Speaker: Dr. Shengmin Sun

Title: Keeping it in the Family: Clans, Political Connections, and the Establishment of Modern Enterprises in China

Schedule: Oct 31, Tu 1:30-3:00 PM

Location: 诚明楼 (Chengming Hall）RM 315

 

Introduction: 孙圣民，中国人民大学经济学院教授，博士生导师，经济学博士，史学博士后，伦敦政治经济学院访问学者，北京大学人文社科研究院访问教授。入选教育部新世纪优秀人才计划，中国人民大学杰出青年学者。研究领域包括经济史、制度经济学、发展经济学、经济哲学。主持国家自科和社科基金、教育部人文社科基金多项。研究成果发表在《中国社会科学》、《经济研究》、《历史研究》、《经济学》（季刊）、《文史哲》、Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization、Cliometrica、Economics of Transition、International Review of Economics and Finance 等中英文期刊。

 

Abstract: We test how family clans influenced the establishment of modern private enterprises by cultivating political power in imperial China. Using a panel dataset covering 262 prefectures between 1880 and 1899, we find that, after the forced deregulation of private enterprises in 1895, more new private enterprises were established in prefectures with considerable clan strength. Mechanism analysis suggests that by supporting clan members to take the imperial civil service examination, family clans could obtain senior official positions and thus facilitate the creation of private enterprises. Furthermore, we find that during the 1895  reform, clans with political connections could benefit from governmental protection when starting new businesses. Our findings highlight the importance of family clans and political connections’ role in the industrialization of non-Western economies.