Information transparency,monitoring, and incentives under decentralization: Evidence from China's fiscal reform of “province managing county”

Monitoring is deemed crucial for the incentivization of a decentralized organization, but its function relies on information transparency between the central authority and the delegated individuals. We test this hypothesis by considering changes in the fiscal behavior of Chinese county governments following an exogenous fiscal reform in 2004/2005 that removed information obstacles between provinces and counties. Employing data on 590 Chinese counties from 2000 to 2009, we find that counties in the reform provinces adopt a more proactive fiscal policy after the reform, suggesting that they become more incentivized in the political competition for economic growth. Such effects are stronger in counties with fewer competing peers and counties with either high or low ranks in the records of economic growth among peers. The increase in counties' productive spending leads to higher economic growth in later years.     

A new antiarch placoderm from the Emsian (Early Devonian) of Wuding,Yunnan, China

Pan, Z., Zhu, M., Zhu, Y. &; Jia, L., August 2017. A new antiarch placoderm from the Emsian (Early Devonian) of Wuding, Yunnan, China. Alcheringa 42, 10–21. ISSN 0311-5518.

Wufengshania magniforaminis, a new genus and species of the Euantiarcha (Placodermi: Antiarcha), is described from the late Emsian (Early Devonian) of Wuding, Yunnan, southwestern China. The referred specimens were three-dimensionally preserved in black shales, allowing a high-resolution computed tomography reconstruction of anatomical details. The new euantiarch is characterized by a large orbital fenestra, an arched exoskeletal band around the orbital fenestra and a developed obtected nuchal area of the skull roof. Maximum parsimony analysis, using a revised data-set of antiarchs with 44 taxa and 66 characters, resolves Wufengshania gen. nov. as a member of the Bothriolepididae, which is characterized by the presence of the infraorbital sensory canal diverging on the lateral plate, and the nuchal plate with orbital facets. New analysis supports a sister group relationship between Dianolepis and the Bothriolepididae. Luquanolepis, a coeval euantiarch from the neighboring site of the new form, is referred to the Asterolepidoidei and represents the basalmost and earliest member of the Asterolepidoidei.

Zhaohui Pan* [panzhaohui@ivpp.ac.cn], Min Zhu* [zhumin@ivpp.ac.cn], You’an Zhu^? [zhuyouan@ivpp.ac.cn] and Liantao Jia [jialiantao@ivpp.ac.cn] Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 643, Beijing 100044, PR China. *Also affiliated with University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China. ^?Also affiliated with Uppsala University, PO Box 256, 751 05 Uppsala, Sweden.     

Fluid mixing induced by hydrothermal activity in the ordovician carbonates in Tarim Basin,China

Permian hydrothermal activity in the Tarim Basin may have been responsible for the invasion of hot brines into Ordovician carbonate reservoirs. Studies have been undertaken to explain the origin and geochemical characteristics of the diagenetic fluid present during this hydrothermal event although there is no consensus on it. We present a genetic model resulting from the study of δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O, δ³⁴S, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope values and fluid inclusions (FIs) from fracture‐ and vug‐filling calcite, saddle dolomite, fluorite, barite, quartz, and anhydrite from Ordovician outcrops in northwest (NW) Tarim Basin and subsurface cores in Central Tarim Basin. The presence of hydrothermal fluid was confirmed by minerals with fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures being >10°C higher than the paleo‐formation burial temperatures both in the NW Tarim and in the Central Tarim areas. The mixing of hot (>200°C), high‐salinity (>24 wt% NaCl), ⁸⁷Sr‐rich (up to 0.7104) hydrothermal fluid with cool (60–100°C), low‐salinity (0 to 3.5 wt% NaCl), also ⁸⁷Sr‐rich (up to 0.7010) meteoric water in the Ordovician unit was supported by the salinity of fluid inclusions, and δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotopic values of the diagenetic minerals. Up‐migrated hydrothermal fluids from the deeper Cambrian strata may have contributed to the hot brine with high sulfate concentrations which promoted thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) in the Ordovician, resulting in the formation of ¹²C‐rich (δ¹³C as low as ?13.8‰) calcite and ³⁴S‐rich (δ³⁴S values from 21.4‰ to 29.7‰) H₂S, pyrite, and elemental sulfur. Hydrothermal fluid mixing with fresh water in Ordovician strata in Tarim Basin was facilitated by deep‐seated faults and up‐reaching faults due to the pervasive Permian magmatic activity. Collectively, fluid mixing, hydrothermal dolomitization, TSR, and faulting may have locally dissolved the host carbonates and increased the reservoir porosity and permeability, which has significant implications for hydrocarbon exploration.     

也谈刘坤一、王文韶的两件电奏

光绪二十一年三月二十三日李鸿章在《马关条约》上签字画押。①条约规定,从签画到换约,限期二十一日,即截止四月十四日夜十二点钟,“两帝国政府彼此不允批准和约,无庸告知,即将此约作为废止”②。这短暂的21天为清政府的换约决策提供了思考的时间。其间,清廷一度谕令前敌主帅刘     

在中国地方志协会年鉴工作专业委员会首届学术年会上的讲话

(2006年8月21日)同志们:中国地方志协会年鉴工作专业委员会首届学术年会今天在乌鲁木齐市召开了。这次学术年会,中国地方志指导小组办公室非常重视,年鉴工作专业委员会做了认真的组织和筹备,新疆维吾尔自治区地方志编委会和乌鲁木齐市委、市政府给予了大力支持,承办会议的乌鲁木齐市党史地方志办公室的同志们,为会议的顺利召开,做了大量的、周密的准备工作,付出了辛勤劳动。在此,我谨代表中国地方志指导小组办公室、中国地方志协会年鉴工作专业委员会,向新疆维吾尔自治区地方志编委会、乌鲁木齐市委、市政府的领导同志及乌鲁木齐市党史地方…     

新见小邾国有铭青铜器探析

近年来追缴的小邾国青铜器中,邾寿父鼎、邾眉父匜被盗于距东江小邾国墓地仅1.5千米的横岭埠遗址,器主是小邾国宗室贵族。郳公戈被盗于大韩墓地,年代为春秋晚期偏晚,是小邾国君郳公克父的自作器,综合文献记载和郳公镈铭文,推知克父应即小邾国春秋末期的国君恭公或惠公。两件邾季簠是小邾国君之幼弟为其妻仲娸作的媵器。     

清代早期四合如意云寸蟒纹织金妆花缎的结构分析与保护修复

受北京艺术博物馆的委托,对两件香色地四合如意云寸蟒纹织金妆花缎进行保护修复。两件妆花织物质地柔软、组织结构紧凑、纹样细腻、设色庄重。但经长期自然和人为因素的影响,织物多处破损、开裂、脱丝、破洞、污渍等,圆金和片金纹纬上的金片大量脱落,整体污染较为严重,质地脆弱,无法研究和展出。本文通过研究妆花所承载的历史文化信息、综合织物的质地、组织结构、纹样形态、设色特征等诸多因素,将其定为清早期织物。应用三维视频显微镜和电子丝绸尺软件对织物组织结构、破损程度进行了分析。在此基础上,制定了保护修复工作目标和方案。修复后的两件织物基本恢复了原貌,效果较好,可以作为研究中国丝织品的实物根据。     

马王堆汉墓《丧服图》再认识

马王堆汉墓《丧服图》中的文字“三年丧:属服,廿五月而毕”,并不是说天下吏民为天子服丧25个月,而是总体概括了属服三年丧的时间是25个月。从出土的有关丧服的文字看,当时的统治阶级都不服三年丧,并且丧期都有不同程度的缩短。从出土的图表看,当时的服丧范围并没有缩减,它是墓主人身为诸侯大夫而“绝缌”的一种真实反映。     

对几件常德馆藏元青花瓷器的认识

近年来,由于国内艺术市场收藏的火热,更因元青花存世之稀,元代青花瓷器已被炒作得沸沸扬扬。又因为大量仿品充斥收藏市场,国内的文物专家对于民间收藏的元青花基本持否定态度。其实,历年来都有部分出土的文物已被民间收藏,其中也不能排除有元青花存在的可能性,只是少之又少罢了。1996年12月湖南常德澧县余家牌坊附近,当地砖厂工人在一台地取土时挖出了一个铜罐,上面覆盖铜洗一只,罐里面装有元青花香炉一件、     

周希丁和青铜器全形拓

青铜器是中国传统文化艺术的精华,并以制作精良、气魄雄伟、技术高超享誉海内外。它还作为一种权力和地位的象征、一种记事和耀功的载体而流传干世。在上个世纪初,照相技术还没有出现之前,人们要想欣赏和描述青铜器形制与纹饰,所采取的手段之一,就是以墨传拓青铜器全形,即在拓纸上传拓出立体的青铜器形制与纹饰。