A workshop on structural transformation was held on July 15-17, 2016 in Longrun Garden, Peking University for the preparation of the Oxford Handbook of Structural Transformation led by Professor Justin Yifu Lin and Dr. Celestin Monga. Co-hosted by the Center for New Structural Economics (CNSE) at Peking University and the PRC Regional Knowledge Sharing Initiative at Asian Development Bank (ADB), the three-day meeting invited twenty-six researchers from the world’s leading universities, international organizations and financial institutions to focus on the discussion of draft chapters of the book.

(Justin Yifu Lin)

Prof. Justin Yifu Lin, former Chief Economist of World Bank and Director of CNSE gave opening remarks. He said though structural transformation is essential for the improvement of productivity hence the level of income, it had not received as much attention as it deserved. The oxford handbook would therefore fill in the gap and make good contribution to poverty reduction and economic development. He was joined by Dr. Celestin Monga, Managing Director of the Program Support and General Management Division of UNIDO and Amy Leung, Deputy Director General of ADB’s East Asia Department in the opening session.

(Lin and Roger Myerson(SKYPE))

Keynote speech was given by Roger Myerson, professor of economics at the University of Chicago who was awarded the 2007 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, on the topic of American Democracy and Global Development.

Enlightening reports were delivered along with in-depth discussions in the following panels. Lin and Yong Wang, associate professor of economics and Deputy Director of CNSE talked about the draft chapter they co-authored titled Remodeling Structural Change. Dr. Shang-Jin Wei, Chief Economist of Asian Development Bank re-examined the middle income trap hypothesis, discussing its empirical validity. Dr. Jong-Wha Lee, professor and Director of the Asiatic Research Institute at Korea University, who was also former Chief Economist at ADB, shared his findings on the influence of human capital and innovations on China’s structural innovation.

(Celestin Monga, Shang-Jin Wei, Jong-Wha Lee, Justin Yifu Lin, Christian Ketels(with Harvard) and Christopher Thomas (with McKinsey & Co.) at ADB Secial Panel )

The Oxford Handbook of Structural Transformation is conceived to provide a critical assessment of the history, patterns, and strategies of economic transformation, and to outline new approaches to economic enquiry for prosperity and social change. Contributors include recognized experts in this field including several Nobel laureates. It is also designed to bridge the gap between highly technical contributions on structural transformation and growth often seen in academic journals and the more concrete intellectual needs of policymakers and development practitioners.

This is the second Oxford Handbookedited by Celestin Monga and Justin Yifu Lin, following the successful delivery of the 2-volume Oxford Handbook of Africaand Economics in 2015 (link at the bottom). The Oxford Handbook of Structural Transformation is expected to come out in 2017.