Transfer Payments Research Articles

How social integration affects the income of relocated households: evidence from China

Ensuring the income of relocated households is of great theoretical and practical significance for improving their livelihoods and sustainable development. This article is based on micro survey data of relocated farmers in Sichuan Province, China, and analyzes the impact of social integration on the income level and structure of relocated farmers from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. The results show that: social integration has a significant positive effect on the household income level of relocated farmers, and the effect of social integration on household income decreases with the increase of income level. From the perspective of income structure, social integration improves the operating income, wage income and property income of relocated households, but the impact of social integration on transfer income is not obvious. Non-agricultural employment ability, information acquisition and life satisfaction are the mechanisms through which social integration affects household income. There are differences in the effect of social integration on household income among different groups of relocated farmers. Finally, according to the conclusion, the paper puts forward relevant countermeasures and suggestions to improve the level of social integration, improve the non-agricultural employment ability of relocated farmers, improve the quality of information acquisition and life satisfaction, and provide differentiated support for different groups.

Financial Incentives, Income Supplementation, Cash Transfer, and Universal Basic Income Interventions in Diabetes: Understanding Differences and Effectiveness: A Scoping Review.

The objective of this review is to evaluate and summarize the evidence base for the effects of monetary intervention approaches (the use of positive monetary reinforcers and gains) on diabetes outcomes. A reproducible search using OVID Medline, PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL was conducted. Articles published from database creation up to July 2024 were searched. Outcomes included hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), LDL, BMI, blood pressure, quality of life (QOL), psychosocial factors, self-care behaviors, and diabetes complications. A total of 13 articles met inclusion criteria and were included for final synthesis. Looking at the monetary approach across each study, eight used financial incentives, three used a form of income supplementation, one used cash transfers, and one used a combination of income supplementation and financial incentives. Ten of the 13 studies found statistically significant and clinically meaningful changes in HbA1c. For participants receiving interventions, change in HbA1c ranged from 0.19% to 1.74% for interventions incorporating financial incentives, 0.7% to 1.3% for interventions incorporating income supplementation, and 0.2% to 0.7% for the study incorporating cash transfers. Overall, evidence supports the relationship between monetary approaches, diabetes-related outcomes, and self-care behaviors across monetary approaches. Future studies should consider comparison between different monetary approaches using designs that will allow identification of effective strategies. As these approaches are theoretically and structurally different, pathways identifying the underlying mechanisms of change are greatly needed to advance the field.

An Evolutionary Game and Simulation Study of Work Safety Governance and Its Impact on Long-Term Sustainability Under the Supervisory System

Work safety governance is a critical component of corporate ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance, particularly in high-risk industries. Effective safety supervision systems not only protect workers’ wellbeing, a key social metric in ESG frameworks, but also enhance corporate governance through improved risk management and regulatory compliance. The supervisory system represents a major institutional innovation in China’s approach to addressing increasingly complex work safety governance challenges. This study constructs an evolutionary game model involving the central government, local government, and high-risk enterprises to analyze the evolutionary characteristics of stakeholder behaviors. Through system simulation, we examine how key parameter changes affect the stability of system equilibrium points. Our findings reveal that (1) the current supervisory system effectively incentivizes both local governments to conduct safety supervision and high-risk enterprises to comply with safety investment requirements. (2) While government penalty levels do not affect strategy combinations, both insufficient and excessive penalties slow the system’s evolution toward optimal states. (3) Local governments tend to choose non-regulatory strategies when transfer payments and enterprise subsidies are inadequate. (4) Insufficient supervision intensity from the central government leads to local government non-regulation, and although this can be addressed by increasing supervision intensity, excessive supervision reduces the system’s evolution speed toward ideal states. Based on these findings, we propose policy recommendations for rational supervision intensity control, scientific reward–punishment mechanisms, and enhanced safety information transparency. This framework provides insights into the relationship between governance mechanisms and corporate long-term sustainability, which has been shown to improve ESG standards.

Research on Territorial Spatial Use Regulation, Land Element Allocation, and Regional Fiscal Transfer Payments: An Empirical Study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Research on Territorial Spatial Use Regulation, Land Element Allocation, and Regional Fiscal Transfer Payments: An Empirical Study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Financial income and married women’s labor participation in urban China

Will financial income lead to a decreased labor force participation by its negative income effect? Using the 2017 China Household Finance Survey, we find that the household financial income significantly increases married women’s probability of labor force participation in urban China, which stands in sharp contrast with transfer income, another non-labor income. We believe that this is because of the ”cash in advance” property of financial income, that is, the household must accumulate cash beforehand in order to gain in the financial market. We further show that both the financial market participation decision and level of invested financial asset holdings lead to an increased labor participation. Our results dismiss the suspicion that engaging in the financial market may allure or distract people from working.

Where and why do politicians send pork? Evidence from central government transfers to French municipalities

Where and why do politicians send pork? Evidence from central government transfers to French municipalities

The Role of Fiscal Decentralization in Enhancing Regional Financial Independence in Indonesia

This study aims to analyze the role of fiscal decentralization in enhancing regional financial independence in Indonesia. Using a qualitative approach and literature review methodology, the research examines the role of fiscal decentralization in promoting regional financial autonomy in Indonesia. The analysis compares the effectiveness of fiscal decentralization policies in fostering financial independence across various regions in the country. Fiscal decentralization has demonstrated positive impacts by granting regions greater freedom to determine development priorities and explore funding sources. Regions with strong economic potential and natural resources can increase their locally generated revenue (Pendapatan Asli Daerah or PAD) to support development. However, this policy also creates disparities among regions, where wealthier regions manage their finances independently while poorer regions remain reliant on central government transfers. Moreover, limited managerial capacity in some regions hampers the policy's effectiveness. Fiscal decentralization can strengthen regional financial independence if accompanied by enhanced financial management capacity and fiscal policy adjustments.

Assessment of compliance and therapeutic efficacy of albendazole treatment in Chinese patients with echinococcosis

BackgroundEchinococcosis is an infectious parasitic disease that is extremely harmful to human health. Albendazole is provided free of charge to patients requiring medication under the central government finance transfer payment scheme for echinococcosis control and prevention in China. Our aim is to monitor the state of patient medication and its therapeutic impact, which will help improve medication compliance and the therapeutic effect.MethodsRandom cluster sampling was used to select 10 echinococcosis-endemic counties in China, and all albendazole-treated patients in these counties were investigated. The chi-square and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to compare two or more rates or constituent ratios, and multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify the influencing factors. The records of patients were reviewed to obtain the initial diagnosis results as well as the most recent follow-up results and time, and efficacy was assessed.ResultsWe examined 899 patient files treated with albendazole in 10 endemic counties. Of the 582 evaluable files, 7.9% did not take albendazole, and 69.2% did not take albendazole regularly. Only 22.9% took albendazole regularly. Of the 536 patients who took albendazole, 242 exhibited adverse reactions. Patients who were Tibetan, herdsmen, received no formal education, used emulsion, and exhibited adverse reactions demonstrated poor compliance. A total of 174 patients with cystic echinococcosis received their most recent imaging follow-up results within one year of the investigation date. Among them, 9 patients met the criteria for cure, accounting for 5.2%; 56 patients showed effectiveness, accounting for 32.2%; 105 patients were deemed ineffective, accounting for 59.8%; 5 patients experienced recurrence, accounting for 2.9%.ConclusionsAlbendazole medication compliance in patients with echinococcosis is not ideal. We must prioritize health education and promotion for Tibetans, herdsmen, and those without formal education. Patients who adhered to their medication regimen achieved higher rates of cure and effectiveness. To improve medication compliance and efficacy, it is particularly important to improve communication and medication guidance for patients receiving emulsions and those with adverse reactions after taking albendazole. Simultaneously strengthen patients' attention to follow-up and re-examination.Graphical

Optimising Fiscal Decentralisation: Addressing Financial Management Challenges in Gorontalo Province

Fiscal decentralisation is the basic capital to reach better governance, regional development, and fiscal autonomy. This paper discusses financial management barriers and opportunities in the Gorontalo Province, a region with low fiscal autonomy, as shown by its index and heavy dependency on central government transfer. This qualitative research, using data from interviews and document studies, found various inefficiencies in the province, such as incongruence between expenditures and revenues, lack of coordination among stakeholders, non-compliance by taxpayers, and delays in financial reporting. Drawing on the theoretical work of Schick (1998) for a framework for public expenditure management and using empirical evidence, this paper proposes an integrated strategy toward a better fiscal management system, diversification of revenue sources, enhancements in planning techniques, introduction of comprehensive accounting mechanisms, and stakeholder participation. This paper contributes to the debate on fiscal decentralisation by giving practical suggestions on how to achieve fiscal autonomy and promote sustainable development in economically less-developed regions.

Relocation Incentives in Alaska; Or, The Call of the Wild and Transfer Payments

Relocation Incentives in Alaska; Or, The Call of the Wild and Transfer Payments

Pricing Power Conflict and Cooperation Strategies of Competing Two‐Sided Platforms: Impact of the Differentiated Value‐Added Services and Cross‐Network Effects

ABSTRACTSince pricing power plays a pivot role in platforms' pricing strategies and services investment, thereby influencing the competitive landscape between the two platforms. This study investigates the pricing power preferences within a two‐sided manufacturing platform ecosystem, where a large‐scale platform (platform L) competes with a small‐specialized platform (platform R) for bilateral users through differentiated value‐added services (VAS) level. Both platforms exhibit cross‐network externality and engage in pricing power competition. Three endogenous pricing power modes are available, including horizontal Nash (mode B), platform L‐price‐leader Stackelberg (mode L), and platform R‐price‐leader Stackelberg (mode R). The optimal solutions under each mode and characterize the equilibrium evolution of pricing power preferences are derived. Findings reveal that at the low VAS level stage for platform L, mode R realizes equilibrium when the hassle cost is low; mode L realizes equilibrium when the hassle cost is high. At the high VAS level stage for platform L, mode L realizes equilibrium when the hassle cost is high; mode R realizes equilibrium only when the hassle cost is low and cross‐network externality is in a high range. Notably, competing platforms will trap into the pricing power conflict when both platforms strategically second moves in announcing prices. Therefore, this study proposes two feasible strategies for platform cooperation: joint revenue and VAS cost‐sharing and transfer payment. These strategies can reach a “win–win” outcome when sharing ratios are moderate or payment meets suitable thresholds. This study not only enhances the theory of two‐sided markets but also provides strategic guidance for platform competition and cooperation.

An Empirical Study on the Impact of Local Financial Capacity on the Supply Efficiency of Ecological Public Goods

Improving the quality and level of ecological public goods supply is crucial for enhancing the public happiness index and ensuring ecological welfare. A high-quality ecological environment generates significant positive externalities, making the provision of such goods a key focus of government expenditure. The ability of local governments to adequately fund the supply of ecological public goods depends on the strength of their financial capacity. Based on the panel data of 30 provincial-level regions in China from 2007 to 2019, this paper uses the super-efficiency Slack-Based Measure (SBM) model and the dynamic Malmquist index to measure the supply efficiency of provincial-level regional ecological public goods including undesirable outputs. Furthermore, the panel Tobit model and the system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model are used to empirically test the impact of local fiscal capacity on the supply efficiency of ecological public goods. The results show that fiscal absorption capacity can significantly improve the supply efficiency of ecological public goods, and the economic growth preference of fiscal allocation capacity can also significantly improve the supply efficiency of ecological public goods, indicating that under the influence of the current economic structure transformation and ecological civilization construction, the distortion of local governments in the supply of public goods has been improved, while the administrative consumption preference of fiscal allocation capacity hinders the improvement of the supply efficiency of ecological public goods, and the fiscal self-sufficiency has a lag in improving the supply efficiency of ecological public goods. Fiscal transfer payments have significantly improved the efficiency of the supply of ecological public goods.

Relationship between income inequality, social transfers, poverty, and employment in Ukraine

The impact of social transfers on income inequality and poverty remains a subject of debate, particularly regarding threshold effects, design, and integration with taxation and labor market dynamics. Using a linear regression model, the study analyzes the dependency of the Gini index on the percentage of social transfers in the average household’s monthly resources, the percentage of households with income below the median, and the percentage of the employed populace in Ukraine from 2010 to 2021. The results show that a 1% increase in social transfers in household income reduces income inequality by 0.13%, a 1% increase in employment decreases income inequality by 0.1%, whereas a 1% rise in poverty leads to a 0.34% increase in income inequality. In line with the results from EU and OECD countries, this study confirms that increasing the share of social transfers in household incomes contributes to the mitigation of income inequality in Ukraine. However, this remains valid only if the share of social transfers in households’ total income rises proportionally. The income and expenditure patterns of Ukrainian households, along with the Gini index, reflect poverty, which is partially mitigated by social transfers; however, their effectiveness is constrained by offsetting inflation. The rise in household incomes without a corresponding reduction in poverty suggests that employment is no longer the predominant factor in poverty alleviation in Ukraine. Acknowledgment This paper is funded as part of the project “Financial tools for reducing economic inequality in Ukraine” research project (No. 0124U002254), conducted at the State Organization “Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine”.

Decision‐making and coordination of a three‐tier fresh agricultural product supply chain considering dynamic freshness‐keeping effort

AbstractThe freshness‐keeping of agricultural products is an essential issue that affects business development, food safety, and human health. Due to the structural characteristics of the supply chain, keeping the freshness of agricultural products involves different entities and multiple links, which is a long‐term strategic issue requiring significant investment. Given the perishability of agricultural products, the aging of preservation facilities, or the decline of technology, it is critical to consider the multitier freshness‐keeping strategy from a dynamic perspective. Therefore, this paper studies dynamic freshness‐keeping and coordination of a multitier agricultural product supply chain. We first construct a differential equation considering the three‐tier freshness‐keeping efforts. Then, we compare the optimal freshness‐keeping efforts, retail price, and system profit between the decentralized and centralized decision‐making models. Finally, two contracts based on cost‐sharing and secondary transfer payment are designed to coordinate the decentralized decision‐making model. Results show that (i) as the decision sequence moves backward, freshness‐keeping effort decreases at each tier for the same freshness‐keeping efficiency; (ii) adopting the centralized decision‐making model offers several advantages, including well‐balanced freshness‐keeping efforts across multiple tiers, a lower retail price, and higher system profit; and (iii) under a specified payment range, the “freshness‐keeping cost‐sharing‐two‐part fee” contract motivates entities to increase freshness‐keeping efforts and realizes individual and system‐wide profit improvements.

The Impact of Vertical Fiscal Imbalance and Local Government Expenditure Structure on the Quality of Economic Development in China: A Study Based on a Simultaneous Equations Model

The challenge of improving economic development quality and achieving sustainable growth has become a pressing issue for the Chinese government. This study explores the interaction between vertical fiscal imbalance, local government expenditure structure, and economic development quality. Using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces spanning 2008-2022, the study applies the three-stage least squares method to assess the dual impact of vertical fiscal imbalance on economic development quality. The results demonstrate that vertical fiscal imbalance not only has a direct negative impact on economic development quality but also indirectly impairs it by constraining the expenditure structure. Moreover, local government expenditure on public welfare projects plays a pivotal role in improving economic development quality. This study highlights the importance of addressing vertical fiscal imbalance in improving economic development quality. It recommends a rational division of fiscal powers and responsibilities between central and local governments, reforms to China’s fiscal transfer payment system, and optimization of the expenditure structure to mitigate vertical fiscal imbalance and enhance China’s economic development quality.

Safety Net Spending on Children and the Sources of Household Income Across U.S. States, 1997–2016

High levels of poverty and economic precarity in the United States relative to other countries have led to academic and policy debates about whether welfare state investments accomplish what they are intended to. Although social safety net spending clearly has antipoverty effects at the national level, there is scant evidence on the “resource pathway” presumed to underlie the effects of the local welfare state on families with children. Which types of public investments have especially contributed to the total resources of households with children? Understanding this question at the state level is important, given dramatic variation in states’ safety net spending on children and the rise of federalism, which increases state autonomy in designing and administering social programs. Using annual data from the 1997–2016 State-by-State Spending on Kids Dataset linked to data from the Census Bureau's Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey, we examine the relationship between transfer spending in states and household income sources. Findings suggest that government transfers raise the total income of households with the lowest income and educational levels and that transfer income among these households is more multidimensional than among higher resource households. Further, analyses using variation within and across states demonstrate that state-level spending in each area is associated with an increase in corresponding transfer income among non-college-educated households and those in the bottom half of the income distribution; such spending is associated with no increase (or a decrease) in transfer income among college-educated households and those in the top quarter of the income distribution. These results suggest that increases in state-level spending disproportionately benefit the budgets of households with the lowest resources and might be a promising means to reduce resource gaps between households.

Critical Elements and Theoretical Logic of Horizontal Transfer Payment System for Eco-Compensation: A Study Based on Grounded Theory

In recent years, how to coordinate the sustainable production and life of human society with the protection of ecological environment has become particularly important. This paper reviewed and analyzed the existing Chinese and English literature on Horizontal transfer payment system for eco-compensation (or hereinafter referred to as ECITPS), based on which this paper applied Grounded Theory to study the critical elements and theoretical logic of the System, exploring its formation process and logical procedure, and constructing a theoretical model of this System. It was found that the theoretical model of eco-compensation Horizontal transfer payment system is mainly divided into three stages, namely, the early, middle and late stages. Moreover, the logic of the ECITPS as a whole was the validation of PDCA Deming Cycle Theory, while the previous research on Horizontal transfer payment for eco-compensation was more focused on the specific object, with a lack of the overall macro understand of the theoretical framework for the system. Therefore, this paper assisted to promote the improvement of the ECITPS from the macro theoretical framework, and provided a reference idea for the development of the transfer payment field in the future period.

The (UN)Importance of Inheritance

Abstract Transfers from parents—either in the form of gifts or inheritances—have received much attention as a source of inequality. This paper uses administrative data for the population of Norway to examine the share of the Total Inflows (defined as the capitalized sum of net labor income, government transfers, and gifts and inheritances received over the period) accounted for by capitalized gifts and inheritances. Consistent with other work, we find that there is much inequality in the receipt of gifts and inheritances. However, gifts and inheritances represent a small share of Total Inflows; this is true across the distribution of Total Inflows, as well as at all levels of net wealth. Gifts and inheritances are only an important source of income flows among those who have very wealthy parents. Additionally, gifts and inheritances have very little effect on the distribution of Total Inflows, suggesting that inheritance taxes may do little to mitigate inequality.

Do Taxes and Transfers Stimulate Development in Latin America?

This study examines the relationship between fiscal redistribution and human development in 12 Latin American countries over the period 2000–2021. Aiming to evaluate this relationship across the distribution, quantile regression is performed. The results suggest that greater redistribution is associated with higher development, although this relationship's strength decreases during the second half of the distribution. The analysis of taxes’ and government transfers’ redistributive effect is extended to the different dimensions of development—health, education and economy—and obtains significant coefficients at both the beginning and the end of the distribution. Several robustness analyses evaluate the results’ consistency for different specifications and sub-periods. When controlling for socio-economic factors, the intensity of the positive link between redistribution and development decreases. Education is the most affected by redistribution increases. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic's impact, a positive association between redistribution and development is obtained for both the pre-pandemic period and the following years.

Population ageing and income inequality in rural China: an 18-year analysis

With the continuous increase of older adults, population ageing has become a public policy issue worldwide. Gaining insight into the current state of population ageing and its impact on income inequality is essential for designing effective and equitable policies that support economic development and social stability. This study, focusing on rural China, explores the relationship between population ageing and Gini coefficient of income, using nationally representative rural household data collected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China from 2003 to 2020. Results based on the decoupling index and decomposition method reveal that the issue of income inequality in the surveyed rural areas has not intensified with the progression of ageing, which overturns the predominant view in existing research that population ageing exacerbates income inequality. The findings indicate that the inhibitory effect of increasing transfer income on income inequality has become more pronounced as ageing deepens, and the income structural effect of rural residents in China has played a role in reducing the Gini coefficient. Based on these results, some suggestions are proposed such as raising parental allowance, improving rural production and living environment, constrcuting the long-term care system, and implementing multifaceted measures to enhance the income level of rural older adults.