China Publications

2013

1. China Center Chart of the Week: Recent jump in bank deposits likely boosted by new WMP regulations
   This chart shows changes in the stock of outstanding deposits in China’s banking system on a monthly basis, and the total outstanding deposit growth. (China Center Publications, May 2013)
2. China Center Chart of the Week: China’s manufacturing PMI should be taken with a growing grain of salt
   This chart shows the performance of China’s official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) since January 2010, along with the major subcomponents. We urge members to view this index with great caution. (China Center Publications, May 2013)
3. China Center LEI Commentary: LEI growth stalled amid renewed tightening of policy measures
   Interpretive comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, April 2013 (March 2013 data) (China Center Publications, April 2013)
4. Shifts in the Supply Chain Equation Provide Opportunities for Mid-Market Companies—and Concerns
   Constantly shifting production and transportation costs generate constantly changing answers about where to locate links in the supply chain. Big changes in the supply chain equation itself mean it’s back to the drawing board for many companies. (Executive Action Report, April 2013)
5. China Center Chart of the Week: China’s capital account liberalization is still a long way off
   This chart shows China’s capital account in the Balance of Payments data, with positive numbers signaling credits (essentially money flowing into the economy in various forms) and negative numbers representing debits (net flows of assets held abroad). (China Center Publications, April 2013)
6. Board Asia Newsletter
   Quarter One 2013 (Periodical, April 2013)
7. China Center LEI Commentary: LEI still increasing, but the outcome will be highly policy-dependent
   Interpretive comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, March 2013 (February 2013 data) (China Center Publications, March 2013)
8. China Center Chart of the Week: China’s demographic shift has “officially” begun – at least according to the NBS definition
   This chart shows the breakdown of the Chinese population by age group. In January, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced that the country’s working age population (ages 15 to 59) shrank for the first time in 2012. (China Center Publications, March 2013)
9. China Center Data Flash: New leadership show signs of reining in risk areas
   Data Flash is a brief interpretive summary of China’s official monthly economic data release – March 2013 (February 2013 data) (China Center Publications, March 2013)
10. China Center Quick Note: Xi Jinping at the helm: command and control – or negotiate and cajole?
    This Quick Note assesses what China's incoming president might reasonably be expected to achieve given the limits necessarily imposed on him by the political system. (China Center Publications, March 2013)
11. Corporate Philanthropy with a Global Footprint
    A snapshot of the current state of global corporate philanthropy, specifically benchmarking, structure, strategy, measurement, and cultural and political landscapes for corporate philanthropy from Western Europe to Latin America. (Research Report, March 2013)
12. China Center Chart of the Week: Formal bank loans - no longer the stalwart of Chinese finance
    This chart shows newly issued net Total Social Finance in China on a quarterly basis, broken down into its constituent parts. The share of non-bank finance has grown markedly. (China Center Publications, March 2013)
13. China Center LEI Commentary: LEI boosted by the Chinese New Year
    Interpretive comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, February 2013 (January 2012 data) (China Center Publications, February 2013)
14. China Center Chart of the Week: Do weak retail sales over the Chinese New Year holiday signal slowing consumption growth?
    This chart assesses the “real” (i.e. inflation adjusted to 2012 price levels) monthly Retail Sales of Consumer Goods statistic over the last 5 years, emphasizing the sales for Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday periods. (China Center Publications, February 2013)
15. China Center Quick Note: Barring the unexpected, China’s economy to downshift considerably, as a natural consequence of both size and maturation
    In the latest update of The Conference Board’s Global Economic Outlook, we project that China’s trend growth rate will slow to 5.8 percent over the 2013-2018 period and fall further to 3.7 percent from 2019-2025. (China Center Publications, February 2013)
16. China Center Chart of the Week: Real household consumption increasingly hard to gauge using the monthly “Retail Sales of Consumer Goods” statistic
    This chart compares consumption in China as measured by the monthly “Retail Sales of Consumer Goods” statistic with the household consumption statistic derived from China’s quarterly Expenditure GDP and figures estimated by NBS’ Quarterly Household Survey (China Center Publications, February 2013)
17. China Center LEI Commentary: Slower LEI growth indicates the current rebound may be short-lived
    Interpretive comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, January 2013 (December 2012 data) (China Center Publications, February 2013)
18. China Center Chart of the Week: Less and less growth from more and more credit
    This chart shows the credit intensity of Chinese economic growth in both nominal and real terms. Credit intensity refers to the ratio of new credit to incremental GDP growth in an economy, and the situation for China is becoming increasingly grim. (China Center Publications, February 2013)
19. China Center Chart of the Week: Interdependence of Chinese and Japanese economies is much larger than their trade relationship
    This chart shows China’s imports from and exports to Japan until the end of 2012, and uses Input-Output table analysis to calculate the amount the Japanese and Chinese economies impact one another, both directly and indirectly. (China Center Publications, January 2013)
20. Addressing the Talent Shortage in China and India: Leveraging Women in the Workforce
    The dearth of high-skilled workers is a human capital challenge in India and China, where women are largely underutilized in the workforce. Leveraging women in these labor markets is essential to resolve this shortage and promote economic growth. (Executive Action Report, January 2013)
21. A Rebuilding Year: In a slow-growth 2013, companies need to prepare for a new future.
    In TCB Review's annual Q&A with chief economist Bart van Ark, he elaborates on his generally downbeat 2013 global economic forecast. (The Conference Board Review, January 2013)
22. Conference Board CEO Challenge® 2013 Summary Report: Countering the Global Slowdown
    Respondents to the latest edition of the annual survey of business leaders by The Conference Board indicate a focus on internal challenges. (CEO Challenge®, January 2013)

2012

1. China Center Data Flash: Fragility and uncertainty persist
   Data Flash is a brief interpretive summary of China’s official monthly economic data release – December 2012 (November 2012 data) (China Center Publications, December 2012)
2. China Center Chart of the Week: Rising unit labor costs underscore the imperative for economic transition
   This chart shows China’s unit labor cost – the average cost of labor per unit of output (ULC) – as a percent of the United States’ ULC. Growth in a country’s ULC is a key measure of its competitiveness. (China Center Publications, December 2012)
3. Safeguarding Intellectual Property and Addressing Corruption in the Global Supply Chain
   Guarding against IP infringement and violation of anti-corruption laws among employees is difficult enough for multinational companies. It is even more challenging to prevent inappropriate behavior by the employees and contracted workers of third parties. (Research Report, December 2012)
4. Employee Engagement: What Works Now?
   Even when organizations commit to achieving a high level of employee engagement, the goal can be elusive. This report examines the current state of employee engagement practices to discover how companies, even in challenging environments, find success. (Research Report, December 2012)
5. Conference Board Labor Markets in Review™: Vol. 2, No. 3, 2012
   This periodical publication offers an expert perspective on the implications of current economic conditions on the labor market, with specific focus on the United States, Europe, and emerging markets. (Periodical, December 2012)
6. China Center Chart of the Week: Consumption is the most important driver of labor demand
   This chart explores overall labor demand (i.e. both direct and indirect) generated by household consumption, government consumption, investment, and exports in China. (China Center Publications, December 2012)
7. China Center LEI Commentary: Looking beyond month-to-month volatility – sustainability of current rebound not yet certain
   Interpretive comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, November 2012 (October 2012 data) (China Center Publications, December 2012)
8. China Center Chart of the Week: China’s falling returns on capital will cause slower growth or higher leverage (or both)
   The chart shows The Conference Board’s estimation of the Marginal Product of Capital (MPK) for various countries, broken into two groups: lower income and higher income. (China Center Publications, December 2012)
9. Board Asia Newsletter
   Quarter Four 2012 (Periodical, November 2012)
10. Reading the Tea Leaves: The Impact of China's Twelfth Five-Year Plan on Human Capital Challenges
    This report highlights the major human capital aspects of China’s Twelfth Five Year Plan that are expected to have the greatest impact on business. (Research Report, November 2012)
11. China Center Chart of the Week: Not so fast! Why China’s economy will continue to slow
    The chart shows The Conference Board’s most recent medium- and long-term projections for trend growth in real GDP for China, broken down by contributions from labor, capital and productivity. (China Center Publications, November 2012)
12. China Center Quick Note: China’s “Elections” and the Future of Reform
    This Quick Note examines the policy imperatives for China’s new, recently “elected” leading group. MNCs should pay special attention to monitoring policy developments related to financial/credit market reform and State Owned Enterprise reform. (China Center Publications, November 2012)
13. Corporate Philanthropy in China: A Practitioner's Guide for Foreign Donors
    This report describes the nonprofit sector in China and the challenges that currently exist for foreign donors who wish to get involved with Chinese nonprofits. It also gives suggestions for identifying and partnering with organizations. (Research Report, November 2012)
14. China Center Chart of the Week: Investment and exports diminish as growth drivers, but remain critical to sustaining economy’s size
    This chart underscores the importance of Consumption as a major driver of GDP growth in China, and suggests this has been the case since well before the global financial crisis of 2008 and the associated fall off in global export demand. (China Center Publications, November 2012)
15. China Center Data Flash: Fragile rebound advanced in October
    Data Flash is a brief interpretive summary of China’s official monthly economic data release – November 2012 (October 2012 data) (China Center Publications, November 2012)
16. Projecting Global Growth
    by Vivian Chen, Ben Cheng, Gad Levanon, Ataman Ozyildirim and Bart van Ark
    November 2012 - EPWP #12 – 02 (Economics Program Working Paper Series, November 2012)
17. StraightTalk^®
    Global Economic Outlook 2013: Is the global economic speed limit slowing down?
    From The Conference Board Chief Economist. (StraightTalk®, November 2012)
18. StraightTalk® Special Issue for All Members: Global Economic Outlook 2013
    From The Conference Board Chief Economist: Is the global economic speed limit slowing down? (StraightTalk®, November 2012)
19. China Center LEI Commentary: Increase in LEI slows, as real estate gives back gains from August
    Interpretive comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, October 2012 (September 2012 data) (China Center Publications, November 2012)
20. China Center Quick Note: The Fourth Estate and China’s Reform Agenda
    This Quick Note assert that the emerging Fourth Estate phenomenon -- deep, fact-based investigative journalism -- is extremely important for MNC business planners to monitor as a presage to policy leanings and political-economy trends in China. (China Center Publications, October 2012)
21. China Center Chart of the Week, Special Philanthropy Series, part 1 of 4: China’s nonprofit sector – growing rapidly, but still highly constrained
    Leading up to the release of a new beachhead report by the China Center on Corporate Philanthropy in China (to be published in November) we are releasing a special series of Charts of the Week on the topic. This is part one of four. (China Center Publications, October 2012)
22. China Center Chart of the Week, Special Philanthropy Series, part 2 of 4: Public perception is an important driver shaping China’s nonprofit sector
    Leading up to the release of a new beachhead report by the China Center on Corporate Philanthropy in China (to be published in November) we are releasing a special series of Charts of the Week on the topic. This is part two of four. (China Center Publications, October 2012)
23. China Center Chart of the Week, Special Philanthropy Series, part 3 of 4: Corporations playing key role in advancing civil society engagement in China
    Leading up to the release of a new beachhead report by the China Center on Corporate Philanthropy in China (to be published in November) we are releasing a special series of Charts of the Week on the topic. This is part three of four. (China Center Publications, October 2012)
24. China Center Chart of the Week, Special Philanthropy Series, part 4 of 4: How much do companies in China spend on philanthropy?
    Leading up to the release of a new beachhead report by the China Center on Corporate Philanthropy in China (to be published in November) we are releasing a special series of Charts of the Week on the topic. This is part four of four. (China Center Publications, October 2012)
25. China Center Data Flash: September data - a glimmer of light, but not yet out of the tunnel
    Data Flash is a brief interpretive summary of China’s official monthly economic data release – October 2012 (September 2012 data) (China Center Publications, October 2012)
26. State of Human Capital 2012: False Summit
    This report is the result of a joint research effort by The Conference Board and McKinsey & Company to highlight the most significant challenges facing human capital executives. (Research Report, October 2012)
27. China Center LEI Commentary: Real estate perks up the LEI in August – but it is unlikely to last
    Interpretive comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, September 2012 (August 2012 data) (China Center Publications, September 2012)
28. Conference Board Economics Watch^® Emerging Markets View
    Emerging markets: staying competitive amid slowing growth (Economics Watch Reports, September 2012)
29. China Center Chart of the Week: Increasing intangible investment not yielding commensurate increases in output
    The US and Germany have generated increasing output per capita from their intangible investment, whereas China has not. R&D spending is part of the problem. (China Center Publications, September 2012)
30. China Center Data Flash: Tug of war -- manufacturing down, infrastructure up
    Data Flash is a brief interpretive summary of China’s official monthly economic data release – September 2012 (August 2012 data) (China Center Publications, September 2012)
31. Board Asia Newsletter
    Quarter Three 2012 (Periodical, September 2012)
32. China Center Chart of the Week: China’s intangible investment – high in absolute amount, small relative to conventional capex
    China has spent a much larger amount on intangible investment, as a percentage of GDP, than other countries at similar, or higher, levels of development. (China Center Publications, September 2012)
33. China Center LEI Commentary: A pick up in infrastructure investment remains the only driver of growth, but may ultimately become a burden
    Interpretive Comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, August 2012 (July 2012 data) (China Center Publications, September 2012)
34. China Center Chart of the Week: Intangible investment in China has grown rapidly – but is it efficient?
    Despite the substantial top-line growth, it appears that overall spending on intangibles in China has largely been policy driven, rather than deriving from firm-level innovation. (China Center Publications, August 2012)
35. China Center Data Flash: July disappoints – even investment growth levels off
    Data Flash is a brief interpretive summary of China’s official monthly economic data release – August 2012 (July 2012 data) (China Center Publications, August 2012)
36. China Center Quick Note: The Missing Tea Leaves
    This Quick Note examines perennial data gap issues in China, and, more recently, the trend of disappearing data. The note provides much needed context about the history, political framework and utility of data publication in China. (China Center Publications, August 2012)
37. China Center LEI Commentary: Real economic activity remains weak – credit alone drives the LEI in June
    Interpretive Comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, July 2012 (June 2012 data) (China Center Publications, August 2012)
38. China Center Data Flash: Growth stabilizes in June, but weakness remains
    Data Flash is a brief interpretive summary of China’s official monthly economic data release – July 2012 (June 2012 data) (China Center Publications, July 2012)
39. China Center Quick Note: China’s Consumption Paradox
    This Quick Note examines and explains the structural factors constraining household consumption in China, and the challenges China faces in transitioning to a consumption-driven economy. (China Center Publications, July 2012)
40. Board Asia Newsletter
    Quarter Two 2012 (Periodical, July 2012)
41. China Center LEI Commentary: Accelerated bank lending supports LEI expansion in May
    Interpretive Comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, May 2012 data (China Center Publications, July 2012)
42. China Center Data Flash: May data send mixed signals
    Data Flash is a brief interpretive summary of China’s official monthly economic data release – June 2012 (May 2012 data) (China Center Publications, June 2012)
43. Giving in Numbers: 2012 Edition
    Produced by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) in association with The Conference Board, this report analyzes giving trends from 2011 data shared by 214 corporations, including 62 of the top 100 companies in the Fortune 500. (Research Report, June 2012)
44. Total Factor Productivity among Cities in China: Estimation and Explanation
    by Yan Xu and Shu Yu
    June 2012 - EPWP #12 – 01 (Economics Program Working Paper Series, June 2012)
45. China Center LEI Commentary: LEI expands moderately, but component volatility offers little certainty
    Interpretive Comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, May 2012 (April 2012 data) (China Center Publications, May 2012)
46. China Center LEI Commentary: Increased volatility will likely characterize the second quarter, just as it did the first
    Interpretive Comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, April 2012 (March 2012 data) (China Center Publications, April 2012)
47. China Center Dataflash: Q1 growth rate masks underlying volatility
    Dataflash is a brief interpretive summary of China’s official monthly economic data release – April 2012 (March 2012 data) (China Center Publications, April 2012)
48. China’s 12th Five-Year Plan – Implications for Human Capital
    China’s 12th Five Year Plan emphasizes the “human factor” in economic development more than any previous FYP. This China Center report distills out the plan’s implications for human capital practitioners and executives concerned about HC issues in China. (China Center Publications, April 2012)
49. China Center LEI Commentary: Recent volatility in the LEI components underlines growing economic uncertainty
    Interpretive Comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China (February 2012 data) (China Center Publications, April 2012)
50. China Productivity: Labor Productivity by Ownership Type
    This report measures China’s industry productivity by ownership type, comparing state-owned enterprises, privately owned domestic firms, foreign-invested firms, and smaller firms for the period of 1995-2009. (China Center Publications, March 2012)
51. China Center Dataflash: February data point to weak first quarter
    Dataflash is a brief interpretive summary of China’s official monthly economic data release – March 2012 (February 2012 data) (China Center Publications, March 2012)
52. China Center QuickNote: China’s Soft Side
    Transitioning China to a consumption led economy is not just a matter of ratcheting down investment and stimulating consumption, and containing the vested interests that would work to block this path. Indeed, this is the relatively easy part. (China Center Publications, March 2012)
53. China Center QuickNote: World Bank “China 2030” report – the calls mount for economic reform
    In this QuickNote we examine some of the World Bank’s key findings, analyzing them alongside The Conference Board’s own research, and highlight areas of particular interest to China Center members. (China Center Publications, March 2012)
54. China Center LEI Commentary: China LEI points to increasing uncertainty amidst continued gradual slowing of the economy
    Interpretive Comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China (January 2012 data) (China Center Publications, March 2012)
55. China Center Dataflash: Beware of the Chinese New Year Effect
    Dataflash is a brief interpretive summary of China’s official monthly economic data release – February 2012 (January 2012 data) (China Center Publications, February 2012)
56. China Center LEI Commentary: Moderation in growth looks set to continue, despite the slight LEI uptick in December
    Interpretive Comments on The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China. (December 2011 data) (China Center Publications, January 2012)

2011

1. China Center QuickNote: Returning Home—the conception of the Asian RMB and capital market zone
   By Ken DeWoskin – Senior Advisor and China CEO Council Program Director, The China Center for Economics and Business (China Center Publications, December 2011)
2. Business and Sustainability in China: Company Responses to a National Priority
   What actions are companies taking in China to support the country's sustainable development imperatives? (Research Report, December 2011)
3. CEO Challenge Reflections: How Socio-Economic Change Is Shaping Business Sustainability in China
   For CEOs in China, the challenge of sustainability was ranked higher than anywhere else in the world. But how will business meet this challenge? (Executive Action Report, November 2011)
4. China Center QuickNote: Planning for opportunities in the event of over-slowing in China
   By David Hoffman, Vice President and Managing Director of The China Center (China Center Publications, August 2011)
5. China Productivity Quarterly
   This China Center report is the first in a regular series of productivity reports on China from The Conference Board. Our intention is to gradually “peel the onion” on productivity measurement and business issues in China. (China Center Publications, April 2011)
6. Conference Board Economics Watch^® China View
   Tighter credit and weak consumer confidence, both reactions to high inflation, will probably create a drag on growth for Chinese economy in 2011. (Economics Watch Reports, April 2011)
7. Conference Board Economics Watch^® China View
   China’s strong growth continues but inflation fears are sparking monetary policy action. (Economics Watch Reports, February 2011)

2010

1. Under Pressure The Widening Wage Gap between China's Haves and Have-Nots
   Will soaring wages and protesting workers eventually erode one of China's most prominent global economic advantages—its low labor costs? (Executive Action Report, November 2010)
2. On the Selection of Leading Economic Indicators for China
   by Bill Adams, Pieter Bottelier, Ataman Ozyildirim, Jing Sima-Friedman, May 2010. - EPWP #10 – 02 (Economics Program Working Paper Series, July 2010)

2009

1. Rising Wages: Has China Lost Its Global Labor Advantage?
   by Dennis Tao Yang, Vivian Chen, Ryan Monarch, March 2009. - EPWP #09 – 03 (Economics Program Working Paper Series, March 2009)
2. Cost Competitiveness of the Manufacturing Sector in China and India: An Industry and Regional Perspective
   by Bart van Ark, Abdul Azeez Erumban, Vivian Chen, Utsav Kumar, January 2009. – EPWP #09 – 02 (Economics Program Working Paper Series, January 2009)

2008

1. dynamics of spatial agglomeration in China: an empirical assessment
   by Ana Isabel Moreno-Monroy, December 2008. - EPWP #08 – 06 (Economics Program Working Paper Series, December 2008)
2. On the Measurement and Analysis of Aggregate Economic Activity for China: The Coincident Economic Indicators Approach
   by Feng Guo, Ataman Ozyildirim, Victor Zarnowitz, April 2008. - EPWP #08 – 01 (Economics Program Working Paper Series, April 2008)

2007

1. Contribution of Restructuring and Reallocation to China's Productivity and Growth
   by Haiyan Deng, John Haltiwanger, Robert McGuckin, Jianyi Xu, Yaodong Liu, and Yuqi Liu, December 2007. - EPWP #07 – 04 (Economics Program Working Paper Series, December 2007)
2. Can China's Growth Trajectory Be Sustained?
   This report explores the factors that appear to be driving China's turbo growth and addresses the question of just how long this extraordinary growth can continue. (Research Report, December 2007)
3. China’s Productivity Boom: The Contribution of Restructuring to Growth and Competitiveness
   While Chinese firms still operate at productivity levels well below their foreign counterparts, this report shows that they are making startling progress. (Research Report, December 2007)
4. Manufacturing In China Today: Employment And Labor Compensation
   by Judith Banister, November 2007. - EPWP #07 – 01 (Economics Program Working Paper Series, November 2007)