The Institute for Economic and Social Research (IESR) and the Global Labor Organization (GLO) jointly hosted the Eighth IESR-GLO Joint Workshop at Jinan University from July 10 to 11, 2025.
Scholars hailed from prestigious institutions worldwide, including the Free University of Berlin, the University of New South Wales, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Peking University, Wuhan University, Capital University of Economics and Business, Zhejiang University of Technology, and Jinan University, attended the Workshop. Discussions were held on topics related to fertility decline and family policies.
Workshop Participants
Professor Shuaizhang Feng, Dean of IESR, and Professor Klaus F. Zimmermann, President of GLO, were invited to give a welcome speech.
On behalf of IESR, Professor Feng first warmly welcomed all participants to visit Jinan University. He briefly introduced the profound history of Jinan University and the development of IESR to all the guests. Professor Feng emphasized that, with the support of Professor Klaus F. Zimmermann, IESR and GLO have jointly organized eight consecutive workshops aimed at fostering global academic connections and promoting collaboration among scholars worldwide. At the end of the speech, Professor Feng expressed his expectations for the fruitful exchanges on declining fertility rates and family issues.
Welcome Speech by Professor Shuaizhang Feng
Next, Professor Klaus F. Zimmermann reviewed his previous visits to IESR and expressed his honor to attend this well-organized workshop again. He hoped that this year’s workshop would attract more scholars worldwide to contribute to the development of the Journal of Population Economics and to address Chinese economic and societal issues.
Welcome Speech by Professor Klaus F. Zimmermann
In the presentation session, eight speakers presented their latest research in labor economics with their collaborators, followed by an interactive session with the audience.
Professor Klaus F. Zimmermann from Free University Berlin presented a paper titled “The Economics of Fertility Decline.”
Professor Zhangfeng Jin from Zhejiang University of Technology presented a paper titled “Migration Reform and Fertility: Causal Evidence from Rural China.”
Professor Shampa Bhattacharjee from Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence presented a paper titled “Catholic Missionary Presence and Fertility in India.”
Professor Yue Wang from Peking University presented a paper titled “Automation and Fertility Transitions in China.”
Professor Massimiliano Tani Bertuol from UNSW presented a paper titled “Background Risk and Fertility.”
Professor Xiao Liu from Capital University of Economics and Business presented a paper titled “Sex Ratio, Commitment and Power Distribution Within the Household: An Empirical Investigation of China’s One Child Policy.”
Professor Rufei Guo from Wuhan University presented a paper titled “Family Planning Policy and Intimate Partner Violence.”
Professor Qing Pei from Hong Kong Polytechnic University presented a paper titled “Climate Change and Migration across the Great Wall of China during the Little Ice Age.”
The two-day event concluded with positive feedback. Participants analyzed the driving factors of the continued decline in global fertility rates from multiple perspectives, including the impact of economic pressure, gender equality, family policies, and social security systems. They emphasized that IESR and GLO jointly provide an academic platform for research discussions and international exchanges. This year marks the eighth time IESR has collaborated with GLO to encourage scholars worldwide to engage in in-depth discussions and contribute to solutions to economic issues.
Since 2018, IESR and GLO have jointly hosted eight conferences focused on trending topics, including the labor market effects of the Belt and Road initiatives, the COVID-19 pandemic, social security networks, social policy, and aging societies. More than 100 scholars from 12 countries, including well-known economists from MIT, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Yale University, participated in this series of high-quality conferences.
Joint Conferences Review
2018, March 11-20 IESR-GLO Joint Labor Workshop
2019, March 21-22, IESR-GLO Conference on “Belt and Road” Labor Markets
2020, June 5-7 Third IESR-GLO Joint Conference
2021, June 24-26 Fourth IESR-GLO Joint Conference
2022, August 29-31 Fifth IESR-GLO Joint Conference
2023, October 26-27 Sixth IESR-GLO Joint Workshop
2024, May 16-17 Seventh IESR-GLO Joint Workshop
2025, July 10-11 Eighth IESR-GLO Joint Workshop
