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Heather Rahimi
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China labor, income and population (CLIP) research program at SCCEI.

The Stanford's Center on China’s Economy and Institutions (SCCEI) is pleased to announce the launch of its second official research program: the China Labor, Income, and Population (CLIP) research program. Led by SCCEI faculty co-director Hongbin Li, CLIP aims to explore China’s labor market, income, and demographic shifts, to provide a deeper understanding of their implications for China's economic landscape.

SCCEI researchers contributing to CLIP include Hongbin Li, the James Liang Endowed Chair and SCCEI Faculty Co-director, Lingsheng Meng, Research Scholar, Xinyao Qiu, Postdoctoral Scholar, Hanmo Yang, Lazear-Liang Postdoctoral Scholar, and Claire Cousineau, Program Manager. Building off of the researchers’ current research portfolios and areas of expertise, the program will focus on the study of labor quantity (population), labor quality (human capital), income, and the interactions between technology and labor, while also examining the role of China’s unique institutions, such as the gaokao exam system, hukou system, and the state, in shaping the labor market.

A distinctive feature of CLIP is its ability to leverage China’s vast data resources. Researchers will employ both field surveys and big data to study the complexities of China’s labor market, education and population dynamics and their roles in the Chinese economy. Through these efforts, the program aspires to contribute meaningfully to discussions surrounding China's social and economic development, particularly in light of rapid technological changes and demographic challenges. CLIP’s findings will not only benefit academic scholars and policy-makers, but also international stakeholders who seek to better understand China’s role in the global economy.

This CLIP program builds on SCCEI's ongoing mission to produce high-quality, evidence-based research on China’s economy, potentially offering critical insights that can help inform future policies.

For more information, visit the official CLIP research page.

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SCCEI's newest research program, China Labor, Income and Population (CLIP), focuses on key areas essential for understanding the complexities of China’s labor market and its role in the Chinese economy.

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This summer, SCCEI awarded competitive research funding to six Stanford Ph.D. candidates to advance their empirical research on China. The award recipients hail from diverse disciplines across campus, including political science, environment and resources, and international education, and proposed research covering a multitude of prominent issues in today’s society. 

The SCCEI 2024 Summer Research Grant recipients are:

Cody Abbey headshot

Cody Abbey, Graduate School of Education
Research Topic: The Perceptions of University Students in China towards Mental Health, Meditation, and Mindfulness

Cody Abbey is an education Ph.D. student at Stanford University. Since 2017, he has collaborated with community partners in the U.S., China, and abroad to identify ways to improve learning and mental health outcomes in low-resource contexts. During his PhD, he is exploring how to best design, adapt, and deliver mindfulness-based programs. 


 

Alicia Chen headshot

Alicia Chen, Department of Political Science
Research Topic: The Domestic Political Economy of China's Belt and Road Initiative

Alicia Chen is a Ph.D. candidate in the political science department at Stanford University. Chen’s research focuses on the political economy of development and conflict, with a focus on Chinese development aid. 


 

Safari Fang headshot

Safari Fang, Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources
Research Topic: Small-Scale Fisheries and Community Self-Governance in China: A Comparative Case Study of Sustainable Marine Resource Management

Safari Fang is a Ph.D. candidate in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER) at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Growing up next to a polluted Yangtze River in China and experiencing the devastating impact of environmental degradation on marginalized populations, Safari aspired to work in conservation and sustainability. Her current research focuses on aquaculture, small-scale fisheries, food security, ocean policy, and community-based marine conservation in China. 


 

Qianmin Hu headshot

Qianmin Hu, Department of Political Science
Research Topic: China's New Growth Model: Industrial Upgrading or Great Leap Forward in A New Era?

Qianmin Hu is a Ph.D. candidate in the political science department at Stanford University. She studies the economic consequences of political institutions and bureaucratic behavior in authoritarian regimes. Her other research encompasses the historical institutions of China and their implications for the Great Divergence. 


 

Naiyu Jiang headshot

Naiyu Jiang, Department of Political Science
Research Topic: Shifting Sands of Science: The Impact of U.S.-China Technological Decoupling on the Research Enterprise

Naiyu Jiang is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at Stanford University, where she studies the political economy of development and authoritarian institutions, focusing particularly on China and Southeast Asia. Her research aims to understand how Chinese institutions adapt to technological isolation and pursue technological sovereignty. 


 

Victoria Liu headshot

Victoria Liu, Department of Political Science
Research Topic: Lack of Capacity or Lack of Will? Why Does China Make Drugs Affordable for Some But Not All

Victoria Liu is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science, interested in public health, bureaucracy, and local government, with a regional focus on China. Her dissertation project examines health inequalities within the region, investigating whether these disparities arise from issues in political accountability or governance capacity. 



SCCEI offers grants to support exceptional researchers conducting data-driven research related to China's economy. We accept proposals two times per year, Fall and Winter. Visit the SCCEI Research Grants and Fellowships webpage for more details and current opportunities.

 

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2024 SCCEI Summer Study Program group photo at Peking University.
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SCCEI Launches Inaugural Summer Study Program Aimed at Understanding China’s Economy

Under the guidance of SCCEI’s faculty directors, 16 students traveled across urban and rural China, embarking on field visits including education, healthcare, retail technology, and manufacturing to gain a deeper understanding of China’s economy.
SCCEI Launches Inaugural Summer Study Program Aimed at Understanding China’s Economy
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Meet our Researchers: In Conversation with Professor Prashant Loyalka

We sat down with Professor Loyalka to learn more about his journey to Stanford, his passion for international comparative education and his advice for aspiring young researchers.
Meet our Researchers: In Conversation with Professor Prashant Loyalka
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SCCEI awarded competitive research funding to six Stanford Ph.D. candidates to advance their empirical research on China. This summer's grant recipients are: Cody Abbey, Alicia Chen, Safari Fang, Qianmin Hu, Naiyu Jiang, and Victoria Liu.

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Skyline Scholar (2024), Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions
Professor of Economics and Finance, China Europe International Business School
prof._xu_xiaonian.jpg Ph.D.

Dr. Xiaonian Xu is Professor Emeritus at CEIBS, where he held the position of Professor of Economics and Finance from 2004 to 2018. In recognition of his contributions, he was named an Honorary Professor in Economics from September 2018 to August 2023.

Between 1999 and 2004, Dr. Xu served as Managing Director and Head of Research at China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC). Before joining CICC, he was a Senior Economist at Merrill Lynch Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong from 1997 to 1998, and worked as a World Bank consultant in Washington DC in 1996. Dr. Xu was appointed Assistant Professor of Amherst College, Massachusetts, where he taught Economics and Financial Markets from 1991 to 1995. Earlier in his career, he was a research fellow at the State Development Research Centre of China from 1981 to 1985.

Dr. Xu earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Davis, in 1991, and an MA in Industrial Economics from the People's University of China in 1981. In 1996, he was awarded the distinguished Sun Yefang Economics Prize, the highest honor in the field in China, for his research on China’s capital markets. His research interests include Macroeconomics, Financial Institutions and Financial Markets, Transitional Economies, China’s Economic Reform, Corporate Strategy and Digital Transformation. His publications include: Freedom and Market Economy (《自由与市场经济》), There has Never been A Savior (《从来就没有救世主》), The Pendulum Swinging Back (《回荡的钟摆》), The Nature of the Business and the Internet (《商业的本质和互联网》), and The Nature of the Business and the Internet, 2nd Edition (《商业的本质和互联网》第二版).

A dedicated educator, he has been recognized with the CEIBS Teaching Excellence Award in 2005 and 2006, as well as the esteemed CEIBS Medal for Teaching Excellence in 2010.

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Skyline Scholar (2025-26), Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions
Professor of Economics, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University
Chen Yuyu - vert.jpg Ph.D.

Yuyu Chen is Professor of Economics at the Guanghua School of Management, Peking University. He also served as Director of the Institute of Economic Policy Research at PKU. His research focuses on labor market, productivity, health, pollution, media impacts and management practices. He received his Ph.D in Economics from Australian National University.

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Join us for our first ever lightning round edition of the SCCEI Young Researcher Workshop series. Each presenter will have 30 minutes to share their research and field audience questions.

Round 1: The Impact of Ownership on Lending: Local Government and Regional Banks in China


Presenter:  Wei Wei, Lazear-Liang Postdoctoral Scholar, Stanford Graduate School of Business



Round 2: Corporate Governance of Chinese SOEs: An Extra-legality Perspective


Presenter: Tian Xie, Doctor of the Science of Law (JSD) Candidate, Stanford Law School



Round 3: Son-Preference, Fertility Policy Relaxation, and Mothers’ Well-being


Presenter: Hanmo Yang, Lazear-Liang Postdoctoral Scholar, Stanford Graduate School of Business
 


About the Workshops


Our Young Researcher Workshops offer emerging China scholars an opportunity to engage directly with interdisciplinary faculty and peers from across campus to discuss and receive feedback on their research. Each workshop features one or several PhD students presenting their latest empirical findings on issues related to China’s economy. Past topics have included college major selection as an obstacle to socioeconomic mobility, the effect of a cooling-off period on marriage outcomes, and factors contributing to government corruption. Faculty and senior scholars provide comments and feedback for improvement. This event series helps to build and strengthen Stanford’s community of young researchers working on China.

Workshops are held on select Fridays starting at 12 pm. Lunch will be provided! 

Visit the Young Researcher Workshops webpage for more information on the content and format of the series and to learn how to sign up to present. 

Goldman Room, Encina Hall, E409

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Quality of Primary Healthcare and Family Antibiotic Consumption in Rural China: A Machine-Learning Approach


Speaker: Yunwei Chen, Postdoctoral Scholar, Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions

Inappropriate antibiotic use presents a unique challenge to global health. Despite the widespread practice of limiting antibiotic use through doctor-prescribed prescriptions in developed countries, this approach may not be effective in resource-limited settings where providers are unable to prescribe effectively. Investing in quality primary healthcare may offer an effective alternative to promoting effective antibiotic dispensing in community settings, but evidence remains limited and few studies are devoted to these settings. Using extensive data collected from approximately 100 rural villages in remote areas of Yunnan Province in southwest China, this paper investigates how the practicing quality of village providers affects family antibiotic consumption. Provider quality was assessed through unannounced clinical visits by standardized patients presenting consistent conditions, which were then linked to antibiotic consumption data obtained from household surveys in the same villages. We identified causal effects using the newly developed double/debiased machine learning approach, by leveraging extensive information collected from village providers to approximate the optimal instrument, using a variety of machine learning algorithms. Our analysis indicates that improving the practicing quality of village doctors significantly reduced inappropriate family use of antibiotics in remote rural areas of China.


About the Workshops


Our Young Researcher Workshops offer emerging China scholars an opportunity to engage directly with interdisciplinary faculty and peers from across campus to discuss and receive feedback on their research. Each workshop features one or several PhD students presenting their latest empirical findings on issues related to China’s economy. Past topics have included college major selection as an obstacle to socioeconomic mobility, the effect of a cooling-off period on marriage outcomes, and factors contributing to government corruption. Faculty and senior scholars provide comments and feedback for improvement. This event series helps to build and strengthen Stanford’s community of young researchers working on China.

Workshops are held on select Fridays starting at 12 pm. Lunch will be provided! 

Visit the Young Researcher Workshops webpage for more information on the content and format of the series and to learn how to sign up to present. 

Goldman Room, Encina Hall, E409

Yunwei Chen, Postdoctoral Scholar, Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions
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SCCEI Seminar Series (Fall 2024)


Friday, October 25, 2024 | 12:00 pm -1:20 pm Pacific Time
Goldman Room E409, Encina Hall, 616 Jane Stanford Way



Small Yard, High Fence? The Impact of US-China Tensions on the Reallocation of International Students in US Higher Education


Authors: Keng-Chi Chang, Ruixue Jia, Steven Liao, Margaret E. Roberts

One of the most critical recent developments in the global economy is how U.S.-China tensions are reshaping cross-border economic integration. To date, however, our understanding of its impact has been mainly limited to international trade and finance, as opposed to migration. To fill this gap, we explore the effect of recent tensions on international student flows to the United States that are critical to U.S. higher education, knowledge production, and the broader economy. We construct a unique granular dataset that combines the universe of international students in the United States from 2000--2021 with specific information about their institution and novel measures of the sensitivity of students' study fields. Using a series of difference-in-differences and triple-differences designs, we find that tensions have not had a uniform effect on students across states, institutions and fields of study.  Instead, we show that tensions have shifted international students from China toward private institutions in blue states, and away from sensitive fields, particularly at the PhD level. The findings reveal new patterns of uneven international student decline in recent years and extend policy debates on technology security and export controls to cross-border human capital barriers.

Please register for the event to receive email updates and add it to your calendar. Lunch will be provided.



About the Speaker 
 

Margaret Roberts headshot

Margaret Roberts is a Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute at the University of California, San Diego. Her research interests lie in the intersection of political methodology and the politics of information, with a specific focus on methods of automated content analysis and the politics of censorship in China. Much of her research uses social media, online experiments, and large collections of texts to understand the influence of censorship and propaganda on access to information and beliefs about politics.

She received a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University, and a M.S. in statistics and a B.A. in international relations and economics from Stanford University.


A NOTE ON LOCATION

Please join us in-person in the Goldman Conference Room located within Encina Hall on the 4th floor of the East wing.



Questions? Contact Xinmin Zhao at xinminzhao@stanford.edu
 


Goldman Room E409, Encina Hall

Margaret Roberts, Professor of Political Science, University of California, San Diego
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SCCEI Seminar Series (Fall 2024)


Friday, October 11, 2024 | 12:00 pm -1:20 pm Pacific Time
Goldman Room E409, Encina Hall, 616 Jane Stanford Way



Longevity of Power: Does Rank Influence Lifespan among Chinese Political Elites?


This paper investigates the relationship between power and longevity among Chinese Communist Party elites. Using a unique dataset of 2,223 members of the Central Committee and Alternate Central Committee from 1921 to 2022, this study explores whether higher-ranking officials enjoy longer lifespans and are less likely to experience unnatural deaths. By relying on original data on the causes and years of death for these political figures, the analysis provides new insights into the survival advantages conferred by power within an autocratic regime. The findings have significant implications for understanding the dynamics of leadership stability and regime durability in authoritarian contexts.

Please register for the event to receive email updates and add it to your calendar. Lunch will be provided.



About the Speaker 
 

Yuhua Wang headshot

Professor Yuhua Wang is Professor of Government at Harvard University. He is the author of Tying the Autocrat’s Hands (Cambridge University Press, 2015) and The Rise and Fall of Imperial China (Princeton University Press, 2022). The Rise and Fall of Imperial China won the 2023 Lubbert Best Book Award in Comparative Politics from the American Political Science Association. His articles have appeared in American Political Science Review, Annual Review of Political Science, British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, Comparative Politics, and China Quarterly. Yuhua received his B.A. from Peking University and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
 


A NOTE ON LOCATION

Please join us in-person in the Goldman Conference Room located within Encina Hall on the 4th floor of the East wing.



Questions? Contact Xinmin Zhao at xinminzhao@stanford.edu
 


Goldman Room E409, Encina Hall

Yuhua Wang, Professor of Government, Harvard University
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Gendered Impacts of Privatization: A Life Cycle Perspective from China


Speaker: Yuli Xu, Ph.D. Candidate, Economics Department, University of California San Diego

Women at different life stages may respond differently to economic shocks as they face varying trade-offs. This paper examines the impact of privatization on gender inequality across the life cycle. We leverage a unique event in China: the privatization of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the 1990s, which resulted in over 35 million layoffs and disrupted the previously enforced gender equality in employment. Leveraging both regional variations in reform intensity, proxied by initial differences in SOE employment share, and temporal variation in the reform, our event study analysis shows that older women were more likely to be laid off and had greater difficulty finding re-employment than men. Middle-aged women were less likely than men to transition into the emerging private sector or pursue entrepreneurship. Younger women faced reduced opportunities in SOEs and prioritized education more than men. Both young men and women postponed marriage. Further mechanism analysis suggests that privatization has increased demand for high-skilled workers and reinforced traditional gender role attitudes.


About the Workshops


Our Young Researcher Workshops offer emerging China scholars an opportunity to engage directly with interdisciplinary faculty and peers from across campus to discuss and receive feedback on their research. Each workshop features one or several PhD students presenting their latest empirical findings on issues related to China’s economy. Past topics have included college major selection as an obstacle to socioeconomic mobility, the effect of a cooling-off period on marriage outcomes, and factors contributing to government corruption. Faculty and senior scholars provide comments and feedback for improvement. This event series helps to build and strengthen Stanford’s community of young researchers working on China.

Workshops are held on select Fridays starting at 12 pm. Lunch will be provided! 

Visit the Young Researcher Workshops webpage for more information on the content and format of the series and to learn how to sign up to present. 

Goldman Room, Encina Hall, E409

Yuli Xu, Ph.D. Candidate, Economics Department, UC San Diego
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2024 SCCEI Summer Study Program group photo at Peking University.

In 2024, SCCEI launched its inaugural Summer Study Program, marking the center’s first intensive field excursion in China with Stanford undergraduate students. To gain a deeper understanding of China, program participants traveled across urban and rural China, embarking on field visits focusing on a wide cross-section of issue areas, including education, healthcare, retail technology, and manufacturing.

Under the guidance of SCCEI’s faculty directors Hongbin Li and Scott Rozelle, program participants explored the key issues, challenges, and opportunities that China faces today. Sixteen students participated in this year’s program and hailed from multidisciplinary backgrounds, including economics, international relations, electrical engineering and computer science. Each student exhibited a passion for gaining a nuanced understanding of China and its role on the global stage as the world’s second largest economy.  

On June 24, the student cohort gathered in Shanghai for the program’s kickoff. While in Shanghai, students toured the store and warehouse of the innovative grocery chain model, Freshippo. Next, students learned about cutting-edge environmental initiatives and spoke directly with young professionals at Ant Finance. The Shanghai leg of the trip also featured a tour of the Luckin Coffee factory, which is the largest roastary in Asia, and a networking dinner with local Stanford alumni.

“It was incredible talking to people in very high positions of power in these digital companies that we took tours of, for example, the Ant group or even some of the manufacturing companies we went to...that the core thesis of their drive for profit, it's underpinned by, ‘we need to be environmentally friendly.’” Arshia Mehta, a management science and engineering major going into consulting, reflected on these visits. 

It was incredible talking to people in very high positions of power in these digital companies that we took tours of.
Arshia Mehta

From Shanghai, students traveled to Deqing, a prosperous rural county in the Yangtze river delta region, where they explored a local health clinic and a pearl farm responsible for a sizable portion of global pearl production. From Deqing, students traveled to the nearby township of Tongxiang, where they dove into China’s dynamic manufacturing sector through informative conversations with factory personnel and tours of a conveyor belt factory and fiber glass company. 

The program cohort then traveled to Xi’an, where they had the opportunity to marvel at the Terracotta Warriors and explore the city’s Muslim Quarter. From urban Xi’an, students rode a bus through tunnels and over mountains towards the rural county of Ningshan, where they visited a local parenting center, rural agricultural communities, and local hospitals. Students also visited local households where they conversed with villagers and families to learn more about rural life in Ningshan.

“Everybody wanted their children to go to college, everybody wanted to see a better future and how to help for that future,” said first year political science major Garrett Molloy, “that reminds me – no matter how distant we seem politically, people are actually very similar.”

Finally, after traveling overnight on a sleeper train, students arrived in Beijing. While in China’s capital, the cohort toured the newly operational Xiaomi EV factory, engaged with students from Tsinghua University High School and Peking University, and spoke directly with the country’s stock market regulators. Students also joined the 4th of July celebration hosted by the U.S. Embassy, where they were greeted by the U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns.

Reflecting on her conversation with the Ambassador, Amaya Marion, a junior studying international relations, said, “This trip makes me more certain that I do want to do something in the future with U.S.-China relations.”

The student cohort also had ample opportunity to explore China’s culture and history throughout the program. They visited a paleolithic archaeological site, learned to make traditional Chinese rice cakes, practiced the art of Chinese calligraphy, and visited the Zhujiajiao Water Town. The cohort also explored traditional indigo tie-dyeing practices and cloisonné, an ancient technique for decorating metalwork with colored enamel material.

This is a really remarkable opportunity to see parts of China that otherwise wouldn't be accessible to me.
Stella Meier

Students not only gained new insights from the cultural and business visits, they also learned from one another. Stella Meier, Stanford junior studying international relations, remarked, “this is a really remarkable opportunity to see parts of China that otherwise wouldn't be accessible to me.”

This trip has altered my perception in a way that's constructive, in a way that's helping me think more critically about the information that's being fed to me.
Rahul Ajmera

Having experienced urban and rural China firsthand over the course of two weeks, students walked away with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of China’s economy and people that, according to one student, “fundamentally reshaped my global perspective.” To continue facilitating transformative student exchanges with China, planning for SCCEI’s second annual Summer Program is already well underway.
 



Watch the Program Highlights 



Visit the program page for more program details and future program announcements.


 

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Under the guidance of SCCEI’s faculty directors, 16 students traveled across urban and rural China, embarking on field visits including education, healthcare, retail technology, and manufacturing to gain a deeper understanding of China’s economy.

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