A Bridge on Economic Issues between China and the World
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Can Information Influence the Social Insurance Participation of China’s Rural Migrants?
John Giles, Xin Meng, Sen Xue, Guochang Zhao, Apr 10, 2019We use a randomized information intervention to shed light on whether poor understanding of social insurance—in terms of both the enrollment process and the associated costs and benefits—drives the relatively low rates of participation in urban health insurance and pension programs among China's rural-urban migrants. Among workers without a contract...
Sex and the City: Demographics, Spatial Sorting, and the Marriage Market
Min Fang, Zibin Huang, Yushi Wang, Yu Alan Yang, Apr 28, 2026China's falling marriage rate reflects a fundamental spatial mismatch: as highly educated women sort into big cities with larger service sectors and less educated men concentrate in poorer regions, persistent hypergamous norms leave both groups without suitable local partners.
Higher Education and Corporate Innovation
Dongmin Kong, Bohui Zhang, Jian Zhang, Jul 22, 2020This paper investigates the impact of higher education on corporate innovation using a difference-in-differences approach. We find that Chinese firms in skilled industries generate better innovation outcomes, especially firms headquartered in provinces with more science and engineering college graduates, young firms that are more likely to hire young graduates, and firms located near universities. Also, we show that technological innovation is a mechanism...
In the Shadows of the Government: Relationship-building during Political Turnovers
Hanming Fang, Zhe Li, Nianhang Xu, Hongjun Yan, Mar 06, 2019We document that firms use two instruments to build relationships with local government officials in China: “perk spending” and personnel changes. Following a turnover in the positions of Party Secretary or Mayor of a city in China, firms (especially private firms) headquartered in that city significantly increase their perk spending...
The Unintended Consequences of Regulation: Evidence from China’s Interbank Market
Xian Gu, Lu Yun, Jun 12, 2019Financial regulation can have unanticipated consequences in the financial system. The evidence from China’s interbank market shows that banks tend to use newly introduced and lightly regulated financial instruments to get around regulation during their search for funds. Banks facing greater competition or higher liquidity shortages have more incentives to engage in such activities. Such interbank activities are closely associated with banks’ proprietary trading, suggesting the potential risk of financial contagion.
