Urban Housing as an Issue of Redistribution through Planning? The Case of Dhaka City

The rapid growth of population, the mushrooming of poor settlements and unplanned urbanization have crucial implications for the efficiency and equity of urban services. The resultant infringements of critical human rights throw into focus the importance of housing as a social policy issue. Urban services are strained in Dhaka city. Urban management has been disrupted as a result of spatial encroachment and environmental degradation. In addition to land scarcity, land speculation and endemic corruption, the high price of land is also a product of the system of land registration. The dearth of valuable urban land, together with delays in urban planning and its implementation, have made the acquisition of land for housing prohibitively expensive for middle and low‐income households. Consequently, the quality of the housing environment is deteriorating. The problem of housing finance is intrinsically linked to its affordability, being currently the prerogative only of the affluent. This article delineates the inherent lack of integrated urban planning, the lacunae within institutions responsible for urban management – and, contextually, the nature of housing as a social policy issue, where reinforced, coordinated planning and administration could ensure distributive benefits even to the poor.     

收入再分配政策能否兼顾效率与公平的经济学分析

长期以来,社会各界对于“收入再分配政策能否兼顾效率与公平”问题一直存在着激烈的争论,而对于这一问题的回答不仅具有深远的理论意义,而且具有重要的政策涵义.为此,本文通过构建数理经济模型的方法,参与对这一问题的理论探讨.根据本文理论模型的分析,得出一个关键结论:在一些参数条件下,再分配政策可以兼顾效率与公平;而在另一些参数条件下,“效率与公平”这两个政策目标之间存在冲突.本文的这一结论并没有简单支持以往的任何一种观点,而是表明:如果能够根据经济发展水平,合理设计收入再分配政策,就可以实现效率与公平兼顾的政策目标;如果再分配政策的设计与经济发展水平不相适应,那么旨在改善收入分配不平等状况的再分配政策就会阻碍经济增长.     

Public Attitudes towards Income Redistribution: Evidence from Hong Kong

The drivers of public support for redistributive policy have stimulated academic debate around the world. The majority of studies use cross‐country surveys conducted in the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development countries to contribute to the debate on whether self‐interest or social values have more influence on public attitudes towards redistribution. Drawing on a phone survey conducted in 2013, this study advances the discussion by investigating public attitudes towards redistribution and social policy changes against the backdrop of buoyant government revenues in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong welfare model, best seen as a parallel to the liberal welfare state, is selective and residual. Contrary to the usual assumption, the social values hypothesis, viewing poverty as societal problems instead of individual reasons, has been supported in the Hong Kong context. It lends support to greater redistribution in a residual welfare state. The policy implications of the findings are also discussed.     

收入、预期寿命和社会养老保险收入再分配效应

本文在考虑职工基本养老保险典型不同缴费基数参保者寿命存在异质性的情况下，通过内部收益率的计算考察典型不同缴费基数参保者之间的养老金收入再分配效应。首先根据省级宏观截面数据估计了职工基本养老保险典型不同缴费基数参保者退休时的平均余命，再据此分别计算和比较不同参保群体的内部收益率。 研究发现职工基本养老保险制度总体上呈现微弱的正向收入再分配效应。虽然低缴费基数参保者内部收益率略高于中、高缴费基数参保职工，但其内部收益率因相对较短的寿命而大大降低。这也提醒政策制定者在研究制定延迟退休、社会养老保险全国统筹等政策时需要充分考虑参保职工内部不同群体间的平均预期寿命差别，对低收入参保者予以特别关注。     

Nordic Disability Policies in a Changing Europe: Is There Still a Distinct Nordic Model?

Nordic welfare states have usually been characterized by encompassing or institutional systems of public provisions, both in general and for people with impairment in particular. Provisions have been perceived as being more universalistic in coverage, more generous in terms of benefit levels and availability of services, and with a greater emphasis on prevention and coordination, than provisions in other Western countries. Yet the success of the Nordic system of disability protection has recently been questioned on various grounds. These criticisms have resulted in a number of reforms recently introduced or about to be implemented. This reorientation is likely to reduce the prominence of some characteristics of the Nordic model in this particular area. Under the ongoing influence of European integration, we will probably see a shift of emphasis away from redistributive provisions—especially income transfers—to regulative provisions, meant to ensure accessibility and combat discrimination.     

Why do the poor oppose income redistribution? An empirical test on the impacts of nationalism and fatalism

We study the poor’s psychological motivations to oppose income redistribution, relying on social identity and system justification theories. We find that national identification reduces differences between the poor and the rich in terms of attitudes toward income redistribution and self-esteem, by discouraging the poor from supporting redistribution but encouraging them to acquire greater self-esteem. Next, fatalism reduces and increases differences between the poor and the rich in terms of attitudes toward income redistribution and self-esteem, respectively. Yet, a closer look reveals that the responding patterns of the poor and the rich to fatalism are consistent only with the mechanism behind the prediction that concerns self-esteem. That is, fatalism increases support for income redistribution in both groups, whereas it reduces self-esteem only among the poor.     

“一城九镇”开发体系下重点城镇人口再分布与城镇化再推进问题及对策——以上海市朱家角镇为例

按照上海市确立的"一城九镇"开发计划,在被列为重点开发城镇后,朱家角镇获得了人口合理再分布和城镇化再推进的发展契机,同时也显露出存在的人口分布疏密不均、城镇化滞后于非农化、中心镇辐射能力弱以及进城农民利益调整和人口再分布中的社会重构等问题,就这些问题进行探讨,并提出建议,应对解决城镇开发中的类似问题有一定的借鉴作用.     

我国社会养老保险制度的收入再分配效应分析

 针对我国现行养老保险制度覆盖面有限,并且对不同就业类型人员采取有差别的制度安排等问题,一些学者认为,现行养老保险制度实际上扩大了贫富差距,不利于社会公平发展。那么,我国现行的养老保险制度安排到底产生了怎样的收入再分配？当前的养老保险制度安排是否有利于缩小贫富差距和促进公平发展？本文以统计局公布的年度数据为基础,采用统计模拟和精算方法,对不同就业类型人群、不同收入水平人群、不同性别人群、不同缴费年限人群以及不同寿命人群因养老保险制度安排产生的收入再分配进行测算和分析,得出相关的结论和启示。     

国家功能与再分配的原初正义——兼驳诺奇克对罗尔斯的批评

人类从自然状态走向社会状态有特定的边际条件,表现为资源分配从暴力竞争方式向利益交换方式转化的实现条件,正是这些条件使得人们即便处在国家强力控制下也摆脱不了自然与社会的"张力",一旦边际条件受到破坏,社会就将面临解体的威胁。现代国家必须在制度上保障这些条件不受破坏,而制度成本取决于再分配功能的实现,这个思路论证了国家再分配功能的原初正义性。     

试论收入分配制度改革与和谐社会建设

改革以来,由于制度不完善,我国收入分配领域存在差距过大,分配不公等问题,成为和谐社会建设的重要制约。建设社会主义和谐社会,需要从市场初次分配、政府主导的再分配以及社会第三次分配等领域深化改革,通过完善分配制度实现充分就业、规范税收体系、调整政府财政支出结构等手段,实现兼顾公平与效率的分配结构,实现社会公平、公正,建设和谐社会。