“我们是一群在美国各院校和研究机构的学者。”该公开信联署活动的发起者之一、美国西北大学凯洛格商学院金融学副教授葆拉·萨皮恩扎向《第一财经日报》记者表示,该项公益行动没有任何组织和团体背景,除了该联署活动之外,也未发起其他任何行动。
9月22日下午,约翰·科克伦、阿尼尔·卡什亚普、罗伯特·夏默、路易吉·津加莱斯和葆拉·萨皮恩扎等五位经济学家起草了公开信初稿,并开始在经济学家中征集签名。
通过发起者的联络,以及经济学家博客的转载,该信在经济学家之中流传甚广。截至记者发稿时,该信的网络版本(http://faculty.chicagogsb.edu/john.cochrane/research/Papers/mortgage_protest.htm)已有123位经济学家联署,其中包括2000年诺贝尔经济学奖得主詹姆斯·赫克曼等著名经济学家。“已经有超过150位经济学家在信上签名。”萨皮恩扎向记者证实。
公开信明确批评保尔森方案缺乏公平性、在许多重要问题上含糊不清,并且质疑它长远上会削弱美国资本市场。
“这封信代表了所有联署经济学家的观点,”萨皮恩扎说,“我们希望国会可以暂停审议,不仅认真检讨一下保尔森的方案,而且考虑其他替代方案。我们许多人认为,目前这份方案并不是唯一的方案。”
宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院副教授贾斯廷·沃尔弗斯在其《纽约时报》网站博客上称,信中观点一定程度上反映了经济学界的共识,因为该信联署者“包括了对于当前危机看法各异的人士——投票支持左派、右派、海外投票者甚至不参与投票的人”。
然而也有观点认为,该信只不过重复了一些长期以来存在的担忧和质疑,并没有提出具体的、建设性的解决方案。
“我更愿意看到具体的建议和分析。那才有助于找到一个解决方案,而不是'且慢决定’这样的警告。这封信本身不是坏事,但它也不算什么来自经济学界的大进展。”一位署名Bobby G的网友评论道。
美国国会部分议员也反对保尔森计划的执行,主要是担心“把华尔街的痛苦蔓延到所有纳税人”,其中民主党议员要求将对住房所有人的支持和高管薪资上限等内容包括在内,而部分共和党议员则质疑该计划所能到达的范围和规模。此外,市场还担心巨额投入将大大扩大美国财政赤字,从而对美元形成长期打压。
美联储主席伯南克在24日参议院银行委员会举行的听证会上再次强调,国会如不尽快采取行动,将会导致信用市场继续萎缩。“倘若金融市场非正常运作,失业率会继续上升,更多房屋将丧失抵押品赎回权,国民生产总值(GDP)会放缓,美国经济将难以恢复健康。” 伯南克当天在国会参议院银行委员会作证词时说,“我们的目的只是为了美国经济的恢复和增长。”
伯南克还表示,全球金融市场仍然处在相当大的压力之下。现在迫切需要国会采取行动以稳定局势,否则美国金融市场和经济状况会面临严重的后果。国会两院预定9月26日(周五)休会,因此保尔森方案本周内获得通过的可能性不大。
9月24日下午,联署发起者已将该信寄往美国国会参众两院,至记者截稿时,尚未得到国会的任何答复。
公开信全文译文如下:
致众议院议长与参议院临时议长:
作为经济学家,我们要向国会表达:对于财政部长保尔森所提出的金融危机应对计划,我们深感忧虑。我们清楚地知道当前金融形势有多么困难,我们也认为需要采取果敢行动才能确保金融体系继续运转。然而,我们认为目前提出的计划存在三个致命的缺陷:
1.不公平。该计划是在用纳税人的钱补贴投资者。那些为了利益铤而走险的投资者也必须承受损失才行。并非每一桩投资失败都会引发系统性风险。即使不救援那些自己决策失误的投资者和机构,政府也能确保金融业正常运行,向可信的借款者发放新的贷款。
2.含糊不清。该计划拟议成立一个新机构,但是其使命和监督机制都不清楚。如果要纳税人从陷入困境的卖家手中购买缺乏流动性和透明度的资产,那么这些购买交易的条款、时机和操作方法都必须是事先彻底透明、事后得到妥善监督的。
3.长期效应堪忧。假如该计划投入实施,其效应将会持续一代人的时间。尽管最近麻烦重重,美国的富有活力和创新精神的私人资本市场毕竟为这个国家创造了前所未有的繁荣。为了平息短期干扰而从根本上削弱那些市场是极其短视的做法。
由于这些原因,我们呼吁国会不要匆忙决策,要进行适当的听证,仔细考虑什么才是正确的行动路径,为美国金融业和美国经济的未来作出明智的决定。
To the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate:
As economists, we want to express to Congress our great concern for the plan proposed by Treasury Secretary Paulson to deal with the financial crisis. We are well aware of the difficulty of the current financial situation and we agree with the need for bold action to ensure that the financial system continues to function. We see three fatal pitfalls in the currently proposed plan:
1) Its fairness. The plan is a subsidy to investors at taxpayers’ expense. Investors who took risks to earn profits must also bear the losses. Not every business failure carries systemic risk. The government can ensure a well-functioning financial industry, able to make new loans to creditworthy borrowers, without bailing out particular investors and institutions whose choices proved unwise.
2) Its ambiguity. Neither the mission of the new agency nor its oversight are clear. If taxpayers are to buy illiquid and opaque assets from troubled sellers, the terms, occasions, and methods of such purchases must be crystal clear ahead of time and carefully monitored afterwards.
3) Its long-term effects. If the plan is enacted, its effects will be with us for a generation. For all their recent troubles, America's dynamic and innovative private capital markets have brought the nation unparalleled prosperity. Fundamentally weakening those markets in order to calm short-run disruptions is desperately short-sighted.
For these reasons we ask Congress not to rush, to hold appropriate hearings, and to carefully consider the right course of action, and to wisely determine the future of the financial industry and the U.S. economy for years to come.
Signed (updated 9/24/2008 10:30AM CT)
Acemoglu Daron (Massachussets Institute of Technology)
Adler Michael (Columbia University)
Admati Anat R. (Stanford University)
Alvarez Fernando (University of Chicago)
Andersen Torben (Northwestern University)
Barankay Iwan (University of Pennsylvania)
Barry Brian (University of Chicago)
Beim David (Columbia University)
Berk Jonathan (Stanford University)
Bisin Alberto (New York University)
Bittlingmayer George (University of Kansas)
Boldrin Michele (Washington University)
Brooks Taggert J. (University of Wisconsin)
Brynjolfsson Erik (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Buera Francisco J.(UCLA)
Carroll Christopher (Johns Hopkins University)
Cassar Gavin (University of Pennsylvania)
Chaney Thomas (University of Chicago)
Chari Varadarajan V. (University of Minnesota)
Chauvin Keith W. (University of Kansas)
Chintagunta Pradeep K. (University of Chicago)
Christiano Lawrence J. (Northwestern University)
Cochrane John (University of Chicago)
Coleman John (Duke University)
Constantinides George M. (University of Chicago)
Crain Robert (UC Berkeley)
Culp Christopher (University of Chicago)
De Marzo Peter (Stanford University)
Dubé Jean-Pierre H. (University of Chicago)
Edlin Aaron (UC Berkeley)
Eichenbaum Martin (Northwestern University)
Ely Jeffrey (Northwestern University)
Eraslan Hülya K. K.(Johns Hopkins University)
Faulhaber Gerald (University of Pennsylvania)
Feldmann Sven (University of Melbourne)
Fernandez-Villaverde Jesus (University of Pennsylvania)
Fox Jeremy T. (University of Chicago)
Frank Murray Z.(University of Minnesota)
Fuchs William (University of Chicago)
Fudenberg Drew (Harvard University)
Gabaix Xavier (New York University)
Gao Paul (Notre Dame University)
Garicano Luis (University of Chicago)
Gerakos Joseph J. (University of Chicago)
Gibbs Michael (University of Chicago)
Goettler Ron (University of Chicago)
Goldin Claudia (Harvard University)
Gordon Robert J. (Northwestern University)
Guadalupe Maria (Columbia University)
Hagerty Kathleen (Northwestern University)
Hamada Robert S. (University of Chicago)
Hansen Lars (University of Chicago)
Harris Milton (University of Chicago)
Hart Oliver (Harvard University)
Hazlett Thomas W. (George Mason University)
Heaton John (University of Chicago)
Heckman James (University of Chicago - Nobel Laureate)
Henderson David R. (Hoover Institution)
Henisz, Witold (University of Pennsylvania)
Hertzberg Andrew (Columbia University)
Hite Gailen (Columbia University)
Hitsch Günter J. (University of Chicago)
Hodrick Robert J. (Columbia University)
Hopenhayn Hugo (UCLA)
Hurst Erik (University of Chicago)
Imrohoroglu Ayse (University of Southern California)
Israel Ronen (London Business School)
Jaffee Dwight M. (UC Berkeley)
Jagannathan Ravi (Northwestern University)
Jenter Dirk (Stanford University)
Jones Charles M. (Columbia Business School)
Kaboski Joseph P. (Ohio State University)
Kaplan Ethan (Stockholm University)
Karolyi, Andrew (Ohio State University)
Kashyap Anil (University of Chicago)
Keim Donald B (University of Pennsylvania)
Ketkar Suhas L (Vanderbilt University)
Kiesling Lynne (Northwestern University)
Klenow Pete (Stanford University)
Koch Paul (University of Kansas)
Kocherlakota Narayana (University of Minnesota)
Koijen Ralph S.J. (University of Chicago)
Kondo Jiro (Northwestern University)
Korteweg Arthur (Stanford University)
Kortum Samuel (University of Chicago)
Krueger Dirk (University of Pennsylvania)
Ledesma Patricia (Northwestern University)
Lee Lung-fei (Ohio State University)
Leuz Christian (University of Chicago)
Levine David I.(UC Berkeley)
Levine David K.(Washington University)
Linnainmaa Juhani (University of Chicago)
Lucas Robert (University of Chicago - Nobel Laureate)
Luttmer Erzo G.J. (University of Minnesota)
Manski Charles F. (Northwestern University)
Martin Ian (Stanford University)
Mayer Christopher (Columbia University)
Mazzeo Michael (Northwestern University)
McDonald Robert (Northwestern University)
Meadow Scott F. (University of Chicago)
Mehra Rajnish (UC Santa Barbara)
Mian Atif (University of Chicago)
Middlebrook Art (University of Chicago)
Miguel Edward (UC Berkeley)
Miravete Eugenio J. (University of Texas at Austin)
Miron Jeffrey (Harvard University)
Moretti Enrico (UC Berkeley)
Moriguchi Chiaki (Northwestern University)
Moro Andrea (Vanderbilt University)
Morse Adair (University of Chicago)
Mortensen Dale T. (Northwestern University)
Mortimer Julie Holland (Harvard University)
Muralidharan Karthik (UC San Diego)
Nevo Aviv (Northwestern University)
Ohanian Lee (UCLA)
Pagliari Joseph (University of Chicago)
Papanikolaou Dimitris (Northwestern University)
Paul Evans (Ohio State University)
Peltzman Sam (University of Chicago)
Perri Fabrizio (University of Minnesota)
Phelan Christopher (University of Minnesota)
Piazzesi Monika (Stanford University)
Piskorski Tomasz (Columbia University)
Rampini Adriano (Duke University)
Reagan Patricia (Ohio State University)
Reich Michael (UC Berkeley)
Reuben Ernesto (Northwestern University)
Roberts Michael (University of Pennsylvania)
Rogers Michele (Northwestern University)
Rotella Elyce (Indiana University)
Ruud Paul (Vassar College)
Safford Sean (University of Chicago)
Sandbu Martin E. (University of Pennsylvania)
Sapienza Paola (Northwestern University)
Savor Pavel (University of Pennsylvania)
Scharfstein David (Harvard University)
Seim Katja (University of Pennsylvania)
Shang-Jin Wei (Columbia University)
Shimer Robert (University of Chicago)
Shore Stephen H. (Johns Hopkins University)
Siegel Ron (Northwestern University)
Smith David C. (University of Virginia)
Smith Vernon L.(Chapman University- Nobel Laureate)
Sorensen Morten (Columbia University)
Spiegel Matthew (Yale University)
Stevenson Betsey (University of Pennsylvania)
Stokey Nancy (University of Chicago)
Strahan Philip (Boston College)
Strebulaev Ilya (Stanford University)
Sufi Amir (University of Chicago)
Tabarrok Alex (George Mason University)
Taylor Alan M. (UC Davis)
Thompson Tim (Northwestern University)
Tschoegl Adrian E. (University of Pennsylvania)
Uhlig Harald (University of Chicago)
Ulrich, Maxim (Columbia University)
Van Buskirk Andrew (University of Chicago)
Veronesi Pietro (University of Chicago)
Vissing-Jorgensen Annette (Northwestern University)
Wacziarg Romain (UCLA)
Weill Pierre-Olivier (UCLA)
Williamson Samuel H. (Miami University)
Witte Mark (Northwestern University)
Wolfers Justin (University of Pennsylvania)
Woutersen Tiemen (Johns Hopkins University)
Zingales Luigi (University of Chicago)
博文
没有评论:
发表评论