The series focuses on business, economics, and finance in the Pacific Basin. This year's topics include how and where to regulate the systemic and nonperformance risks of insurance contracts and derivatives that substitute for them, stock market activities and industrial production growth: evidence from 20 international markets, bank capital standards and subordinated debt prices, human capital investment inequality and rural-urban income gap: evidence from China, and an operational efficiency analysis for organizational consolidation in the business operating departments of a case telecom company.

• 1. Insurance Contracts and Derivatives That Substitute For Them: How and Where Should Their Systemic and Nonperformance Risks Be Regulated?; Edward J. Kane2. A Further Equity Premium Puzzle; J. Huston McCulloch3. Credit Crunch and Saving Glut in Taiwan: Empirical Evidences; Cheng-Few Lee, Chiung-Min Tsai, and Lie-Jane Kao 4. Stock Market Activities and Industrial Production Growth: Evidence from 20 International Markets; Thomas C. Chiang and Xiaoyu Chen5. Bank Capital Standards and Subordinated Debt Prices; Jin-Ping Lee, Edward M.H. Lin, Min-Teh Yu, and Yang Zhao6. Accounting Fraud, Audit Fees, and Government Intervention in China; Jingjing Yang and Hao-Chang Sung7. The Employment Status of Marriage Immigrants in Taiwan; Hwei-Lin Chuang and Eric S. Lin8. Human Capital Investment Inequality and Rural-Urban Income Gap: Evidence from China; Xiaojun Yang and Wei-Chiao Huang9. An Operational Efficiency Analysis for Organizational Consolidation in the Business Operating Departments of a Case Telecom Company; Chia-Jung Tu, Yu-Ping Huang, and Tyrone T. Lin10. Financial Market Variables and Housing Prices: Evidence of Asean+2; Sayyed Mahdi Ziaei and Ghulam Ali Bhatti