Beyond Piketty: A new perspective on poverty and inequality in India

The socio-economic literature has focused much on how overall inequality in income distribution (frequently measured by the Gini coefficient) undermines the “trickle down” effect. In other words, the higher the inequality in the income distribution, the lower is the growth elasticity of poverty. However, with the publication of Piketty’s magnum opus (2014), and a subsequent study by Chancel and Piketty (2017) of evolution of income inequality in India since 1922, the focus has shifted to the income disparity between the richest 1% (or 0.01%) and the bottom 50%. Their central argument is that the rapid growth of income at the top end of millionaires and billionaires is a by-product of growth. The present study extends this argument by linking it to poverty indices in India. Based on the India Human Development Survey 2005–12 – a nationwide panel survey-we examine the links between poverty and income inequality, especially in the upper tail relative to the bottom 50%, state affluence (measured in per capita income) and their interaction or their joint effect. Another feature of our research is that we analyse their effects on the FGT class of poverty indices. The results are similar in as much as direction of association is concerned but the elasticities vary with the poverty index. The growth elasticities are negative and significant for all poverty indices. In all three cases, the disparity between the income share of the top 1% and share of the bottom 50% is associated with greater poverty. These elasticities are much higher than the (absolute) income elasticities except in the case of the poverty gap. The largest increase occurs in the poverty gap squared – a 1% greater income disparity is associated with a 1.24% higher value of this index. Thus the consequences of even a small increase in the income disparity are alarming for the poorest.     

Diversity,semi-communication and cross-country trust: A quantitative analysis

Existing trust research has often failed to account for the possibility that communication impairments brought on by language barriers could explain low levels of trust both within and between countries. To test whether this is the case, I construct an ‘index of communication potential’ for a sample of 359 cross-country dyads composed of 21 European countries. Although similar indexes have been used previously, this is the first one to include instances of ‘semi-communication’ between related languages when calculating communication potential. Multiple regression analysis indicated not only that greater communication potential was associated with greater cross-country trust, but that this relationship was monotonic: semi-communication was also associated with greater trust, but the link was weaker than for actually sharing a language.     

Sinn und Unsinn von Quoten auf Basis von preisbereinigten Werten

Zusammenfassung: Eine wesentliche Neuerung der Revision der Volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnungen vom April 2005 ist die Einführung eines neuen Deflationierungsverfahrens. Durch den übergang von der Festpreisbasis auf eine Vorjahrespreisbasis mit Verkettung liegt keine Additivit?t der preisbereinigten Komponenten eines Aggregats mehr vor. Dadurch k?nnen keine langen Zeitreihen von Quoten auf Basis preisbereinigter Werte berechnet werden. Für ?konomische Analysen zum sektoralen Strukturwandel und zur intersektoralen Arbeitsteilung fehlt damit ein erg?nzendes und relativierendes Ma?.

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Summary: A major change of the 2005 revision of German national accounts is the introduction of a new price adjustment method. The former fixed price base (last 1995 prices) has been replaced by an annually changing price base (previous year’s prices) with chain linking. But the chain-linked levels in absolute terms (billion Euro) are not additive. The sum of chain-linked sub aggregates (e. g. real gross value added by industries) differs from the value of the chain-linked total aggregate (e. g. real GDP). Thus it is no longer possible to calculate time series of ratios based on deflated values. Economic analysis of structural change or of the inter-sector division of labor thus loses a useful complementary measurement tool.

* Der Diskussionsbeitrag basiert auf einem Vortrag im Rahmen der Pfingsttagung der Deutschen Statistischen Gesellschaft am 20. Mai 2005 an der Universit?t Münster und im Rahmen der 7. VGR-Tagung am 10. Juni 2005 an der Universit?t Rostock.     

基于网络分析的评标方法研究

本文以电力行业招标采购中的评标方法为研究对象,通过分析现存各种评标方法的缺点和电力行业招标采购的特点,提出一种基于网络分析法的新的评标方法。这种方法通过筛选关键指标,在对指标进行聚类的基础上,通过定量化和无量纲化,利用网络分析法从而克服了层次分析法无法考虑各个评标指标之间相互影响的缺陷,得到各个候选方案的权重,最终确定优选方案。这种方法能够提高评标的公正性,减少争议并最终确保采购目标的顺利实现。     

基于生物物理方法的澳门可持续性分析

澳门是资源缺乏的人口高度密集的城市,其生命支援系统几乎完全依赖进口。近年,澳门经历了快速的经济繁荣和社会发展,澳门如何能克服其自身的缺点而生存?本文应用H.T.Odum创立的基于生物物理原理的能值(Emergy)分析理论和方法,从城市生态系统的理论出发,对澳门的能值流进行了系统分析研究,通过一系列能值指标,评价澳门城市生态系统自然环境和社会经济可持续发展的状况,为澳门制定发展策略和产业调整提供科学指导依据。2003年澳门城市生态系统应用能值为220×10~(20) sej(Solar emjoules,太阳能焦耳,缩写为sej),输入的购买能值有216×10~(20) sej,出口能值为140×10~(20) sej。旅游博彩业为澳门带来52.1亿美元的收益,能值收益为86.5×10~(20)sej,而游客只消费能值32.6×10~(20)sej,旅游博彩业巨大的能值净收益为53.9×10~(20)sej,旅游博彩业的贡献冲击比率为2.65。研究还发现,以相同的货币进行商品交换,中国大陆与澳门的能值交换比率是1.8倍。澳门旅游博彩业的能值剩余和澳门与中国大陆的能值交换优势,是维持澳门生态经济系统的关键因素。最后对澳门的可持续发展状况进行了讨论。     

建立和完善我国失业统计体系的思考

失业问题已成为我国国民经济和社会发展的重要问题。失业统计应客观反映劳动力的失业状况 ,为国家制定就业政策和宏观决策提供依据。针对我国失业统计的理论研究和实践操作中还有许多问题没有解决的现实 ,文章从失业的界定、失业统计指标和失业统计调查方法等方面进行了探讨。     

员工工作满意度调查问卷的有效性及民营企业员工工作满意度影响因素研究

本研究选取我国浙江杭州和广州深圳市各一中型民营企业员工共780人作为被试,采用自编的民营企业员工满意度调查问卷(问卷由8个分量表构成,共61个项目)探查我国民营企业员工的工作满意度情况及其影响因素.结果表明:(1)民营企业员工满意度调查问卷的信度系数r为0.9555,内容效度和结构效度的相关系数均达到了可接受水平,是一个可接受的满意度调查问卷;(2)民营企业员工满意度调查问卷的维度"培训与发展"、"高层管理"、"所在部门"和"客户服务"对员工的满意度具有较大的影响,而"直接主管"、"薪资与福利"和"工作目标与绩效"等对员工满意度几乎没有什么影响;(3)民营企业B(深圳)的员工在所有八个分量表上的工作满意度均显著地满意于民营企业A(杭州)的员工的工作满意度;(4)无论是在总体水平上还是在各个分量表上,男员工的工作满意度均显著地高于女员工的工作满意度;(5)在总体水平上,在企业服务两年以上的员工(下简称为"老员工")的工作满意度显著地高于在企业工作2年以下的员工(下简称为"新员工")的工作满意度.具体地说,老员工在"所在部门"和"高层管理"两个维度上的工作满意度显著地高于新员工,而在"工作目标与绩效"、"直接主管"、"培训与发展"、"薪资与福利"以及"客户服务"等维度上,两者没有显著的差异.     

基于Bootstrap抽样的多元过程能力指数估计

过程能力指数主要用于定量描述加工过程满足技术规格要求的能力,目前普遍使用的能力指数如Cp、Cpk、Cpm等主要针对单一质量特性,关于多元质量特性的过程能力指数尚未得到很好地解决.本文首先对多元过程能力指数的发展情况做一总结,指出现存的若干问题,然后在单变量过程服从正态分布的假设下,利用单一质量特性加工过程的差异系数,对单变量过程能力指数进行加权处理,得到多元过程能力指数的计算公式.然后基于Bootstrap抽样技术,对多元过程能力指数的统计分布进行仿真处理,获得了多元能力指数的经验分布及其大致的置信区间,从而为有效进行多元质量特性加工过程分析提供了概率依据.最后以某曲轴加工过程为例给出了应用案例.     

存在论视阈下西方文学发展及其21世纪走向

在存在论视阈下,对西方文学自古希腊至今发展历程进行梳理,发现西方文学自古以来一直关注人的生命情感,使人类在对象性的文学材料中反观自身,领会超越性存在。21世纪西方文学的发展将继续体现"存在",具体表现为题材多元化、电子媒介多模态化、文学元素杂糅化和经典文学大众化等特点。     

现代化进程中普适性原则与多样性道路关系的探讨——结合美国现代化的分析

现代化普适性原则形成于近代西欧。自形成起,不同文明的交流持续充实现代化普适性原则的内容。现代化普适性原则最核心的内容是具有现代性的人的独立、平等和最终自由与解放。现代化进程中的普适性原则和多样性道路是矛盾体,但二者可以共存。现代化普适性原则与实践孕育于文明多样性中,又在现代化模式的多样性中得到提升和发展。