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.