Firms and Productivity

Beijing central business district buildings and highways bird's eye view.

Firms and Productivity

Developing high-quality, in-depth data on firms and workers in China.

Overview

There is a lack of high-quality, in-depth data on firms and workers in China, which has historically prevented the systematic study of critical issues facing China’s manufacturers. Existing firm datasets contained limited information or lacked a representative sample of firms and workers. This has all changed with the recently-completed China Employer-Employee Survey, a collaborative effort led by Center Director Hongbin Li, and the most comprehensive survey of Chinese firms to date. The rich dataset stemming from this survey covers many questions that can be used to study trade, the role of State-Owned Enterprises, industry subsidies, and intellectual property rights protections, which have immediate and long-term value for researchers and policymakers alike. Specific focal areas include the role of robotic automation in Chinese factories, changes in manufacturing productivity over time, the prevalence of zombie firms in China, and the role of government interventions, management, and trade on industrial productivity.

Featured Project

China Employer-Employee Survey

The China Employer-Employee Survey led by Hongbin Li continues to provide academics and policymakers access to the most comprehensive survey of Chinese manufacturing firms and their employees, including published articles on managerial behavior, productivity of state-owned enterprises, and the rise of robots in China's manufacturing sector.

It is jointly initiated by researchers from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Stanford University, Wuhan University, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Video: The Story Behind the China Employer-Employee Survey

Publications

Journal Articles

All Research Initiatives

Firms and Productivity

Overview

Featured Project

China Employer-Employee Survey

Does Having a Cadre Parent Pay? Evidence from the First Job Offers of Chinese College Graduates

The End of Cheap Chinese Labor

Estimating Returns to Education Using Twins in Urban China