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Chinese Political and Economic Governance System and the Imbalance between Consumption and Investment

Author

Listed:
  • Julan Du

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research)

  • Hongsheng Fang

    (Zhejiang University)

  • Xiangrong Jin

    (Zhejiang University)

Abstract

The Chinese government has been pursuing economic growth under the guidance of "growth is a hard principle". In the context of the Chinese political and economic governance system, local governments have employed the overtaking strategy (placing primary emphasis on the development of capital and technology-intensive industries) and the real estate development strategy to push for economic growth and fiscal revenue growth. This has led to a repressed labor share and an elevated capital and government share in primary and secondary income distribution structure. Using the empirical strategy of Acemoglu et al. (2003), we confirm that the development strategies have shaped an imbalanced consumption-investment structure through primary and secondary income distribution as well as other channels. It suggests that the Chinese government will be able to accomplish China's transition from an investment-led growth model to a consumption-based growth model only if it modifies its political and economic governance system and removes the distortions in development strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Julan Du & Hongsheng Fang & Xiangrong Jin, 2013. "Chinese Political and Economic Governance System and the Imbalance between Consumption and Investment," Working Papers 232013, Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:hkm:wpaper:232013
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    Cited by:

    1. Guangdong Xu, 2015. "The Institutional Foundations of China’s Unbalanced Economy," Europe-Asia Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 67(9), pages 1351-1370, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Overtaking Strategy; Real Estate Development Strategy; Biased Income Distribution Structure; Consumption-Investment Imbalances;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E65 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Studies of Particular Policy Episodes
    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General
    • H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism

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