MINIATURE MASS SPECTROMETER SYSTEM WITH A SAMPLING PROBE

This thesis focuses on the development of miniature mass spectrometry systems and the sampling probes. Mass spectrometers are usually installed and used in the analytical laboratory. It requires complex sample preparation before the analysis. Use of miniature mass spectrometer enables the chemical analysis outside the lab and a sampling probe provides convenience for real-time analysis. Two miniature mass spectrometer systems have been developed in this work

Initial Public Offering and Corporate Governance in China's Transitional Economy

This paper empirically investigates the performance of Chinese initial public offerings (IPOs). The data used covers the period from mid-1995 to mid-1999 with the sample including 884 companies (both in the A- and B-share markets). In an examination of growth, profitability and stability of listed companies either individually or as a combination, it can be seen that the only industries in which listed companies in China display strong performance are public utilities, transportation and finance. If one examines the changes in listed companies' financial indicators following the IPO, it becomes apparent that with the exception of earnings related indicators (EPS and ROE) there are no significant changes. What's more, the financial indicators tend to fall rapidly year on year. This means that the IPO is of little obvious help to companies' operational performance, and may actually make things worse. One of the reasons for this is that in order to implement the IPO and secure stock market listing, companies tend to submit inflated figures in the financial statements that they are required to provide. Another possible factor is the poor corporate governance characteristics of Chinese enterprises.

Impact of Anticipated and Unanticipated Monetary and Fiscal Changes on Output: an Empirical Study

Economic

Taiwan’s Rapidly Aging Population: A Crisis in the Making?

A rapidly aging population became a pressing demographic issue in Taiwan in the 1990s due to industrial transformation, family planning and urbanization in the 1970s and 1980s. An aging population tends to lead to less human capital and lower economic growth. The percentage of population aged 65 and above was 13.2% in 2016, while the figure is expected to jump to 16.0% by 2020 and 19.8% by 2025. Taiwan’s total population is projected to register a negative growth rate by 2025. The spike in old-age dependency ratios will deeply affect future labor markets. As the population ages, the working-age population has experienced a declining trend since 2015. Indeed, an aging population is expected to slow down economic growth and raise government spending on social welfare and health care programs, negatively impacting future fiscal sustainability. An enlarging aging population has turned out to be a politically strong force to be reckoned with during elections. Long-term care insurance products could reduce family burden and provide high quality long-term care. It supplements old-age support provided mostly by the family in accordance with Taiwanese cultural values; the family hence still plays a pivotal role in long-term care

Is Taiwan’s Declining Public Investment a Crisis in the Making?

Taiwan’s economic transformation has been a cause for concern in recent years with the latest data indicating a slower expansion of fixed capital formation, a crucial factor for both domestic demand and economic growth. A crucial contributor is the shift in government spending in favor of welfare spending and away from public investment to comply with voters’ preference for low taxes and high government spending during elections. Since public investments in infrastructure are debt-financed, the accumulation of government debt could lead to slower economic growth and an increasingly heavy tax burden for future generations

Fiscal Structures and Regional Economic Growth: Evidence from China’s Fiscal Contract System

[[abstract]]This paper sets out to examine the impact of the fiscal contract system on economic growth in China's different provinces. Empirical testing is conducted using the error components model and pooled cross-section (provinces) and time-series data from 1989 to 1993. The empirical results for the whole sample show an inclination towards convergence of regional economic growth, with any increase in regional tax revenue hindering investment and employment due to excessive taxation, which is unfavorable to economic growth. The same finding applies to extra-budgetary revenue. Ranked by their overall strength, the provinces are divided into economically advanced and backward groups for empirical testing. Comparison of the empirical results using a sample of the top and bottom fifteen, in terms of their overall strength, reveals that the economic growth of the top fifteen provinces tends to be divergent. More fiscal revenue and extra-budgetary funds are unfavorable to economic growth and the results are the same for all provinces; the result also remains the same when fiscal revenue is itemized. The difference between the two lies in fiscal expenditure.[[notice]]本書目待補

Fiscal structures and regional economic growth: evidence from china's fiscal contract system

[[abstract]]This paper sets out to examine the impact of the fiscal contract system on economic growth in China’s different provinces. Empirical testing is conducted using the error components model and pooled cross-section (provinces) and time-series data from 1989 to 1993. The empirical results for the whole sample show an inclination towards convergence of regional economic growth, with any increase in regional tax revenue hindering investment and employment due to excessive taxation, which is unfavorable to economic growth. The same finding applies to extra-budgetary revenue. Ranked by their overall strength, the provinces are divided into economically advanced and backward groups for empirical testing. Comparison of the empirical results using a sample of the top and bottom fifteen, in terms of their overall strength, reveals that the economic growth of the top fifteen provinces tends to be divergent. More fiscal revenue and extra-budgetary funds are unfavorable to economic growth and the results are the same for all provinces; the result also remains the same when fiscal revenue is itemized. The difference between the two lies in fiscal expenditure.[[notice]]補正完