indicators for older adults (N = 52,573), involving offspring and grandchildren, correlated with national levels of AIDS mortality. One in 4 was living with a grandchild whose own parents were absent. Absence was a result of residence elsewhere and parents being deceased. Older adults in countries with a high accumulation of AIDS mortality were more likely to live in a skip‐generation household and with a double‐orphaned grandchild and less likely to live in a 3‐generation household. Change in living arrangements toward skip generation and a double orphaned household was experienced in countries with high accumulation of AIDS mortality.     

Employer‐Supported Child Care: Who Participates?

Child‐care vouchers are becoming more common and can provide child‐care assistance to a wide spectrum of the population. There is little empirical research, however, on which workers participate in their employer's child‐care programs. In this exploratory study, employees with children at 1 large university completed questionnaires to gather information on their child‐care arrangements and their experience with the employer's child‐care voucher program (N = 949). Results indicate that the employees who were most in need of child‐care assistance in terms of family structure, job type, and child‐care expenses were more likely to receive vouchers. Federal policy limiting the structure of employer‐sponsored voucher programs appeared to present barriers to participation for certain groups of employees.     

The impacts of rapid demographic transition on family structure and income inequality in Brazil, 1981–2011

This study analysed the impact of changing family structure on income distribution. Specifically, it analysed how changes in the proportions of different categories of family in the population contributed to increases in the income of the richest and poorest social strata in Brazil, and the consequent impacts on income inequality. Rural and urban families were compared in order to understand how these dynamics had different impacts on more developed (urban) and less developed (rural) areas. The results emphasize how changes observed in family structure are more pronounced among the richest families, contributing to an increase in (i) the income of the richest families and (ii) income inequality between the richest and poorest families, as well as between urban and rural areas.     

土地承包经营权抵押范围的再探索

改革开放三十多年后,随着社会的发展与变化,已凸显出现行法律对土地承包经营权的可抵押范围限制并不合理.由于农村的社会结构与实际需求改变,土地的社会保障功能日渐弱化;通过法律的设计,土地承包经营权抵押权的实现得与耕地面积的增减不发生直接关系.考虑到我国各区域间的重大经济差异等原因,法律应有条件地放宽得抵押融资的土地承包经营权范围,以解决农民的实际需要.     

农地流转制度的现实困惑与改革路径

农地流转实践在促进我国农地规模经营同时,也使现有农地法律制度的规范能力捉襟见肘。无论转包、抵押、转让,还是入股和出租均不能解决土地流转实践中农户利益和农业企业利益的冲突与对立,均无法调和土地承包经营权社会保障属性与财产属性的矛盾,迫切需要新的法权形式出现。三权分置下的土地经营权是破解农地流转难题的正解。三权分置视阈下,转让客体为土地承包经营权,转让仍有存续必要,且转让条件应保持严苛。应区分转包与出租,转包的客体应为物权性的土地经营权,而出租的客体为土地承包经营权的租赁权,放宽接包方资格条件,使其涵盖所有市场主体。抵押应分为土地承包经营权抵押与土地经营权抵押两种类型,前者应满足转让所规定的条件要求。政府应支持农户之间的土地抵押实践,以消解对金融机构的路径依赖。入股应衡平土地承包经营权的社保属性与《公司法》的股东出资要求,出资形式应仅为土地经营权。     

论劳动力产权与企业的合约安排

除工资收入外,劳动者享有企业的剩余索取权和剩余控制权的状况体现了劳动力产权的实现程度。劳动力产权的实现程度会因企业所有权安排而异。     

论中国特色社会主义国家治理体系

建立现代化的中国特色社会主义国家治理体系已经成为研究的前沿,但学界缺乏对其建立的必然性、必要性、主要内容等方面的系统探讨.在此背景之下,文章根据国家治理的历史传统、现实国情与时代要求,分析建立现代化的中国特色社会主义治理体系的必然性和必要性,界定治理体系的概念,探讨治理体系的主要内容,总结治理体系的基本特征,进而提出建立治理体系的主要路径.