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Nobel Prize-winning research pushes Chinese economists to call for institutional reforms

The winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in economics published extensively on the relationships between political and economic institutions and wealth

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Members of the Nobel assembly announce the 2024 prize in economics, awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A Robinson, seen on screen, during a press conference in Stockholm on Monday. Photo: Xinhau
Kinling Loin Beijing

Chinese economists called for institutional reforms after three US-based scholars won the Nobel Prize in economics with their research into how institutions shape the economic success of nations.

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Turkish-American Daron Acemoglu and British-Americans Simon Johnson and James Robinson were named as this year’s winners on Monday in Stockholm having published extensively on the relationships between political and economic institutions and wealth.

They argued that states with “inclusive institutions” – which uphold the rule of law and property rights – as opposed to “extractive ones”, would lead to “inclusive” economic institutions and economic success.

“I think the conclusion of their work tells us that institutions are the most critical [to a country’s economic development]. This also has big implications for China’s way forward,” said prominent Chinese economist Xiang Songzuo, who added that the scholars’ conclusions were applicable to the China model.

“Only by moving towards further marketising our economy, emphasising on the protection of intellectual property, private companies, fair market competition and upholding the spirit of entrepreneurship, can our economy attain sustainable growth, and our people can have higher incomes.”

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China’s slowing economy has remained under pressure from a simmering property crisis, low consumer confidence and intensifying trade and tech competition with the United States, raising concerns with economists at home and abroad.
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