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Book Synopsis Why Does China Need a New Breed of Companies?

Qiao Liu, Sep 06, 2017

Understanding corporate China and its future dynamics is the key to understanding the Chinese economy and its undergoing transformation. The intellectual framework proposed in this work can be summarized by a simple identity: Growth Rate = Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) X Investment Rate. To successfully achieve China’s economic transition without losing a lot of growth at the same time, China needs to improve ROIC at the aggregate level.

China’s “Great Leap Forward” in Science and Engineering

Richard B. Freeman, Jun 20, 2017

From "Made in China" to "Innovated in China" can occur only if China produces a large number of scientists and engineers. Richard B. Freeman of Harvard University documents China's "Great Leap Forward" in science and engineering in the past decades in the number of engineers and scientists, the number of scientific papers, patents and innovations.

Industrial Land Discount in China: A Public Finance Perspective

Zhiguo He, Scott Nelson, Yang Su, Anthony Lee Zhang, Fudong Zhang, Jul 25, 2022

Local governments, which serve as monopolistic land sellers in China, face a trade-off when deciding to supply residential land versus industrial land. This trade-off is determined by the different time profiles of revenues from industrial and residential land sales, local governments’ financial constraints, and the extent of local governments’ tax revenue sharing with other levels of government.

Air Pollution, Health Spending and Willingness to Pay for Clean Air in China

Shanjun Li, Deyu Rao, Nahim Bin Zahur, Panle Jia Barwick, Aug 23, 2017

A study shows that reducing PM2.5 in China can lead to significant health benefit. A reduction of PM2.5 by 10 μg/m3 (about 20% from the current level) could result in an annual saving of 75 billion Yuan (or over 2%) in healthcare expenditure. The benefit from improved air quality proposed by recent national policies in China could justify large investment in cleanup activities.

Underestimated Role of Banks in China’s Bond Market

Marlene Amstad, Zhiguo He, Jul 17, 2019

The role of banks in the Chinese bond market, the third largest in the world, is greatly underestimated when proxied only through the share of issuance. For the future growth and deepening of the Chinese bond market it will be important to lower reliance on banks in order for the bond market to play its intended role as a spare tire of the financial system.