Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago. / Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / Economics and Finance / Master / Master of Economics

published_or_final_version / Economics / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

The first essay uses Chinese Urban Household Survey (CUHS) data from 1988 to 2003 to conduct a cohort analysis of household income, household consumption, and household saving rate, and then uses synthetic panel data to explore the determinants of household saving rate. The cohort analysis not only offers stylized patterns of age profiles on household income, household consumption, and household saving rate but also their profiles of cohort effect and age effect by decomposition work. The cohort analysis likewise tests the relation between cohort effect and productivity growth. Overall, the empirical results present a different pattern compared with other studies and also contradict with the general predictions of the standard model in the consumption theory. In investigating the determinants of household saving rate, this essay examines the roles of household income, economic growth rate, inflation rate, and demographic variables, especially from the perspective of income inequality and systematic difference among cohorts. / The second essay examines the existence of a precautionary saving motive due to labor income uncertainty, using CUHS data from 2002 to 2003. Methodologically, this essay adopts a novel method to construct the proxy for labor income uncertainty, by the ratio of infra-group dispersion conditional on the individuals' labor income determinants to labor income. The empirical results present robust evidence that labor income uncertainty negatively affects household consumption, and there exists obviously different responses to labor income uncertainty from three perspectives: between old households and young households, among different households whose household heads are in different occupations, and between households whose household heads work in the State-owned Units and their counterparts. / The third essay then attempts to explore the determinants of housing wealth and housing price by a hedonic pricing model and evaluate the housing wealth effect on household consumption behavior. For the determinants of housing wealth and housing price, this essay demonstrates that incomplete property rights depress the value of housing asset by both a theoretical model and the empirical results. Regarding housing wealth's effect on household consumption behavior, the empirical results show that the housing wealth effect is significant and that it is obviously smaller for those observations whose houses' property rights are incomplete, compared with their counterparts. / Zhou, Shaojie. / "August 2007." / Advisers: Jun Sen Zhang; Hong bin Li. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-02, Section: A, page: 0704. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-222). / 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, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

published_or_final_version / Business / Master / Master of Philosophy

Li Wei. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-84). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / English Abstract --- p.ii / Chinese Abstract --- p.vii / Acknowledgements --- p.vi / Table of Contents --- p.vii / List of Graphs and Tables --- p.ix / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Literature Review / Chapter 2.1 --- Social Security and Savings --- p.3 / Chapter 2.2 --- Pension Funds and Financial Markets --- p.10 / Chapter 2.3 --- China's Pension Reform --- p.14 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- China's Pension Reform / Chapter 3.1 --- The Evolution of Pension System --- p.18 / Chapter 3.2 --- The Background for Current Reform --- p.21 / Chapter 3.3 --- The New Pension System --- p.27 / Chapter 3.4 --- Key Issues for Future Reform --- p.31 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- The Impact of Pension Reform on Private Savings in China / Chapter 4.1 --- The Theory --- p.36 / Chapter 4.2 --- The Model --- p.40 / Chapter 4.3 --- Data and Methodology --- p.45 / Chapter 4.4 --- Empirical Results --- p.49 / Chapter Chapter 5: --- The Interaction between Pension Reform and Financial Marketin China / Chapter 5.1 --- The Effects of A Funded Pension System on Financial Market --- p.53 / Chapter 5.2 --- Pension Reform and Financial Market in China --- p.59 / Chapter Chapter 6: --- Experiences of Chile and Singapore and the Implications for China / Chapter 6.1 --- The Pension Reform in Chile --- p.69 / Chapter 6.2 --- The Central Provident Funds in Singapore --- p.70 / Chapter 6.3 --- The Implications for China --- p.71 / Chapter Chapter 7: --- Conclusion --- p.76 / Bibliography --- p.79 / Data Appendix --- p.85

Chan Bun Bun. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-67). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / English Abstract --- p.ii / Chinese Abstract --- p.iii / Acknowledgements --- p.iv / Table of Contents --- p.v / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Hong Kong Social Security System / Chapter 2.1 --- The Needs of Old Age Protection in Hong Kong --- p.3 / Chapter 2.2 --- Current Situation in Hong Kong --- p.4 / Chapter 2.3 --- Review of the Development of Old Age Protection in Hong Kong --- p.7 / Chapter 2.4 --- The MPF System in Hong Kong --- p.9 / Chapter 2.5 --- The Policy Issues of the MPF System --- p.12 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Singapore Social Security System / Chapter 3.1 --- The Needs Old Age Protection in Singapore --- p.18 / Chapter 3.2 --- The CPF System in Singapore --- p.20 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- The CPF in Singapore and the MPF in Hong Kong / Chapter 4.1 --- Reasons for Comparing the CFP in Singapore with the MPF in Hong Kong --- p.25 / Chapter 4.2 --- Comparing the CPF in Singapore with the MPF in Hong Kong --- p.26 / Chapter 4.3 --- Comparing the Impact of the MPF and the CPF on Aggregate Savings --- p.28 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Literature Review / Chapter 5.1 --- The Impact of Social Security Wealth on Aggregate Savingsin United States --- p.33 / Chapter 5.2 --- The Impact of Social Security Wealth on Aggregate Savingsin Other Countries --- p.38 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- The Theory --- p.42 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- The Empirical Set Up / Chapter 7.1 --- The Data --- p.49 / Chapter 7.2 --- The Model --- p.50 / Chapter 7.3 --- Method of Estimation --- p.53 / Chapter Chapter 8 --- Results Interpretation --- p.56 / Chapter Chapter 9 --- Conclusion --- p.61 / Bibliography --- p.63 / Data Appendix --- p.75