Paired Assistance:Policy Rationale and Economic Performance as Illustrated by Xizang and Xinjiang

This study highlights the changing priorities of China’s paired assistance throughout the past decades,as well as its theoretical implications and economic growth effects for recipient regions.Using panel data from 32 prefecture-level cities from 1990 to 2020,this study uses the multiperiod difference-in-differences approach to examine how paired assistance has contributed to economic growth in Xizang Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.The findings indicate that,first,the implementation of the paired assistance policy has boosted economic growth in Xizang and Xinjiang.Second,paired assistance has stimulated economic growth in recipient communities by improving infrastructure.Third,paired assistance has contributed to economic growth in recipient communities by providing improved public services such as education and healthcare.Improvements to public services have a relatively smaller indirect effect in short term than infrastructure development on economic growth.Yet both education and healthcare are crucial to people’s quality of life in recipient communities.This paper has refined and broadened research on the effects of paired assistance,providing preference for future policymaking.

Assessing effectiveness of existing building energy-saving reconstruction policy adapted to market development

The market development and policy matching of existing building energy-saving retrofits determine the effectiveness of policies in promoting the operation of existing building energy-saving retrofit market.Based on the perspective of market development to evaluate the effectiveness of existing building energy-saving transformation policy,it is necessary to clarify the basic connotation of the effectiveness of existing building energy-saving transformation policy,systematically analyze the evaluation content,construct a multi-level evaluation index system,and select scientific and effective quantitative evaluation methods to implement a strict evaluation process.

Fiscal Policy Effect Analysis Based on Agents Response Equilibrium (ARE) Model

Agents response equilibrium (ARE) model has been taken advantage of to build a multi-agent system for analyzing fiscal policy effect. Through establishing various types of economic entities and endowing them with abilities to react and make decision, the whole system will evolve to new conditions in response to policy change. Compared with different scenarios, it can be concluded that when raising taxation ratio, sectoral scale will shrink to some extent. But supported by government expenditure, certain sectors could be kept in comparatively larger production scale.

China's Universal Second-Child Policy: Grounds, Effects and Strategies

The 13 th Five-Year Plan(2016─2020), with the balanced development of population being the core element, is crucial for China. The superimposed effect of an aging population and low birthrate leading to a reduction in the labor supply would have a fundamental influence on the long term balanced development of China's population, implying that China's population policy must be adjusted. This paper argues that a gradual relaxation of the family-planning policy adjustments accords with the original intention of the population policy design and development direction. The universal second-child policy is the logical results of the adjustment and improvement of China's family-planning policy, and is designed to bring about positive effects on future demographic and economic development, particularly in sustaining the long term balanced development of China's population, easing the marriage squeeze, extending the demographic dividend, and delaying the population aging process. China needs to develop and improve support and governance systems for fully implementing the universal second-child policy, realizing the policy transition from rewarding one-child families to population security and the modern transition of governance systems and capacity to a universal second-child policy.

Circular economy: from an institutional perspective

Circular economy （CE） has been put fonvard as an important environmental and resource strategy in China.Aiming at the high utilization rate of resources and reduction of pollutants,CE means to realize a shift of fundamental paradigm.With the mode of production and consumption from linear to recycling model,the promotion requires transdisciplinary researches which integrate technological,ecological,social-cultural and other sciences.The present study focuses on the implementation of circular economy from an institutional perspective.Institution acts as a crucial factor by providing incentives for technical innovation,leading investment orientation and determining policy effectiveness,etc.This paper mainly discusses about： firstly,the feature of institution,institutional changes and institutional innovation is articulated,together with eco-industrial park strategy,extended producer＇s responsibility and dematerialization principle as innovative institutional arrangements; secondly,as policy plays great role on institutional changing process,the mechanism of policy implementation is needed to be related; as a result,coevolution of institutions and policies is thus presented; at last,a pilot attempt is made to find out some operational avenues in accomplishment of CE through both theoretical and practical methodology,special resolutions are put forward after some projecting difficulties and dilemmas in China are described.

Analyzing the Effectiveness of Policy Implementation at the Local Level: A Case Study of Management of the 2009–2010 Drought in Yunnan Province, China

Several research efforts have focused primarily on policy implementation and improving innovative actions to address disaster risks. Discussions are ongoing on how to measure the effectiveness of policy implementation at the local level. But there is no definitive theory of effective policy implementation, and very few frameworks have been found acceptable as the basis of an analysis of the effectiveness of policy implementation, especially on droughts. Based on the 2009–2010 extreme drought in Yunnan, China, this article presents a modified framework to assess the effectiveness of policy implementation by defining policy, practice, and performance, as well as a feedback loop by which to share the lessons learned. Water conservancy projects in Luliang County and the agricultural diversity program in Longyang County in Yunnan Province were analyzed from a farmers' perspective. It was found that farmers are highly dependent on government policies and projects, and the effectiveness of policies is measured by short-term, immediate, and tangible benefits rather than long-term adaptation strategies. The results highlight the urgent need to reduce risks by developing better awareness about climate change and drought and its impacts, increased understanding of drought hazards, and implementation of appropriate measures for long-term adaptation.

Investigating on the effects of national essential medicine policy on primary care facilities in Hebei province:a case study

National essential medicine policy （NEMP） is an important part of new health care reform and core content of national drug policy. We chose Hebei province as a case to study, utilized standard methods from WHO/HAl and built interrupted time series （ITS） model to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the effects of NEMP in Hebei province from the utilization of essential medicines. Shortly after implementing EMP, the purchasing and utilization rate of essential medicines significantly increased, but no further continuous effects. In order to perfect the essential medicine policy, training of rational drug utilization should be strengthened, hierarchical essential medicine list and dynamic monitoring on the effect of NEMP are necessary.

Simulation analysis on policy interaction effects between emission trading and renewable energy subsidy

Greenhouse gas emission regulation and renewable energy promotion policies have been implemented in many countries.Yet these two kinds of regulation policies have complex interactions between each other,and can either enhance or reduce the overall emission reduction efficiency.If not well tuned,these regulation policies may deviate from their original intention and lead to unnecessary social cost.Hence,the policy effectiveness,cost effectiveness,and dynamic efficiency of different policy mixtures between emission trading and renewable energy subsidy are studied based on a novel dynamic simulation platform of power economy and power system.Simulation results show that these two kinds of regulation policy can coexist,but a good coordination between the emission trading and the renewable energy subsidy can achieve better emission reduction outcomes.

Effectiveness of Professional Development Policies Based on Teachers'Subjective Evaluation

The results of a questionnaire-based investigation carried out across China regarding teachers'professional development were used to create an extensive database.Chinese teachers'subjective evaluation of a number of professional development policies was statistically analyzed.From their ratings,it is shown that in schools across China,differences exist in terms of the effectiveness of professional development policies in teaching profession.Striking differences exist between regions as well as between school levels.Multi regression analysis has shown that training and refresher courses are two of the major factors that influence differences in teachers'evaluation of policy implementation.A key finding is that the provision of many different types of training does not necessarily help bring about effective policy.

The Policy Effects of the Environmental Governance of Chinese Local Governments:A Study Based on the Progress of the River Chief System

Water pollution control is an important part of the onerous long-term task of building a beautiful China. Based on water pollution data from the state-controlled monitoring sites and the manually compiled data on the evolution of the river chief system(Hezhangzhi 河长制), we used the Difference in Differences(DID) technique to identify the policy effects of the system in local practice. Our findings show that the system has achieved preliminary management of water pollution but has not significantly reduced the main water pollutants. This may indicate that local governments have whitewashed the symptoms rather than addressing the root cause. In the course of comprehensively advancing the river chief system, better governance results will be achieved if all levels of government formulate clear and appropriate goals, design sound and feasible accountability mechanisms, and invite professional third-party agencies specializing in water quality testing to supervise the work.

Effects of drug procurement under cap price policy in Sanming

To study the effects of drug procurement under cap price policy (DPUCP)in Sanming,changes in drug category,price, availability and corporate structure were analyzed using purchasing data of the 7th and 8th centralized drug procurement in Fujian Province and the 1st drug procurement under cap price in Sanming,and a field investigation was conducted.(1)The amounts of bid-winning drugs and pharmaceutical makers decreased sharply,leading to optimization of drug category and supplier structure. (2)The procurement could meet clinical demands,though a small percentage of drugs were out of stock.(3)Drug prices fell in general,with 10%decline in domestic drugs with a unit package price over RMB 5yuan,a slight price reduction in imported drugs,and some price increase in cheap domestic drugs with a unit package price under RMB 3yuan.DPUCP policy in Sanming optimized procurement drug category and supplier structure,reduced price,and improved industrial structure.However,problems still existed,such as shortage of some drugs and little price reduction in imported and brand-name drugs.

Effects of drug purchasing under joint price caps policy in Fujian Province,China

To evaluate the long-term effect of Drug Purchasing under Joint Price Caps Policy in Fujian Province on price,prescription volume,medical insurance expense and patient’s burden a total of 59968 reimbursement records,during the period of 2012.1-2018.8,were processed into monthly data and analyzed through interrupted time series(ITS)regression models.The ITS analysis showed that after the implementation of the policy,(1)the price of competitive drugs was significantly increased by 128.9%(P<0.01),while the price of non-competitive drugs was significantly decreased by 18.9%(P<0.01).(2)The prescription volume of sample drugs was decreased by 32.3%(P<0.01),and that of competitive drugs was decreased by 45.9%(P<0.01),while that of non-competitive drugs was increased by 19.1%(P<0.01).(3)There was no significant change in the monthly medical insurance expense per capita of sample drugs.(4)There was no significant effect on the overall patient’s burden,while the out-of-pocket payment per capita of competitive drugs was increased by 81.4%(P<0.01).

Policy spillover and regional linkage characteristics of the real estate market in China's urban agglomerations

The main purpose of this study is to determine the spillover effect of real estate regulatory policies released by core cities on the surrounding cities in major urban agglomerations based on regional linkage characteristics of China's real estate market.In this study,real estate transaction data of 157 cities were selected from 11 major urban agglomerations.Agglomeration's housing transaction volatility and spillover effect caused by the core city's regulatory policies were simulated by integrating spatial and temporal analysis model,event analysis,and symbolic time series analysis.The findings showed that(1)the regional linkage of the real estate market in the Harbin-Changchun and Middle-South Liaoning,Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River,Yangtze River Delta,Pearl River Delta,and West Side of the Straits agglomerations were remarkably tight and the core cities'policy spillover effect was significant,of which the house purchase limitation and credit limitation policies had the widest influence;(2)the regional linkage of the real estate market in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei agglomeration,Shandong Peninsula,Guanzhong Plain,and Chengdu-Chongqing agglomerations was relatively weaker,but the core cities'policies of mar-ket regulation and taxation had certain spillover effect;(3)there were significant differ-ences in the spillover effects of different types of policies in different urban agglomerations;(4)generally,the core cities'policy spillover often reduced the changing characteristics of the real estate market and made it more ordered with more certainty in the whole agglomeration,with the exception of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei,West Side of the Straits,and Chengdu-Chongqing agglomerations.

Is China’s Current Farmland Policy Effective?

As a country with a massive population, China has long prioritized its grain self-suf-ficiency policy, which focuses on keeping the total amount of arable land reserves above

Monetary Policy Proving Effective

Hu Xiaolian,Vice Governor of the People’s Bank of China,the country’s central bank, published an article concerning China’s managed floating exchange rate regime and the effectiveness of the monetary policy on the bank’s website on July 26.She pointed out monetary policy,as an important instrument of China’s macroeconomic control,has faced many challenges in recent years.A more flexible exchange rate regime will help improve the effectiveness of the policy.Edited excerpts follow

Which month to give a birth?The analysis on birth seasonality of China

A series of medical and biological studies have identified a strong link between the season during which a child is born and early childhood development and adult health.While providing an explanation for the seasonal determinants of birth remains one of the key challenges for demographers,understanding seasonal birth peaks and troughs can inform both public health planning and efforts to prevent childhood diseases.The seasonality of births varies across and within countries.Nonetheless,there has been scant research into the seasonality of births in China.This study takes an in depth look at the seasonal fluctuations in China’s births since 1960 and investigates the effects on seasonality of several key factors such as parity,residence(urban or rural area),and changes to fertility policies.Traditionally,winter has been the peak season of births in China,while spring and summer have been lean seasons,a pattern which is quite different than patterns in Europe and the United States.After 1990,the sweeping implementation of one-child policy and the wider use of modern contraceptives among Chinese women prompted a fundamental shift in the seasonality of births,with the deviation of births from month to month gradually diminishing over time.People’s self-control may serve as a key determinant accounting for such seasonal changes.First births exhibit pronounced and steady seasonality,while second and subsequent births follow a vague seasonal pattern,suggesting that later births are more likely affected by self-choice and self-intervention.The analysis also reveals that the monthly distribution pattern of second births experienced a dramatic change following the roll-out of the selective-two-child policy and the Universal Two-child Policy in 2014 and 2016,changes that reflects the adjustments people made to achieve their fertility plans under the new policy.

Education Universalization,Rural School Participation,and Population Density

In many developing countries,low population density may be a major reason for low school participation in rural areas,and the problem is likely to worsen with rapid urbanization.However,few studies have investigated empirically the role of population density in rural education,especially the moderating effect of population density on the outcomes of education policies.This study aims to fill this gap in the literature.From 1999 through the early 2000s,China launched a set of major nationwide policies aimed at universalizing 9-year compulsory education in rural areas.Using difference-in-differences and triple difference strategies,we show that the policies significantly increased the probability of junior high school enrollment of rural children and,more importantly,these policies were more effective in densely populated regions.These findings confirm the imporance of population density to rural education.

Grain Science and Technology Policies and Food Security in China:An Empirical Study Based on a Provincial Dynamic Panel Model

China’s grain science and technology policies have played an important role in the development of China’s food industry.This paper aims to examine the effects of China’s grain science and technology policies on food security.It quantitatively assesses China’s food security by analyzing the main contents and development trends of China’s food science technology policies through the text metrology method,and then investigates the effects of grain science and technology policies on food security by employing a provincial dynamic panel model.The results show that food security in China is all-round developed,and that the release frequency and cumulative effect of grain science and technology policies play a significant role in promoting food security.Powerful grain science and technology policies can effectively guarantee China’s food security.

MARKOV DECISION PROGRAMMING WITH CONSTRAINTS

Some finite horizon MDPs and infinite horizon discounted MDPs with constraints are discussed in this paper. Some available algorithms are given separately for various models discussed in this paper.

Are China's Trade Policies Effective?

I. IntroductionSince economic reform and an opening-up in 1978, the Chinese government has decentralized its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) system in the centrally planned economy. The separation of government administration and enterprise management is moving China toward a market-oriented economy, forcing Chinese enterprises to become more competitive and more efficient. Market forces of supply and demand are intended to govern firms’ industrial production, which is no longer subject to government planning and control.