Project supported by the National High-end Think Tank
1. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC): Interim Assessment of the 14th Five-Year Plan Implementation
In March 2023, to support the interim assessment of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) implementation, the Institute of New Structural Economics, Peking University was entrusted by the Department of Planning of the NDRC to provide policy recommendations on progress in promoting high-quality development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period and next-step measures. The Institute conducted a systematic review of advancements in implementing the new development philosophy and driving high-quality development, performed an in-depth analysis of major challenges and their root causes, and proposed key priorities and actionable strategies for future efforts.
2. The Major Project of Philosophy and Social Sciences Research of the Ministry of Education: Scale Advantages and the Economic Development of Large Countries
Based on the particularity of China as a large developing country, the Major Project of Philosophy and Social Sciences Research of the Ministry of Education titled Scale Advantages and the Economic Development of Large Countries first sorts out the current changes in the internal and external environment. Second, it summarizes five key development characteristics of China: 1)global political and economic influence; 2) a vast territory with unbalanced development across regions; 3) a large population and a huge market scale; 4) the national system of concentrating resources to accomplish major tasks; and 5) independent innovation and international technology introduction simultaneously. Based on this, the project analyzes the practical problems faced by China in the development process. Third, aiming at the practical problems reflected by different characteristics, it explores the underlying theoretical mechanisms. Finally, considering the particularity of China's current development stage, the project puts forward corresponding policy recommendations and strives to construct an independent knowledge system of Chinese economics.
3. National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA): Design of a Fiscal and Financial System Supporting Forestry Development
From June 2023 to January 2024, the New Structural Economics Institute of Peking University undertook a research project entrusted by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) and released the research report Design of a Fiscal and Financial System Supporting Forestry Development. The research team conducted field investigations in collective forest areas including Nanping City and Sanming City in Fujian Province, as well as Quzhou City and Lishui City in Zhejiang Province. Based on the analytical methods of New Structural Economics and the theoretical framework of New Structural Finance, the project analyzed the particularity of the forestry industry and the characteristics and structure of its corresponding financial needs. Starting from the practical significance of fiscal and financial tools in supporting forestry development, the characteristics of the policy and fund systems, financing tools and typical models, and bottleneck constraints, the project examined relevant issues of the current fiscal and financial system supporting forestry development and proposed forward strategic recommendations for policy design.
4. National Rural Revitalization Administration (NRRA): Research on Financial Support for Rural Revitalization and Research on Microcredit for the Formerly Poor Population
From 2021 to 2022, entrusted by the National Rural Revitalization Administration (NRRA), the New Structural Economics Institute (NSEI) undertook the annual follow-up and monitoring project on the financial support for rural revitalization for two consecutive years. Based on the theoretical perspective of New Structural Economics, the research team focused on the new demands of rural finance in the new stage in 2021 and proposed policy recommendations to innovate products, improve services, and better advance financial services for rural revitalization. In 2022, the team concentrated on the capital needs of rural construction and explored feasible paths for finance to better support rural development. In addition, through a combination of telephone surveys and household interviews, the team identified blockages in the implementation of the microcredit policy for the formerly poor population and provided feasible solutions to address these issues. Spanning two phases, the project completed 6 research reports and corresponding internal policy briefings, including Research Report on Financial Support for Rural Revitalization (2021), Research Report on Financial Support for Rural Construction (2022), Research Report on Microcredit for the Formerly Poor Population (2021, 2022), and Telephone Survey Report on Microcredit for the Formerly Poor Population (2021, 2022), providing decision-making reference for promoting financial support for rural development.
5. Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA): Research on the Silver Economy
The development experience of the world economy shows that a country's modernization process often coincides with aging. A scientific and dialectical view of population aging, coupled with an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of aging in the Chinese context and its economic impact mechanisms has important theoretical and practical importance for promoting the synergetic development of high-quality economic growth and high-quality development of the silver economy.
6. State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC): the Theory On the State-owned Economy
The Theory On the State-owned Economy is a major research project entrusted by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC). As an important material and political foundation for socialism with Chinese characteristics, the state-owned economy serves as a "ballast stone" for economic stability and macro-control, playing an irreplaceable role in serving national strategies, supporting economic development, and ensuring people's well-being.
Cooperative Research Projects between Domestic Think Tanks and Local Governments
1. Xizang Autonomous Region: Government, Market, and Innovation in Development Thinking
From April 2016 to September 2017, the Institute of New Structural Economics (INSE) at Peking University, in collaboration with the People's Government of the Xizang Autonomous Region, implemented a research project culminating in the publication of the Research Report on the Development of Characteristic Industries in the Xizang Autonomous Region. The project team conducted five in-depth field missions in Xizang and organized a large-scale questionnaire survey. Drawing on the analytical framework of New Structural Economics, the study assessed the development status and key challenges of Xizang's characteristic industries and proposed practical, evidence-based policy recommendations to support their transformation and upgrading.
2. Jilin Province: Study on the Structural Transformation and Upgrading of the Economy
From October 2016 to August 2017, INSE, in cooperation with the Peoples Government of Jilin Province, organized and implemented the research project Study on the Structural Transformation and Upgrading of Jilin Provinces Economy. Based on Jilins industries with potential comparative advantage, the study examined the feasibility and development paths for establishing trillion-yuan-level industrial clusters centered on modern agriculture, the health and wellness industry, advanced equipment manufacturing, light textile industries, new energy, new materials, and next-generation information technology.
3. Zhongshan City: Case Study on Industrial Transformation and Upgrading
In October 2016, INSE signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the People's Government of Zhongshan City and, in collaboration with the Zhongshan Municipal Bureau of Commerce, launched a one-year research project entitled the Case Study on Industrial Transformation and Upgrading in Zhongshan City. The research team conducted in-depth field investigations into the current development status and structural bottlenecks of key industries. Based on a systematic assessment of Zhongshan's development stage and factor endowment structure, the study identified core constraints and proposed targeted development pathways and policy recommendations to support industrial transformation and upgrading, while strengthening the government's capacity to guide these efforts in line with local conditions.
4. Xiong'an New Area: Study on Pathways and Policy Measures for Building a Pilot Zone for Opening-Up
Commissioned by the Department of Commerce of Hebei Province, INSE conducted a study on developing Xiong'an New Area as a pilot zone for high-standard opening-up. Building on its officially defined industrial positioning and the opportunities provided by the Hebei Pilot Free Trade Zone, the study examined global development trends and the spatial distribution of key target industries, identified priority areas, and proposed corresponding policy measures to support Xiong'an's openness and innovation-driven development.
5. Hotan: Pilot Zone for Poverty Alleviation through Industrial Relocation and Oasis Economy Strategies
Since 2016, invited and commissioned by the Administrative Office of Hotan Prefecture, Professor Justin Yifu Lin has led multiple delegations of experts and entrepreneurs from Peking University, the Counsellors’ Office of the State Council, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Light Industrial Products and Arts-Crafts to Hotan, Xinjiang, to conduct field research on industrial relocation. Based on the development needs of key industries, the team has submitted several rounds of policy recommendations to the central authorities. Relying on the Hotan Workstation of INSE, these efforts have advanced the establishment of the Hotan Industrial Relocation Poverty Alleviation Pilot Zone and supported the development of an oasis-based economy.
6. Guangzhou: Study on High-Quality Development of Huangpu District / Guangzhou Development District in the New Era
Commissioned by the High-Quality Development Institute of Guangzhou Development District, the INSE project team applied the analytical framework of New Structural Economics and China’s new development philosophy to examine how Huangpu District / Guangzhou Development District—already at the forefront of national development and at a high-income stage—can further upgrade its industrial structure and deepen high-quality development.
7. Shaoxing: Series of Studies on High-Quality Development
With the participation and support of the Shaoxing Municipal People’s Government, INSE and Shaoxing University jointly established the Yangtze River Delta (Shaoxing) Research Center for New Structural Economics. On this basis, INSE has carried out three major research programs: (1) A study on the transformation and upgrading of Shaoxing’s economy, setting out development directions and policy recommendations to further optimize the industrial structure and raise income levels during the 14th Five-Year Plan period; (2) A strategic study on Shaoxing’s integration into the Yangtze River Delta, focusing on the strategy of “integrating with Hangzhou, connecting with Ningbo, and linking with Shanghai,” and proposing concrete measures to strengthen coordinated development with these core cities; (3) A study on industrial capacity cooperation between Shaoxing and domestic and international partners, identifying segments of traditional industries suitable for orderly relocation, with a view to promoting industrial upgrading and structural optimization.
8. Foshan: Study on Foshan’s Path to Building a Manufacturing Innovation Hub
In 2022, commissioned by Foshan Daily, INSE undertook the research project Study on Foshan’s Path to Building a Manufacturing Innovation Hub. Guided by New Structural Economics and aligned with the relevant requirements of the central authorities and Guangdong Province, the study took the industrial chain as its core analytical lens and selected nine key industries, including home appliances, ceramics, and machinery and equipment. Over 15 days of on-site research, it surveyed large, medium, and small enterprises along the upstream and downstream segments of these chains. Through in-depth consultations with Foshan municipal departments and industry associations, the study analyzed global manufacturing trends, the evolution and current status of Foshan’s manufacturing sector, and its comparative advantages, opportunities, and challenges. It distilled the experience of Foshan’s manufacturing enterprises in sustaining high-quality development amid the pandemic and economic cycles and identified strategic directions and pathways for Foshan to build a leading manufacturing innovation hub.
9. Karamay: Study on Developing a Sub-Center City of Xinjiang
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and aligned with Karamay’s positioning in the “first echelon” of high-quality development designated by the Party Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, this study responds to the mission of building Karamay into a sub-center city of Xinjiang. It calls for full implementation of the new development philosophy, prioritizing high-quality development, and leveraging Karamay’s strengths in science and technology, education, and healthcare to foster a regional science and technology innovation center, a high-caliber talent and education hub, and a strong medical services base, thereby enhancing the city’s overall driving and spillover capacity.
The study further recommends developing a core information center, a regional financial center, and a comprehensive transportation hub, while strengthening emergency support, logistics and warehousing, and cultural and tourism services, to enhance the city’s carrying capacity and agglomeration effects. From the perspective of New Structural Economics and in light of Karamay’s development stage, the Study on Developing a Sub-Center City of Xinjiang proposes building a modern industrial system characterized by “one core with diversified support” and advances a set of policy recommendations with solid theoretical underpinnings and strong practical relevance.