Despite burgeoning research on the internationalization of the Chinese renminbi, there has been surprisingly little systematic analysis of how the renminbi is actually used in foreign markets. This study addresses this important gap in the literature by providing a cross-country analysis of...

Starr-McCluer (1996) documented an empirical finding that the US households covered by health insurance saved more than those without coverage, which is inconsistent with the standard consumption-saving theory. This study provides a structural analysis and suggests that institutional factors, in...

This paper studies the factors that can generate the puzzling saving phenomenon in the US: 1) Starr-McCluer (1996) finds that households covered by private health insurance save more than comparable households without coverage, even when controlling for other variables. 2) The asset holding...

We study the real business cycles in China between 1954-2006, and examine the changes after China’s market-oriented reforms starting in 1978. We overcome some data problems and find that the economic volatility is generally moderated after 1978. However, the relative volatility of each...

This paper quantitatively characterizes optimal linear and two-bracket income taxes. We consider a dynamic-stochastic-general-equilibrium model in which tax design involves redistributing income for both equity and social insurance. Substantive findings include: (i) a significant fraction of...

This paper provides a fundamental study of China's consumption and output fluctuations. The most recent literature reports that, in the post-1978 period, detrended consumption is significantly more volatile than detrended output in China. This indicates the inability to impose consumption...

Starr-McCluer (1996) documented an empirical finding showing that US households covered by health insurance saved more than those without coverage, which is inconsistent with the standard consumption-saving theory. This study conducts a structural analysis and suggests that institutional...