On March 30, 2019, the Editorial Board of Economic Research Journal, Data and Survey Sharing Platform for Colleges and Universities, and the Institute for Economic and Social Research (IESR) organized The 2nd Micro-Survey Data and Economic Theory Innovation Forum. This year, the event was hosted by IESR here at Jinan University, Guangzhou. The forum warmly welcomed over 70 scholars from a number of distinguished universities all over China (Fudan University, Renmin University of China, Zhejiang University, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Jinan University, etc.) to share the latest research based on different micro-survey data, and also discuss the most urgent topics related to micro-survey data and economic theory innovation.
As IESR Dean Professor Shuaizhang Feng pointed out, micro-survey data is the foundation of any empirical economic research – research that was facilitated even further with the launch of Data and Survey Sharing Platform for Colleges and Universities in 2017, as well as the access it has given to the abundant micro-survey data resources from various higher education institutions across the country. It was co-launched by Professor Li Gan on behalf of Survey and Research Center for China Household Finance (Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, SWUFE), IESR and 9 other units, hence enabling close collaboration in collecting, processing and sharing micro-survey data, as well as working side by side on new research initiatives. This platform, along with the annually organized Micro-Survey Data and Economic Theory Innovation Forum, serves an important role in deepening our economic understanding and thus bridging the gap between academic research and policy action. According to the Editorial Director of the Economic Research Journal Xiahui Liu, China's future path of economic development is something that should be guided by the understanding and knowledge micro-survey data provides us with.
The 2nd Micro-Survey Data and Economic Theory Innovation Forum was marked by the two keynote addresses: “The Impact of University Enrollment Expansion on Secondary Vocational Education” by Professor Shuaizhang Feng and “A Field Experiment of Incentive-Compatible Labor Income Subsidy” by Professor Li Gan, Head of the Survey and Research Center for China Household Finance, SWUFE.
The keynote addresses were then followed by other 20 presentations, each centering on one of the 4 key research topics of this year’s forum: Urban and Real Estate Economics, Labor Economics, Household Finance, and Economic Development. The forum ended up with a thorough discussion among the participants on related topics.
