The political economy of local government financialization and the role of policy diffusion

By analyzing why English local governments have made extensive use of long-term market loans with embedded derivatives, this paper seeks to contribute to the growing literature on local government financialization. Using an original, large-N panel dataset for the period from 1998 to 2014, we show that the configuration of the local political economy is an important driver of financialization processes: a Labour Party majority as well as fiscal and economic stress make it more likely that councils adopt risky financial instruments. As the use of financial innovations has also diffused geographically, policy diffusion impacts local governments as well. Highlighting the conditional effect of finance sector power, which only increases the use of financial innovations in very large councils, as well as the temporal dimension of fiscal and economic stress, we create ample avenues for further research.     

How Online Platform Work on Perceived Risk of Online Financial Products

Prior literatures about online financial products have neglected the platform element and the research has been done from the perspective of the consumers. Since both consumers and lending platforms are important elements in research of perceived risk, this paper attempts to connect consumers and the Internet platforms with P2P lending platform as the subject under the framework of perceived risk theory and tests the effect of P2P platform on perceived risk and the moderating effect of consumers on the relationship between them. Results different from the study of the traditionally perceived risk show that credibility has significant positive effect on privacy risk and functional risk. Convenience affects the perceived risk and financial risk positively. Practicability affects the perceived risk, psychological risk and social risk positively. Age has significantly negative moderating effect on the relationship of the Internet and the perceived risk among the female samples. Finally, marketing strategies are proposed for the P2P lending platform based on the results above.     

财政法视角下的公共财政界定

公共财政由于具有积极分配财政资源的特殊属性,在促进和谐社会建设、促进社会公平分配等方面有着不可估量的作用。随着我国总体经济方式的调整,财政实践中已基本形成公共财政的思路与目标,财政方式也已随之发生改变,财政干预的活动方式也发生改变。财政法作为主要调整公共财政关系的法律,对保障公共财政具有重要作用。由于财政法理论的特殊性,它不能简单地等同于或借用经济学上的一般分析,财政法视角下的公共财政的界定是财政法首要的问题。财政法理论需要尽快或更多注意公共财政的建设目标与进程,并作为财政法基础理论建构的内容。     

晋商与中国近代金融

发迹于 15世纪末的晋商 ,在 19世纪 2 0年代创建了山西票号 ,从商贸领域挺进金融领域。在此后的几十年间执全国金融业之牛耳。 2 0世纪 2 0年代前后 ,随着票号的消亡 ,晋商迅速退出历史舞台。其辉煌与衰败都既有深刻的社会和历史原因 ,又有自身特性的原因。     

论非正式金融与正式金融的关系

非正式金融、正式金融与违法金融有着不同的界定。非正式金融与正式金融在一国的金融体系中起着同等重要的作用,二者之间存在着竞争、互补及转化的关系。因此,我们应该正确、辩证地看待非正式金融在经济中的作用,为其提供制度保障和服务体系,促进其健康发展。     

The Correlation Effect of Land Finance to Basic Public Service:An Empirical Study on Compulsory Education,Health and Social Services

Local governments are constantly disturbed by land finance about the supplying effectiveness of basic public services. With the steady deepening of the financial reform, this disturbance has reverse effect on the local government reform process. Through literature review of existing land finance and public service, this research constructs the relational theory model of land finance and product supply of basic public services, in order to theoretically interpret the relations between land finance and economic or non-economic public service products, for better distinction. With the aid of random and fixed effect model regression analysis, this paper clarifies the significant impact of land transfer and financial autonomy for the supply of basic public services. Furthermore, with the robustness test, it is found that increasing land finance basic public service provision would generate negative external tropism. Therefore, we suggest proper adjustment of the relationship between the central and local land fiscal configuration, optimizing the structure of land tax, enhancing fiscal autonomy of local governments, and promoting the reform of land finance, for the effectiveness of basic public service provision.     

Taiwan’s Sub-national Government Relations with Japan: Post-1979 Developments

In 1972 the Japanese government ended its diplomatic recognition of the Republic of China. And yet it did not. In the aftermath of that decision, colonial legacy ties between Taiwan and Japan were drawn upon to create a new form of relationship, with ties that were official in all but name. Taiwanese cities and counties were also encouraged to develop formal ties with their Japanese counterparts. These sub-national ties are a critical – but little researched – component of the enduring bilateral relationship between these two countries. This article – based on extensive fieldwork in both countries – is an initial effort in understanding how these ties have developed and function, and how they support bilateral relations between Taiwan and Japan. Drawing on additional fieldwork in China, this article also considers what formal limitations exist on the para-diplomatic relations between these countries.     

Opting for Openness: Capital Mobility and Monetary Sterilisation in Malaysia

Malaysia gained attention for its use of capital controls in 1998, but since the early 2000s it has emphasised its commitment to an open capital account, despite experiencing volatile capital flows. As well as opting for financial openness, Malaysia chose to manage the value of its exchange rate after de-pegging from the US dollar in 2005. In a bid to escape the macroeconomic constraints that arise from capital mobility, Malaysia also chose to sterilise a large portion of capital inflows. It then made a further choice to use market-based sterilisation instruments more than regulatory sterilisation measures. These choices have carried costs and led to a build-up of economic risk. Three interrelated factors explain these choices: Malaysia’s strategy to manage the stigma arising from its imposition of controls in 1998, the increased level of financial integration that followed from this strategy, and the politically privileged position of groups that have benefitted from Malaysia’s commitment to capital openness.     

生态城市碳金融地方性立法的先行先试

在诸多应对气候变化的方案中,碳金融是一种正在实践中的应对气候变化的金融解决方案,它能够从碳投融资、碳排放权交易和碳银行贷款等多方面支持生态城市建设。而生态城市碳金融地方性立法的先行先试又为生态城市碳金融活动提供了法律保障,也为在全国范围内的碳金融立法奠定了基础。鉴于生态城市碳金融地方性立法先行先试所具备的可行性和良好的预期效果,应加快在生态城市试点区制定《碳金融促进条例》、建立生态城市碳银行、进行碳金融衍生产品制度的创新试验等,对生态城市的碳金融地方性立法作大胆尝试。