Randong Yuan

There has been broad-base growth in wealth for cities all over the world, albeit increasingly unequal within and across cities. Some cities tend to grow faster than others, especially those emerging cities in Asia. We tend to observe longer periods of economic expansions compared to downturns with increasing volatility due to external shocks as cities are also increasingly open and interconnected. Such volatility would mean a less stable macroeconomic environment for cities causing fluctuations in prices and unemployment, as well as shares between private and public consumption. Cost of living, wages and purchasing power therefore become important key benchmark indicators to track and monitor the basic living standard for cities, not just by employers and employees; they matter even more for policymakers, multinational corporations and government of the day, politically. This book is thus a valuable compendium studies on 109 major cities around the world whereby the cost of living, wage and purchasing power indices were tracked and monitored, for both average residents and expatriates, which tend to be vastly different. Annual Indices for Average Residents and Expatriates is currently the only publication that provides comparable data on cost of living across cities for both average residents and expatriates. Cost of living analysis on the latter, widely available in published works, is often mistaken or confused as on the former! This book provides a tool to analyse questions of the differences in the cost of living in cities across the globe between ordinary city dwellers and professionals who work abroad.

There has been broad-base growth in wealth for cities all over the world, albeit increasingly unequal within and across cities. Some cities tend to grow faster than others, especially those emerging cities in Asia. We tend to observe longer periods of economic expansions compared to downturns with increasing volatility due to external shocks as cities are also increasingly open and interconnected. Such volatility would mean a less stable macroeconomic environment for cities causing fluctuations in prices and unemployment, as well as shares between private and public consumption. Cost of living, wages and purchasing power therefore become important key benchmark indicators to track and monitor the basic living standard for cities, not just by employers and employees; they matter even more for policymakers, multinational corporations and government of the day, politically. This book is thus a valuable compendium studies on 109 major cities around the world whereby the cost of living, wage and purchasing power indices were tracked and monitored, for both average residents and expatriates, which tend to be vastly different. Annual Indices for Average Residents and Expatriates is currently the only publication that provides comparable data on cost of living across cities for both average residents and expatriates. Cost of living analysis on the latter, widely available in published works, is often mistaken or confused as on the former! This book provides a tool to analyse questions of the differences in the cost of living in cities across the globe between ordinary city dwellers and professionals who work abroad.

Pension Sustainability in China: Fragmented Administration and Population Aging aims to investigate the impact of fragmentation and population ageing on pension sustainability in China. The book demonstrates how pension sustainability is compromised by various adverse effects produced by fragmentation, such as the moral hazard caused by the disarticulated intergovernmental fiscal responsibility. An overlapping generations (OLG) model is updated with the latest demographic data and is used to assess the impact of population ageing on pension sustainability. The book considers whether adjustment in retirement age can ensure long-term financial sustainability. It explores how, compared to the population ageing, the issues stemming from the fragmentation pose a more insidious threat to pension sustainability in China.

Pension Sustainability in China: Fragmented Administration and Population Aging aims to investigate the impact of fragmentation and population ageing on pension sustainability in China. The book demonstrates how pension sustainability is compromised by various adverse effects produced by fragmentation, such as the moral hazard caused by the disarticulated intergovernmental fiscal responsibility. An overlapping generations (OLG) model is updated with the latest demographic data and is used to assess the impact of population ageing on pension sustainability. The book considers whether adjustment in retirement age can ensure long-term financial sustainability. It explores how, compared to the population ageing, the issues stemming from the fragmentation pose a more insidious threat to pension sustainability in China.

Although the successful economic transformation and reform of China since the 1970s could be regarded as a triumph in human history, China has now entered into the New Normal Era and encountered some slow-down in recent years. The perspective of China's growth under the New Normal Era is relevant for both the domestic and global economies. As the third instalment of ACI's annual tracking of the dynamics of competitiveness for Greater China, this volume includes the rankings and simulation results at both the provincial and regional levels. These offer insights for policy-makers, industry leaders and other stakeholders in identifying challenges and opportunities for sound decision-making. As an important part in determining the success of China's structural change, agricultural productivity is also discussed in detail. Quantitative research is conducted to estimate the agricultural total factor productivity at the provincial level. This provides policy recommendations to help China achieve self-sufficiency in terms of agricultural products.

After more than three decades of rapid growth, China is now entering into the New Normal Era, which will be characterised by slower but sustainable, quality growth for several decades to come. How China will fare under the New Normal Era matters not only for itself but also for its great impact on global prosperity. While presenting as the second instalment of ACI's annual tracking of the dynamics of competitiveness among 34 Greater China economies, this volume also includes the results of the inaugural regional competitiveness analysis for five regions of Greater China. As regional imbalance in socioeconomic advancement is a serious issue China has to face up to under the New Normal Era, the results of such competitiveness analysis at provincial and regional levels offer insights for policy-makers to help address concerns associated with the regional disparity in development, and facilitate industry leaders and other stakeholders in identifying challenges and opportunities for sound decision making.

China is emerging as one of the economic giants of the world, and is gaining international influence and global leadership that commensurate with its rise. China's performance will have far-reaching consequences on whether the economic awakening of the country, which began more than three decades ago, can become a good model to be emulated by other developing economies. This book is a collection of policy papers and data-sets for the 34 Greater China economies. With a comprehensive approach to competitiveness, the research by Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, takes into account different factors that collectively shape the ability of a nation to achieve substantial and inclusive economic development over a sustained period of time. ACI's methodology goes beyond rankings as it conducts policy simulations on how each economy can improve its competitiveness. These policy simulations are a compelling value-added proposition as they enable policymakers, industry leaders and administrators to identify relative challenges and opportunities, and to prioritise areas in crafting public policies and development strategies.