The green credit policy(GCP)is an essential financial policy tool for solving the problem of environmental pollution,and urban energy conservation is an effective way to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.However,e...The green credit policy(GCP)is an essential financial policy tool for solving the problem of environmental pollution,and urban energy conservation is an effective way to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.However,existing research has not verified the energy-saving effects of green credit(GC)at the city level.Based on panel data from 283 cities in China,this study aims to investigate whether GC can effectively reduce urban energy intensity(EI),which is an important complement to existing research.In terms of research methods,to better evaluate the effect of the policy and exclude the influence of other relevant factors,this study considers the promulgation of the Green Credit Guideline(GCG)in 2012 as the basic event,uses the difference-in-differences(DID)model to investigate the impact of GC on EI,and discusses the main impact mechanism.The key results are follows.(1)GC can effectively reduce urban EI.(2)Public environmental demand positively regulates the negative correlation between GC and EI.(3)GC reduces EI through three main channels:government support,capital investment,and technological innovation;however,the mechanism of industrial structure has no significant effect.(4)The effect of GC is more significant in areas with large urban scales,low environmental regulation intensity,and high industrial agglomeration.Based on the above results,this study presents puts forward targeted policy recommendations to strengthen the role of GC in urban sustainable development.展开更多
Exploring the specific environmental impacts and mechanisms of China’s sustainable development pilot policy can enrich and expand China’s institutional and practical experiences,offering valuable insights and refere...Exploring the specific environmental impacts and mechanisms of China’s sustainable development pilot policy can enrich and expand China’s institutional and practical experiences,offering valuable insights and references for advancing global environmental sustainability.This study selects the National Innovation Demonstration Zone for Sustainable Development Agenda(NIDZSDA)as the sample and empirically evaluates the effects of the policy on urban environmental quality,using panel data from 74 prefecture-level cities in China between 2006 and 2020.The findings indicate that the sustainable development policy significantly improves urban environmental quality.Two key mechanisms identified are the aggregation of high-quality talent and the enhancement of technological innovation capabilities.Furthermore,the policy exhibits heterogeneous effects across different types of cities,with more pronounced improvements observed in mega and super cities,as well as in resource-based cities.展开更多
As two main tools of macroeconomic policies,coordination and conflict between fiscal and monetary policies have been paid considerable attention by researchers.Under a structural vector autoregressive model that incor...As two main tools of macroeconomic policies,coordination and conflict between fiscal and monetary policies have been paid considerable attention by researchers.Under a structural vector autoregressive model that incorporates fiscal and monetary policies,this paper analyzes the monetary policy response to fiscal shocks.Our study finds that during the occurrence of a fiscal shock,the growth rate of broad money supply M2 substantially increased,indicating the adoption of an expansionary monetary policy by the monetary authority to fiscal policy expansion.Based on this empirical finding,this paper improves the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model to investigate the fiscal policy effects under China’s monetary policy coordination.Our analysis shows that monetary policy coordination will significantly boost the economic stimulus effect of fiscal policy,generating a fiscal crowding-in effect.From the perspective of China’s institutional strength,this conclusion offers a theoretical explanation on the empirical fact of the fiscal crowdingin effect uncovered in the research literature,and offers a policy reference for making the proactive fiscal policy more efficient and effective.This paper suggests that China’s policymakers give full play to the country’s institutional strength by coordinating fiscal and monetary policies for high-quality economic development.展开更多
This study tries to develop and use a small macroeconometric model to capture the main short-term macro dynamics and to forecast major macroeconomic variables of the Malawian economy. The results show that a reduction...This study tries to develop and use a small macroeconometric model to capture the main short-term macro dynamics and to forecast major macroeconomic variables of the Malawian economy. The results show that a reduction in the policy rate leads to a fall in the lending rate, but with an increase in money supply, and with an insignificant impact on output growth. The results suggest that monetary authorities in Malawi have to make a choice between the objectives of maintaining lower money supply and lowering the lending rate. The results also suggest that, despite the Reserve Bank of Malawi Act of 1989 stipulating that monetary authorities should pursue both price and high growth and employment objectives, our results reveal that price stability is the principal objective of monetary policy in the country. Suggesting that monetary authorities in the country should not only place more emphasis on the objective of stabilization and achieving low inflation, but also focus on supporting strong, sustained and shared growth. To some extent further suggesting that emphasis should be placed on policies and strategies aimed at structurally transforming the Malawian economy so that the monetary policies’ impact should translate into an increase in the country’s output and growth. Further suggesting enhanced effective coordination between fiscal and monetary policies.展开更多
Decentralized methods for targeting poverty are widely adopted in developing countries to improve the performance of various poverty alleviation programs.A common challenge for implementing successful decentralized ta...Decentralized methods for targeting poverty are widely adopted in developing countries to improve the performance of various poverty alleviation programs.A common challenge for implementing successful decentralized targeting is the existence of elite capture.China has recently implemented a nationwide decentralized poverty targeting program,the targeted poverty alleviation(TPA)policy,to achieve the national goal of eliminating absolute poverty by the end of 2020.As the largest decentralized poverty targeting program in the world,TPA's successful implementation was believed to be threatened by elite capture in some earlier reports.Since 2015,a targeting correction mechanism,called"follow-up checks"policy,has been introduced.With the"follow-up checks"policy,the elites and other ineligible households who receive benefits under TPA were removed from the program.This paper investigates the elite capture phenomenon in TPA using village census data from a poverty-stricken county in 2017-two years after implementing the"follow-up checks"policy.We find no evidence of elite capture in TPA.The elites are unlikely to become beneficiaries or receive more benefits than non-elites.Our results contradict earlier findings that reported elite capture in TPA.We argue that the reason is the accountability emphasized by the central government in the"follow-up checks"policy.Our findings imply that having proper accountability is critical for improving targeting performance by global antipoverty initiatives.展开更多
OBJECTIVE： In spite of the World Health Organization＇s recommendations over the past decades, Ghana features pluralistic rather than truly integrated medical system. Policies about the integration of complementary m...OBJECTIVE： In spite of the World Health Organization＇s recommendations over the past decades, Ghana features pluralistic rather than truly integrated medical system. Policies about the integration of complementary medicine into the national health care delivery system need to account for individuallevel involvement and cultural acceptability of care rendered by health care providers. Studies in Ghana, however, have glossed over the standpoint of the persons of the illness episode about the intercultural health care policy framework. This paper explores the health care users, and providers＇ experiences and attitudes towards the implementation of intercultural health care policy in Ghana. METHODS： In-depth interviews, augmented with informal conversations, were conducted with 16 health service users, 7 traditional healers and 6 health professionals in the Sekyere South District and Kumasi Metropolis in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Data were thematically analysed and presented based on the a posteriori inductive reduction approach. RESULTS： Findings reveal a widespread positive attitude to, and support for integrative medical care in Ghana. However, inter-provider communication in a form of cross-referrals and collaborative mechanisms between healers and health professionals seldom occurs and remains unofficially sanctioned. Traditional healers and health care professionals are skeptical about intercultural health care policy mainly due to inadequate political commitment for provider education. The medical practitioners have limited opportunity to undergo training for integrative medical practice. We also find a serious mistrust between the practitioners due to the ＂diversity of healing approaches and techniques.＂ Weak institutional support, lack of training to meet standards of practice, poor registration and regulatory measures as well as negative perception of the integrative medical policy inhibit its implementation in Ghana. CONCLUSION： In order to advance any useful intercultural health care policy in Ghana, the government＇s total commitment in informed training and provider education, enforcement of regulatoryinstrument and improved community engagement is needed. Evidence-based incorporation of traditional medical therapies into clinical practice will provide safer, faster and more effective health care for the underserved and resource-poor, particularly in the rural areas.展开更多
Few other policy zones are as complex as the issue of climate change.If the more pessimistic projections of climate change doom are correct,then the failure to address the issue is likely to be catastrophic and irreve...Few other policy zones are as complex as the issue of climate change.If the more pessimistic projections of climate change doom are correct,then the failure to address the issue is likely to be catastrophic and irreversible.The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted the potential extinction of many species and that the existence of small-island and other vulnerable countries will be threatened if business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions continue.Climate change is a transboundary problem and requires unprecedented levels of cooperation between states and serious and sustained responses from major emitters.However,the growing demand and consumption of natural resources for continued energy security and cornucopian economic growth have undermined the outcomes of international climate change negotiations.It is argued here that there is a strong connection between the major emitters'positions at United Nations'climate talks,their possessions,dependence and consumption of natural resources,and the continued undermining of international climate change policy for unsustainable growth.This paper assesses the resource politics of the US,China,India,Canada,Russia,and Saudi Arabia and their positions at climate talks to show the link between lack of climate change policy progress and the positions of these main players.展开更多
The special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao enjoy a high degree of autonomy from the national policy system in devising their local policies,including measures related to climate change.Hong Kong and Mac...The special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao enjoy a high degree of autonomy from the national policy system in devising their local policies,including measures related to climate change.Hong Kong and Macao each have their own climate change policies,some aspects of which are more advanced than policies in China's Mainland.While their high degree of policy autonomy has advantages,this has also isolated them from China's larger environmental management and practices that continue to advance at scale.This paper reviews the climate change policies of the two special administrative regions and analyzes their strengths and innovations,particularly in adaptation.It also identifies areas where there could be closer engagement,collaboration,and capacity-building with the China's Mainland,which has the potential for greater positive impacts,especially on a regional basis.展开更多
This paper assesses the evolution of generation technology-mix in Australia,with specific emphasis on understanding how such evolution has been shaped by wider political and socioeconomic influences.This assessment is...This paper assesses the evolution of generation technology-mix in Australia,with specific emphasis on understanding how such evolution has been shaped by wider political and socioeconomic influences.This assessment is predicated on the argument that the contemporary,quintessentially techno-economic,policy discourse on renewable energy is deficient,as it ignores climacteric political and socio-economic influences on generation technology-mix.The methodological framework employed in this paper is informed by the core tenets of technological change theory.The assessment suggests that generation technology-mix in Australia has historically been overwhelmingly influenced by the underlying technological paradigm of the electricity industry;and that this technological paradigm essentially draws its imprimatur from the wider political and socio-economic contexts.By implication,it suggests that a rapid uptake of renewables will have widespread ramifications,extending into political,socio-economic and cultural realms of a society.Clearly,existing policy discourse-that tends to focus on technical potentials,cost competitiveness,externalities and risks of various renewable technologies-is deficient.A much broader discourse is needed.This paper also made an attempt to develop a basis for such a discourse by reviewing broader aspects of the Australian society that would be affected by a rapid uptake of renewables.展开更多
With the rapid development of social economy,the strategic position of civil aviation in the national economy is highlighted,and its development potential is enormous.Extreme weather events under the background of cli...With the rapid development of social economy,the strategic position of civil aviation in the national economy is highlighted,and its development potential is enormous.Extreme weather events under the background of climate change have brought great challenges to aviation safety.Starting with the rapid development of civil aviation in China,based on the trend of increasing the risk of aviation security and the risk of economic loss under the warming background,the effect of climate change on aviation safety development was analyzed from seven aspects: extreme weather and climate events affecting aviation safety,the number of takeoff limit days,fog and haze (low visibility) affecting aviation safety,flight time increasing,takeoff condition of high plateau airport changing,aircraft corrosion and clear-air turbulence,and the possible impact of the development of aviation industry on climate change was analyzed.Finally,based on the mutual influence of climate change and aviation industry,five policy suggestions were proposed,including the scientific planning of the new airport layout,the construction of the aviation meteorological data sharing platform,the comprehensive assessment of the impact of climate change on the aviation,the development of the aeronautical weather index insurance and new risk response training for aviation staff under the background of climate change.This study has a reference value for a comprehensive understanding of the interaction between climate change and the development of aviation safety in China.展开更多
After the bombing of our embassy in Belgrade, Chinese students of internationalrelations tensely discussed about China’s international environment. The manyopinions fell into two basic groups. One expressed the belie...After the bombing of our embassy in Belgrade, Chinese students of internationalrelations tensely discussed about China’s international environment. The manyopinions fell into two basic groups. One expressed the belief that the war in Kosovobrought about a fundamental change of the international environment; the othergroup thought that the Kosovo War merely reflected the post-Cold War interna-tional reality rather than changing the international environment. In order to cor-展开更多
US Congress passed the CARE Act in 1990 in response to a dramatically growing need for resources to combat the AIDS epidemic. One of the programs contained in the Act was the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a fed...US Congress passed the CARE Act in 1990 in response to a dramatically growing need for resources to combat the AIDS epidemic. One of the programs contained in the Act was the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a federally-funded but state-maintained and managed program primarily concerned with providing medication for low-income HIV/AIDS patients. While ADAP programs across the country reached one-third of all patients in 2007, these programs are now in budgetary danger due to the economic recession, state budgetary constraints, the rising cost of healthcare generally, and longer life expectancies associated with current highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This paper first evaluates the current state of ADAP, its strengths and weaknesses, and examines its sustainability in the short term if short-term measures are taken. Concluding that such measures would not lead to long-term sustainability, this paper then argues for a long-term solution to ADAP’s current problems, namely a national, centralized ADAP standard for budgetary and administrative matters. Such a program would increase the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of current ADAP programs by employing more efficient, standard policies and allowing larger, wholesale purchases of costly HAART medications. Moreover, a national policy would address the disparity that currently exists in ADAP programs today with regard to both minorities and those on the waiting lists for treatment. The institution of a national ADAP program would certainly face many political hurdles. Consequently, this paper also looks to a recent political dispute, the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), for guidance. Using the passage of the ACA as an example could light the path for passage of a national ADAP standard. Ultimately, this would lead to a more effective and sustainable program for HIV/AIDS patients in the United States.展开更多
The cost to U.S.consumers of specialty drugs is too high,and cost-sharing obligations are reducing patient access to affordable and life-changing medications.While accounting only for approximately two percent of pres...The cost to U.S.consumers of specialty drugs is too high,and cost-sharing obligations are reducing patient access to affordable and life-changing medications.While accounting only for approximately two percent of prescriptions filled,specialty drugs accounted for nearly 45 percent of the U.S.drug spend in 2018,and this rate continues to rise.This review analyzes the current state of the U.S.specialty drug market and recommends six policy options for decreasing out-of-pocket costs to consumers.A systematic review was conducted,gathering articles from peer-reviewed and government resources published from January 2014 to May 2019 using databases such as PubMed,OVID,and the Congressional Research Service(CRS).Articles were reviewed for unique and relevant information relating to cost specialty drugs,industry trends,underlying legislation and policy challenges,and viable policy options.The findings show that,while the cost of specialty drug prices is growing,the rate of growth is projected to slow to a compound annual growth rate(CAGR)of 4 to 7 percent between 2019 to 2023,as compared to a CAGR of 7.2 percent from 2014 to 2018,largely due to the Food and Drug Administration's approval of 10 new biosimilars in 2018 and early 2019.However,specialty drug spending as a percentage of total spending continues to rise and can cost payers and patients more than USD 3,500 on average per month.We recommend six policy options for reducing consumers'out-of-pocket cost obligations:(1)discourage"pay-for-delay"agreements and patent evergreening;(2)align incentives across the specialty drug supply chain with value-based pricing;(3)tighten orphan drug eligibility or impose a sales tax on drugs if the sales tax exceeds a specified threshold until federal subsidies are recouped;(4)increase transparency in transactions between specialty drug supply chain stakeholders;(5)tax the direct-to-consumer advertising of specialty drugs and use the proceeds to fund public research;and(6)support copay cards and patient assistance programs.While the consensus across the industry is that the out-of-pocket costs of specialty drugs to patients are too high,industry stakeholders must agree about which set of policy options to implement.Lawmakers must explore options for reducing the out-of-pocket costs of specialty medications and gather public input on how to best align stakeholder incentives across the specialty drug supply chain.展开更多
After 40 years of painstaking work, much improvement has been made in regional difference. The road of that development, however, is by no means a smooth one, full of setbacks and failure. The past forty years may be ...After 40 years of painstaking work, much improvement has been made in regional difference. The road of that development, however, is by no means a smooth one, full of setbacks and failure. The past forty years may be roughly divided into four stages: 1.a stage of rehabilitation and large scale transition towards the interior( 1949-1959), 2. the dispersion stage with an emphasis on the construction of the interior (1960-1977), 3. a stage of moving back to the coastland and relative concentration of constructions of large scale industries (1978-1980), and 4. a stage of taking the coastland as the focal point for regional development (since 1981). Since the late 1970s, China began to carry out what is known as the Open-door policy. Great changes have taken place in regional development policy.展开更多
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects over 30 million people in the United States.Of these,approximately 7.4 million use one or more formulations of insulin to manage their condition.There is a significant financ...Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects over 30 million people in the United States.Of these,approximately 7.4 million use one or more formulations of insulin to manage their condition.There is a significant financial burden on diabetic individuals,as the price of insulin keeps increasing each year.Such consistent and drastic increases in the price of insulin are due to the complexities in the insulin supply chain,pricing mechanisms particularly due to pharmacy benefit managers(PBMs),and the dominance of a few insulin manufacturers in the market.This policy analysis has been undertaken independently and is based on information from peer-reviewed journals,government organizations and agencies,and credible news sources.Politicians and various stakeholders in the supply chain have made several policy recommendations on the pricing of insulin.From the data and information collected,we suggest basing a patient's co-payment on the net price instead of the list price of insulin,and that there should be real-time transparency in the negotiations between PBMs and pharmaceutical companies on rebates.展开更多
How to ensure energy supply and reduce environment pollution have turned into governments’ top priorities and key factors to maintain sustainable development. In this context, two major trade and investment agreement...How to ensure energy supply and reduce environment pollution have turned into governments’ top priorities and key factors to maintain sustainable development. In this context, two major trade and investment agreements that could lead to profound influence on low-carbon energy systems development around the Asia-Pacific region are the Regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP) consisted of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and Republic of Korea and the Belt and road initiative (BRI) initiated by China. In order to have a smooth transition to low-carbon energy systems in Asia, besides RCEP and BRI, it is imperative to boost private sector investment. Success of encouraging private sector investment depends on appropriate government policies towards promoting innovations and reducing financial risks to private investors. The research questions that are examined in this study are: What type of policy measures affects trade in low-carbon transition, particularly renewable energy (RE) transition? How can investment signals and incentives be reframed to scale up private finance in RE? The objective is to investigate and to provide several feasible trade policy and investment policy tools for both national and regional markets that governments could adopt to accelerate the speed of private financing of the low-carbon energy industry, particularly the RE industry.展开更多
Dividing aggregate liabilities by GDP is not an appropriate method for calculating the leverage ratio, and may mislead deleveraging operations. In terms of an intrinsic mechanism, an appropriate measure of leverage ra...Dividing aggregate liabilities by GDP is not an appropriate method for calculating the leverage ratio, and may mislead deleveraging operations. In terms of an intrinsic mechanism, an appropriate measure of leverage ratio should be the liability/asset ratio. In their business operations, it is inevitable for real-economy enterprises to incur liabilities arising from business and financial transactions. Therefore, the significance of deleveraging operations is to reduce the leverage ratio below a certain threshold to effectively prevent risks arising from an excessive leverage ratio, rather than to reduce the liability ratio of real-economy enterprises to zero. For real-economy enterprises, a key question is how to adjust their debt structure by reducing current liabilities and increasing mid-and long-term liabilities. The debt structure of real-economy enterprises is primarily determined by their financial structure. Hence, it is essential to adjust the financial structure in order to improve the debt structure of real-economy enterprises and increase the share of direct finance. Various risks exist in the combination of shares and bonds within the banking system, investment-lending linkage and market-based debt-to-equity operations, which are options in reducing the leverage ratio for real-economy enterprises. From the standpoint of giving play to capital market functions, it is advisable to increase the issuance of midand long-term corporate bonds and preferred stock, restrict non-financial listed companies from engaging in financial operations and the shareholders of listed companies from selling shares, encourage equity investment institutions to enhance equity investment in realeconomy enterprises, and further develop the financing function of the stock market.展开更多
This study intends to identify the value and pitfalls of international and comparative approach for the policy and practice of teacher education.The structure of this article proceeds as follows:the first section focu...This study intends to identify the value and pitfalls of international and comparative approach for the policy and practice of teacher education.The structure of this article proceeds as follows:the first section focuses on explaining the meaning and the values of international and comparative approach;based on previous discussions,the second section makes a more in-depth analysis of the values of international and comparative approach to teacher education from five key themes;the final section of this article proposes and interprets the drawbacks of international and comparative approach in teacher education.展开更多
This paper focuses on the sustainable use of solid and gaseous biomass for electricity, heating and cooling. It provides updated findings of policy analyses and corporate strategy analyses performed in the frame of BI...This paper focuses on the sustainable use of solid and gaseous biomass for electricity, heating and cooling. It provides updated findings of policy analyses and corporate strategy analyses performed in the frame of BIOENERGY PROMOTION, one of the flagship projects under the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. In particular, the paper highlights policies and measures which have been adopted by the EU and EU Member States to address environmental and social sustainability risks of bioenergy. Taking into account the conclusions of BIOENERGY PROMOTION, the paper identifies promising policy developments, but also shortcomings. On the Member State level, the paper refers to the examples of Germany and Poland. It illustrates how problematic policy priorities and policy malfunctioning in two sub-sectors (biogas from energy crops in Germany, biomass co-firing in Poland) led to undesirable environmental and social developments and how policies have been re-adjusted to mitigate sustainability risks. The paper also portrays a number of voluntary corporate sustainability initiatives which emerged due to the lack of a binding European sustainability framework for solid and gaseous biomass. The authors conclude that without a binding sustainability framework at EU level there is a risk of having a patchwork of potentially diverging sustainability regimes and initiatives across Europe causing market intransparency and insecurity for investors.展开更多
基金Natural Science Foundation of China(Key Program,No 72133003)Key Projects of Philosophy and Social Sciences Research,Ministry of Education,(Grant No.:22JZD008).
文摘The green credit policy(GCP)is an essential financial policy tool for solving the problem of environmental pollution,and urban energy conservation is an effective way to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.However,existing research has not verified the energy-saving effects of green credit(GC)at the city level.Based on panel data from 283 cities in China,this study aims to investigate whether GC can effectively reduce urban energy intensity(EI),which is an important complement to existing research.In terms of research methods,to better evaluate the effect of the policy and exclude the influence of other relevant factors,this study considers the promulgation of the Green Credit Guideline(GCG)in 2012 as the basic event,uses the difference-in-differences(DID)model to investigate the impact of GC on EI,and discusses the main impact mechanism.The key results are follows.(1)GC can effectively reduce urban EI.(2)Public environmental demand positively regulates the negative correlation between GC and EI.(3)GC reduces EI through three main channels:government support,capital investment,and technological innovation;however,the mechanism of industrial structure has no significant effect.(4)The effect of GC is more significant in areas with large urban scales,low environmental regulation intensity,and high industrial agglomeration.Based on the above results,this study presents puts forward targeted policy recommendations to strengthen the role of GC in urban sustainable development.
基金fund support was received from National Social Science Fund of China[Grant No.23BJL010].
文摘Exploring the specific environmental impacts and mechanisms of China’s sustainable development pilot policy can enrich and expand China’s institutional and practical experiences,offering valuable insights and references for advancing global environmental sustainability.This study selects the National Innovation Demonstration Zone for Sustainable Development Agenda(NIDZSDA)as the sample and empirically evaluates the effects of the policy on urban environmental quality,using panel data from 74 prefecture-level cities in China between 2006 and 2020.The findings indicate that the sustainable development policy significantly improves urban environmental quality.Two key mechanisms identified are the aggregation of high-quality talent and the enhancement of technological innovation capabilities.Furthermore,the policy exhibits heterogeneous effects across different types of cities,with more pronounced improvements observed in mega and super cities,as well as in resource-based cities.
基金a result of the Major Project of the National Social Science Fund of China (NSSFC)“Study on Monetary Policy and Fiscal Policy Coordination under the Dual Economic Circulations”(Grant No.20&ZD104)
文摘As two main tools of macroeconomic policies,coordination and conflict between fiscal and monetary policies have been paid considerable attention by researchers.Under a structural vector autoregressive model that incorporates fiscal and monetary policies,this paper analyzes the monetary policy response to fiscal shocks.Our study finds that during the occurrence of a fiscal shock,the growth rate of broad money supply M2 substantially increased,indicating the adoption of an expansionary monetary policy by the monetary authority to fiscal policy expansion.Based on this empirical finding,this paper improves the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model to investigate the fiscal policy effects under China’s monetary policy coordination.Our analysis shows that monetary policy coordination will significantly boost the economic stimulus effect of fiscal policy,generating a fiscal crowding-in effect.From the perspective of China’s institutional strength,this conclusion offers a theoretical explanation on the empirical fact of the fiscal crowdingin effect uncovered in the research literature,and offers a policy reference for making the proactive fiscal policy more efficient and effective.This paper suggests that China’s policymakers give full play to the country’s institutional strength by coordinating fiscal and monetary policies for high-quality economic development.
文摘This study tries to develop and use a small macroeconometric model to capture the main short-term macro dynamics and to forecast major macroeconomic variables of the Malawian economy. The results show that a reduction in the policy rate leads to a fall in the lending rate, but with an increase in money supply, and with an insignificant impact on output growth. The results suggest that monetary authorities in Malawi have to make a choice between the objectives of maintaining lower money supply and lowering the lending rate. The results also suggest that, despite the Reserve Bank of Malawi Act of 1989 stipulating that monetary authorities should pursue both price and high growth and employment objectives, our results reveal that price stability is the principal objective of monetary policy in the country. Suggesting that monetary authorities in the country should not only place more emphasis on the objective of stabilization and achieving low inflation, but also focus on supporting strong, sustained and shared growth. To some extent further suggesting that emphasis should be placed on policies and strategies aimed at structurally transforming the Malawian economy so that the monetary policies’ impact should translate into an increase in the country’s output and growth. Further suggesting enhanced effective coordination between fiscal and monetary policies.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(71661147001 and 71603228)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2018M630687 and 2018T110607)the Zhejiang University-IFPRI Center for International Development Studies。
文摘Decentralized methods for targeting poverty are widely adopted in developing countries to improve the performance of various poverty alleviation programs.A common challenge for implementing successful decentralized targeting is the existence of elite capture.China has recently implemented a nationwide decentralized poverty targeting program,the targeted poverty alleviation(TPA)policy,to achieve the national goal of eliminating absolute poverty by the end of 2020.As the largest decentralized poverty targeting program in the world,TPA's successful implementation was believed to be threatened by elite capture in some earlier reports.Since 2015,a targeting correction mechanism,called"follow-up checks"policy,has been introduced.With the"follow-up checks"policy,the elites and other ineligible households who receive benefits under TPA were removed from the program.This paper investigates the elite capture phenomenon in TPA using village census data from a poverty-stricken county in 2017-two years after implementing the"follow-up checks"policy.We find no evidence of elite capture in TPA.The elites are unlikely to become beneficiaries or receive more benefits than non-elites.Our results contradict earlier findings that reported elite capture in TPA.We argue that the reason is the accountability emphasized by the central government in the"follow-up checks"policy.Our findings imply that having proper accountability is critical for improving targeting performance by global antipoverty initiatives.
基金the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (Grant number.SGRT.46/T12)the Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA-Nigeria)the French Embassy in Ghana for providing financial support for the study (these scholarships were offered to the first author)
文摘OBJECTIVE： In spite of the World Health Organization＇s recommendations over the past decades, Ghana features pluralistic rather than truly integrated medical system. Policies about the integration of complementary medicine into the national health care delivery system need to account for individuallevel involvement and cultural acceptability of care rendered by health care providers. Studies in Ghana, however, have glossed over the standpoint of the persons of the illness episode about the intercultural health care policy framework. This paper explores the health care users, and providers＇ experiences and attitudes towards the implementation of intercultural health care policy in Ghana. METHODS： In-depth interviews, augmented with informal conversations, were conducted with 16 health service users, 7 traditional healers and 6 health professionals in the Sekyere South District and Kumasi Metropolis in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Data were thematically analysed and presented based on the a posteriori inductive reduction approach. RESULTS： Findings reveal a widespread positive attitude to, and support for integrative medical care in Ghana. However, inter-provider communication in a form of cross-referrals and collaborative mechanisms between healers and health professionals seldom occurs and remains unofficially sanctioned. Traditional healers and health care professionals are skeptical about intercultural health care policy mainly due to inadequate political commitment for provider education. The medical practitioners have limited opportunity to undergo training for integrative medical practice. We also find a serious mistrust between the practitioners due to the ＂diversity of healing approaches and techniques.＂ Weak institutional support, lack of training to meet standards of practice, poor registration and regulatory measures as well as negative perception of the integrative medical policy inhibit its implementation in Ghana. CONCLUSION： In order to advance any useful intercultural health care policy in Ghana, the government＇s total commitment in informed training and provider education, enforcement of regulatoryinstrument and improved community engagement is needed. Evidence-based incorporation of traditional medical therapies into clinical practice will provide safer, faster and more effective health care for the underserved and resource-poor, particularly in the rural areas.
文摘Few other policy zones are as complex as the issue of climate change.If the more pessimistic projections of climate change doom are correct,then the failure to address the issue is likely to be catastrophic and irreversible.The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted the potential extinction of many species and that the existence of small-island and other vulnerable countries will be threatened if business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions continue.Climate change is a transboundary problem and requires unprecedented levels of cooperation between states and serious and sustained responses from major emitters.However,the growing demand and consumption of natural resources for continued energy security and cornucopian economic growth have undermined the outcomes of international climate change negotiations.It is argued here that there is a strong connection between the major emitters'positions at United Nations'climate talks,their possessions,dependence and consumption of natural resources,and the continued undermining of international climate change policy for unsustainable growth.This paper assesses the resource politics of the US,China,India,Canada,Russia,and Saudi Arabia and their positions at climate talks to show the link between lack of climate change policy progress and the positions of these main players.
文摘The special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao enjoy a high degree of autonomy from the national policy system in devising their local policies,including measures related to climate change.Hong Kong and Macao each have their own climate change policies,some aspects of which are more advanced than policies in China's Mainland.While their high degree of policy autonomy has advantages,this has also isolated them from China's larger environmental management and practices that continue to advance at scale.This paper reviews the climate change policies of the two special administrative regions and analyzes their strengths and innovations,particularly in adaptation.It also identifies areas where there could be closer engagement,collaboration,and capacity-building with the China's Mainland,which has the potential for greater positive impacts,especially on a regional basis.
文摘This paper assesses the evolution of generation technology-mix in Australia,with specific emphasis on understanding how such evolution has been shaped by wider political and socioeconomic influences.This assessment is predicated on the argument that the contemporary,quintessentially techno-economic,policy discourse on renewable energy is deficient,as it ignores climacteric political and socio-economic influences on generation technology-mix.The methodological framework employed in this paper is informed by the core tenets of technological change theory.The assessment suggests that generation technology-mix in Australia has historically been overwhelmingly influenced by the underlying technological paradigm of the electricity industry;and that this technological paradigm essentially draws its imprimatur from the wider political and socio-economic contexts.By implication,it suggests that a rapid uptake of renewables will have widespread ramifications,extending into political,socio-economic and cultural realms of a society.Clearly,existing policy discourse-that tends to focus on technical potentials,cost competitiveness,externalities and risks of various renewable technologies-is deficient.A much broader discourse is needed.This paper also made an attempt to develop a basis for such a discourse by reviewing broader aspects of the Australian society that would be affected by a rapid uptake of renewables.
基金Supported by the China Post-doctoral Science Foundation(2019T120114,2019M650756)National Natural Science Fund(71790611,41801064)the Central Asian Atmospheric Science Research Fund(CAAS201804)
文摘With the rapid development of social economy,the strategic position of civil aviation in the national economy is highlighted,and its development potential is enormous.Extreme weather events under the background of climate change have brought great challenges to aviation safety.Starting with the rapid development of civil aviation in China,based on the trend of increasing the risk of aviation security and the risk of economic loss under the warming background,the effect of climate change on aviation safety development was analyzed from seven aspects: extreme weather and climate events affecting aviation safety,the number of takeoff limit days,fog and haze (low visibility) affecting aviation safety,flight time increasing,takeoff condition of high plateau airport changing,aircraft corrosion and clear-air turbulence,and the possible impact of the development of aviation industry on climate change was analyzed.Finally,based on the mutual influence of climate change and aviation industry,five policy suggestions were proposed,including the scientific planning of the new airport layout,the construction of the aviation meteorological data sharing platform,the comprehensive assessment of the impact of climate change on the aviation,the development of the aeronautical weather index insurance and new risk response training for aviation staff under the background of climate change.This study has a reference value for a comprehensive understanding of the interaction between climate change and the development of aviation safety in China.
文摘After the bombing of our embassy in Belgrade, Chinese students of internationalrelations tensely discussed about China’s international environment. The manyopinions fell into two basic groups. One expressed the belief that the war in Kosovobrought about a fundamental change of the international environment; the othergroup thought that the Kosovo War merely reflected the post-Cold War interna-tional reality rather than changing the international environment. In order to cor-
文摘US Congress passed the CARE Act in 1990 in response to a dramatically growing need for resources to combat the AIDS epidemic. One of the programs contained in the Act was the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a federally-funded but state-maintained and managed program primarily concerned with providing medication for low-income HIV/AIDS patients. While ADAP programs across the country reached one-third of all patients in 2007, these programs are now in budgetary danger due to the economic recession, state budgetary constraints, the rising cost of healthcare generally, and longer life expectancies associated with current highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This paper first evaluates the current state of ADAP, its strengths and weaknesses, and examines its sustainability in the short term if short-term measures are taken. Concluding that such measures would not lead to long-term sustainability, this paper then argues for a long-term solution to ADAP’s current problems, namely a national, centralized ADAP standard for budgetary and administrative matters. Such a program would increase the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of current ADAP programs by employing more efficient, standard policies and allowing larger, wholesale purchases of costly HAART medications. Moreover, a national policy would address the disparity that currently exists in ADAP programs today with regard to both minorities and those on the waiting lists for treatment. The institution of a national ADAP program would certainly face many political hurdles. Consequently, this paper also looks to a recent political dispute, the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), for guidance. Using the passage of the ACA as an example could light the path for passage of a national ADAP standard. Ultimately, this would lead to a more effective and sustainable program for HIV/AIDS patients in the United States.
文摘The cost to U.S.consumers of specialty drugs is too high,and cost-sharing obligations are reducing patient access to affordable and life-changing medications.While accounting only for approximately two percent of prescriptions filled,specialty drugs accounted for nearly 45 percent of the U.S.drug spend in 2018,and this rate continues to rise.This review analyzes the current state of the U.S.specialty drug market and recommends six policy options for decreasing out-of-pocket costs to consumers.A systematic review was conducted,gathering articles from peer-reviewed and government resources published from January 2014 to May 2019 using databases such as PubMed,OVID,and the Congressional Research Service(CRS).Articles were reviewed for unique and relevant information relating to cost specialty drugs,industry trends,underlying legislation and policy challenges,and viable policy options.The findings show that,while the cost of specialty drug prices is growing,the rate of growth is projected to slow to a compound annual growth rate(CAGR)of 4 to 7 percent between 2019 to 2023,as compared to a CAGR of 7.2 percent from 2014 to 2018,largely due to the Food and Drug Administration's approval of 10 new biosimilars in 2018 and early 2019.However,specialty drug spending as a percentage of total spending continues to rise and can cost payers and patients more than USD 3,500 on average per month.We recommend six policy options for reducing consumers'out-of-pocket cost obligations:(1)discourage"pay-for-delay"agreements and patent evergreening;(2)align incentives across the specialty drug supply chain with value-based pricing;(3)tighten orphan drug eligibility or impose a sales tax on drugs if the sales tax exceeds a specified threshold until federal subsidies are recouped;(4)increase transparency in transactions between specialty drug supply chain stakeholders;(5)tax the direct-to-consumer advertising of specialty drugs and use the proceeds to fund public research;and(6)support copay cards and patient assistance programs.While the consensus across the industry is that the out-of-pocket costs of specialty drugs to patients are too high,industry stakeholders must agree about which set of policy options to implement.Lawmakers must explore options for reducing the out-of-pocket costs of specialty medications and gather public input on how to best align stakeholder incentives across the specialty drug supply chain.
文摘After 40 years of painstaking work, much improvement has been made in regional difference. The road of that development, however, is by no means a smooth one, full of setbacks and failure. The past forty years may be roughly divided into four stages: 1.a stage of rehabilitation and large scale transition towards the interior( 1949-1959), 2. the dispersion stage with an emphasis on the construction of the interior (1960-1977), 3. a stage of moving back to the coastland and relative concentration of constructions of large scale industries (1978-1980), and 4. a stage of taking the coastland as the focal point for regional development (since 1981). Since the late 1970s, China began to carry out what is known as the Open-door policy. Great changes have taken place in regional development policy.
文摘Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects over 30 million people in the United States.Of these,approximately 7.4 million use one or more formulations of insulin to manage their condition.There is a significant financial burden on diabetic individuals,as the price of insulin keeps increasing each year.Such consistent and drastic increases in the price of insulin are due to the complexities in the insulin supply chain,pricing mechanisms particularly due to pharmacy benefit managers(PBMs),and the dominance of a few insulin manufacturers in the market.This policy analysis has been undertaken independently and is based on information from peer-reviewed journals,government organizations and agencies,and credible news sources.Politicians and various stakeholders in the supply chain have made several policy recommendations on the pricing of insulin.From the data and information collected,we suggest basing a patient's co-payment on the net price instead of the list price of insulin,and that there should be real-time transparency in the negotiations between PBMs and pharmaceutical companies on rebates.
文摘How to ensure energy supply and reduce environment pollution have turned into governments’ top priorities and key factors to maintain sustainable development. In this context, two major trade and investment agreements that could lead to profound influence on low-carbon energy systems development around the Asia-Pacific region are the Regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP) consisted of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and Republic of Korea and the Belt and road initiative (BRI) initiated by China. In order to have a smooth transition to low-carbon energy systems in Asia, besides RCEP and BRI, it is imperative to boost private sector investment. Success of encouraging private sector investment depends on appropriate government policies towards promoting innovations and reducing financial risks to private investors. The research questions that are examined in this study are: What type of policy measures affects trade in low-carbon transition, particularly renewable energy (RE) transition? How can investment signals and incentives be reframed to scale up private finance in RE? The objective is to investigate and to provide several feasible trade policy and investment policy tools for both national and regional markets that governments could adopt to accelerate the speed of private financing of the low-carbon energy industry, particularly the RE industry.
文摘Dividing aggregate liabilities by GDP is not an appropriate method for calculating the leverage ratio, and may mislead deleveraging operations. In terms of an intrinsic mechanism, an appropriate measure of leverage ratio should be the liability/asset ratio. In their business operations, it is inevitable for real-economy enterprises to incur liabilities arising from business and financial transactions. Therefore, the significance of deleveraging operations is to reduce the leverage ratio below a certain threshold to effectively prevent risks arising from an excessive leverage ratio, rather than to reduce the liability ratio of real-economy enterprises to zero. For real-economy enterprises, a key question is how to adjust their debt structure by reducing current liabilities and increasing mid-and long-term liabilities. The debt structure of real-economy enterprises is primarily determined by their financial structure. Hence, it is essential to adjust the financial structure in order to improve the debt structure of real-economy enterprises and increase the share of direct finance. Various risks exist in the combination of shares and bonds within the banking system, investment-lending linkage and market-based debt-to-equity operations, which are options in reducing the leverage ratio for real-economy enterprises. From the standpoint of giving play to capital market functions, it is advisable to increase the issuance of midand long-term corporate bonds and preferred stock, restrict non-financial listed companies from engaging in financial operations and the shareholders of listed companies from selling shares, encourage equity investment institutions to enhance equity investment in realeconomy enterprises, and further develop the financing function of the stock market.
文摘This study intends to identify the value and pitfalls of international and comparative approach for the policy and practice of teacher education.The structure of this article proceeds as follows:the first section focuses on explaining the meaning and the values of international and comparative approach;based on previous discussions,the second section makes a more in-depth analysis of the values of international and comparative approach to teacher education from five key themes;the final section of this article proposes and interprets the drawbacks of international and comparative approach in teacher education.
基金Research leading to this paper was conducted in the frame of the projects BIOENERGY PROMOTION and BIOENERGY PROMOTION 2.Both operations received funding from the European Commission under the Baltic Sea Region Programmethe German Federal Ministry of Food,Agriculture,and Consumer Protection through its funding programme Renewable Resources.
文摘This paper focuses on the sustainable use of solid and gaseous biomass for electricity, heating and cooling. It provides updated findings of policy analyses and corporate strategy analyses performed in the frame of BIOENERGY PROMOTION, one of the flagship projects under the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. In particular, the paper highlights policies and measures which have been adopted by the EU and EU Member States to address environmental and social sustainability risks of bioenergy. Taking into account the conclusions of BIOENERGY PROMOTION, the paper identifies promising policy developments, but also shortcomings. On the Member State level, the paper refers to the examples of Germany and Poland. It illustrates how problematic policy priorities and policy malfunctioning in two sub-sectors (biogas from energy crops in Germany, biomass co-firing in Poland) led to undesirable environmental and social developments and how policies have been re-adjusted to mitigate sustainability risks. The paper also portrays a number of voluntary corporate sustainability initiatives which emerged due to the lack of a binding European sustainability framework for solid and gaseous biomass. The authors conclude that without a binding sustainability framework at EU level there is a risk of having a patchwork of potentially diverging sustainability regimes and initiatives across Europe causing market intransparency and insecurity for investors.
