On the day of September 26th, 2015, Xi Jinping, the Chairman of PRC, stressed that countries should make development strategies according to their own characteristics at the United Nations Development Summit. On the Roundtable Meeting of South-South Operation, Xi also emphasizes that countries should utilize their own comparative advantages. This is precisely the essence of New Structural Economics.
New Structural Economics (NSE) proposes to use the neoclassical economic approach to study the determinants of economic structure, including technology, industry, infrastructure and institution, and its evolution in the process of economic development. NSE underscores that the starting point for a dynamic analysis of an economy’s structure lies in its endowments (the total budget) and endowments structure (factors’ relative price that is endogenously determined), which are given at any specific time and changeable over time. This theory should have been called Structural Economics according to the nomenclature in modern economics, yet it is instead termed “New Structural Economics” for the sake of distinguishing it from the first-generation development economics – “Structuralism”.
The term “New Structural Economics” was first proposed by Professor Justin Yifu Lin, who has been championing its use. In an internal seminar in June 2009, which marked the first anniversary of his appointment as Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the World Bank, Lin, on the basis of his book The China Miracle: Development Strategy and Economic Reform (1994) and the theoretical framework of his 2007 Marshall Lectures, reflected on the post-WWII theoretical developments of the development economics as a branch of modern economics and the developing countries’ experiences in development and transition. According to Lin, the “structuralism”, or the first version of development economics, advocates the construction of an industrial structure identical to that of developed countries and stresses the role of government while downplaying that of market; the “neoliberalism”, or the second version of development economics, advocates the utilization of institutional arrangements of market identical to those in developed countries and underlines the importance of market while downplaying the role of government. Lin went on to propound the “new structural economics” as the third version of development economics, arguing that economic development is an evolutionary process involving industries, technologies, infrastructure and institutional mechanism, in which a “facilitating government” is also indispensable in addition to an “effective market”.
The application of New Structural Economics constitutes a systematic examination of developing economic structures. The sub-fields of New Structural Economics include (but are not limited to) the following areas:
Principles of New Structural Economics
New Structural Industrial Economics
New Structural Financial Economics
New Structural Labor Economics
New Structural Regional Economics
New Structural International Economics
New Structural Macroeconomic Economics
New Structural Institutional Economics
New Structural Transition Economics
New Structural International Development
New structural Resources and Environment Economics
Immediately after the annual International Conference on New Structural Economics (December 15th, 2016 - December 16th, 2016), the Second Symposium on New Structural Economics (Winter School) and Advanced Research Workshop will be held by the Center for New Structural Economics at Peking University from December 17th, 2016 to December 22nd, 2016. Symposium on New Structural Economics (Winter School) is an annual academic exchange of ideas on New Structural Economics. Last year, the first Symposium was completed with great success. The edited transcript of the symposium has been published by Peking University Press (What is new about New Structural Economics? - The Record of the Brainstorm in the First Winter School on New Structural Economics. Editors: Justin Yifu Lin, Caihui Fu, Yong Wang. For further information, please click:
Topics of the symposium:
1. The Theoretical Construction of New Structural Economics
2. The Mathematical Modeling of New Structural Economics
3. The Application Fields of New Structural Economics
4. The Empirical Test of New Structural Economics
Advanced Research Workshop:
Renowned economists will give lectures in the advanced research method workshop. The agenda of the workshop will be released after the announcement of the list of successful candidate (working) papers.
Recommended reading Materials:
The China Miracle: Development Strategy and Economic Reform
Economic Development and Transition: Thought, Strategy, and Viability Demystifying the Chinese Economy
New Structural Economics: A Framework for Rethinking Development and Policy
The Quest for Prosperity: How Developing
Benti and Changwu Dialogues on Methodology in Economics
Paper Series on New Structural Economics (Part 1/Part 2)
What is new about New Structural Economics? - The Record of the Brainstorm in the First Winter School on New Structural Economics
Deadline of Application:
May 31st, 2016 (All candidates are required to submit the abstract(s) of their paper(s)/working paper(s) by May 31st, 2016；they are also required to submit the full (working) paper by September 30th, 2016).
Application Materials：
(please submit your application materials via our contact email nse@nsd.pku.edu.cn)
1. CV
2. (Working) paper abstract(s)
*Notes:
1. Candidates who have been funded by Summer Schools Research Fund and Special Research Fund will be given priority.
2. Successful candidate papers will be published in “New Structural Economics Working Paper Series” upon the approval of the authors, and will have the opportunity of being recommended by the Center for New Structural Economics to top academic journals.
3. Excellent candidates will have the opportunity of being selected and funded by the Center for New Structural Economics (Special Research Fund). For further information, please visit the website of the Center for New Structural Economics at Peking University at: http://www.nse.pku.edu.cn/en/articles/index.aspx?nodeid=73.
Language of the Symposium:
Both Chinese and English are acceptable
(the symposium is held with simultaneous interpretation)
Form of Discussion:
1. The Center for New Structural Economics will assign discussants to each speaker as soon as papers are selected;
2. The discussants of each paper will receive the full paper before their discussion and are expected to provide suggestions to the authors of each paper.
Announcement of successful candidates:
October 15th, 2016
Participation confirmation:
October 20th, 2016
Submission of presentation materials：
October 21st, 2016 - December 1th, 2016.
Successful candidates will be provided an economic class air travel (or second class train for local participants) and local accommodation.
Contact us：
Email: nse@nsd.pku.edu.cn
Tel: (+86)010-62768932
Requirements of the symposium:
Full participation is required.
Welcome to visit our Website: http://www.nse.pku.edu.cn/en/
