Search

This paper explores the regional per capita income distribution in China between 1992 and 2007. The spatial dependence present in the raw data is removed using a filtering technique. A non-parametric approach is applied to the filtered data to show that regional inequalities have been roughly stable, the distribution shape has changed very little and mobility within the distribution has been relatively low. Finally, the paper investigates the impact of various economic and social factors on the evolution of regional income distribution. Primary sector employment, physical capital, trade openness and foreign direct investment are all found to be key determinants of regional income distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effects of China on the BRIS countries, namely Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa. We identify Chinese supply and demand shocks and assess their transmission to BRIS in a structural dynamic factor model framework estimated over the period 1995Q2-2009Q4. The findings show that Chinese supply shocks are more important than its demand shocks. Supply shocks produce positive and significant output responses in all BRIS countries. And while these supply shocks have a permanent impact on the BRIS countries, the effects of demand shocks are short-lived. Both supply and demand shocks are transmitted through trade rather than financial linkages. However, the responses of the BRIS countries are heterogeneous and therefore require country-specific policy responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using conventional and novel techniques, the present paper analyzes the main characteristics of Chinese provincial disparities during the reform period, specifically between 1978 and 2007. After dismissing the presence of spatial dependence, three main results are obtained: first, provincial inequalities have basically followed a “V” trend; second, grouping China into three large regions shows that inequality mainly lies within each region, particularly in coastal areas; and third, the analysis of intra-distribution dynamics reveals that, although there was some significant mobility in provincial relative income, particularly until 1990, the whole period persistence in the ranking of income levels is a major feature. This might provoke some changes in the policy approach to dealing with spatial disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper calculates 35 industrial sectors' similarity matrices for the period of 1997-2008 using China's input-output tables for 1997, 2002 and 2007, and uses these to measure inter-industry technology spillover to analyze the spillover effects on industrial sectors' labor productivity. The empirical analysis shows that inter-industry technology spillover has a significant positive effect on the labor productivity of each industry. The elasticity of productivity effects of inter-industry technology spillover is not only larger than that of direct R&D input, but also increases over time. We group the industries into four major categories and find that the inter-industry technology spillover effect within the categories is, on average, greater than that between the four categories, indicating that technology spillover occurs more easily between similar industries. This research shows that the interindustry technology spillover effect in China has begun to increase, and the government should take advantage of this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents important changes in the Chinese macroeconomic environment over the last three decades. The volatility of Chinese aggregate economic activities has fallen dramatically by nearly 60 per cent during its reform period, a phenomenon that coincides with the ' Great Moderation' that occurred in most industrialized economies. We employ a provincial panel-data method to investigate the driving forces of the increasing macroeconomic stability in China. We examine the empirical relationship between output volatility and various economic, policy, institutional, and demographic factors. Our results suggest that the acceleration of reform toward the market economy, which began around 1994, generally leads to a widespread output volatility reduction across Chinese provinces. Both state-owned enterprise reform and human capital accumulation are important determinants of output volatility since the mid-1990s; they play an important role in explaining the provincial differences on volatility reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using firm-level data for China's state-owned coal mines, this paper examines the impact of privatization, corporatization and debt restructuring of state-owned enterprises on technical efficiency. A stochastic frontier production method is applied to a panel dataset from 2000 to 2007. The simultaneous study of these three measures makes it possible to study individual effects more precisely than otherwise. The study shows that the three reform initiatives are all able to improve technical efficiency in state-owned coal mines. The finding of a significant efficiency improvement from relinquishing state ownership provides an alternative to privatization. The study of debt restructuring and technical efficiency has not been documented in the published literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]