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This paper explores the impact of the political hierarchies of cities in China from different perspectives. First, we examine the economic disparities between prefectural cities and municipalities. Furthermore, this paper draws upon a quasi‐ experiment to analyze the impact of upgrading Chongqing to a municipality in 1997 using the synthetic control method. The city‐upgrading policy significantly increased Chongqing's gross domestic product (GDP) in the following 4 years. Finally, we find that the policy increased GDP in treated cities within 1200 km of Chongqing by about 10%–13% relative to the control cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its invaluable contribution to the field of comparative economics, the socialist calculation debate has focused on the narrow topic of the impossibility of the rational economic calculation under socialism. The literature on new institutional economics suggests that economic development is determined by economic and political institutions which are far more complex than the issue of economic calculation. To bridge the gap between the calculation debate and new institutional economics, this paper utilizes the historical case studies of Perestroika and Deng's China to demonstrate relationship between state capacity and economic calculation. We argue that rational economic calculation requires the state's institutional ability to make a credible commitment to constraints inhibiting public predation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papers in Regional Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Based on the Xingke Tiben, this paper assesses the long‐run economic development of China, by constructing a new estimate of male occupational structure during 1734–1898 by sector, sub‐sector pattern, and region. After assessing the source's biases, using this new empirical basis, this paper demonstrates that the national male occupational structure was nearly identical in 1761–70, 1821–30, and 1881–90, suggesting a long‐lasting structural stasis of the national economy, allowing for fluctuations between benchmark dates. Within agriculture, substantial regional differences in labour organisation are revealed. Three distinct models are found: the Northern Regions model features a high usage of wage labour, the Yangtze Valley model presents a high level of tenancy development, and the Southern Regions model displays the highest share of landowners. All three models saw increasing use of wage labour in 1761–1890 and shrinking landownership in 1821–90. At the regional level, the long‐run estimate for Lower Yangtze suggests that the region as a whole stagnated throughout the entire period, but the overall structural stasis hides dynamic, contrasting long‐run economic change between the region's core and peripheral areas. Comparative analysis with England further suggests that the timing of the Great Divergence between China and England took place before 1734, even in the context of the regional difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's extensive economic growth has been accompanied with high levels of pollution, and excessive energy consumption has brought serious pollution problems. The use of financial resources to regulate green production modes and encourage high‐quality economic development has become a major focus in academia. At the same time, growth enterprise market (GEM) enterprises, which mainly operate in technology‐intensive industries, are assumed to have a simulating effect on regional innovation. Therefore, this paper utilizes the capital return differences of 4437 listed companies and 920 GEM companies based in 30 provinces of China from 2008 to 2018 to quantitatively analyze the levels of financial misallocation. With two‐stage regression method, the direct effect of financial misallocation on regional green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) and the indirect impact observed when taking regional innovation as an intermediary variable are discussed. Furthermore, dynamic threshold panel regression and heterogeneity analysis are used to verify the above nonlinear relationship. The empirical findings indicate that financial misallocation enhances innovation capability and further restrains GTFEE. With an improved degree of marketization and environmental regulation, the inhibitory effect of financial misallocation on GTFEE is more significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Science Policy & Practice is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Regional Science Policy & Practice is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Local governments and enterprises are two important actors in China's environmental governance system. A better understanding of the interaction between corporate environmental responsibility (CER) and governmental environmental responsibility (GER) will help to enhance the collaboration between corporations and the government, craft a good environmental governance system, and achieve coordinated development of economic development and environmental protection. This paper divides GER into three types: policymaking responsibility, implementation responsibility, and supervisory responsibility. Based on panel data on Chinese manufacturing companies listed during the period 2012–2017, this paper analyzes the relationship between GER and CER and explores the impact of the collaboration between the two on regional environmental pollution. The research results show the following: (1) in China, policymaking responsibility significantly promotes CER, whereas implementation responsibility has a significant negative impact on CER, and supervisory responsibility has no significant influence. (2) The collaboration between GER and CER effectively reduces solid waste discharge in a region but does not significantly reduce SO2 emissions or wastewater discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors reflect on the changes in China, and increased attention paid to the development of information systems (IS) will underpin national development across sectors of the economy. They present five papers, written by 74 authors in eight countries, that reflect an emerging quality in Chinese IS research.

On the path to carbon neutrality, the journey to net‐zero emissions in the industry is achievable, and the green development of industrial parks is crucial for a smooth transition. We examined a sample of 171 green industrial parks certified by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Using the Tapio decoupling model, we conducted decoupling analyses at both the national and regional scales of their economic growth and environmental conservation for three consecutive years. Spatial heterogeneity is found in carbon‐economy decoupling states and carbon‐pollutant synergy effects. Industrial parks in the east of China present better carbon‐economy decoupling states and carbon‐pollutant synergy effects than the other regions. The CO2 emissions determinants were explored by using the STIRPAT model. The variable industrial value‐added per capita, which is representative of economic growth, presents a positive and significant effect on emissions; the energy output and the proportion of high‐tech industries present a negative effect. However, after dividing the parks into groups by their leading industries, the influence of the variables started to show a power discrepancy. The heterogeneity analysis of this study can provide a basis for developing diversified strategies for Chinese industrial parks under the net‐zero emission goal. Plain Language Summary: This paper evaluated the economic development and environmental impacts of the 171 green industrial parks certified by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China, using data and materials that were inventoried and summarized for the first time. The relationship of economic growth and CO2 emissions and other major pollutants was examined using the Tapio decoupling model, and the results suggest strong decoupling states for most of the cases, and a significant carbon‐pollution synergy effect. Further regression analysis indicated that industrial output and green and high‐tech industries are significant drivers of decoupling. The discoveries will guide future actions and policies toward sustainable development for the industrial parks of China. Key Points: Economic growth and environmental impacts are strongly decoupled for most of the studied green industrial parksA significant carbon‐pollution synergy effect is found in the green industrial parksIndustrial output and green and high‐tech industries are significant drivers of CO2 emissions but show discrepancy in different industries [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including volatility of Chinese economic activities, globalization and industrial performance in China, and regional disparities and productivity in China.

The reform of power spot market in China provides a new profit mode, determining energy trading strategy based on the power spot prices for distributed energy storages. However, individually accessing every distributed energy storage to the dispatch centre results in a high cost and low efficiency, which needs to be improved by connecting through the aggregator. To this end, this paper proposes a regulation mode and strategy for distributed energy storages participating in energy trading through aggregation. First, the optimal centres of distributed energy storages are searched as the aggregation centres according to the electrical distance distributed by the energy storage, and the model of each distributed energy storage aggregation group is established. On this basis, the conditional value at risk (CVaR) method is introduced to quantify the income risk brought by the fluctuation of power spot prices, following with the optimization model for day‐ahead stage and real‐time stage. Finally, case studies under multiple scenarios of power spot market verify that the regulation mode and strategy can effectively guarantee the economic profits of distributed energy storages by setting aggregation groups and reasonable risk preference coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the determinants and the time pattern of the subjective well-being of private business owners. We find that both personal and enterprise-level factors have a significant influence on subjective status of private business owners. Meanwhile, we find supportive evidence of Easterlin paradox among Chinese private entrepreneurs: both personal income and operating revenue enhance subjective status in a certain period, but subjective status declines as time goes by, even as incomes continue to rise. A further Oaxaca--Blinder decomposition suggests that the competition and provincial factors are the keys to explaining the paradox. Finally, we try to verify the positive effect of political connection on entrepreneurs' subjective status to provide some helpful advice for the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on urban household survey data, the authors find that skill premia increased significantly across all regions of China between 1995 and 2002, but only in coastal regions between 2002 and 2007. By then, these regions also displayed much wider wage inequality and thus contributed more to overall urban wage inequality than non-coastal regions. While privatization was the main driver of skill premia in 1995-2002, China's (regionally uneven) integration into the global economy became the dominant influence in 2002-07. Reducing skill premia and inequality, the authors argue, calls for reform of the Hukou registration system which impedes skilled labour mobility and possibly also growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering China's goal of carbon neutrality, understanding the influence path and dynamic correlation between electricity consumption and relevant factors is essential for formulating a reasonable electricity development strategy and promoting high‐quality socio‐economic development. Based on panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2019, this study adopts the panel VAR model for research, with four notable findings. (1) Economic development, urbanization, and the urban–rural income gap directly affect electricity consumption. Industrial structure upgrading can affect electricity consumption through economic development and urbanization. Electricity consumption only directly affects economic development, whereas the effect on the other three variables could be transmitted through economic development. (2) Electricity consumption first inhibits and then promotes industrial structure upgrading, and it inhibits the urban–rural income gap. (3) Industrial structure upgrading first promotes and then inhibits electricity consumption. The urban–rural income gap inhibits electricity consumption. (4) Industrial structure upgrading and the widening income gap might hinder economic development through the adverse effect on electricity consumption. Based on these findings, several policy suggestions are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we explore how satellite images of global night lights from year 1992 to 2003 can be used to estimate economic activity at the sub-regional level in the US and China. The night lights based estimates of economic activity are then spatially analysed and compared with subregional economic indicators where available for selected years. We also briefly discuss two theoretical models that shed light on the geospatial patterns reflected by the night light data. The results are presented with a series of maps, charts and tables. Resumen. En este artículo exploramos el uso potencial de imágenes de satélite de la iluminación nocturna global desde 1992 a 2003 para estimar la actividad económica a escala subregional en los EE.UU. y en China. A continuación se analizan espacialmente las estimaciones de la actividad económica basadas en la iluminación nocturna y se comparan con los indicadores económicos subregionales disponibles para los años del estudio. Discutimos también brevemente dos modelos teoréticos que podrían ilustrar los patrones geoespaciales que reflejan los datos de iluminación nocturna. Los resultados se presentan junto con una serie de mapas, gráficos y cuadros. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papers in Regional Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

China's regional inequality has been a hot research topic lately and most of the literature focuses on economic development. Since 1990, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has devised a measure known as the human development index (HDI) by combining measures of income, education and health. A major concern about HDI is that it is a national average measurement that ignores disparities within a country. This paper aims to explore China's regional inequality under the human development framework with three objectives: ( i) to calculate provincial HDI in 1990, 2000 and 2008; ( ii) to detect the spatial distributions of HDI as well as its three component indices; and ( iii) to reveal the influence of China's transitions on regional human development. GIS and statistical methods such as coefficient of variation, Moran's I, and spatial regression are used in this study. The results illustrate that the overall disparity in HDI declined, but the spatial concentration increased; and the multiple transitions determined the changing patterns of human development. This research provides a broader context for studying China's regional development and has important policy implications. Resumen. La desigualdad regional en China ha sido un tema candente de investigación en los últimos tiempos, centrándose la mayoría de la literatura en el desarrollo económico. Desde 1990, el Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) ha venido desarrollando un indicador conocido como el Índice de Desarrollo Humano (IDH), que combina indicadores de ingresos, educación y salud. Una gran preocupación acerca del IDH es que es un indicador promedio a escala nacional, que no tienen en cuenta las diferencias dentro de un país. Este trabajo busca explorar la desigualdad regional de China dentro del marco del desarrollo humano, atendiendo a tres objetivos: (i) calcular el IDH provincial en 1990, 2000 y 2008; (ii) detectar distribuciones espaciales del IDH, así como de los tres indicadores que lo componen; y (iii) revelar la influencia de transiciones en China en cuanto al desarrollo humano regional. En este estudio se utilizan SIG y métodos estadísticos tales como el coeficiente de variación, el índice I de Moran, y la regresión espacial. Los resultados muestran que la disparidad total del IDH disminuyó, al tiempo que aumentó la concentración espacial, y que las múltiples transiciones han significado cambios en los patrones de desarrollo humano. Esta investigación ofrece un contexto más amplio para el estudio del desarrollo regional de China y conlleva importantes implicaciones políticas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts, through a comparative analysis, to assess the significance of foreign direct investment to the growth and development of both China and India, from the period following the introduction of economic reform programmes, to the last few years. It suggests that foreign direct investment (FDI) has had a significant positive bearing on the Chinese economy and a considerably more moderate effect on that of India. This discrepancy is attributed, in particular, to the composition and nature of FDI, and the institutional framework within which FDI is received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant changes have occurred in China's energy development strategy in the past 30 years since the reform and opening policy was put into effect. The strategy has been shifted from the Strategy of Exploiting Energy Resources (SEER) to the Strategy of Comprehensive Energy Efficiency (SCEE); this made it possible that the target of ‘Doubling guarantees Quadrupling’ set by the CPC in the 1990s become a reality 5 years earlier than the target time frame. For the new target of ‘Doubling Economic Development’ set for the new century by the CPC, this paper will attempt to provide ideas and recommendations to offer possible alternative views. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Labor markets are the conduits through which labor moves from rural to urban areas, a shift in population that will drive China's development. Although the focus of considerable research, scholars do not agree on how well labor markets have been functioning during the past two decades. It is the aim of this article to understand how well labor markets are functioning in rural China. The authors review previous studies on rates of return to human capital and examine why it can argued that labor markets are not functioning well. The authors also consider if methodology plays a role in explaining the low estimated rates of return reported in other studies.

Reducing hunger and malnutrition and improving food security have come to the forefront of global political agenda. In the wake of recent spells of food price hike, national and supranational development organizations and governments have begun to express serious concerns about the world's capacity to feed its burgeoning population. In response to the target of increasing food production by 70% in 2050, many countries are formulating their agricultural policies to promote domestic food self-sufficiency and many are building international networks for outsourcing food supply beyond national borders. In the face of massive demand for food for its growing population, China is both strengthening its food self-sufficiency strategies and relying on large-scale imports from international market which has been a major driver of food price inflation in recent years. In China, increase in income and socioeconomic status on one hand have dramatically improved dietary intake and overall nutritional status of the population, and are creating an enormous pressure on land and water resources and natural environments on the other. Maintaining food and water security and for its huge population with its limited resources while at the same time sustaining the economic growth momentum are offering significant challenges to China's macroeconomic prospects. China's domestic food production and self-sufficiency status have certain repercussions on the volatility of global agri-food market and food security in food-import and food-aid-dependent countries. The objectives of this study is to provide an in-depth overview of China's food production and demand scenario with a particular focus on its challenging perspectives toward food secure 2050. The first half of the paper is designed to show recent trends in food production and consumption and the impacts on global food market. The second half describes the major challenges with a brief discussion on policy implication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the influence of regional economic development on mutual funds investment decisions. Using fund holdings from 2003 to 2008, we find that Chinese mutual funds that collectively reside in the developed coastal region have the ability to select 'star' firms from neighboring inland areas and overweight them in their portfolios. However, they present a clear local bias within the coastal region. Such investment behavior is robust to political interventions. In particular, changes in political climate make mutual funds seek fundamentals like growth prospects and diversification benefits. Overall, economic and political factors significantly influence mutual funds investment decisions in emerging China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal power is the main source of China's electricity supply. Improving total‐factor generation performance (TFGP) is essential for the development of this industry in the current deteriorating operating environment. This study adopts the meta‐frontier nonradial direction distance function approach to measure the static and dynamic TFGPs of the thermal power industry in China's 30 provinces in 2011–2019, and then discusses the regional distribution characteristics and the impact factors using spatial econometric model and Tobit regression method, respectively. Empirical results show that: (I) The TFGPs in central and west China are relatively close, but both are remarkably lower than that in east China. (II) The TFGPs in central and west China have generally remained stable since 2011, whereas that in west China has declined mainly because this region is more susceptible to the situation of electricity supply‐demand. (III) A significant spatial positive correlation exists among provincial TFGPs. High TFGP provinces are mostly in the eastern seaboard region and low TFGP provinces are in southwest China. (IV) Economic development, power structure, fuel prices, and environmental regulation have positive impacts on China's TFGP, while the impacts of technological innovation and energy endowment are not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two catastrophic extreme precipitation events in July 2021 and August 1975 caused tremendous damages and deaths in Henan, one of the most populated provinces in China. Revealing the relationship between large‐scale circulation patterns and precipitation extremes is vital for understanding the physical mechanisms and providing potential value for improving prediction and hence reducing impacts. Here, nine large‐scale circulation patterns are identified for July–August using the self‐organizing map. We find daily precipitation extremes under the fifth pattern (P5), characterized with the strongest easterly wind anomalies in Henan, feature the highest frequency and the largest intensity. Seven out of total 11 days in the two catastrophic extreme precipitation events belong to P5, and the top two maximum hourly precipitation extremes over continental China occurred under P5. The larger intensity of precipitation extremes is attributed to the dynamical contribution, suggesting more‐intense precipitation extremes under P5 are largely dominated by stronger ascending motions. Plain Language Summary: Henan is one of the most populated provinces in China. Two catastrophic extreme precipitation events in July 2021 and August 1975 caused devastating catastrophes, such as flooding and urban waterlogging, which resulted in widespread impacts on agricultural production, human livelihood, and economic development. We used a clustering method called self‐organizing map to link large‐scale circulation patterns with daily precipitation extremes in Henan Province. Our results show that the fifth pattern (P5), associated with the strongest easterly wind anomalies over Henan Province, is most conducive to extreme rainfall. Precipitation extremes under P5 exhibit the highest occurrence frequency and the largest mean intensity. Seven out of total 11 days for the two catastrophic extreme precipitation events belong to P5, while the top two maximum hourly precipitation extremes over continental China occurred under P5. The larger mean intensity of precipitation extremes under P5 is mainly caused by strong ascending motions. This work provides important implications for understanding the physical mechanisms and also providing potential value for the forecasting of precipitation extremes in Henan Province. Key Points: The circulation pattern (P5) most conducive to the occurrence of daily precipitation extremes is identified using self‐organizing mapSeven out of total 11 days in the "21·7" and "75·8" catastrophic extreme precipitation events belong to P5 patternThe dynamical processes, that is, the stronger ascending motions, dominate the more‐intense precipitation extremes in P5 pattern [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the research implications of the interface between urban economics and urban planning in Hong Kong, China. Benefits of industrial activities; Utilization of development control information to understand aspects of the industrial sector in economic development; Role of the planning authority in respect of land uses.

In the last decade, China's rapid economic growth has become a hot topic for politicians and intellectuals in Iran. Iranian views on China and its development model are ambiguous and contradictory, despite exponential growth in trade between the two countries. Three broad views have emerged in Iran about the Chinese way of progress. The pragmatic moderates advocate rapid economic development while keeping tight political control, which is broadly known as the China model. Two other political factions have ambivalent views on China. Hardliners focus on the Islamic‐Iranian Model of Progress but also admire some aspects of China's policies, especially its opposition to unilateralism in international affairs. Political reforms and social freedom are central to reformists' views. On this ground, reformists are uncomfortable with the China model. During the Covid‐19 pandemic, China's aid diplomacy in Iran and critical remarks by an Iranian health authority about China provided a pretext for a more open debate about Sino–Iranian relations, in general, and the China model, in particular. The range of views expressed on the matter confirms our assessment that there is a wide gap between political camps in relation to the applicability of the China model to Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the emerging economic development in China. It states that the government of China started 12th Five Year Plan aiming to increase total research and development (R&D) spending to 2.2 percent of gross domestic product by 2015. It further states that the country has partnered with other countries to increase trading opportunities in China.

We examine the effect of initial public offering (IPO) characteristics on seasoned equity offering (SEO) decisions in relation to governmental intervention in China. Our results confirm the process of underpriced IPOs in promoting earlier and larger SEOs in the Chinese context. The study examines three channels through which the Chinese government intervenes in equity issuance activities, namely state ownership, politically connected executives and economic development areas. We find that the connection between IPOs and SEOs becomes less apparent in government‐intervened firms. We attribute these results to the conflict between the state and minority shareholders, which leads to high uncertainty and risk in government‐intervened firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental regulation may lead to undesired economic consequences. China has tightened its environmental policies to deal with severe environmental pollution in recent years, but existing studies pay little attention to the economic consequences of China's environmental policies. Using the panel data of 211 prefecture‐level and above cities in China from 2003 to 2016, we for the first time estimate the economic impact of the environmental protection admonishing talk (EPAT) policy, a newly implemented environmental regulation policy in China. We use the difference‐in‐differences strategy to identify the economic effects of the EPAT policy combined with the propensity score matching method to control a potential selection problem. The results show that a relative decline occurs in gross domestic product per capita in target cities after the implementation of the EPAT, and the negative impact is exerted on the secondary industry rather than the tertiary industry. Furthermore, we find that target cities respond to the environmental protection requirements of higher authorities through a one‐size‐fits‐all approach of limiting the production activities of industrial enterprises. Meanwhile, the EPAT policy does not improve environmental efficiency. Such findings are instructive for policymakers who need to trade off economic welfare and environmental quality when formulating and implementing new environmental policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic growth has brought improvements in many areas of child health, but its effects on anaemia among school‐aged children remain unknown. However, this is important because iron deficiency anaemia is common and is the main cause of disability‐adjusted life years for school‐aged children. In this study, we included 429,222 Chinese children aged 7–17 years from five consecutive national cross‐sectional surveys during 1995–2014. Using altitude‐adjusted haemoglobin concentration measured from capillary blood samples, we defined anaemia status according to World Health Organization's recommendation. We used logistic regressions weighted by provincial population to examine the association between provincial gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and anaemia, adjusting for sex, age, urban–rural location, regional socio‐economic status (SES), fixed effect of province, and clustering of schools. We used generalised additive mixed models to evaluate a potentially non‐linear relationship. For each 100% growth in GDP per capita, there was a 40% (odds ratio [OR] = 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI; 0.56, 0.65]) reduction in anaemia. However, the association was weaker for girls and in cities with a lower SES. The association was weaker across 2005–2014 (OR = 0.75, 95% CI [0.62, 0.90]) compared with 1995–2005 (OR = 0.52; 95% CI [0.44, 0.61]), reflecting a weaker association when GDP per capita reaches around $2,000. The results were similar for moderate‐to‐severe anaemia. We concluded that economic growth has been associated with reductions in anaemia among school‐aged children in China but with fewer benefits for girls and those in poorer settings. Further economic development in China is unlikely to bring similar reductions in anaemia, suggesting that additional population level and targeted interventions will be needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study estimates how highways affected industrial development in China's peripheral regions between 1998 and 2007, a period during which China experienced rapid growth in highway mileage. Highways between major cities pass through some counties but not others. Based on this difference in counties' access to highways, we conduct a difference-in-difference propensity score matching estimation, with the treatment variables being counties' highway connection status and their industrial performance before and after being connected to a highway. We find that highways promote industrial development in counties with higher output and greater investment levels. Moreover, highways have differential impacts across industries and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Under ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative, China has introduced a new model of economic development of cross‐continental connectivity. With all its promising prospects, the initiative raises a question how such grand designs are going to impact the institutions of countries susceptible to potentially adverse impacts of Chinese investments. The case study of Pakistan — the closest ally of China — is a good example. China has started investing more than $50 billion in energy, industrial and communication infrastructure across the country. But the combination of too much and too quick Chinese investments — free of ‘governance‐related conditionalities’ normally attached with Western aid — and Pakistan's domestic issues has some adverse impacts on latter's internal politics and state institutions. Lack of transparency, civil‐military divide, ethnic differences, discrediting media, widening current account deficit, securitisation of trade and undoing the economic reforms (undertaken under International Monetary Fund program) are some of the unfavourable aspects of China–Pakistan Economic Corridor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China adopted a new model of growth from 2011, requiring substantial structural change. This introductory article presents statistical evidence on progress so far. Change generally is in the required direction, but slow. There has been early but slow progress on re-orienting domestic demand towards consumption; substantial re-orientation from reliance on exports towards domestic demand; and rapid change at the margin in the energy mix towards low-emissions sources. Investment in human capital is proceeding rapidly along lines required by the new model. So far, productivity growth has been slow, raising questions about future progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the lead-up to China's five-yearly National Party Congress late in 2017, attempts to resolve conflicts between short-term growth and structural reform have tended to favour immediate growth. The new model of growth requires new economy sectors to grow much more rapidly than traditional (post-1978) sectors. For a while, this was proceeding well, but in late 2016 and during 2017 there have been signs of priority for growth and therefore traditional sectors over the new economy. Favouring growth over reform introduces risk into longer-term growth prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slack OECD economic performance and weaker macroeconomic policy support Summers's reuse of the phrase 'secular stagnation'. Globalisation has redirected growth towards emerging economies, and anticipated rates of return on investment are impaired by perceived risk, institutionalised risk aversion, ageing and dependency, declining commitments to public investment and research and development with rising shares directed to health, retained trade distortions, industrial concentration and slower human capital accumulation, not to mention unexpected global abundance of fossil fuels and a slower Chinese economy. The information and literature supporting these concerns is reviewed and implications for global and Australian policy are inferred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on relationship between regulation and criminalization as means of financial misconduct and criminal law and economic regulation and shadow banking in China. Topics discussed include need for regulated bank intermediation between the supply of funds and the demand for funds, logic and policies of shadow banking in the context of dirigiste economic development in China and credit allocation to prioritize lending to certain strategic industries for state-owned enterprises.

This article seeks to understand how China has managed to achieve such high rates of growth over the past four decades despite the absence of a veritable rule of law. A large body of research suggests that a strong rule of law is a key prerequisite for sustained economic development, but China's unique political economy which vests limited power in its judiciary seems to defy conventional wisdom on this count. Taking as a starting point Yang Yao's concept of 'disinterested government', that is, a government that eschews differentiated interests within a society in favour of a concerted focus on national development, the authors examine the mechanisms by which Chinese leadership has maintained extraordinary growth without the benefit of the rule of law. Specifically, this article argues that the defining features of a disinterested government fulfil many of the same roles as the rule of law from a developmental perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

▀ World trade has picked up in recent months, expanding at the fastest pace in six years in the first quarter, with the rise fairly evenly split between advanced and emerging markets. Stronger activity in China and a broader upturn in global investment have been key factors. But there are still reasons for caution. Although the 'cyclical' element in world trade is improving, the 'trend' element is not thanks to changes in supply chains and a lack of trade liberalisation., ▀ World trade growth looks set to reach about a 4% annual rate in Q1 2017, the fastest pace since 2011. Alternative freight-based indicators confirm the upturn. This suggests some modest near-term upside risk to our world growth forecasts., ▀ Recent growth has been evenly split between advanced countries and emerging markets (EM). In EM, the end of deep recessions in Russia and Brazil and an upturn in China have been key factors. China directly added 0.5 percentage points to annual world trade growth over recent months and firmer growth there has also pushed up commodity prices and the spending power and imports of commodity exporters., ▀ Another important positive factor is an improvement in investment, which is a trade-intensive element of world GDP. Rising capital goods imports across a range of countries suggest the drag on world trade from weak investment is fading., ▀ The decline in the ratio of world trade growth to world GDP growth over recent years has both cyclical and structural elements. But while the cyclical component now seems to be improving, there is little evidence that the structural part - responsible for between a half and two-thirds of the recent decline - is doing likewise., ▀ Key factors behind the structural decline in world trade growth are changes in supply chains and a lack of trade liberalisation/protectionism. Both are likely to remain a drag over the coming years. Meanwhile, a levelling-off of growth in China and drop back in commodity prices could curb the recent cyclical uptick. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has realised that for its own sake and from the international community's perspective, it cannot afford to continue on the conventional path of encouraging economic growth at the expense of the environment. Accordingly, the country has placed ecological goals at the same level of priority as policies on economic, political, cultural and social development. Specifically, meeting the grand goal involves not only capping China's nationwide coal consumption to let it peak before 2020 and carbon emissions peak around 2030, but also putting in place a variety of flagship programs and policies. This article argues that the 2030 carbon emissions peak goal is ambitious but achievable and concludes by arguing why there is reason to be optimistic about China's 'green push'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The Great Leap Forward (GLF) (1958-61) in China was a natural experiment that removed private property rights to achieve rapid growth via central planning, producing immediate famine and death. Using three measures for the GLF, we find that it still exerts a significant negative effect on output per worker in 2004 across Chinese provinces. This result is robust to the use of political factors from the GLF period as instruments. The causal relationship persists after controlling for climate conditions and initial output per capita. Moreover, the causal relationship exists when we change the dependent variable to output per worker in 1978, which refutes the notion that market-oriented reforms alone explain the difference in income in 2004. Therefore, the GLF has had a lasting, negative effect on output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Northern Song period (960-1127) has been recognized as one of the most important eras in China's economic and demographic history. This study investigates the key factors and mechanisms that led to economic restructuring and wealth generating to support a growing population. By revealing state-led changes in the economy, it challenges some commonly circulated interpretations of the remarkable economic development and population growth in Northern Song China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical research on the determinants of regional economic development typically neglects the influence of culture. This study fills that gap by attempting to establish a causal linkage between culture and economic development in the Chinese context. Our empirical analyses are based on a comprehensive economic statistics of China's provinces and prefectures during 1978 to 2008. We use Protestantism as a proxy for culture because Protestant ethic has been linked to the spirit of capitalism and commercial culture in Weber's famous work. To isolate the exogenous variation in culture measure, historical Protestant dissemination is employed as instruments. The estimation results suggest that Christian commercial culture has a significantly positive impact on economic performance - per capita GDP after other important influences (i.e., capital, population, human resources, institutional quality, trade, infrastructure, geography, etc.) are controlled for. We also find heterogeneous effects of culture on economic development in different regions of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overview: Dollar surge brings mixed consequences The strengthening dollar is now becoming a significant factor for global growth and our forecasts. The tradeweighted dollar is up 2.5% over the last month and over 12% on a year ago., Driving the latest rise are growing expectations of US rate hikes while monetary policy in many other major economies is headed in the opposite direction., The beginning of ECB QE has prompted a further slide in bond yields and the euro - which at 1.06/US$ is on course to fulfill our forecast of near-parity by year-end. Weak data in Japan also raises the chance of a further expansion of QE there later this year., We remain relatively positive about the advanced economies: we forecast G7 GDP growth at 2.2% for 2015 and 2.3% next. This month we have revised up German growth for 2015 to 2.4% - a four-year high., Robust US growth and a strong dollar are good news for the advanced economies. US import volume growth firmed to over 5% on the year in January, while the dollar surge potentially boosts the share of other advanced countries in this growing market., But for the emerging economies the picture is mixed. A stronger US may boost exports, but rising US rates are pulling capital away: there has been a slump in portfolio inflows into emergers in recent months. Emerging growth may also suffer from higher costs of dollar funding and a rising burden of dollar debt as currencies soften - the more so if US rates rise faster than markets expect., Moreover, emergers are also under pressure from a slowing China. Chinese import growth has been weak of late and commodity prices remain under downward pressure. A notable casualty has been Brazil, which we have downgraded again this month - GDP is expected to slump 1.1% this year., Emerging GDP growth overall is expected to slip to 3.7% this year, the lowest since 2009. And excluding China, emerging growth will be only 2.2% - the same as the G7 and the worst performance relative to the advanced economies since 1999. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China launched a new urbanisation programme for the period of 2014-2020. The new urbanisation programme will produce positive impacts on China's social and economic development through focusing on integrated urban and rural development, creating city clusters and promoting sustainable urban development. However, the new urbanisation programme may also bring some new social and economic problems, like widening the gap in urban development between different regions in China, leading to the formation of a new urban poor class, based on the current design and implementation. To minimise the negative effect, we suggest to better deal with the relationships between market and government and between economic and social development in the process of urbanisation. We argue that the key is to allow the market to determine the flows of capital, land and people in the process of urbanisation so as to achieve a sustainable development of China's urbanisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses structural changes and emerging policy issues in the Australian petrol industry. The evolution of wholesale markets is a globalisation story: rapid economic growth in countries like China and India is bringing global crude and petrol prices to historical levels and creating significant changes in Australian petrol refining and distribution. In the retail market, recent anti-trust cases have centred on information technology, specifically online platforms that aim to inform firms and consumers of petrol prices. I discuss these and other developments that are creating new challenges for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2004, the massive flow of surplus rural labour in China has dried up; indeed, the country's eastern coastal region is currently experiencing a 'labour shortage'. This phenomenon, which is bound up with China's ongoing economic and social development, has arisen because migrant workers have little or no social security in China. Rather than a labour shortage, there is in fact still a huge rural labour surplus. If the system governing migrant workers' social security and labour rights were improved, this could ease the apparent labour shortage and solve firms' employment problems, thereby increasing productivity and supporting China's long-term economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the potential application of American legal realism in China as of June 2014, focusing on Chinese law reform efforts and a reported lack of an enforcement regime for formal property and contract rights in China (Rights Theory). Economic development (ED) in China and classical legal thought (CLT) in America are mentioned, along with Chinese social values and political structures. Economist Friedrich Hayek and the relationship between the rule of law and ED are examined.

An intellectually vigorous modern economics profession has emerged in China over the past three decades of market-oriented reform and opening to the international economy. Understanding the Chinese economy is essential to understanding economics as China approaches being the world's largest economy. This review article discusses the modern economics profession in China and the contributions of Professor Justin Yifu Lin, a pioneer of modern economics in China and a major contributor from the beginning until now. It introduces and describes the distinctive ideas in his four recent books in English, which make his ideas and work accessible to economists outside China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's economic development has been miraculous since the transition from a planned economy to a market economy in 1979. This article provides answers to six related questions: Why was it possible for China to achieve such extraordinary performance during its transition? Why was China unable to attain similar success before its transition started? Why did most other transition economies fail to achieve a similar performance? What costs does China pay for its extraordinary success? Can China maintain dynamic growth in the coming decades? What should other developing countries do to achieve similar success? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]