Date: 8th and 9th May, 2021

Venue: Shipai Campus, Jinan University, 601 West Huangpu Avenue, Guangzhou, China

The Institute for Economic and Social Research (IESR) of Jinan University is organizing the 5th Forum on Children of Migrants on the main campus (Shipai Campus) of Jinan University in Guangzhou.  The forum, focusing on migrant children and left behind children, will consist of both presentations of research papers and roundtable policy panel discussions. IESR has hosted the forum annually since 2017 and the previous ones have provided a great platform for researchers and officials to exchange ideas. This year, we are honored to have Professor James J. Heckman as our Keynote speaker. 

We welcome papers related to children of migrants, including but not limited to migrant children and left behind children’s education, health, human capital, and their families. Research on disadvantaged children is also welcome. The forum will be in hybrid mode. If the paper is accepted, the presenter can choose to present their work either onsite at Jinan University or online. IESR will cover the local accommodation for participants during the forum.

Please submit a complete paper or an extensive abstract to mail for the consideration by the organizing committee. Priority will be given to full papers. The presentations will be in English and thus only submissions in English are acceptable. The closing date of submissions is 12:00 a.m. (Beijing time), 26th April, 2021. Those who submit the paper/abstract will be notified of the decision by 30th April,2021. The event is free. 

Professor James J. Heckman is the 2000 Nobel Laureate in Economics and the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. He is Director of the Center for the Economics of Human Development (CEHD) and Co-Director of Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group (HCEO) at the University of Chicago. Professor Heckman has worked closely with IESR since its launch in late 2015 and now serves as the Chair of IESR Advisory Board. IESR and CEHD co-launched the Longitudinal Study of Children’s Development in Mianzhu, to explore how to measure the traits, skills, and preferences that determine important life outcomes for children. The project is also crucial for understanding how parental absence affects the cognitive and non-cognitive development of left-behind children.

Professor Heckman receives the Chinese Government Friendship Award, the country’s highest honor granted to foreign experts in recognition of their contribution to China’s social and economic development.