Shuanglin Lin

Urban Economic Growth in China: Theory and Evidence

This paper analyses the relationship between per capita GDP growth and investment, foreign direct investment, labour force growth, government expenditure and urban infrastructure based on the data for 189 large and medium-sized Chinese cities for the period of 1991-98. Cross-sectional analyses indicate that several factors, such as foreign investment, paved roads and government expenditure on science and technology are positively related to per capita GDP growth, while the overall size of government, measured by total government spending share in GDP, appears negatively related to per capita GDP growth. Contrary to the literature on economic growth, total investment share in GDP is insignificantly related to per capita GDP growth. Also, there is no clear evidence of convergence in per capita GDP among Chinese cities.

Foreign direct investment and economic performance in transition economies: evidence from China

Based upon a production function with FDI representing updated technology from more developed, market‐based economies, this study tests the hypothesis that FDI contributes to the economic growth of less developed, transition economies via technology updating, using data for 30 Chinese provinces from 1985 to 2000. It is found that provinces with a higher FDI ratio experienced faster technology updating and more rapid economic growth. The study suggests that less developed, transition economies should encourage FDI from more developed, market‐based economies so as to accelerate technology updating and economic growth.

Labor income taxation and human capital accumulation

Abstract This paper provides alternative analytical results concerning the effect of labor income taxation on human capital accumulation. With the tax revenues being consumed by the government and savings being negatively related to the labor tax rate, an increase in the labor income tax rate reduces the incentive for human capital accumulation, and thus, decreases human capital. With tax revenues being consumed by government and savings being positively related to the labor tax rate, an increase in the tax rate increases the incentive for human capital accumulation and increases human capital. With the tax revenues being used to compensate the individuals who pay the taxes, an increase in the tax rate has no effect on human capital.

Government Debt and Economic Growth in an Overlapping Generations Model

Prior studies have shown that an increase in government debt raises the real interest rate and lowers the rate of economic growth. In an overlapping generations model of endogenous growth, this paper shows that an increase in government debt may not increase the real interest rate with the real interest rate being greater than the growth and that an introduction of government debt will increase the growth rate of per capita output if the growth rate is greater than the real interest rate and will decrease the growth rate if the growth rate is less than the real interest rate.

Existence and uniqueness of steady-state equilibrium in a two-sector overlapping generations model

In his seminal paper Galor [A two-sector overlapping generations-model: a global characterization of the dynamical system, Econometrica 60 (1992) 1351-1386] establishes conditions for the existence of equilibrium in the two-sector overlapping generations (OLG) model. Although appealing theoretically, these conditions are implicit and not easy to apply. This paper develops new theorems on the existence and uniqueness of steady-state equilibrium in the two-sector OLG model. We provide explicit conditions on the utility and production functions for the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium, with which one only needs to check the derivatives of the production and utility functions and their interactions, without requiring solving for the savings function and its derivatives. We present detailed steps to check the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium and provide illustrative examples.

Taxation, Human Capital Accumulation and Economic Growth

Previous studies have shown that tax rates and the growth rate of output are negatively related under the assumption that government wastes tax revenues. This paper shows that, if tax revenues are used for human capital accumulation, tax rates and the growth rate can be positively related. An increase in the human capital tax rate will increase (decrease) the growth rate when the initial tax rate is small (large). An increase in the physical capital tax rate will increase the growth rate when savings are completely interest‐inelastic. The effects of income taxes and lump‐sum taxes on growth are also analysed. JEL Classification Numbers: E6, H2, O4.

Cross-region FDI productivity spillovers in transition economies: Evidence from China

Prior studies have failed to examine the spatial dimension of FDI productivity spillovers in transition economies. Using data from China, this article investigates how FDI in one location may affect the productivity of domestic firms in another location. The study finds strong evidence that FDI in the growth pole on the coast adversely affects the productivity of domestic firms in the peripheral interior. There is also some evidence that FDI in the peripheral interior positively affects the productivity of domestic firms in the growth pole on the coast. The findings indicate that the inflows of FDI contribute to the widening regional disparities in transition economies like China.

Export expansion and economic growth: Evidence from Chinese Provinces

This paper examines the effect of exports on economic growth based on the data of 30 Chinese provinces from 1978 to 1995. A theoretical model is based on the neoclassical production function, in which exports can affect output growth. It was found that the growth rate of exports and the growth rate of per capita output are positively related; i.e. provinces with faster growth of exports grew faster than the provinces with slower export growth. It was also found that investment in state enterprises was insignificantly related to output growth, while investment in private enterprises was positively related to growth.

Social Security Reform: Options for China

The choice of old-age security system social security funds management and transitional issues health care reforms, rural social security, and social welfare social security reform in the world - lessons for China.

Government education spending and human capital formation

Abstract Given the interest rate, an increase in government education spending increases human capital. But in general equilibrium, more government education spending increases the interest rate, which could reduce the time people spend learning, and therefore could reduce human capital if the initial education spending is relatively high.