- Zheng Jianghuai;Jin Shengnan;
In the complex architecture of global value-chain(GVC) trade, firms' technological content increasingly reflects external knowledge flows. This study examines how inter-regional technological complementarity shapes firms' GVC advancement, measured by the domestic value-added rate(DVAR) in exports. Using integrated Chinese microdata(2000-2014), we find this complementarity significantly boosts export DVAR, explaining about one-quarter of its observed growth. Two mechanisms drive this effect: increased use of domestic intermediates and gains in firm productivity. The benefits are especially large for firms with lower human capital and for those in accessible, innovation-peripheral regions, helping narrow productivity gaps across firms and space. Affected firms also exhibit broader export scopes, higher product quality, more diversified destinations, and greater markups—firm-level evidence of GVC upgrading. These findings highlight how external technological linkages drive upgrading and underscore the importance of fostering inter-regional synergies for balanced development.
2026年01期 v.21 2-32页 [查看摘要][在线阅读][下载 605K] - Zhu Lan;Wu Ziwei;Wang Yong;
By comparing the growth trajectories of East Asia and Latin America, this study finds that during industrialization, East Asian economies actively advanced their manufacturing sectors toward high-end production and achieved a higher relative density of high-skilled labor within this sector. In contrast, Latin American economies experienced a “low-end lock-in” in manufacturing, with highskilled labor more heavily concentrated in the service sector. To provide a unified explanation of these patterns of industrial transformation and labor allocation, this paper develops a three-sector general equilibrium model that includes basic manufacturing(BM), high-end manufacturing(HM), and services, and incorporates labor heterogeneity. The model captures how, under different development thresholds for HM, the allocation of high-skilled labor across sectors leads to two distinct structural transformation paths: from BM to HM, or from BM to services. These paths, in turn, generate different trajectories of human capital accumulation and economic growth performance. Simulation analysis shows that dynamically adjusted industrial policies are more effective than static ones, and that combining education policy with industrial policy yields better outcomes than either policy alone. This study extends theoretical research on industrial structural transformation, highlights the importance of HM for latecomer economies, and offers theoretical underpinnings and decision-making insights for advancing new industrialization and deepening integration between industrial and talent chains.
2026年01期 v.21 33-53页 [查看摘要][在线阅读][下载 482K] - Cheng Lin;Zhou Rui;Chen Xudong;
Does traditional Chinese economic thought possess genuine analytical rigor? This question lies at the heart of any serious evaluation of its theoretical value and historical significance. It also matters for understanding how best to preserve, build on its remarkable achievements, and develop its intellectual legacy. Critics such as Schumpeter and Taylor have long argued that the economic reasoning found in ancient China cannot compare with that of classical Greece or medieval Europe. Yet this view often reflects the narrow assumptions of mainstream economics, defining analysis almost entirely in terms of market exchange. As a result, it tends to overlook traditions built around statecraft, governance, and the management of economic order. A careful re-examination and Sino-Western comparative analysis of key thinkers—including Mencius, Guanzi, and Sima Qian—tells a different story. Rooted in China's distinctive cultural and philosophical heritage, traditional Chinese economic thought not only contains the analytical dimensions(as defined by Schumpeter) but also displays a broader and more diverse set of economic reasoning. Notably, its systematic depth and intellectual precision were, in many respects, remarkably advanced. Therefore, advancing the construction of a Chinese school of economics in the new era under the framework of the “Second Integration”, i.e., integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China's fine traditional culture, should, and indeed can draw essential insights from this analytical tradition.
2026年01期 v.21 54-90页 [查看摘要][在线阅读][下载 492K] - Jia Peng;Cheng Jie;Qu Yue;
To gain an in-depth understanding of China's urban labor market, the Institute of Population and Labor Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences(IPLE-CASS) conducted the fifth wave of the China Urban Labor Survey in 2023, which covers eight major representative cities. The survey collected 9,122 household questionnaires and 26,145 individual questionnaires from 381 neighborhood committees. Based on this data, the report systematically analyzes employment, wages, educational attainment, and social security among China's urban workforce. Key findings include an inverted U-shaped age pattern of labor force participation, with a widening gender gap after childbearing age. Additionally, job search methods combine market-based channels with traditional social networks. Notably, the gender wage gap persists and widens over the life cycle, while employed women now have higher average years of schooling than men. Rural-to-urban migrants show higher labor force participation rates but remain disadvantaged in wages, education, and social security coverage. Thus, this survey provides a comprehensive picture of the structural characteristics and challenges of China's urban labor market, providing a solid data foundation for academic research and public policy design.
2026年01期 v.21 92-114页 [查看摘要][在线阅读][下载 489K] - Dai Yunhao;Wang Xiaoyun;Tong Xinchu;
Can the sharing economy contribute to urban sustainability? This study explores this question using the staggered entry of bike-sharing platforms across Chinese cities as a quasi-natural experiment. Drawing on 2015-2017 city characteristics panel data and monthly CO_2 emission records, we employ a staggered difference-in-differences(DID) model to assess the impact of bike-sharing on per capita urban CO_2 emissions. The results show that bike-sharing platforms significantly cut emissions by replacing high-carbon transport and boosting public adoption of shared bikes. This effect is more potent in cities with less stringent environmental enforcement, more advanced digital economies, greater technological innovation, and where two platforms jointly entered. By elucidating the mechanisms underlying bike-sharing's carbon-reduction potential, this study highlights its role in urban sustainability. It offers policy insights for leveraging shared mobility to reduce city carbon emissions.
2026年01期 v.21 116-136页 [查看摘要][在线阅读][下载 474K] 下载本期数据