Page 2 - HKUST IEMS Spring 2018 Newsletter

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

taxes on innovation, issues facing the financing of China’s
Belt and Road initiative, China’s national expressways and
the environment, FinTech in China and social mobility
change for young consumers.

A highlight of the fall semester was the first report from
the “China Employer-Employee Survey (CEES)” which
revealed the challenges facing Chinese manufacturers and
workers, and provided recommendations for policy makers
and business leaders to “truly understand what drives and
hinders the growth of China from ground up, so that they
can make better evidence-based decisions.” The survey,
jointly initiated by researchers from Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, Stanford University, Wuhan
University, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, is
one of the most comprehensive surveys of its type in China
and surveyed more than 1200 companies and 11300
employees in the Guangdong and Hubei provinces in 2015
and 2016.

In the second half of 2017, HKUST IEMS organized a Other IEMS events addressed the balance between
full schedule of academic seminars and policy talks, and development and environmental quality in emerging
published five new Thought Leadership Briefs covering a markets, the effectiveness of poverty reduction strategies
range of important topics including: the effect of corporate in China and Africa, and the challenges and opportunities
of private equity investment in emerging markets.

IEMS FACULTY ASSOCIATES IN THE MEDIA

There are a lot of benefits from China's ruling Communist Party The number of contract workers
more immigration in East Asian approved a revised charter that serving Chinese state-owned
countries, especially because enshrined President Xi Jinping's name enterprises fell 32,000 last year to
many of these countries are under its guiding principles, elevating 233,000, according to the state-
aging at a very rapid pace, so him to a status that eluded his two run China International Contractors
that they are increasingly facing immediate predecessors. The risk is Association. Continent-wide there
a scarcity of workers, especially that there's not as much debate, that seems to be a decrease, due in
low-skilled younger workers. people might not be willing to speak part because of a downturn in
out. It really depends on what kind the commodities cycle, it became
of internal environment Xi creates in unsustainable for many Chinese to
policy circles. continue their businesses.

Albert Park David Zweig Barry Sautman

Director of IEMS in Forbes IEMS Faculty Associate in NDTV https:// IEMS Faculty Associate in the
India http://www.forbesindia. www.ndtv.com/world-news/chinas- Financial Times https://www.ft.com/
com/article/leaderboard/how- communist-party-elevates-xi-jingping- content/7106ab42-80d1-11e7-a4ce-
does-immigration-affect-global- to-status-alongside-mao-1766281 15b2513cb3ff
business/47489/1

More media coverage available at http://
iems.ust.hk/media-coverage

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