From May 24 to 25, the Annual Workshop on the Economics of Education in China 2025 was jointly held at Jinan University by IESR, the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, and the School of Economics at Peking University. The Workshop aims to build a high-level academic exchange platform in the field of China's educational economics and promote the in-depth integration of education policy and practice.

Workshop Participants

First, Professor Shuaizhang Feng, Dean of IESR, chaired the welcoming remarks. He briefly introduced the background of this Workshop. After a strict review by the organizing committee, 20 high-quality papers were selected from over 80 submissions to be presented at this event. Participants from well-known universities, such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, Sun Yat-sen University, Nanjing University, Shandong University, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing Normal University, Capital University of Economics and Business, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, and Jinan University, attended the event.

Welcome Speech by Professor Shuaizhang Feng

Next, Professor Naihua Gu, Vice President of Jinan University, delivered a welcome speech. He first extended a warm welcome to the experts and scholars present and briefly introduced the development of Jinan University. He emphasized that “Education is the foundation of national development and people’s livelihood.” At the end of his speech, he believed that this Workshop would facilitate discussions and exchanges in China's educational economics research.

Welcome Speech by Professor Naihua Gu

In the keynote session, Professor Yaojiang Shi from Shaanxi Normal University and Professor Eric Hanushek from Stanford University delivered keynote speeches, respectively, on the quality of education and human capital investment.

Keynote Speech by Professor Yaojiang Shi

Keynote Speech by Professor Eric Hanushek (online)

In the presentation section, more than 20 scholars were divided into four sub-forums: Education Investment and Effect, Educational Selection and Diversion, Educational Opportunity and Equity, and Educational Environment and Influence, and shared their latest research.

After the presentations, Professor Xiaohan Zhong delivered a closing speech and announced that the next session of the Workshop would be held at Tsinghua University. He emphasized that educational economics, as an interdisciplinary subject, bridges economic methods with educational reality and is closely tied to the vital issues affecting thousands of households. At last, he called on young scholars to root themselves in “real problems,” adhere to the scientific spirit, and promote the integrated development of theoretical innovation and policy application.

Closing Remarks by Professor Xiaohan Zhong

The event ended with fruitful discussions and positive feedback from all the participants.