刘伟,政治经济学《经济学教程(中国经济分析)》基本信息·出版社:北京大学出版社·ISBN:7301092067·国别:中国大陆·版次:1·出版日期:2005-6·开本:16·精简装:平装·页数:379
IDEAS-RePEc今年2月给中国经济学人排名:邹恒甫第一,半个白聚山第二,一个世行退休的第三IDEAS-RePEc今年2月给中国经济学人排名:邹恒甫第一,半个白聚山第二,一个世行退休的第三http://js2.pp.sohu.com.cn/ppp/blog/styles_ppp/images/btn_share_s2.gif分类:经济学教育2012-03-0623:48Top25%authorsinChinahttp://ideas.repec.org/top/top.china.html#authorThisrankingisbasedonregisteredauthorsonly,andonlythosewhoclaimedsomeaffiliationinthisregion,andthisaffiliationislistedinEDIRC.RankScoreW.RankAuthorAffiliatedwith(inthisregion)1.1.32[3]Heng-FuZouCentralUniversityofFinanceandEconomics(CUFE),BeijingChinaEconomicsandManagementAcademy,CentralUniversityofFinanceandEconomics(CUFE),Beijing2.2.49[4]JushanBaiCentralUniversityofFinanceandEconomics(CUFE),BeijingChinaEconomicsandManagementAcademy,CentralUniversityofFinanceandEconomics(CUFE),Beijing3.4.19[9]HansPeterBinswanger-MkhizeCollegeofEconomicsandManagement,ChinaAgriculturalUniversity,Beijing4.5.39[14]HongbinCaiGuanghuaSchoolofManagement,PekingUniversity,Beijing5.5.89[13]LinZhouShanghaiJiaoTongUniversity6.6.23[11]HongbinLiSchoolofEconomicsandManagement,TsinghuaUniversity,BeijingTsinghuaUniversity7.6.85[5]XiaoboZhangCenterforAgricuturalandRuralDevelopment(CARD),ZhejiangUniversity,Hangzhou8.7.14[15]Chong-EnBaiSchoolofEconomicsandManagement,TsinghuaUniversity,Beijing9.7.63[16]ShiLiSchoolofEconomicsandBusinessAdministration,BeijingNormalUniversity,Beijing10.7.86[2]Shang-JinWeiSchoolofEconomicsandManagement,TsinghuaUniversity,Beijing11.8.02[7]CharlesM.C.LeeGuanghuaSchoolofManagement,PekingUniversity,Beijing12.12.84[20]XinzhongXuGuanghuaSchoolofManagement,PekingUniversity,Beijing13.12.91[6]YiWenSchoolofEconomicsandManagement,TsinghuaUniversity,Beijing14.14.53[21]LiutangGongGuanghuaSchoolofManagement,PekingUniversity,BeijingDepartmentofAppliedEconomics,GuanghuaSchoolofManagement,PekingUniversity,Beijing15.16.97[24]HowellH.ZeeCollegeofEconomics,XiamenUniversity,FujianDepartmentofPublicEconomics,CollegeofEconomics,XiamenUniversity,Fujian16.17.44[10]JianjunMiaoCentralUniversityofFinanceandEconomics(CUFE),BeijingChinaEconomicsandManagementAcademy,CentralUniversityofFinanceandEconomics(CUFE),Beijing17.17.94[23]ZhengMichaelSongSchoolofEconomics,FudanUniversity,Shanghai18.18.37[25]SongXiChenGuanghuaSchoolofManagement,PekingUniversity,Beijing19.18.91[12]ZhongXiangZhangSchoolofEconomics,FudanUniversity,ShanghaiCenterforEnergyEconomicsandStrategyStudies,SchoolofEconomics,FudanUniversity,Shanghai20.19.72[28]PingHeSchoolofEconomicsandManagement,TsinghuaUniversity,Beijing21.20.17[26]YuyuChenGuanghuaSchoolofManagement,PekingUniversity,Beijing22.21.2[29]ZhongZhaoSchoolofLaborandHumanResources,RenminUniversityofChina,Beijing
第一次翻译,不当之处,多多包涵!嘿嘿!!!!不妥之处请留言告诉我哦!!!!Worldtrade世界贸易UnpredictabletidesJul23rd2009FromTheEconomistprintedition暗流涌动Worldtradeisnolongercollapsingandfearsoframpantprotectionismhavenotbeenrealised.Evenso,thewaytorevivallooksfarfromsmooth世界贸易坍塌已然止步,对大肆的保护主义的恐惧也尚未应验。即便如此,复苏之路仍然荆棘丛生。(史官的妙句)THEworstglobaleconomicslumpsincetheDepressionhasgeneratedreamsofmind-bogglingnumbers.Amongthestarkest—andthemostworrying—havebeenmeasuresofworldtrade.AccordingtotheWorldBank,thedollarvalueoftradeisaboutathirdlowerthanitwasayearago.BarryEichengreen,aneconomichistorianattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,estimatesthattradehascontractedbymoreinthiscrisisthanithadatacomparablestageoftheDepression(seearticle).自大萧条以来的全球最糟糕的经济下滑已经创造了许多令人难以置信的数字。而最典型也是最让人担心的是世界贸易的方式。按世界银行的数据,贸易的美元价值相比一年前已下降了1/3。BarryEichengreen,加里弗尼亚大学伯里克利分校的一个经济历史学家预计,在此次危机中,贸易相比大萧条同期收缩了更多。Latelythenewshasbeenmoreencouraging.Tradeisfarfrombooming,butithasatleaststoppeddeclining.TheWorldBankevendetects“hintsofanuptick”inearlydataforJune.BernardHoekman,directorofthebank’sinternationaltradedepartment,has“littledoubtthatthedeclineintradehasbottomedout”.近期消息鼓舞人心。贸易远非增长,但至少停止下降了。世界银行甚至在六月初期的数据中找到上升的迹象。BernardHoekman,银行的国际交易部总监,毫不怀疑贸易量已爬出谷底。Whetherglobalcommercemakesaspeedyandlastingrecoverydepends,inthefirstplace,onhowquicklyandsustainablyglobaldemandpicksup.Butitalsodependsontwootherfactors.全球商业是否在快速持续地复苏首先取决于全球需求以多快地速度稳步跟进。除此以外还取决于其他两个因素。Oneisthereasonwhytradeslumpedsobadlyattheturnoftheyear.Ifthemainculpritwasthedropinglobaldemand,asmosteconomistsbelieve,tradeshouldrecoversmartlywhendemandpicksup.Butifitwasanincreaseinprotection,tradewillbeslowtoemergefromthedoldrums.Suchmeasures,aspastcrisesshow,areeasiertoputinplacethantoremove.一是就是贸易为何在今年底或明年初如此严重地下滑。如果主要原因是全球需求的下滑,像大多数经济学家认为的那样,当需求跟上时,贸易应当相当地复苏。但是如果是因为保护主义的升级,贸易将会缓慢地从低潮中复原。这些原因,如同过去危机所显示的那样,容易生成却难以消除。Thesecondisglobaltradepolitics.Governmentswillcontinuetobeunderpressuretoerecttradebarriersasunemploymentcontinuestoriseandastheirroomformorefiscalandmonetaryexpansionbecomescramped.Leadersoftheworld’sbiggesteconomieshaverepeatedlypromisedtoconcludetheDoharoundoftradetalks,whichhavealreadydraggedonformorethansevenyearsandbeenneartodeathseveraltimes.Indoingso,theyhavesetthemselvesanimportanttest.第二个是全球贸易政治。由于失业继续增加,且更多财政与货币扩张的对失业的作用空间已不大,政府继续处于设立贸易壁垒的巨大压力下。世界最大经济体的领导们已多次承诺结束这拖延七年多且多次差点终结的多哈回合贸易谈判。这个承诺对他们实际上是一个重要的测验。AholeinthehullComparedwithayearago,thestateoftradeisdire.AccordingtotheWorldBank,thedollarvalueofexportsinthe48countriesforwhichfinaldataforMayareavailablewasstillaboutone-thirdlowerthaninMay2008.However,year-on-yeardatamaskrecentchanges(seechart1).Month-on-monthfigurespointtoadramaticslumpattheturnoftheyear,butstabilitysince.Thebankreckonsthattheaveragevalueofexports(for44economiesaccountingforthree-quartersofworldtrade)droppedby15.4%inNovember,heldsteadyinDecemberandplungedby12.2%inJanuarybeforeflatteningout.相比一年以前,贸易的状况很糟。据世界银行的统计,在五月的最终数据仍可用的48个国家,出口的美元价比08年五月份仍低1/3。然而,各个年份的数据标志着变化(看表1)。通过各个月份的数据则可以看出年初有个剧烈的下降,不过之后一直平稳。银行断定出口的平均价值在十一月跌了15.4%(44个国家,占世界贸易的四分之三),在十二月保持平稳,并在一月份下降了12.2%.Theprecipitatedropintrade—farmoremarkedthananythingthathashappenedtoglobalGDP—wascausedinpartbythewayproductionisnoworganised.Tradehasalwaysbeenmorethanproportionallyaffectedbyfluctuationsinoutput,buttheglobalisationofthesupplychainhasincreaseditsresponsiveness.Stagesofproductionthatwereoncelocalarenowmuchmorelikelytobecarriedoutabroad.DouglasIrwin,ofDartmouthCollege,estimatesthatinthe1960sand1970s,ifglobalGDPincreased(ordecreased)by1%,tradewouldgrow(orshrink)byabout2%.Inthe1990s,thechangeintradewas3.4%.贸易的加速下降—比全球GDP的下降更为显著—部分是由于组织生产的方式。贸易不只是部分地受产出波动影响,但供应链的全球化使之对此反应更激烈。本土化生产如今更有可能变成跨国生产。达特茅斯的DouglasIrwin估计,在20世纪60到70年代,如果全球GDP增加(或减少)1%,贸易就会增长(或减少)大约2%。在20世纪90年代,贸易量改变了3.4%.Inrecessions,accordingtoanewpaperbyCarolineFreundoftheWorldBank,tradecontractsevenmoresharplythanitrespondsineasiertimes.Usingdatafromtheglobaldownturnsof1975,1982,1991and2001,MsFreundfindsthatwhereasrealincomegrowthwas,onaverage,1.5percentagepointslowerthanitspre-recessionrate,tradegrowthstumbledby7.2points,ornearlyfivetimesasmuch.世界银行的CarolineFreund的在一篇新论文中指出,在危机中,贸易比之前减少地更为剧烈。依照1975,1982,1991,2001年全球经济下滑的数据,Freund女士发现真实收入增长低于危机前数据,平均1.5%。贸易增长减少了7.2%,几乎少了5倍。Severalreasonswhytradeshoulddeclinesofastinrecessionssuggestthemselves.Itcouldbethat,anticipatingasuddenslowdowningrowth,firmsdrawdownaccumulatedinventoriessharply,causingarapidcontractionoftrade.Butitisalsopossiblethatduringdownturnsgovernmentsturntoprotectionistpolicies,heighteningtheresponsivenessoftradetoafallindemand.贸易在危机中下降地如此迅速是由于以下一些原因。可能因为,公司预计增长会突然放缓,公司也会急剧地减少存货,导致贸易的大量减少。还有可能,在危机中,政府采取保护主义政策,使得贸易对需求降低的反应更剧烈。Broadlyspeaking,thetimingofthecollapseandstabilisationintradeflows,aswellasthesectoralandgeographicalpatternofthedecline,suggestthatdemandanddestocking,ratherthanaretreatintoprotection,arethechiefcauses.TheWorldTradeOrganisation(WTO)pointsoutthatAmerica,whichwasthefirstbigeconomytoenterrecession,alsosawthesharpestcontractionofimportslastyear(seechart2).DataforAmericaandJapanshowthattradeinnon-durableconsumergoodslikeclothesandfood,forwhichabasiclevelofdemandpersistsandpurchasesofwhichcannotbeputoffforaslongasthoseofbigger-ticketitems,hasdeclinedleastamongmainproductcategories.Exportersspecialisingincapitalgoodsanddurables,suchasGermany,havebeenhitharderthanothers.Andevenforcheapnon-durables,theearlyfallswerethesharpest,suggestingthatretailerswerefuriouslyrunningdowntheirinventories.广义上讲,经济崩溃的时间以及贸易流量的稳定化,以及下降的区域地理模式表明,需求与库存的减少,而非求助于贸易保护主义,是主要原因。世界贸易组织指出美国,这个最大的经济体开始衰退,而且去年进口也急剧下滑。美国与日本的数据表明,对非耐用消费品像衣服,食物,因为它们的需求一直稳定,因此在主要产品中,它们的下滑最少。而专注于资本产品及耐用品的出口国,如德国,已受到重创。即使是对便宜的非耐用品,最初的下降也很厉害,这表明零售商正疯狂地减少存货。Differencesinthetrendsofgoodsandservicestradealsosupportthedestockingthesis.AadityaMattooandIngoBorchert,economistsattheWorldBank,pointtotherelativeresilienceoftradeinservices,whichunlikegoodscannotbestoredandarethereforeimmunetotheinventoryeffect.InAprilAmerica’simportsofgoodswere34%lowerthanayearearlier.Itsexportswere27%lower.Bothimportsandexportsofservices,however,weredownbyonly10%.Importsofbusiness,professionalandtechnicalservices(includinginformation-technologyservicesoutsourcedtoplaceslikeIndia)were4%higherinthefirstquarterof2009thanayearearlier.产品与服务贸易的不同也支持了存货减少的理论。世界银行的经济学家AadityaMattoo与IngoBorchert,指出服务贸易相对灵活,不像实物商品那样只能被储存,因此不会受到存货效应的影响。服务贸易的出口只低于实物商品的27%。但它的进口与出口只降低了10%。公司的进口,专业服务及技术性的服务(包括将信息技术服务外包给像印度一样的国家)在2009年的第一个季度比上一年高4%。TheWTOhasanalysedtradepoliciesaswellastradeflows.Therehavebeenseveralinstancesofcountriesraisingtariffs,withinthelimitsoftheirWTOcommitments.America,theEuropeanUnionandSwitzerlandhaveallintroducednewfarmsubsidies(orrestartedprogrammesthathadbeenallowedtolapse).Thenumberofanti-dumpingcasesinitiatedbyWTOmembersrosesharplyin2008,froma12-yearlowin2007,andcontinuedatahighrateinthefirstquarterofthisyear.世界贸易组织分析了贸易政策以及贸易流量。在WTO承诺义务限制的前提下,一些国家提高了关税。美国,欧盟,瑞士都引进了新农业补贴(或者重新实施曾被废除了的政策)。反垄断案件的数量在2008年急剧增加,并在这一年第一季度继续高速增长。Othermeasures,especiallywhencarriedoutbysub-nationalgovernments(countiesandstates),arelessexplicit.Local-procurementprovisionsattachedtoseveralstimuluspackages,includingAmerica’sandChina’s,areintendedtofavourdomesticsuppliersoverforeigners.Sectoralsubsidies,particularlytocarmakers,haveoftencomewithpressuretoensurethatanyjobcutstakeplaceabroad,notathome.其他方法不尽明晰,特别是由国家下级政府(州及县)执行时。当地采购条款及附加的一些刺激政策包,包括美国的和中国的,倾向于对国内供应商提供比外国供应商更优惠的条件。特别是对汽车制造商的部门补贴,经常会遭到压力,以保证任何裁员只是发生在国外,而非国内。Butchangesintradepolicyhavenotallgoneoneway.Severalcountries,fromAustraliaandChinatoEcuadorandParaguay,havemovedinaliberaldirection,reducingimportdutiesorremovingnon-tariffbarrierssincethebeginningofMarch.ChadBown,aneconomistatBrandeisUniversity,pointsoutthatthetotalvalueoftradetargetedbytheflurryofnewanti-dumpingactionsissmall:lessthan0.45%ofthetotalvalueofG20countries’imports.各国在贸易政策方面变化并非一个模式。一些国家,从澳大利亚,中国到厄瓜多尔,巴拉圭,已朝自由化的方向发展,减少进少税及废除非关税壁垒。因为三月初,ChadBown,Brandeis大学的经济学家,新反垄断行动下的贸易总值很小,比G20国家进口总值的0.45%还小。Allthisisfairlyreassuring.Thebottoming-outoftradereflectsaslowingofthedeclineintheworldeconomy.Destockingmayhaverunitscourse.Givenitsresponsivenesstooutput,alivelyreboundintradeisnotinconceivable.Meanwhile,protectionismhasnotrunriot.所有的这些都相当鼓舞人心。贸易正在走出谷底,反映出世界经济下滑速度的减缓。存货减少可能已经在按常规发展。鉴于它对于产出的回应,贸易的反弹是惊人的。然而,保护主义并非盛行。Butcautionisstillneeded.Severalbigeconomiesarebeingsupportedbyexpansionaryfiscalandmonetarypolicies,whichwilleventuallyhavetobeunwound.Recoveryislikelytobesluggish.Unemploymentwillprobablycontinuetorise—bybetween21mand50mthisyear,accordingtotheInternationalLabourOrganisation.Withmonetaryandfiscalstimulusalreadyneartheirlimits,tradebarriersmayseematemptingwaytoprotectjobs.SomecountriescouldraisetariffssubstantiallywithoutbreakingWTOrules.Orstricterbuy-localprovisions,say,couldsqueezetrade.但是仍需谨慎。一些大公司因扩张性财政与货币政策而得以继续运转,但政策毕竟是一时之策。复苏似乎仍然缓慢。据国际劳动力组织报道,失业可能会继续增加—今年内在21百万及50百万之间。货币与财政政策刺激已经达到极限,贸易壁垒似乎是保护就业的一个诱人方式。一些国家可以提高关税而不必违反WTO的规则。或者更严厉的只买当地产品的条款规定会让贸易减少。TheroadbacktoDoha回归多哈之路Thisiswhythepoliticsoftrade—notleasttheprospectsofcompletingtheDoharound—remainimportant.Someoftheround’sdoubtershavequestioneditsvaluebecauseitpromisesnosubstantialfurtherreductionsinactualtariffs,merelyaimingtolimitcountries’scopetoraisethem.TheWorldBank’sMrHoekmanismoreoptimistic.Countriesrealisethatopenmarketscannotbetakenforgranted,andfewofthemwanttobeseentofallfouloftheirinternationalcommitments.Thismakesthe“insurance”aspectoftheDoharoundmoreattractivethanitwasjustafewmonthsago.这就是为什么贸易政治—不仅仅是完成多哈回合的前景—仍然很重要。多哈回合的怀疑者们质疑它的价值,因为它没有承诺实质性的关税减免,仅仅是限制国家提高关税的范围。世界银行的Hoekman先生更加乐观。不少国家意识到市场自由化不能被当作理所当然的,并且很少有国家不想被别人看到没有履行义务。这使得多哈回合的保护的方面比几个月之前更加吸引人。Butthecrisishasalsorevealedthelimitationsofexistingmultilateralnorms.WTOrulesonpublicprocurementdonotrestricttheabilityoflocalgovernmentstodiscriminateagainstforeignsuppliers.CountriesthathavenotsignedtheWTOAgreementonGovernmentProcurementarefreetopursuediscriminatorypolicies.ThisleadsMrHoekmantoarguethatanotherbenefitofconcludingDohawillbethatitwillopenupthescopefornegotiationstoestablishrulesofthegameinareassuchasinternationalfinancialsectorregulation,governmentprocurementandservicestrade,wherethecrisishasrevealedscopeforprotectionism.但是这次危机同样暴露了现今多边规范的局限性。在公共采购上,WTO的规定并没有限制当地政府对外国供应商的歧视。没有在WTO政府采购协议上签字的国家可以自由地实行歧视性政策。这使得Hoekman认为包括多哈在内的其他益处是它将会扩大谈判的范围,以在一些危机已带来保护主义的领域确立游戏规则,如国际金融管理,政府采购及服务贸易领域。Unfortunately,asuccessfulconclusiontotheroundisstillfarfromcertain.ThelastattemptcollapsedinJuly2008,whenIndiainsistedonmoreprotectionforitsfarmersagainstsuddensurgesinimportsthanAmericawaswillingtoaccept.Forallthegoodintentionsofworldleaders,hopethereforerestslargelyonRonKirk,America’snewtraderepresentative,andAnandSharma,India’snewcommerceminister,findingcommonground.Thetwohavealreadymetseveraltimes.MrKirkhasspokenoftheneedtoconcludeDohainawaythatis“balancedandambitious”.MrSharmahasstressedthathehasamandatefromhisprimeministertosignaglobaltradedeal.不幸的是,这个回合的圆满结束仍遥遥无期。最后的尝试在2008年7月无果而终,此时印度正坚持着由于进口的突然增加而采取的保护政策,而这超出了美国可以接受的范围。为了实现世界领导的良好心愿,希望就寄托在美国的新贸易代表RonKirk,印度新商务部总理AnandSharma身上。这两人已经会面了不少次。Kirk先生已经谈到以“平衡及宏伟”的方式结束多哈回合的需要。Sharma先生也强调他的总理已下达签订全球贸易合作的命令。Butsincehisappointment,MrKirkhasfocusedmainlyontheenforcementofexistingtraderules.Hislatestpolicyspeech,atasteelplantinPittsburgh,concentratedondetectingviolationsoflabourstandardsbytradingpartnersandpromisestoresorttolegalactionifnecessary.GaryHufbauer,ofthePetersonInstituteforInternationalEconomicsinWashington,worriesthata“fusilladeofcaseswillsetDohaback”.Kirk先生主要关注的是现今贸易条例的实施情况。他最近在彼得斯堡的一个钢铁厂的演讲,则关注贸易伙伴对劳动力标准的违反,并且承诺,如果必要的话,会诉诸法律。华盛顿Peterson学院国际经济学系的GaryHufbauer,担心“一连串的突发事件会阻碍多哈进程”。Somearguethatbydemonstratingthathisresolvetoaworrieddomesticaudience,MrKirkmayfinditeasiertogettheauthorityheneedstonegotiateDoha.Thosewhoarehopingforthetradetalkstoreachasuccessfulendcanonlyhopethatthisreadingiscorrect.Ifitisnot,anagreementmaybenonearer.一些人认为通过把他的决心向忧心重重的国内民众展示,Kirk先生可能发现要取得与多哈谈判的权力许可会更加容易。那些希望通过贸易谈判来达到一个成功的结果的人只能希望这篇文章的观点是对的。如果不是的话,协议的达成可能遥遥无期。
1某一星球上有甲乙两国,货币不同,甲国的称甲币,乙国的称乙币。甲国以产粮食为主,还有少量的畜牧业;粮食是1甲元一斤,羊是100甲元一只。乙国以畜牧业为主,也生产少量的粮食;羊是10乙元一只,粮食是2乙元一斤。那么,请问:这种情况下,两国货币的汇率应该是多少,1甲元应该兑换多少乙元?2现在再假设甲国有一商人贩运1000斤粮食到乙国,卖了2000乙元,那么请问:这个商人是赚是亏,赚亏多少?接着他又用这2000乙元买了200只羊到甲国,卖了20000甲元,那么当然他在这次整个贩卖过程中赚了19000甲元,那么请问:他这赚的钱,是赚甲国人民的,还是赚乙国人民的?如果从国家的角度来看,在这次贩卖过程中,甲国是赚是亏,赚亏多少?(均不考虑税收)。以上问题,如果你认为还缺少已知条件,那么请你提出来缺少什么,并自己假设一些条件进行合理地补充,然后再解这些问题。上面的问题,那可是经济学中最基本的,也是最重要的问题,当然也应该请那些所谓的著名的经济学家来解,如果他们连这个问题也解决不了,那就参加体力劳动去吧,别在那里老是忽悠老百姓了。哈——
希望第二次翻的有进步:)ThesunalsorisesAug6th2009|WASHINGTON,DCFromTheEconomistprintedition经济可能正在走出衰退,但失业率仍相当高。看来经济复苏的庆祝应延期了。当奥巴马在上任几周,正处二月初,访问了印第安娜州,当时这个州的经济形势仍然严峻。之前的12个月中,这个地区的失业率翻了三倍,到18.3%。总统力主实施猛烈的财政刺激政策,并坚持认为“总得做点什么”。到8月5日,他回到Elkhart时,他有点高兴了。他说,“当地的工厂又重获生机了”。几天前他还声称经济状况比预期要好。奥巴马的乐观相当有理由:美国的经济衰退看来已快结束了。7月31号,政府报道,第二季度的真实GDP只有一年的1%。衰退清除了闲置工厂与工人。现在,存货削减,生产不久就会重启。7月数据加强了人们的预期,本季度GDP会上升3%。自去年八月以来,生产活动指数上升到了最高水平。产商们报道新订单在不断增加,这是两年来最好的情况。汽车销量增加了15%,每年达到11.2百万辆。生产厂商也在增加产量。已有房产销量增加。奥巴马及他的助手们及时地采用了7870亿美元的财政刺激计划以促进经济复苏。实际上财政刺激计划的作用仍不大。起关键作用的是去年秋天对金融体系公众资金、贷款、贷款许可的大规模注入,以及今天春季的银行压力测验。这阻止了资产价格的螺旋式下降,银行挤兑以及有可能将经济衰退变为萧条的银行倒闭。令人振奋的是,theS&P/Case-Shiller20-city房价指数在四月到五月之间只下降了0.2%,这是两年来最小幅度的下降。平稳的房价会非常有助于减少贷款拖欠,重整银行资产负债表,使贷款恢复正常。由此,奥巴马的支持率很高,但实际仍在下滑。部分是因为最重要的,惟一的经济衡量基准,就业率,仍然形势严峻。Okun曾在20世纪60年代发现了失业与经济增长的关系。然而如今的失业增长远高于据Okun法则的推断。上周对之前GDP数据的修正进一步说明了这种差异。新数据显示,自2007年末,GDP累计下降3.7%,这与大萧条(1957-58)时期持平。(而在修正之前,下降率是2.5%)。既便如此,MichaelFeroli,摩根大通的一名经济学家,说道,按Okun法则,失业率只会是8.6%,而实际上达到了9.3%。一些因素仍在起作用。失业保险的增加,鼓励人们继续寻找工作,而不是完全撤出劳动力市场,这使失业率增加了1%。财富的缩水也可能使人们去寻找工作而不是退休或与孩子呆在家里。公司很快就开始削减工资。一些公司由于信贷缩减的影响会更小心翼翼地使用现金。其他公司或者只是由于对复苏不抱什么希望。不管是什么原因,都导致了生产率的提升,为利润减少提供了缓冲。RobertHall指出Okun法则是建立在“经济衰退,生产率降低”的前提下,而实际情况并非如此。欧洲与美国差别很大。在欧元区,GDP比美国与下滑得更厉害,但是失业率增加更少。由于政府补贴,企业倾向缩短工时而非裁员。这意味着一旦经济复苏,欧洲失业率的下降会比较慢。但是似乎美国失业率的下降也会比较慢。除非经济增长持续,公司不大可能大量招人。市场需求不增加,存货的增加只是暂时的。汽车销量很好,很大程度上是因为政府政策:若是美国人卖旧车买新车,就会得到4500美元的奖励。这个计划本来准备截止到11月1日,但在它开始实施(七月24号)的几天内,10亿奖金就被抢光了。众议院在本周中期又申请了20亿。然后,现在的高销量意味着未来的低销量。若是接下来经济增长又下滑,奥巴马的希望就会破碎。在经济刺激计划上,他已经做了很多。Elkhart的市长,DickMoore,踊跃地争取联邦的经济支持。有传言说他曾穿着奥巴马的睡衣睡觉。虽然总统承诺为一个当地Navistar提供39百万,但是公司要扩大生产及雇用工人,还是需要时间的。相当多地公司申请政府援助。但是很多公司却没有订立相应的商业计划。
音频版下载地址:http://talkingissues.cachefly.net/Economist%20Audio/Aug%2025th/The%20Economist%20August%2025th%20-%20August%2031st%202007.zip"target="_blank">http://talkingissues.cachefly.net/Economist%20Audio/Aug%2025th/The%20Economist%20August%2025th%20-%20August%2031st%202007.zip
UpheavalatPorsche保时捷的剧变Thepredictableendofalongbattle一场旷日持久商战的如期结局WiedekingandHärter,inhappiertimes魏德金与黑特,意气风发时INTHEmorningofJuly23rd,Porscheannouncedthedepartureofitschiefexecutive,WendelinWiedeking,anditschieffinancialofficer,HolgerHärter.TheGermanmakerofsportscarsthussuccumbedtowhathadappearedinevitablesinceMay,whenitcalledoffitsimprobableattempttotakeoverVolkswagen,acarmaker15timesitssize.Thedeparturesofbothmenwillpavethewayforamerger,butoneverymuchonVW’sterms.Porsche,whichunderMrWiedekingbecamethehighest-marginproducerinthecarindustry,willnowbefullyintegratedintotheVWGroup,joiningsevenothercarbrands:VW,Audi,Skoda,Seat,Bentley,LamborghiniandBugatti.AsTheEconomistwenttopress,ameetingofVW’ssupervisoryboardwasexpectedtoconfirmthecommitmenttobringPorscheintothefold.ForVW’schairman,72-year-oldFerdinandPiëch,whoisalsoamajorshareholderinPorsche,itwillhavebeenamomenttosavour.Asrecentlyaslatelastyear,MrWiedekingappearedoncoursetooustMrPiëchandcompletetheacquisitionofVW,thefruitionofanaudaciousplanconceivedbyMrHärteraslongagoas2005.Thehard-chargingMrWiedekinghadcometoseeMrPiëchasanobstacleinhispathandthearch-representativeoftheoldwaysofdoingthingsatVW.TheseincludedcosyrelationshipswiththeunionsandthestateofLowerSaxony,whichhasavetoonimportantdecisionsthankstoa20%stakeandthearchaic“VWLaw”.LastOctoberPorschetriggeredasensationalsqueezeonshort-sellerswhenitwasslowtoadmitthatithadraiseditsstakeinVWvotingsharesto42.6%whileacquiringafurther31.5%intheformofsecuredoptions.Foratime,VWwasthemostvaluablecompanyintheworld.AmonthlaterMrWiedekingunveiledprofitsthatexceededrevenuethankstotheappreciationofeuro6.8billion($8.7billion)inthevalueofitsstakeinVW.Hedeclaredthatwiththehelpofaeuro10billioncreditlinetorealiseitsoptions,Porschewouldpressfor“dominantcontrol”ofthelargerfirm.ThatprovedtobethehighpointofMrWiedeking’svaultingambition.AlthoughPorscheincreaseditsholdinginVWto50.8%inJanuary,itcouldonlydosobyalmosttriplingitsnetdebttoeuro9billion—atjustthemomentwhenitscarsalesweregoingintofreefallandthecreditmarketswereshuttingupshop.PerhapsifPorschehadmanagedtogettheVWLawoverturned,everythingmightstillhaveworkedoutforMrWiedeking.HewouldthenhavebeenabletoexploitPorsche’santicipated75%stakeinVWtopaydownthedebtwiththehelpofthebiggercompany’seuro11billioncashpile.ButatthepromptingofChristianWolff,LowerSaxony’spremierandafellowChristianDemocrat,AngelaMerkel,theGermanchancellor,riskedthewrathoftheEuropeanCommissionbyrefusingtoendthestate’sblockingminority.OnMay6ththewarringPorscheandPiëchfamilies,whichownallthevotingstockoftheholdingcompanythatcontrolsPorsche,agreedtofindawayofmergingthetwocarmakers.Thegamewasallbutup.AsMrPiëchgloated,MrWiedekingandMrHärtermadealastdesperateattempttosalvagesomethingfromthewreckageoftheirplans.TheirhopesrestedonsellingasubstantialstakeinPorschetoaQatarisovereign-wealthfundandthennegotiatingwithVWfromapositionofgreaterstrength.However,theQatariswerereluctanttobecomeinvolvedinthefeudbetweenthefamiliesandhadtheireyeonasubstantialshareholdinginthemergedgroup.Theyinsistedthattheywouldinvestonlyoncethepartieshadcometoterms.ForMrWiedekingandMrHärterthatmeantonething:adignifiedexit.AstatementfromPorschesaidthattheysawtheirdeparture“asasignificantcontributiontotheappeasementofthesituationandtosupporttheformingofanintegratedcarmanufacturingcompany.”Nottoomanytearsshouldbeshedforthepair,wholastyearearnedmorethaneuro100mbetweenthem.ButforPorsche,itisasadendto78yearsofproudindependence.
看过《货币战争》的人应该知道这本书吧?ConfessionsofanEconomicHitman-JohnPerkins英文扫描版增加Word版本下载。PDF完整版,无需解压。