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Book Synopsis The Future of Cities: The Shanghai Model of Migrant Children’s Education

Yuanyuan Chen, Shuaizhang Feng, Nov 15, 2017

Using a longitudinal survey conducted by the authors in Shanghai since 2010, we empirically examine the differences between migrant schools and public schools. We find that migrant students in migrant schools performed substantially worse than their counterparts in public schools in 2010, but the difference decreased by half in 2012, thanks to financial subsidies to migrant schools. We also show that even fortunate migrant students who are able to enroll in public schools tend to go to poorer quality schools; however, there is no evidence on negative peer effects of migrant children in public schools.

Shadow Banking: China’s Dual-Track Interest Rate Liberalization

Hao Wang, Honglin Wang, Lisheng Wang, Hao Zhou, Jul 26, 2017

Professors Hao Wang and Hao Zhou, both of Tsinghua University, Honglin Wang formerly of Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research (HKIMR) and Lisheng Wang of Chinese University of Hong Kong, argue that the shadow banking explosion in China may constitute a dual-track reform mechanism to liberalize the country's rigid interest rate policy.

Book Synopsis How Reform Worked in China: The Transition from Plan to Market

Yingyi Qian, May 02, 2018

The general lesson from this book is this: for a reform to be successful, it is important to use the universal principles, even if they are not enough by themselves, and it is equally important to find specific ways to implement the reform by fully incorporating the initial historical conditions as well as contemporary constraints. The perspective of reform provided by this book’s analysis on China can also be useful beyond China, precisely because it emphasizes that to make reform work, it is not enough to understand why reform works, but also how reform works.

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.

Shadow Banking Activities of Non-Financial Firms in China

Julan Du, Chang Li, Yongqin Wang, Jul 19, 2017

The re-lending business is a particular activity of shadow banking in China, in which some non-financial firms borrow in order to lend, acting as de facto financial intermediaries. Julan Du and Chang Li from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Yongqin Wang from Fudan University document this type of shadow banking in China using three different identification strategies. They also explore the factors that influence the firms' re-lending activities.