Macroeconomic Instabilities and Cost-Recovery Potentials of Public Sector Organisations

The 2008 financial crisis raised concerns over the performance of public sector organisations operating under different cost recovery regimes.These concerns were linked to potential failure in attaining cost recovery targets as a result of declining revenues during economic downturn.This study utilised the Linear Mixed Effect(LME)models to analyse the data from the World Bank Indicator website and from six national Land Administration Organisations(LAOs),two of which being under“No cost recovery”(NCR)and the remaining being in“Full Cost Recovery”(FCR).Cost recovery indicators were computed from financial statement of national LAOs of these countries.The findings establish that a global financial crisis that is associated with declining GDP and a higher inflation rate can insignificantly reduce the level of cost recovery for LAOs while persistent decline in GDP growth rate significantly eliminates potentials for cost recovery.However prospects for recovery can be traced within the cost-revenue microstructures of LAOs themselves.With a significantly negative relationship between spending in information and technology as a ratio of GDP to the degree of cost recovery,LAOs need only to eliminate rigidities in their cost-revenue structure which tie them to macro-instabilities of the real estate market.Such flexibility can be attained through elastic cross-substitution in the LAO’s gross cost-revenues schedules for registration tasks in favour of information delivery tasks.

Apples, oranges and lemons: public sector debt statistics in the 21st century

In both academic research and policymaking,public sector debt and debt-to-GDP ratios are relied on for a multitude of important economic,political and socioeconomic decisions,especially as public sector balance sheets expand to an unprecedented size in the midst of the 2019–2020 COVID pandemic.The reliance on available data from reputable sources often overlooks the question of whether the denominator in this ratio is accurately measured or how well the denominator is understood by the audience interpreting it.Building on past work in international financial statistics,and making use of a unique and newly created dataset on media reporting of public sector debt,the purpose of this article is to examine the quality,accuracy,interpretation and overall meaningfulness of public sector financial statistics.The main findings suggest that i)most of the world’s governments still do not seem to feel sufficient pressure to voluntarily provide comprehensive financial statistics based on well-defined modern methodological frameworks and ii)high profile financial statistics,which are reported,have become increasingly numerous and complicated,making it difficult for non-experts to know which is most appropriate in the context of their analysis.

公共财政:渊源、内涵与属性

在我国,看待"公共财政"问题,必须有一个特定的历史视角,即不能简单照搬西方,而应在我国特定的国情下理解"公共财政"的涵义,它标识着一种与以往不同的、适应于社会主义市场经济体制的新财政模式。

The Distributional Impacts of Fiscal Consolidation in Uganda

While Uganda is considered to be at low risk of debt distress,the stagnant tax effort and large planned capital expenditures might significantly alter this position.This paper employs the Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium(DSGE)model to examine tax design issues that arise in addressing debt increases.The results suggest that Uganda may improve it debt position by permanently increasing tax rates by 5%point.However,an increase of consumption tax rates(Value Added Tax(VAT)and Excise)by this magnitude to meet debt reduction is found to be relatively more distortionary affecting consumption,especially for the poor households,in both the short and long run leading to large temporary reductions in the Gross Domestic Product(GDP).

Does Digitalization Matter for Grievance Redress Mechanism?An Analysis of the E-Government Procurement in the Local Government

Public procurement denotes the attainment of goods,works,or services required by governments through contracts.Public procurement is usually plagued with covert practices and exclusive forms of corruption in Bangladesh.The cost of development finance is much higher in public procurement than that of others in Bangladesh.There have been no unified rules or laws regarding government purchases since 2006.The Government of Bangladesh enacted its ever first act of public procurement,the Public Procurement Act,2006(PPA,2006),and the Public Procurement Rules,2008(PPR,2008).The procurement entity must disseminate procurement information through electronic medium i.e.Electronic Government Procurement(hereinafter e-GP).Despite passing over an era since its enactment,the role of the PPA,2006 remains seriously under-researched area,specifically there is no research on the issue of the grievance redress mechanisms.The study has been done using a qualitative case study methodology,backed by both primary and secondary documentary analysis.Based on empirical data,this paper explained the role of digitalization in the process of government procurement and depicted changes that have been brought by the implementation of e-GP in government purchases.However,it concluded that the grievance redress mechanism in the process of procurement is only existing in the policy papers which need mandatory implementation for a transparent and accountable governance system.Despite the significant changes and up-gradation in digital government procurement,it is hardly found that the GRM process is digitalized.And the mass tenderers are yet to be acquainted with the improvised system apart from the consistent efforts of the government.

Assessment of Local Public Finance Performance in China When Undesirable Fiscal Phenomena are Taken into Account

Making use of the data envelopment analysis （DEA） technique and taking undesirable fiscal phenomena into account, this paper comprehensively quantifies the public fnance performance of local governments in China during the course of fiscal decentralization reform. The introduction of undesirable fiscal outcomes into this assessment makes it possible to identify meaningful and informative characteristics of local public finance performance in China. When reforms are first implemented, local pubIic financial performance improves because undesirable fiscal phenomena have not yet become too serious. The tax sharing system reform did not work well in its early stages, and negatively impacted public expenditure e3ficiency. The reform started to play a substantial role between 2001 and 2005, when local governments experienced better public finance performance. Corresponding to the deterioration of the financial sector in recent years, local public financial performance worsened after 2007. Further reform of the current fiscal and taxation system is necessary in China, to ensure a brighter future for the nation.

China’s Inclusive Public Finance System:Based on an Examination of Irregular Revenue

China's achievement of miraculous economic growth is a theoretical proposition that calls for an explanation.The key to understanding the logic of China’s economic reform is a rational explanation of the logical paradox between irregular local finance and the incentive compatibility of central and local governments.Based on the fact that autonomous local financial resources have long been dependent on irregular fiscal revenue,this paper constructs an inclusive public financial system analysis framework from the dual perspectives of the central and local government.This analytical framework offers an explanation of the long-standing implicit fiscal decentralization contract in which irregular fiscal revenue is the carrier in the reform process,together with a description of the central-local interaction process and institutional space underlying the behavioral motivations of central finance tolerance and local financial autonomy.It demonstrates the logical consistency of irregular fiscal revenue,central and local incentive compatibility,economic growth and market-oriented reform.The inclusive public finance system,which takes into account both local dynamism and central control,provides the important institutional logic that has enabled China to reach the dual goals of economic growth and market-oriented reform.

Managing Public Finance through Palace Memorials： The Controversy over Taxation Transfer, 1860-1900

Lacking a centralized fiscal administration to manage taxation collection and transfer before 1904, the Qing court relied solely on the palace memorial system to enforce overland silver shipment when transferring provincial revenues. However, after 1860 provincial officials gradually discarded the conventional procedure for overland silver shipment and employed third-party private financiers to deliver provincial revenues. After four failed campaigns against private financial firms＇ interference in imperial fiscal affairs, the palace memorial system became inefficient for the implementation of public financial policies at the local level. The Qing dynasty＇s prolonged and uneasy financial transformation from a minimalist Confucian agrarian empire to an expanding modem fiscal state from 1860 to 1904 was the underlying reason for the declining effectiveness of the palace memorial system in supervising public finance and the ultimate reason for the empire＇s increasing financial vulnerability during that period.

On promoting the innovation of the urbanization system in Western China from the view of public finance and taxation

New Urbanization is a major strategic decision for building socialism with Chinese characteristics,which has a profound significance for the comprehensive moves towards the completion of building a moderately prosperous society,accelerating the process of socialist modernization.The development of new urbanization requires the support of relevant mechanisms and systems.According to documents released by the State Council of China,promoting the innovation of urbanization systems is a crucial component to the cause of new urbanization in 2015.Based on the new urbanization system stipulated in The National New Urbanization Plan(2014-2020),this paper chooses to analyze how the fund security mechanism promotes innovation of the urbanization system in Western China from the perspective of public finance and taxation.This paper analyzes the relationship between urbanization and fund security,the importance of public funding to urbanization,and the shortcomings of urbanization in terms of public funding and taxation.This paper also discusses how the urbanization system can be promoted by improving the institution of fiscal transfer payments and local tax systems.

iεepa kai Oσia:The Polis Life in the Parthenon Inventories of 5th Century BC

"iεepa"and"Oσia"are two core concepts in research related to religion,which also play important roles in social life.The traditional view is that the dichotomy between"iεepa"and"Oσia"is an important method of research related to religion and that the border between"iεepa"and"Oσia"is clear.However,through reassessing the relationship between"iεepa"and"Oσia"on a case study of the Parthenon inventory,this article will demonstrate that the relationship between"iεepa"and"Oσia"is not one of complete opposition,but that it is in fact a unity of opposites.This relationship is primarily reflected in the three aspects of the Parthenon inventory:invocation,treasurers system and treasures type,aspects which also highlight the Athenian propensity to blend the sacred and secular spheres.These reassessed views shed new light on polis life,especially as regards public finance.

China＇s 40 Years of Fiscal and Tax Reform： A Basic Trajectory

The present paper describes the trajectory of China＇s fscal and tax reform in the past 40 years, which can be summarized in five phases. The reform commenced with ＂＇decentralizing power and transferring benefits. ＇＂ Then, under great fiscal pressure, institutional reform was instigated, which aimed to establish a new fiscal and tax system. To regulate the government revenue and expenditure beyond the fiseal and tax system, reforms were put in place to build an institutional framework for public finance. As the fiscal and tax reform had gradually entered the more sophisticated phases, China took a series of measures to further improve the public finance system. Since 2012, based on the overall plan of comprehensively deepening reform, China has embarked on establishing a modern public finance system. The present paper characterizes China＇s fiscal and tax reform as gradually moving toward a system that aligns with the overall reform and complements the goal of marketization and modernization of state governance.

Impact Fees and Real Estate Prices： Evidence from 35 Chinese Cities

Local governments often charge developers impact fees to finance local public goods. This has been practiced in Chinese cities for more than two decades; however, no empirical studies have tested the effect of impact fees on real estate prices. Using a panel data set for 35 large- and medium-sized cities from 1998 to 2008, we find that impact fees lead to a significant increase in real estate prices. For a given city, an increase in impact fees by one yuan leads to an increase of about 5 yuan in the price of newly-built housing; a 1% increase in impact fees leads to an increase of 5 percentage points in the housing price index and 7 percentage points in the land price index.

China’s Fiscal Policy in the Past Seven Decades:Characteristics,Experience and Prospects

The paper reviews the fi scal policies adopted by China in the past 70 years,summarizes their characteristics at different stages and looks into the future fiscal policy options for China.The fiscal policy history since the founding of the People’s Republic of China can be divided into four stages.Stage 1:1949-1952,the market-oriented fi scal policy aiming to restore the national economy;Stage 2:1953-1978,the planned fi scal policy;Stage 3:1978-2012,the fi scal policy accommodating the needs of economic transformation;and Stage 4:2012-present,the fiscal policy accommodating the needs of the new era.A look at the above fiscal policy history draws the following conclusions.(1)The goal of the fiscal policy should be set based on a correct understanding of the role of the state;(2).For the fi scal policy to work,it must respect the fi scal law;(3)The fi scal policy must aim higher than the goal of macroeconomic stability and provide guarantees for industrialization and modernization;(4)The government should understand fi scal defi cits while proactively guarding against fi scal risks;(5)The implementation of the fi scal policy must go hand in hand with the fi scal reform;(6)The funding for the fi scal policy must come from diverse sources;(7)The choice of the fi scal policy should fully consider external impacts.The future fi scal policy should revolve around serving the modernization of china’s governance system and capacity,and serving China’s contribution to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.We should update our knowledge on the fi scal policy to support the decision-making for the choice of fi scal policy.The goal of fi scal policy should be set in coordination with that of other policies.Moreover,from the perspective of the government’s disposable revenue and cash fl ow,the paper probes into the space and challenges for future fi scal policy and sorts the problems of the transmission mechanism that might prevent the fi scal policy from working.

Evaluation of financial management reform in China since 1994

Financial management system reform is the extension and an important part of the finance and taxation reform in 1994.This paper conducts systematical evaluation of the financial management system reform since 1994 with the concrete 3 evaluation standards.The evaluation shows that the financial management system reform since 1994 promotes the implementation of the finance and taxation reform,finishes the stage task of financial management system,and continues to construct the financial management system in accordance with the requirements of modern financial system.Future financial reform should comply with the route map and timetable of deepening finance and taxation reform,focus on the reform of budget management reform,and construct the financial management system in accordance with the requirements of modern financial system.