Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1922. / Vita. Published also as Studies in history, economics and public law, ed. by the Faculty of political science of Columbia university, vol. XCIX, no. 2; whole no. 226. Bibliography: p. 182-187.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1922. / Vita. Published also as Studies in history, economics and public law, ed. by the Faculty of political science of Columbia University, vol. XCIX, no. 2; whole no. 226. Bibliography: p. 182-187.

An attempt is made in this thesis to describe and analyze the development of municipal and provincial finances in China from 1912 to 1946. The major emphasis is placed upon the financial history of the municipalities. Of these there are five distinct types. The Hsien is by far the most numerous type, and is stressed in accordance with its importance. In a period of turbulent and often chaotic political conditions such as China has experienced in the last forty years, it was inevitable that political considerations would have a crucial bearing upon efforts to construct a stable system of municipal finance. Naturally, therefore, a considerable portion of the thesis is taken up with the influence of political events upon municipal and provincial finances. The brief period of extreme centralization under Yuan Shih-kai was followed after his death in 1916 by a decade of civil war. In this period provincial war lords tried to concentrate as much power in their grasp as possible. The municipalities were very hard pressed for adequate independent sources of revenue, and the provincial governments showed scant consideration for their needs. The Kuomintang party came to power in 1927 after a severe struggle against the provincial war lords. This party remained in power until the present civil war. Partly to aid the municipal governments which urgently needed assistance, and partly to lessen the power of provincial governments, Kuomintang leaders undertook to strengthen the financial position of the municipal governments. Four national financial conferences were held between 1928 and 1946 with a view to achieving a reasonable division of revenues and expenditures. Among the three levels of government these conferences were held in 1928, 1934, 1941 and 1946. The obstacles to achieving a reasonable solution of the problem were accentuated greatly by the advent of the Sino-Japanese war which began in 1934. The violent inflation which arose during and after this war was a paramount issue at the last two financial Conferences. Gratifying progress was made at these Conferences. Indeed at the conclusion of the 1946 Conference, it seemed that a satisfactory balance of financial power would be achieved for the National, Provincial and Municipal governments. The present civil war has obliterated for the time being at least, any prospect for an early and effective solution to the financial problems of China. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate

published_or_final_version / abstract / Business / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Economics / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Also available in print.

Based on a set of fiscal data for the year 2000, which covers all county-level jurisdictions in China, Chapter 3 explores various factors causing the fiscal deficits of governments at the grassroots level. Other than economic factors, our empirical findings suggest that institutional defects, such as the mismatch between fiscal revenue and expenditure responsibility, the ineffective fiscal transfer system, and the abuse of power among local officials, all aggravate the fiscal predicament of poor counties. A proposed reform of compressing the current five-tier administrative hierarchy may help to address these institutional problems. / Chapter 1 explores the hotly debated issues pertaining to fiscal disparities in China during the second half of the 1990s, and investigates the various factors driving the changes in fiscal disparities. These factors include economic factors (e.g., GDP per capita, economic structure) and institutional factors (e.g., the urban---rural dichotomy, ethnic issues). We adopt the general, regression-based approach that was proposed by Morduch and Sicular (2002), and Fields (2003), to decompose fiscal disparity with respect to per capita fiscal expenditure. The empirical results indicate that among all the statistically significant factors, GDP per capita and the urban-rural dichotomy are the two most important variables affecting fiscal disparities. Other relatively important factors include economic structure and population density. Likewise, several features of fiscal expenditure in China identified by our empirical findings together with their corresponding policy implications are discussed in this chapter. / Chapter 2 delineates a comprehensive picture of sub-provincial fiscal transfers in China with the help of a set of fiscal data covering all sub-provincial jurisdictions. It explores various factors affecting the distribution of fiscal transfers. Among them are economic factors, political factors, and demographic factors. The empirical results indicate that among all these factors, economic factors and political concerns are the more important determinants of intergovernmental fiscal transfers, while local demands for some basic public services, such as healthcare, education, and social security, seem not to have been seriously taken into account by Chinese government. Our empirical findings also identify several features of the fiscal transfer system in China. Their policy implications are discussed accordingly. / With the help of fiscal statistics on sub-provincial public finance in China, this dissertation intends to achieve three goals. First, it explores the debate on the factors driving fiscal disparities through a rigorous empirical analysis. Second, it examines the determinants of intergovernmental fiscal transfers. Finally, this dissertation further explores the local fiscal predicament at the county level. / Yu, Qing. / Adviser: Kaiyuen Tsui. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: 2173. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical reference. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest dissertations and theses, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

Issued also as Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California. / Bibliography: p. 283-287.

Thesis (M.C.M.) -- Lincoln University, 2009. / Also available via the World Wide Web.