The institute helps coordinate the efforts of scholars (faculty and students) across campus and supports research to understand economic growth in China (past, present and future) and its impact on the world economy. Focus areas include rural development, firm activities and industrial dynamics, markets and regulation, financial and real estate markets, international trade, and environmental and energy challenges. Some of current research projects aim to understand: the impacts of industrial policies in China; the dynamics of firm productivity and location choices; the causes, consequences, and policy choices regarding air pollution; the transportation policies and outcomes; and electricity sector restructuring.


Commercial Casualties: Political Boycotts and International Disputes, Panle Jia Barwick, Shanjun Li, Jeremy Wallace, and Jessica Chen Weiss

Cross-Country Diffusion of Culture through FDI: A Firm-level Analysis of Gender Inequality in China, Yifan Zhang, and Heiwai Tang

WTO Accession and Performance of Chinese Manufacturing Firms, Yifan Zhang, Loren Brandt, Johannes Van Biesebroeck, and Luhang Wang

Quality Differentiation and Trade Intermediation, Yifan Zhang, and Heiwai Tang

A Fire Sale without Fire: An Explanation of Labor Intensive FDI in China, Yifan Zhang, Yasheng Huang, Yue Ma, and Zhi Yang

Overseas IPO Location Choice of Chinese Firms - Implications for Hong Kong, Yifan Zhang, Ping Lin, and Jesús Seade

Globalization and Firm Demand for Skilled Labor in China’s Manufacturing Sector, Yifan Zhang

Vertical Specialization of Firms: Evidence from China’s Manufacturing Sector, Yifan Zhang