Debt administration in Small Island‐States

Public debt management is an infrequent focus of public administration studies. Yet without appropriate debt management, administrators have few financial resources for public service provision. Island‐state administrators face an enhanced service provision challenge. The peculiarity of island‐state economies, the unpredictability of exogenous events and the state's endogenous choices increase debt administration's importance. Via its focus on debt management office location and the administrative constraints posed by brain drain, transparency and regionalization, this paper goes beyond typical debt management studies to engage debt administration spaces. The result is a framework for studies of debt administration in Small Island‐States.     

The politics of external approval: Explaining the IMF's evaluation of austerity programmes

During the European debt crisis, numerous states launched austerity programmes. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) evaluates and forecasts the likelihood of member states’ success in implementing these programmes. Although IMF evaluations influence country risk perceptions on capital markets, little is known about their reasoning. This article uses fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore on what grounds the IMF evaluated the success prospects of austerity programmes during the European debt crisis. Results reveal that IMF evaluations are heavily influenced by the programme's implementation credibility. They require a tractable policy problem, a country's institutional capacity to structure implementation, and favour expenditure reduction over revenue measures. By acting as a strict guide on the road to fiscal adjustment, the IMF indirectly influences member states’ scope of policy making through its surveillance activities. Extensive austerity programmes that need to be implemented swiftly are evaluated negatively if the country is not involved in an IMF programme.     

How do fiscally decentralized federations fare in times of crisis? Insights from Switzerland

This article examines federal dynamics during times of crisis in fiscally decentralized federations using Switzerland as an example. Based on qualitative research, we analyse how the relationship between the federal government and the cantons evolved during the recent ‘Great Recession’ and ensuing financial crisis. We contend that fiscally decentralized structures, as well as the consensus-oriented institutions of the political system, protect the federal balance of power. Our results show that Switzerland indeed adapted well to the crisis of the 2009 economic recession. However, the deficit crisis has revealed challenging coordination problems, notably in the areas of fiscal equalization and corporate taxation, which have the potential to put federal stability under stress. So far, the system has adapted well and safeguarded the federal order. Due to its combination of fiscally decentralized institutions and a strong consensus culture, Switzerland has proven to be a particularly robust federation.     

DEBT PROBLEMS AND CRIME*

The few existing studies on the association between debt problems and crime have suggested that the two are correlated, but the causal nature and direction of this association has been unclear. By using longitudinal register data (N = 20,696) from Finland on young adults’ debt default and crime, we examine the potentially reciprocal association between debt problems and crime with both cross‐sectional and longitudinal models. Debt problems and crime have a strong association in the data, which persists after controlling for several measures of socioeconomic status. The longitudinal analyses using fixed‐effects regression models show that levels of crime are higher during periods of debt enforcement, ruling out stable between‐person heterogeneity as the sole cause. The final analysis examining the exact timing of new debt defaults and crime shows signs of a mutually reinforcing association; the rate of newly enforced debt increases in the months preceding the first crime leading to a conviction and continues to increase afterward mostly because of criminal monetary sanctions left unpaid. The conclusion of the analysis is that debt problems have a dynamic association with criminal offending. We discuss the difficult barrier that unpaid debts pose to offenders seeking to desist from criminal activity in the current Finnish context.     

集权制是企业集团财务管理体制的现实选择

企业集团财务管理面临的最大难题是集权与分权的选择,本文从 企业集团在财务上的特殊性、财务管理体制自身的特点以及财务资源配备 等方面阐述了集权制是企业集团财务管理体制的现实选择。     

Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Risks of Prepaid Cards Instruments?

Advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) have had, and will continue to have, wide-ranging influences on how the banking and finance industry operates. Making payments and transmitting money electronically or online are increasingly popular. An increased dependence on global electronic payment systems and the ability to move large amounts of money expeditiously across different jurisdiction, however, expose both payment processing companies and consumers to an evolving spectrum of threats such as fraud and money laundering. This article considers ways in which prepaid cards can be exploited by organised criminals and terrorists to launder their illicit proceeds of crime, and to transfer money anonymously and instantaneously over the globe for use by terrorist organisations. Risks identified in this article include recruiting card mules (e.g. international students) to purchase prepaid cards, and the mailing or shipping of prepaid cards out of the country without regulators being aware. To minimise risks of abuse by organised criminals and terrorists, legislation will need to adapt to deal with threats that organised criminals and terrorists seek to exploit. Future directions for research in relation to prepaid cards are also identified.

我国应收账款质押制度初探

当今社会,由于经济和法律的发展,出现了“权利爆炸”风潮,促使担保物权领域内,权利质押标的日益呈现出扩张趋势,在实践中得以广泛运用的不仅仅是《担保法》第75条所列举的权利能够质押,大量的未列举的权利质押类型根据市场经济的需要也应运而生,如基金质押、应收账款质押、收费权质押等等。这些新型的质押类型已经成为现实生活中方便、快捷、有效的担保方式,其发展前景和应用领域也将逐步凸现。     

中小企业融资信用担保制度的法律思考

中小企业信用担保制度的价值在于补充和完善银行获得信息的完整性和准确性,鉴于中小企业发展具有正外部性,中小企业发展这个事实本身即为社会和政府的一种收益,所以信用担保作为政府扶持中小企业的一项重要公共产品,出资者大都为政府,政策性担保机构成为补充中小企业信用的有效途径.中小企业信用担保机构从法律性质上属于不以营利为目的的事业法人,它应当以扶持促进中小企业的发展、改善其融资环境为宗旨.从根本上来看,信用担保机构应当更多地承担政策性职能,而非商业性职能.     

智能理财行业风险的法律应对

以智能理财为代表的金融创新行为值得鼓励,该行业对社会和经济产生了巨大的推动力,使得各国政府都愈发重视。由于智能理财业务模式的创新,其区别于传统投资顾问的新特征也随之出现,这种变化必将给金融行业传统的风险规制带来新的课题:监管者如何区配新的风险规制路径?要让智能理财行业实现良性发展,首先需要清楚地认识到其所具有的金融风险、技术风险和法律风险,并明确其规制路径予,让监管主体有效发挥职能。具体来说,首先需要完善信息披露制度、强化风险提示机制,完善信用体系等资本市场相关制度;其次需要强化市场准入与牌照管理,健全合格投资者制度等准入门槛;最后还需要将穿透式监管、全过程监管、科技监管等新型监管模式贯穿其中。     

The Transparency Paradox: Why Transparency Alone will not Improve Campaign Regulations

The role of new sources of data has become of increasing interest to those involved in political campaigning and a legislative focus of policy makers and regulators. Utilising Karl-Heinz Nassmacher’s ‘magic quadrangle’ of ‘accounting, practicality, sanctions and transparency’ and a case study of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 this article unpicks how successful the ‘guiding philosophy’ of transparency was in delivering increased citizen confidence in the democratic process. I ultimately argue that at the heart of all discussions about what regulation in this area should look like, an uncomfortable paradox has to be accepted: that transparency may well help to quell actual instances of malfeasance and the misuse of data, but may at the same time increase citizen distrust in democratic processes. Any regulation should consider the ways in which transparency might be implemented such that it better supports the stated legislative aims.