Abstract: Interview with Daniel Yi Xu

【Bio】Professor Daniel Xu got his Phd degree in Pennsylvania State University in 2007. After that, he worked at New York University. And now he is a tenured professor in Duke university. His research focuses on Productivity, International Trade, and Industrial Organization. His most recent work has been published in the Rand Journal of Economics, the World Bank Economic Review, the American Economic Review and the Review of Economic Dynamics. He is currently working on projects that explore innovation, productivity, exporting and industry dynamics, with a special focus on East Asian emerging economies such as Mainland China, Taiwan, and Korea.

The Research Center for International Trade and Firms (CITF), directed by Professor Daniel Yi Xu, is home to the outstanding academics at the forefront of scholarly and policy-oriented research in international trade and firm development. We are a thriving research community within IESR, Jinan University.

Why does IESR establish the research Center for International Trade and Firms(CITF)? What has IESR prepared for the development of CITF? And what are the plans and goals for the CITF? What kind of role will CITF play in fostering China’s economic research? With these questions, we interviewed the Director of CITF, Professor Daniel Xu.

It is necessary to build high quality micro datasets for Chinese economy, which hopefully could be used as the “stethoscope” to perform China economy’s diagnostic. IESR one of the top research institutes in China which focuses on the survey data and micro practical research. Currently, there are quite different opinions about the solutions to the many economic problems China faces, especially in the areas of international trade and industrial development. However, there are very few valid data available for scholars. Despite its fast growth in the economy, China still falls behind the developed countries in the richness and quality of micro data. Therefore, we urgently need such a stethoscope to serve for the nation's economy and policy making.

Daniel Xu gave a talk in the Firms in Emerging Economies Workshop in 2017

CITF will focus on the academic research, data collection and policy analysis for Chinese economy. In 2017, The first Firms in Emerging Economies Workshop was successfully organized and held by IESR. The annual Workshop has be together some of the best economic researchers worldwide in the fields of international trade, industrial organization, and to discuss provides a The workshop provides a great opportunity for the scholars to discuss the data and the policies in globalization and industrial development.

Policy roundtable : Industrial Policy in-China

Another important part of this workshop is field trip to some firms in Guangzhou and Foshan city. It helps scholars to better understanding the effects of policies on firms by talking to staff of the firms face to face .

The scholars are visiting the companies in Guangzhou and Foshan.

Thirdly, Professor Xu hopes that CITF will contribute to the development of Chinese economy by doing the first level academic research, comprehensive data integration, and high quality policy research.

Professor Xu also talked about the importance of academic resources, the CITF will organize research seminar, invite the world renowned scholars to visit IESR for short-term exchange visits. CITF will also organize the brown bag seminar for the center's faculty and hold the annual workshop and so on.

What's more , in order to make up for the shortage of the data of firms and trade about China, CITF will spare no efforts to build the world-class research database. At the same time, professor Xu encourages researchers in CITF to take part in data survey, such as the on-going Guangzhou Manufacture enterprise survey.

Guangzhou Manufacture enterprise survey hold by Survey data , IESR

At last, professor Xu emphasized, CITF will focus on the enterprises in China and other relevant developing countries on research content. CITF will discuss the key policy issues through quantitative empirical methods.

There is an ancient Chinese saying goes A thousand miles begins with a single step. Professor Xu expects that CITF can promote China's economics in a fast and steady way through one industry, one company, even one small place. He also hopes that CITF can be one of the world-class research center on international trade , industrial organization, development economics and relevant areas in a near future.