Yue Chim Richard Wong 王于漸
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Housing, Retirement and the Economy – Why Family Savings and Investing in Children Matters

By YueChim Richard On 2013/01/30 · Add Comment · 76,147 views
(This essay was published in Hong Kong Economic Journal on 30 January 2013) Enhancing and protecting family investments in children is central to China’s long-term economic vitality and growth, and to rebalancing its economy away from investment and towards consumption. Important steps in that direction may include reforming divorce laws, repealing the one-child policy, liberalizing banking and financial markets, and supplying more low cost housing using the Singapore approach (not the Hong Kong approach). In Hong Kong and on the mainland, state intervention through marriage laws, government housing programs, financial sector regulations and old age retirement schemes have had an incredibly large detrimental impact on how families save, have children and invest in them. Fortunately the family is fighting to survive for there is no other alternative. The experiences of the Western industrialized economies offer lessons on what to avoid, not embrace as many in Hong Kong think.
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Economics of the Family and Same-Sex Marriages

By YueChim Richard On 2013/01/23 · 2 Comments · 74,745 views
(This essay was published in Hong Kong Economic Journal on 23 January 2013) The essential division of labor between spouses in a family is the production of “own children”. It cannot be simply dismissed. On this issue there is a sea of difference between same-sex and opposite-sex marriages. . . . the family is man’s institutional creation to provide the best chance for this desire to be fulfilled so that the interests of future generations can be safeguarded. Marriage is the contractual arrangement that provides the best protection for the family to survive and thrive.
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The Value of Not Working and Its Policy Implications

By YueChim Richard On 2013/01/16 · Add Comment · 7,206 views
(This essay was published in Hong Kong Economic Journal on 16 January 2013) Research studies on the disincentive effects of generous welfare programs are few and should be undertaken. Today society is poised to expand these programs further amidst concerns of rising poverty and a widening income and wealth gap. This should be undertaken with caution to avoid creating even stronger incentives for individuals, especially young workers, to withdraw from the labor force.
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What is the Purpose of a Competition Policy?

By YueChim Richard On 2013/01/09 · Add Comment · 79,540 views
(This essay was published in Hong Kong Economic Journal on 9 January 2013) Providing data in a convenient form is an enabling approach to supporting industry, and it is an appropriate role for government to perform. . . . The purpose of a competition policy is to promote a more vibrant market so that more economic activities are encouraged, especially innovation. The purpose of a competition bill should not be to penalize existing businesses and increase their cost of doing business. Will government policy focus on lowering barriers to entry, please?
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Commemorating Joseph Schumpeter and Milton Friedman on Capitalism (Part II)

By YueChim Richard On 2013/01/02 · Add Comment · 21,962 views
(This essay was published in Hong Kong Economic Journal on 2 January 2013) Friedman preferred always to offer people alternatives without compulsion, and favored a competitive provision of such services rather than a public monopolistic provision . . . believing that poverty alleviation should be separately dealt with rather than bundled with compulsory public retirement insurance schemes. To tackle poverty Friedman proposed using . . . directly with income rather than indirectly with subsidized services. Friedman believed it was not fruitful to convince politicians of his ideas; rather it was the people who should be convinced, who would then tell the politicians what they must do to keep their jobs.
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Commemorating Joseph Schumpeter and Milton Friedman on Capitalism (Part I)

By YueChim Richard On 2012/12/21 · Add Comment · 10,661 views
If politics is primarily a game of competing for the right to make income transfers between social classes, then an enormous amount of time and resources is spent on redistributive activities. Things get even worse when the transfer goes to the politicians themselves or their narrow constituencies. . . . Under socialism a larger share of the economy is in the hands of the government than under capitalism. This only makes rent-seeking activity and redistributive electoral competition even more rewarding and vicious as more resources are in the control of government. . . . Without a capitalist engine to generate growth, zero-sum politics could cause an economy to go backwards.
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What is the Impact of Minimum Wages on Household Income Distribution?

By YueChim Richard On 2012/12/13 · Add Comment · 11,696 views
It is a mistake to believe that the minimum wage helps low-income households. . . . the workers . . . to a lesser extent even among the high-income households . . . For Hong Kong to genuinely address poverty, it is far more important . . . to study much more comprehensively the real incidence and causes of poverty and not let politics get in the way. The provision of a basic income is a far better policy than a minimum wage. This should be considered in Hong Kong.
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Why the Minimum Wage Harms the Economy?

By YueChim Richard On 2012/12/06 · 1 Comment · 103,116 views
The market provides a mechanism to sort people into different jobs. The minimum wage destroys this important function for low paying jobs. Increasing the minimum wage coverage to more workers would further enlarge the damage to the economy. It simply creates a race to the bottom for a larger number of enthusiastic workers.
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Old Age Living Allowances or Universal Social Pensions

By YueChim Richard On 2012/11/29 · Add Comment · 4,899 views
The government should make clear that it has no intention of adopting a universal social pension scheme and rebuke those who continue to advocate such irresponsible actions that harm society’s intergenerational compact. Unfortunately the government in a bid to appease populist pressure from the legislature is suggesting that the introduction of the OALA will not prevent the government from considering a universal social pension scheme in the future. This is wrong.
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How a Maritime Republic Became a Museum? –– The Decline of Venice

By YueChim Richard On 2012/11/22 · Add Comment · 10,003 views
Venice appeared to have been on the brink of becoming the world's first open, competitive, and inclusive society, but it fell to a coup. Political and economic institutions became more closed, monopolistic, and exclusive, and Venice began to experience economic decline. . . . . When visiting the Doge’s Palace in Venice it is worth considering the two faces of this great medieval trading center . . . . The Doge’s palace grand Sala Maggiore . . . . is its inclusive face . . . . the clandestine rooms of the secret service. . . . is its exclusive face.
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Long-Term Housing Strategy and Homes for Hong Kong Residents –– Eighty Per Cent Homeownership (Part II)

By YueChim Richard On 2012/11/14 · Add Comment · 9,628 views
The central idea of "Hong Kong land for Hong Kong people" is to provide a subsidy on land values for eligible households through the public housing sector. The focus therefore is on land rather than housing structures. The strategy would enable eligible permanent residents to capture the full value of the land they have been offered at a subsidy . . . . It is a path-breaking idea. It forms the core guiding principle for a long-term housing strategy. In 10 years not only would more housing be supplied but we can definitely look forward to exceeding an 80% target for bona fide homeownership.
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Long-Term Housing Strategy and Homes for Hong Kong Residents — Eighty Per Cent Homeownership (Part I)

By YueChim Richard On 2012/11/07 · Add Comment · 6,923 views
Setting a goal of 80% homeownership in the population will make it possible to address problems related to housing policy, with spillover benefits for the political and economic environment. By homeownership I mean those who have full title to their unit and can sell it on the open market without having to settle an unpaid land premium.
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Urban Housing in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Lima: Implications for China

By YueChim Richard On 2012/11/01 · Add Comment · 36,980 views
It is entirely likely that such animosity could also emerge in Mainland urban centers if issues of home ownership and the functioning of markets for public sector housing are not adequately addressed by the authorities in the proposed “economic housing” policy initiative of the 12th Five Year Plan.
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How the Applications List System Becomes the Winner’s Curse?

By YueChim Richard On 2012/11/01 · Add Comment · 79,142 views
It is important to acknowledge that the low number of Application List sites that were successfully triggered in previous years may have been the result of design flaws in the system. These flaws can be remedied. But it would be incorrect to conclude that the market driven system has failed or that there has been collusion among developers. This would be far too sweeping a conclusion. Reverting back to scheduled auctions would be premature and carry other risks if market sentiment turned negative either because economic prospects had dimmed or policy uncertainty had increased.
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Long-Term Housing Strategy After the Mid-1980s

By YueChim Richard On 2012/10/25 · Add Comment · 5,052 views
The continuity of any long-term housing strategy that has to straddle administrations is less secure today. Policy uncertainty does not depend on the credibility of any administration or its determination to act; it reflects the underlying uncertainty of a political system that is still in transition. This adds an additional dimension to the market – policy uncertainty. Such uncertainty magnifies the existing market uncertainties.
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