On September 19 - 20, the large-scale International Conference on “Institutions, Reforms and Economic Development” was successfully held in School of Economics, Peking University. The forum was jointly organized by SEPKU and the Society for the Study of Emerging Markets. Around 100 scholars from 24 countries and regions assisted the grand occasion altogether.

Professor Sun Qixiang, Dean of SEPKU addressed on the opening ceremony. She extended the warmest welcome to the scholars and introduced the School to all attendees. She noted that China, the largest emerging economy in the world, is facing the challenge of transformation and promotion of industrial structure under the new normal, and she expressed her expectation that the meeting could put forward some solutions to the major challenges of China`s economic development.

Professor Josef Brada, President of the Society for the Study of Emerging Markets, from Arizona State University, made a keynote speech on how transnational corporations’ FDI is affected by home and host country government corruptions. Professor Scott Rozelle from Stanford University explored the geographical distribution of China’s human capital in his keynote address. Professor Song Min, from School of Economics, made in-depth research on corporate fraud and corporate cash holdings. Dr. Vito Tanzi, Former Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department, International Monetary Fund, analyzed the role of government in market economy and operation mechanism, and put forward his own comments on transformation.

The scholars took part in sub-forums on Macroeconomic Theory and Policy, Microeconomics Theory and Policy, History of Chinese Economy and Economic Thoughts, Finance Theory and Practices, Insurance and Social Security, Labor Market and Human Capital, International Economic Theory and the World Economy, Open Macroeconomics Theory and Economy Policy etc.

There were a total of 128 domestic and foreign contributors’ delivering papers, among which 72 articles were finally selected. Scholars from CASS, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Cambridge University, City University of Hong Kong, the University of California at Los Angeles, the World Bank and other dozens of universities and academic institutions presented and discussed their papers in the forum.