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“Made in China”: Crisis begets quality upgrade

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  • Ruan, Jianqing
  • Zhang, Xiaobo

Abstract

The quality of manufactured products made in China has improved tremendously in the past several decades. In this paper, we argue that crises are instruments for the upgrade of Chinese manufactured goods. We first develop a theoretical framework to show that a crisis, if used wisely, could present good opportunities for entrepreneurs and local governments to form collective action to improve product quality. Next, we empirically test the hypothesis using a panel data set from 1990 to 2008 covering more than 100 clusters in the Zhejiang Province of China.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruan, Jianqing & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2010. "“Made in China”: Crisis begets quality upgrade," IFPRI discussion papers 1025, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:fpr:ifprid:1025
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Zhang, Xiaobo & Hu, Dinghuan, 2014. "Overcoming Successive Bottlenecks: The Evolution of a Potato Cluster in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 102-112.
    2. zhibo Tan & Xiaobo Zhang, 2016. "Does Female Labor Scarcity Encourage Innovation? Evidence from China’s Gender Imbalance," Working Papers id:11039, eSocialSciences.

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