Knowing China from Academic Research

Here I list academic works on China that I like, especially with economics focus. 

Even though China is widely talked about, much about its institutions and economy remains unclear to many observers. 

The research presented here is chosen based on my preferences. 

在此我会列出一些关于中国的学术研究。文章选择基于个人口味和兴趣，旨在帮助我们更加了解中国。

Political Conflict and Development Dynamics: Economic Legacies of the Cultural Revolution (Journal of Economic History 2023)

Political movement and trust formation: Evidence from the Cultural Revolution (1966–76) (European Economic Review 2020)

Policy Experimentation in China: The Political Economy of Policy Learning (Journal of Political Economy 2025) 

The fundamental institutions of China's reforms and development (Journal of Economic Literature 2011) 许成钢*

The Rise and Fall of Local Elections in China (American Economic Review 2022) 姚洋*

Busting the “Princelings”: The Campaign Against Corruption in China’s Primary Land Market (The Quarterly Journal of Economics 2019)

Highway havens for hidden horrors: Expressway connections and child trafficking in China (Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 2024) 

Social Media and Collective Action in China (Econometrica 2024) 

The Criminogenic Consequence of Export Slowdown: Evidence from Millions of Court Judgment Documents in China (The Economic Journal 2025) 

The Political Economy Consequences of China’s Export Slowdown (Journal of the European Economic Association 2023)

Patronage networks and multitasking incentives: Evidence from local officials’ responses to public crises in China’s centralized bureaucracy (World Development 2025)