What Determines the Price of Health? Corruption-Information Tradeoff in Authoritarian Governance

Speaker: Victoria Liu, PhD Candidate in Political Science, Stanford University

China runs one of the largest public health systems in the world, with over 1 million health institutions caring for more than 1.4 billion people. In recent years, this system faces increasing pressure from rising demand due to an aging population, limited funding, and widespread accusations of corruption. In response to these challenges, the Chinese government has launched sweeping reforms to contain costs — most notably Xi Jinping’s high-profile anti-corruption campaign specifically targeted at the health sector. While these efforts aim to improve transparency and reduce costs, their broader effects remain unclear. This study examines the impact of anti-corruption efforts on a range of health system outcomes, including drug affordability, innovation, and health outcomes. Early findings suggest that while anti-corruption efforts may curb rent-seeking behavior, they do not always lead to improved outcomes. In some cases, anti-corruption campaigns may undermine the state’s capacity to gauge information from private industry or dampen incentives for innovation. This research contributes to a broader literature on corruption, state-business relations, and public service delivery in authoritarian context.

About the Workshops

Our Young Researcher Workshops offer emerging China scholars an opportunity to engage directly with interdisciplinary faculty and peers from across campus to discuss and receive feedback on their research. Each workshop features one or several PhD students presenting their latest empirical findings on issues related to China’s economy. Past topics have included college major selection as an obstacle to socioeconomic mobility, the effect of a cooling-off period on marriage outcomes, and factors contributing to government corruption. Faculty and senior scholars provide comments and feedback for improvement. This event series helps to build and strengthen Stanford’s community of young researchers working on China.

Workshops are held on select Fridays from 12 - 1 pm. Lunch will be provided! 

Visit the Young Researcher Workshops webpage for more information on the content and format of the series and to learn how to sign up to present.