Skip to main content

A Conversation with Chang-Tai Hsieh on Crony Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics. Lanxi He (Georgetown), Scott Knewitz (American), Impact Investing Analysts



On February 25th, The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI), the Chicago Economics Society (CES), and the Booth Alumni Club of Washington, DC, held a cocktails and a conversation event titled "Crony Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics."

The speaker was Chang-Tai Hsieh, Phyllis and Irwin Winkelried Professor of Economics, Chicago Booth School of Business. David Rank, former Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge' d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in China, moderated.

Professor Hsieh discussed China’s fast-paced growth over the past three decades, stating that China's economic growth has been unprecedented, defiying economic theory. One reason for this growth is the focus of the political apparatus - communist party leaders search for investments that earn high profits. 

According to the professor, China has developed crony capitalism at the local level that has promoted business development. This approach relies on the fundamental dependence of small firms on the discretion of local party officials. These firms need the approval of local party officials to start a business. This is a deterrent to other potential entrepreneurs who do not have political connections. This may be an issue for sustained growth.

In the professor's view, Communist party leaders are "in bed" with local companies. These firms do not want competition, so party leaders have a direct interest in keeping competition from threatening favored firms, since officials benefit financially from "special dealings" or special arrangements with select local companies. While these types of "special dealings" are common in Western society, they are not as prevalent as they are in China.

By the conclusion of the talk, Professor Hsieh gave us a better understanding of China’s fast-paced economic growth. One conclusion may have been that competitive markets created by local political leaders can drive economic growth.
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Kamalanomics: Home and Health

Vice President Kamala Harris recently unveiled her economic plan, which builds upon and expands several initiatives from the Biden administration while adding new elements aimed at addressing economic challenges faced by American families. Her plan, dubbed the "Opportunity Economy" agenda, focuses on lowering costs for essential goods and services, particularly targeting housing, healthcare, and groceries. Key Components: 1. Housing: Harris proposes constructing three million new homes to address the housing supply crunch, which is more ambitious than Biden's two-million-home plan. She also advocates for a $40 billion "innovation fund" to encourage local governments to find solutions to housing shortages and make it harder for investment companies to buy up large numbers of rental properties, which has driven up rent prices. (See: Comments to the CalPERS Board of Administration, July 15, 2024 on Housing and Environmental Investing.) 2. Healthcare: Expanding on B...
Read more

Maternal Health Financing Facility for Black Women: A Solution to an Urgent Problem

Maternal mortality is a significant issue in the United States, with Black women disproportionately affected. Research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown that Black women are more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts. However, the issue is not new, and despite the increasing amount of data available, the disparities have remained unaddressed for far too long.  Creative Investment Research (CIR) is among the organizations that believe there is a solution to the problem. Through our proposed impact investing vehicle , the Maternal Health Financing Facility for Black Women (MHFFBW), we aim to tackle the mortality gap and support Black women during childbirth, which will, in turn, benefit their communities. The Facility, based on legally binding financing agreements containing terms and conditions that direct resources to individuals and institutions capable of addressing supply-side conditions at the heart...
Read more

William Michael Cunningham on Impact Investing, Blockchain, and Crowdfunding

September 2018 - 10 Questions William Michael Cunningham on Impact Investing, Blockchain, and Crowdfunding Interview by Carly Schulaka WHO: William Michael Cunningham WHAT: Economist, impact investing specialist, founder of Creative Investment Research WHAT'S ON HIS MIND: “Any finance professional in the U.S. should learn how to create a blockchain.” 1. You are an economist, an inventor, and an impact investing specialist. I’ve heard you say: “True innovation happens in a way that is independent of monetary returns.” How does this statement influence your work? It’s really about finding an interesting problem and applying financial technology to solving that problem or to dealing with that problem. You know, the people who invented the alphabet didn’t do so to make money. They had an interesting problem—communication on both a local and a grand scale—and if you were to calculate the social return for the invention of that technology or technique, it’s almost infinit...
Read more