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Internationalizing Like China

Chris Clayton, Amanda Dos Santos, Matteo Maggiori, Jesse Schreger, Feb 08, 2023

China’s strategy for internationalizing the renminbi involves controlling the access of foreign investors to the domestic bond market.

Overpricing in Municipal Bond Markets and the Unintended Consequences of Regulatory Measures: Evidence from China

Laura Xiaolei Liu, Qiao Liu, Xiaoyu Liu, Ni Zhu, Dec 03, 2024

Chinese municipal bonds are considerably overpriced in the primary market, leading regulators to set a lower bound on the issuance yield spread. This paper investigates the underlying reasons for this overpricing and evaluates the effects of implementing restrictions on yield spreads. Our findings indicate that underwriters may inflate prices to receive undisclosed benefits from local governments, such as local treasury cash deposits. We further show that the lower bounds severely impede price discovery in the primary municipal bond market. Even bonds not restricted by the lower limit are priced at the reference spread, exacerbating overpricing of riskier bonds. Local governments exploit these fixed prices by increasing the bond issuance amount and extending bond maturity. Our findings suggest that regulatory interference in pricing can have unintended consequences for pricing efficiency and that attempts to rectify mispricing may result in even more severe mispricing.

Early Childhood Exposure to Health Insurance and Adolescent Outcomes: Evidence from Rural China

Wei Huang, Hong Liu, Jul 19, 2023

We examine the impact of early-life exposure to public health insurance, the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS), on outcomes in adolescence in rural China.

“To Go Electric or to Burn Coal? A Randomized Field Experiment of Informational Nudges”

Hanming Fang, King King Li, Peiyao Shen, Feb 07, 2024

We conducted a randomized field experiment of informational nudges in northern China to investigate the potential obstacles that may hinder households from adopting cleaner heating, and evaluate the effectiveness of simple SMS nudges in encouraging the transition to electric heating.

How Does Salient Academic Rank Affect Student Performance? Insights from a Chinese Middle School Study

Rigissa Megalokomomou, Yi Zhang, Nov 20, 2024

This article reveals interesting insights into the effects and mechanisms of achievement rank when it becomes salient to students and their parents.