Cognitive abilities,self-efficacy,and financial behavior

This paper investigates the effect of cognitive abilities on financial behavior among older adults. Using the U.S. Health and Retirement Study, I find that cognitive abilities significantly affect financial behavior through two channels: ability and self-efficacy. People with higher cognition scores achieve better financial outcomes. This positive association is especially strong in tasks having high demand of cognitive abilities, which confirms the ability channel of the cognitive ability effect. In addition, there is evidence for the self-efficacy channel as a secondary source of cognitive influence. Lower cognitive abilities decrease people’s sense of self-efficacy, which, in turn, significantly decreases financial management efficiency. The findings have important policy implications, specifically that more effort is needed to assist the growing older population through the cognitive aging process and that noncognitive skills, as a secondary source of influence, also warrant attention.     

Does a universal non-contributory social pension make sense for rural China?

China’s pension reform during the past three decades has allowed a majority of China’s population to be covered by a pension scheme. Of particular note has been the New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS), a voluntary programme introduced starting in 2009. One goal of our analysis is to assess that pension scheme, using a variety of sources of information including data drawn from recent (2013 and 2015) nationwide China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Surveys (CHARLS). Our analysis involves an exploration of differences between the generosity and structure of the NRPS and other pension schemes currently in place. We also explore the feasibility of reforming the current “quasi-social pension” component of the NRPS by substituting a universal non-contributory social pension pillar. In connection with our assessment of the NRPS, we note the unusually low benefit levels for rural China.     

中国当代人口发展分析

以人为本的科学发展观必然要求我们在一切发展序列中首先关注人口发展,中国人口发展在中国社会发展框架中具有绝对优先的工具价值和目的意义.中国作为发展中国家与作为人口最多的国家两者之间在很大程度上具有互为因果的内在关系,充分认识中国人口发展现状具有多元化的重要意义.中国人口发展状况主要表现为人口数量多、人口质量低和人口结构不合理.中国人口现代化是中国其它现代化的强力引擎,中国人口发展的基本创新路径是城市化发展路径、市场化发展路径、民主化发展路径.     

人均耕地资源对农业集约经营的影响

从农业生产的历史发展趋势、定性和实证等 3个方面分析 ,认为人均耕地资源是影响农业集约经营的重要因素 ,人均耕地资源的减少在一定条件下将促进农业集约经营水平的提高。     

Implied Preference for Seismic Design Level and Earthquake Insurance

Seismic risk can be reduced by implementing newly developed seismic provisions in design codes. Furthermore, financial protection or enhanced utility and happiness for stakeholders could be gained through the purchase of earthquake insurance. If this is not so, there would be no market for such insurance. However, perceived benefit associated with insurance is not universally shared by stakeholders partly due to their diverse risk attitudes. This study investigates the implied seismic design preference with insurance options for decisionmakers of bounded rationality whose preferences could be adequately represented by the cumulative prospect theory (CPT). The investigation is focused on assessing the sensitivity of the implied seismic design preference with insurance options to model parameters of the CPT and to fair and unfair insurance arrangements. Numerical results suggest that human cognitive limitation and risk perception can affect the implied seismic design preference by the CPT significantly. The mandatory purchase of fair insurance will lead the implied seismic design preference to the optimum design level that is dictated by the minimum expected lifecycle cost rule. Unfair insurance decreases the expected gain as well as its associated variability, which is preferred by risk-averse decisionmakers. The obtained results of the implied preference for the combination of the seismic design level and insurance option suggest that property owners, financial institutions, and municipalities can take advantage of affordable insurance to establish successful seismic risk management strategies.     

斜腿刚构桥几何布局的优化设计

采用数学规划的方法从静力和动力两方面对斜腿刚构桥的几何布局进行优化设计。静力优化设计的优化目标是截面截面应力平方均值最小，动力优化设计的优化目标是结构自振周期平方和最小。采用了直接搜索法寻优。通过算例可知，这两种优化设计方法均可行，且均为刚性设计。     

"民官比"不是影响政治体制改革的重要因素

在政治体制改革中,公务员或国家干部人数的多少并不是一个关键因素,重要的是必须把政府的社会定位(包括角色、权力和责任)划分清楚。与世界各国相比较,我国197.69∶1(或116.27∶1)的“民官比”并不高,因此,今后的政治体制改革不需要再把精力集中在“精简”上,而应按邓小平的部署,首先把党政分开和权力下放的工作做好。毕竟“小政府”是指“政府权力受限制”,而非“人数更少”;“大社会”是指“社会权利更广泛”,而非“人数更多”。     

沈阳市老年人口现状及其养老保障模式的构建

沈阳作为一个重工业城市 ,在其二次创业过程中人口老龄化问题日益突出 ,因此 ,掌握沈阳市老年人口的生活状况 ,构建适合沈阳市老年人口现状的养老保障模式 ,已经成为沈阳市社会养老保障体系改革的重要内容。