Reason for winning
For more than 30 years, he has been deeply involved in development economics and labor economics. He is a representative scholar in the study of income distribution and poverty in China. He is hailed as "Mr. Income Distribution in China" by the international academic circles.
In 2021, based on years of research results, he actively promotes the reform of China's income distribution system and contributes to China's goal of achieving common prosperity. Behind this is a scholar's attention to the issue of social class mobility and care for people's livelihood. .
Economist of the Year 2021
Li Shi: A staunch "reformer" scholar
China News Weekly reporter/Wang Xiaoxia
Issued in the 1026th issue of China News Weekly on December 27, 2021
I saw Li Shi on a sunny and breezy afternoon. He wore black metal frame glasses and dark blue pie. He still looked gentle, humble and unassuming, just like what he left at a seminar a few years ago. My impression.
The low-key and restrained scholar in front of him is an industry authority who is affectionately called "Mr. China's Income Distribution" by the international academic community.
For more than 30 years, he has been deeply involved in the research fields of income distribution and poverty in China, and has won many domestic and foreign awards.
He has been engaged in research work at the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for more than 20 years, and then taught at Beijing Normal University and Zhejiang University, both teaching and research.
As a well-known economist, Li Shi also always pays attention to and promotes China's reform cause.
"From the formal study of economics, I have more than 40 years of experience in studying and researching economics, and I have also achieved some results, more of a kind of experience and practice." Li Shi said, "Although I feel like In doing my best, I still dare not say how deeply I have a deep understanding and understanding of economic issues, and I have no confidence in claiming to be a "true" economist."
"The 1980s was an era of openness and tolerance. It was in this context that I started my research on China’s income distribution. Looking back, without the background of emancipating the mind, we young scholars would not be able to break through the original principles. For some economic research paradigms, it is impossible to learn from and adopt empirical analysis methods, and it is impossible to think of collecting household income survey data, doing empirical research and empirical analysis. Without an open environment, our research cannot be obtained by international foundations. It is impossible to have enough research funds to conduct large-scale data collection work, and it is impossible to conduct international cooperative research with internationally renowned scholars." He said.
Focus on income distribution and poverty issues for more than 30 years
Li Shi has been studying income distribution and poverty issues for 34 years since he joined the income distribution research group of the Economic Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 1988 and started investigating poverty in China.
In the 1980s and 1990s, there were few economists in the domestic economics circle who devoted themselves to doing long-term research in a research field, often "emphasizing'short, flat, and fast'."
When talking about why he can persist in some research fields for a long time, Li Shi said that he found his interest and the value of serving China's economic reform mainly from the research, which was also touched by some foreign scholars.
"In 1993, when I visited the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, when I met with Professor Bjorn Gustafsson, a research expert on income distribution, he asked me how long I have been studying income distribution in China. I am proud It has been five years. When I asked him this question, he replied that he had been studying for 20 years."
"This really surprised me." Professor Gu told him that most scholars abroad have been doing research in one field for a lifetime.
The division of labor in economics research is becoming more and more detailed, and the competition among scholars is also fierce. If you do not work in one field for a long time, it is difficult to produce high-level research results.
"His words and deeds touched me a lot."
In the choice of research path, deeply influenced by Zhao Renwei, the old director of the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Li Shi insisted that academic research and policy research complement each other.
"Our research group has been trying to take into account both academic research and policy research, trying to contribute to explaining the'world' of income distribution and transforming the'world' of unfair income distribution." Li Shi believes that "good academic research is the basis for supporting policy research." , And doing some policy research will help academic research.” “When it comes to'taking into account', it is actually not easy to do. Good policy research must be based on basic facts, based on academic research results, and have Supported by scientific method."
In addition, in Li Shi's view, empirical research is more important than theoretical research for Chinese economic research.
"When I was in school, I also liked economic theory very much. I had the pursuit of contributing to modern economic theory. I also thought about developing economic theory by studying the Chinese economy. I think this is not my own dream, but that generation. The dream of young scholars. However, as I have gained more understanding of China’s economic issues and the research environment of Chinese economics, my thinking has changed a lot.” Li Shi said, trying to learn from China’s economic research. It is too early to propose valuable theories. Whether it is to propose a new economic theory or revise an existing theory, it is necessary to clarify the basic facts of the Chinese economy.
“I started collecting household survey data with my colleagues more than 30 years ago. I wanted to do it for ten years and then transfer to theoretical research. However, I have been doing it for more than 30 years. Although I have done some income distribution and income The analysis of the reasons for the gap has not yet entered the substantive stage of theoretical research. This cannot but be said to be a great regret."
Li Shi believes that the first reason is that China’s economic development and changes are too fast, new situations and new problems are emerging one after another, which makes people overwhelmed; second, it is very difficult to collect household survey data, and the cost is quite huge. CHIP has been in the past 30 years. "I have tasted the ups and downs of the six household income survey data collection work."
When talking about his academic views, Li Shi said, “In recent years, I think China’s redistribution policy needs to be intensified and needs to play a greater role in narrowing the income gap. This view is in line with the current official policy orientation. The ones that are not consistent are also those that some extreme marketist scholars do not agree with."
"It can be seen from some policy documents that the official mainstream policy orientation still adheres to the distribution principle of'efficiency first, taking into account fairness,' or'big cake' as the dominant idea. However, extreme marketism scholars are worried about too much The redistribution of the country will bring about the weakening of development momentum, will lead to the proliferation of populism, and will fall into the'Latin American trap'. Some people even regard me as a leftist scholar and think that my views are inconsistent with the leftist's claims of'common prosperity' And together."
"Here, I need to make a clarification. I consider myself a reformist, reformist. I don't agree with the traditional planned economic system and the corresponding political system from the bottom of my heart. Especially those who were influenced by the social change thoughts in the 1980s After visiting dozens of countries in the world, it has strengthened our belief that China must take the path of reform."
In his view, the economic system that China needs to learn and learn from should be the social market system of the Nordic countries, which "is a system that organically combines the socialist distribution principles with the operating rules of the market economy. The market economy is still the foundation. In a sexual economic system, economic entities need fair competition, the pursuit of efficiency, the protection of private property rights, and the need for interest incentives. On this basis, coupled with the socialist principle of distribution, redistribution is used to make up for the excessive income gap caused by market competition. The shortcomings of the disparity in wealth distribution ensure that the people receive equal public interests and development opportunities by providing equal public services to members of the society."
Facing the current reality, China does not yet have the conditions to realize a social market system.
However, “the government’s blind investment and image project expenditures are transformed into transfer payments to residents and low-income groups, forming a rigid expenditure. This change in the structure of government expenditures, whether from the perspective of social equity or from the perspective of efficiency, All have positive meaning." "This kind of method of hiding wealth from the people is better than the government's extravagance and waste."
From "book addicted" youth to industry authority
Throughout Li Shi's more than 40 years of academic career, he has an indissoluble bond with books.
Born in 1956, he caught up with the ten years of the "Cultural Revolution" at the elementary, middle and high school stages.
The impact of the "Cultural Revolution" did not extinguish his curiosity and enthusiasm for learning.
In junior high school, despite the poor learning atmosphere, Li Shi often discussed mathematical problems with several students who were willing to learn. Among them was Meng Jianmin, who was named an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2013.
During high school, when Deng Xiaoping came back to rectify the order of education, the teaching atmosphere improved. With the encouragement of the teachers, he independently studied calculus and other advanced mathematics in his spare time.
In 1976, Li Shi worked as an educated youth in Tongshan County, Jiangsu Province, and was assigned to a production team as a custodian and cash teller.
"This errand was related to my later choice to study economics. Due to work reasons, I have a better understanding of the basic situation of the production team, especially the financial situation, and the situation of each family in the team. , I have also seen the various aspects of life, and slowly began to become interested in rural issues and economic issues."
During the slack period, Li Shi began to read some economics books.
"I remember (at the time) I found a copy of "Introduction to Political Economy" written by Xu He", "Looking back now, reading this book did not bring much joy. The abstract concepts and obscure terms in the book often frustrated my reading. Enthusiasm." "Even so, my interest in rural issues has not faded. I still think that understanding rural issues in China requires studying economics, and self-study is not enough. You need to go to university and need teachers' guidance to grasp the essence of economics. "He recalled.
In the fall of 1977, Li Shi heard the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination from the brigade broadcast, "I was very excited, and felt that I finally had the opportunity to go to college." The next year he was admitted to the Department of Economics of Nanjing University.
Unexpectedly, the teaching strength of the Department of Economics at Nantah University, which was just restored at that time, is no longer as good as it used to be.
"When the colleges and departments nationwide were adjusted in 1952, the economics major of Nanjing University was cancelled, and the faculty was transferred to Fudan University and other universities. The economics major of Nanjing University has been suspended for nearly 30 years. This class of our classmates is regarded as the first university after the resumption of the college entrance examination. Students majoring in economics." Li Shi said.
"During my freshman and sophomore year, I often borrowed some famous Western economics books. Due to my limited English level, I just read some translations. I remember reading Schumpeter’s "Top Ten Economists from Marx to Keynes" "I have read "Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy." I didn’t know that this book was translated by Gu Zhun, and of course I didn’t know who Gu Zhun was. Occasionally, to satisfy my curiosity, I also borrowed the original English textbooks and monographs. It's all just flipping through, and I can't see it anymore."
In 1982, Li Shi went to Peking University to study for a postgraduate degree, majoring in Western Economics.
"This year this major recruited five graduate students, under the guidance of five supervisors: Luo Zhiru, Hu Daiguang, Li Yining, Du Du, Fan Jiaxiang", "This team of mentors can be said to be the strongest lineup of domestic research on Western economics at the time." .
When he graduated from graduate school, he chose to work as an editor of "Economic Trends" in economic research. The reason was also related to reading: "I have a lot of time to do my own things, read books, write articles, and often go to the Institute of Economics. Browse the latest foreign language magazines in your library to learn about the latest developments in Western economics."
Li Shi recalled: “The Library of the Institute of Economics has a large collection of books in economics, but its hardware conditions are so embarrassing. Most of the books, including foreign periodicals, are placed in the basement and the ventilation conditions are not good. Every time I go there I didn’t dare to wait long in the basement, and I always smelled some musty. However, looking back on the scene of going to the library to read and search for materials, it is more pleasant. During the period of Professor Zhao Renwei as the director, he was preparing to establish a new economic institute. The library is one of the goals of the tenure, and the plan to report to the State Planning Commission was approved, but the plan ultimately fell through. Professor Zhao Renwei would be sighed when he mentioned this incident later."
More than 20 years of research work in the Institute of Economics has made Li Shi realize that “it is far from enough to explain and understand China’s economic problems by relying on economic concepts, but also to observe and understand the realities of the economy. The economic operating mechanism, institutional arrangements, policy formulation and implementation process."
In Li Shi's decades of research career, investigation and research and teamwork have been throughout.
In the spring of 1986, he followed the research team of the Economic Research Institute led by Director Dong Fufeng to Wenzhou for investigation and was deeply impressed.
"At that time, China's economic reforms were already in full swing, but I knew very little about it, so I was very eager to look at the actual situation and increase some perceptual knowledge. This Wenzhou survey gave me a better understanding of China's economic development. I learned more and learned a lot of things that I can't learn in books."
"The income distribution project group must be an open research platform to attract more scholars and researchers to participate. Preliminary calculations, in the past 30 years of research, the researchers and technical personnel involved in the work of the subject have not There are less than 200 people, both domestic scholars and foreign scholars." Li Shi said.
“For me, international cooperation is an important way to improve the level of research. In the past 30 years, I have been doing collaborative research with foreign scholars. Most of the English papers are the results of collaborative research with foreign scholars. Among the many foreign collaborators, there are five or six long-term cooperating scholars. These scholars have also been participating in income distribution research work and have made important contributions to the research. Without their participation, the Chinese research team It is impossible for members to reach the international level in such a short period of time."
China News Weekly, Issue 48, 2021
Statement: The publication of the "China News Weekly" manuscript is authorized in writing