GS Colloquium Series: "The Disappearing Demographic Dividend: Growth Sustainability in China"

Event Date: 

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Event Location: 

  • SSMS 2001

The Disappearing Demographic Dividend: Growth Sustainability in China

Is China getting old before it gets rich? A major variable in the sustainability of China’s growth is population. According to Xiaomin Gai, China’s demographic dividend is disappearing. China’s unprecedented economic growth during the period of reform that began in the late 1970s has been accompanied by a dramatic demographic transition. As this transition enters a new stage, the demographic dividend is disappearing rapidly, which means the traditional sources of growth may be exhausted which would lead to a decline in the potential growth rate. What should China do with rapid population aging and how would this affect the Chinese and the global economy?  

 

Xiaomin Gai, PhD, is Professor of Economics at Shandong University in China and is currently a visiting scholar at UCSB.  She has also held visiting professorships at George Washington University and the University of Iowa. Her research expertise focuses on population and economic growth, industrial organization and China’s economic reform and development.