FHA restructuring proposals: Alternatives and implications

Abstract

This article evaluates problems of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) under its current structure, develops criteria for judging alternative structures, and suggests one alternative—an assigned risk pool—that encourages efficiency in the insurance function while still promoting low‐ and moderate‐income housing. A historical introduction explains how the current institutional relationships came about and created FHA's problems.

FHA's decline resulted from the mixing of a heavy social agenda with the basic insurance objective, a destructive reorganization of the Department of Housing and Urban Development that caused FHA to lose control and focus, and government's inherent inability to respond to market signals. Yet the economic rationale for government involvement in FHA functions is strong. An FHA organized as an independent government agency, a government‐sponsored enterprise, or even a privatized entity structured as an assigned risk pool could improve efficiency of underwriting, pricing, and administration while achieving the redistributional objectives.     

Microfinance and Poverty in Bolivia

Both in its institutional range and in its penetration of financial markets, the microfinance sector in Bolivia rivals any in the world, and has played a major part in extracting the macro-economy from meltdown since the mid-1980s. We seek specifically to assess its impact on poverty, and do this through small-sample surveys on four microfinance institutions, two urban and two rural, using a range of poverty concepts: income (generated both through the borrower's enterprise and through the labour market), asset holdings and diversity, and various measures of vulnerability. All the institutions studied had, on balance, positive impacts on income and asset levels, with income impacts correlating negatively with income on account of poor households choosing to invest in low-risk, low-return assets. Microfinance may, however, augment vulnerability: average debt-service ratios of microfinance clients are disturbingly high, and if the coping mechanisms used by borrowers fail, borrowers may be forced out of the microfinance system, possibly resulting in decapitalisation and impoverishment. Poorer households are more restricted in their choice of coping strategy, and many as a consequence 'choose' coping strategies more likely to jeopardise their long-term income prospects, in particular asset sales and cuts in children's schooling. The more successful low-income borrowers are those who have voluntary savings deposits and do not rush into fixed capital purchases too early: collapse back into poverty is associated with multiple crises and the failure of one or more 'safety nets', in particular of one or more 'safety nets', in particular support from a member's solidarity group. The following actions appear to be promising for the further reduction of poverty in Bolivia: stronger efforts to mobilise rural savings, removal of lower limits on loan size, and the introduction of appropriate insurance mechanisms. In comparison with other anti-poverty measures, microfinance appears to be successful and relative cheap at reducing the poverty of those close to the poverty line, but ineffective, by comparison with labour-market and infrastructural measures, in reducing extreme poverty.     

论虚假信息诈骗犯罪的防范与打击

近年来,不法分子通过获取社会信息资源,利用网络和通信等手段,冒充身份、虚构事实,针对不确定对象进行诈骗犯罪,严重冲击社会诚信,危害群众切身利益,扰乱了正常的社会秩序。利用虚假信息诈骗种类繁多,迷惑性强,危害性大。为了打击犯罪,保护人民群众切身利益,必须从工作理念、技防手段、打击模式、协作方式、完善法律法规等方面研究应对之策,不断提升公安机关防范打击利用虚假信息诈骗犯罪的整体能力和水平。     

试论机动车第三者责任强制保险的防灾防损功能

一般认为,机动车第三者责任强制保险(以下简称强制三责险)乃是加强被保险人的赔偿能力,进而赔偿交通事故受害者损失的事后补偿机制。但却常常忽略该制度在积极预防和减少交通事故及损失方面所具有的独特功能。事实证明,导致交通事故最主要的原因是交通行为参与人的过失因素,因此促进人们交通行为的谨慎与规范是改变我国道路交通安全状况的根本出路。鉴于人“趋利”的本性,强制三责险可以通过合理设置责任限额,实行弹性费率等手段,利用经济杠杆有力地推动当事人规范其交通行为,进而保障交通安全。     

商业保理领域藩在风险与防范对策

为切实发挥保理业务解决中小企业融资难问题的作用，更好地与国际接轨，我国开始了商业保理试点工作。随着行业不断发展壮大，业务竞争日趋激烈，潜藏风险隐患必将逐步显现。针对商业保理领域潜在风险的防范对策主要有：完善商业保理行业法律规范，完善日常监管体制机制，强化行业自律和企业风险内控等。     

越南社会保险制度研究

本文对越南社会保险制度的发展历程、主要内容、基金管理等方面的基本情况进行梳理与概括。     

医疗保险干预能否缓解三级医院的“虹吸效应”?——基于某大城市的实证研究

【问题】患者普遍偏好在三级医院就诊,而三级医院对患者的“虹吸效应”直接影响了医疗服务体系的运行效率。差异化报销的医保政策干预成为各地推行“分级诊疗”的普遍手段。虽然三级医院的“虹吸效应”已经得到学界的普遍关注,成为医改领域的热点研究问题,但现有相关研究还主要停留在理论探讨层面。而且,医保政策干预作为分级诊疗推动措施究竟能够发挥多大作用,在实证方面还缺乏足够的文献支持。【方法】文章基于A市的医疗保险数据,使用固定效应等研究方法,对三级医院的“虹吸效应”和医保政策干预效果进行了分析。【发现】三级医院对使用社会医疗保险患者的门诊就医选择有“虹吸效应”,每10万人配备的三级医院数量每增加1家,赴三级医院门诊就医的患者比例就提高5.8%。“虹吸”的主要对象来自二级医院而非一级及以下医疗机构的患者群体。“虹吸效应”存在异质性:无慢性病群体、高收入者、儿童更容易被三级医院“虹吸”。医保政策干预能够缓解“虹吸效应”,且对“小病、常见病”的影响程度更大,可以有效引导把价格敏感的患者向基层医院分流。【贡献】文章从实证上检验了三级医院对需求方的“虹吸效应”及其程度,首次揭示了中国二级医院的“夹心层”困境;通过检验医保政策干预对“虹吸效应”的效果,为医保补偿政策推动分级诊疗提供了新的经验证据。文章对于推动分级诊疗、优化医疗资源配置具有重要的现实意义。     

政府购买社会医疗保险服务的可持续发展研究

政府购买医疗保险服务是商业保险公司参与社会医保经办管理服务的典型模式。在商业保险机构承办社会医疗保险服务的实践中存在很多问题，商业保险与社保合作要想取得双赢并能可持续发展，需要政府明确自己的责任，并制定一系列相关的制度，加强对商业保险公司的监管。     

合同诈骗罪“非法占有目的”之结构性认定

从理论及实务经验来看，盗窃、诈骗等侵财类犯罪的“非法占有目的”一般由“排除意思”与“利用意思”两个方面构成。排除意思侧重排除权利人的法益保护，利用意思侧重财物的经济利用。合同诈骗作为诈骗的特殊形态，其非法占有目的也可以从此两结构进行认定。具体来说，从签订合同时、合同履行中判断其是否具有排除意思及利用意思，也可以从合同履行中履行完毕前对通过合同取得财物的利用方式判断其是否具有非法占有目的。     

论我国工伤保险赔偿救济模式的立法选择

工伤保险是现代社会应对工业伤害和职业病的积极措施,也体现了现代法律保护社会弱者的价值取向和法律公平正义之基本理念。世界各国对工伤事故的保险赔偿与民事侵权赔偿的关系形成了四种规范模式,我国现行法确立了以取代救济模式为主,有条件地辅以双重救济的模式。通过对四种救济模式比较,惟补充救济模式既分散了企业风险,又避免了受害人获得双重利益,真正符合工伤保险制度建立的目的,能充分发挥工伤保险的作用,所以,我国应确立工伤保险赔偿的补充救济模式。