Laurence Jacobs, Gao Guopei and Paul Herbig
Compares the economic history of china and Europe over the past 2,000 years in an attempt to understand the countries’ present economic positions. Discusses how China’s political…
Abstract
Compares the economic history of china and Europe over the past 2,000 years in an attempt to understand the countries’ present economic positions. Discusses how China’s political and economic system impeded the development of a commodity economy and led to the development of agriculture while Europe’s commodity economy fostered the advancement of science and technology.
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Laurence Jacobs, Gao Guopei and Paul Herbig
Confucianism is dead! Confucianism is obsolete! Confucianism ispassé! For at least the past 30 years the government ofChina has taken a strong stand against Confucianism. Yet it…
Abstract
Confucianism is dead! Confucianism is obsolete! Confucianism is passé! For at least the past 30 years the government of China has taken a strong stand against Confucianism. Yet it is impossible to do business in China and not feel the effects of Confucian philosophy. For example, strong feelings of a social hierarchy are still present in China. The Confucian ethical structure, with its lack of civil law, still influences current thinking. A strong sense of family as the basic unit of production, with its rights of inheritance and views of the extended family, still pervades much of Chinese thought. If Confucianism is officially gone, its influence is still strong. Identifies the aspects of Confucianism which are relevant to those seeking to understand the Chinese business environment.
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Haoxu Zhang, Elena Millan, Kevin Money and Pei Guo
This research examines the impact of the National Rural E-commerce Comprehensive Demonstration Project (NRECDP) on poverty reduction and income growth in rural China.
Abstract
Purpose
This research examines the impact of the National Rural E-commerce Comprehensive Demonstration Project (NRECDP) on poverty reduction and income growth in rural China.
Design/methodology/approach
The study develops a theoretical framework, which considers the role of geographical, technological, institutional and cultural factors for the e-commerce poverty alleviation (e-CPA) model. Empirically, this study applies the difference-in-differences (DID) model and the event study approach to evaluate the effectiveness of NRECDP on the basis of large-scale county-level and household-level panel data spanning 2010 to 2020.
Findings
The study found that the NRECDP, as a government-led, information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled, market-based program, has led to a significant increase in per capita output of primary industry employees, as well as in the disposable income of rural residents, especially those in national-level poverty-stricken (NP) counties. The interventions of the NRECDP achieved these positive outcomes through transportation and Internet infrastructure improvement, ICT adoption and human capital accumulation in impoverished towns and villages in remote rural areas. These effects are larger in the eastern region of China, followed by the central region, whereas the weakest effects were found in the western region. However, we found little evidence of the NRECDP increasing household developmental expenditure.
Research limitations/implications
The study findings have important practical and policy implications for rural e-commerce development and self-sustained poverty alleviation solutions. The research revealed the significance of government NRECDP interventions for increasing rural income, reducing living costs, and empowering the rural population in its multiple social roles, namely, as consumers, producers, employees and microentrepreneurs. The local cultural context may also play a role in ICT adoption and entrepreneurship cultivation with a downstream effect on the effectiveness of e-CPA practices. Policymakers would need to ensure a supportive entrepreneur-friendly environment for rural e-commerce development and continue implementing progressive policies for poverty alleviation.
Originality/value
This study explores poverty alleviation issues in China by developing for the first time a multi-faceted framework that is subsequently tested by both county-level and household-level large-scale observations. Also, it is the first study to provide nationwide empirical evidence on the effectiveness of e-CPA in narrowing down the spatial and digital divides in China. In addition to the impact of geography, technology and governmental support, this study also sheds light on the role of culture in the adoption and diffusion of digital technologies and as a source of local entrepreneurial opportunities.
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Xudong Tang, Yan Gu, Ruoyu Weng and Kungcheng Ho
Confucianism underpins Chinese traditional culture and the values of the Chinese people. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between adherence to Confucianism…
Abstract
Purpose
Confucianism underpins Chinese traditional culture and the values of the Chinese people. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between adherence to Confucianism and corporate irregularities.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use the historical numbers of Jinshi (Imperial Scholars) in the Ming and Qing dynasties within 200 km of a company's location to proxy for the influence of Confucianism on the company, presenting strong evidence that Confucianism significantly reduces corporate irregularities.
Findings
The authors' findings are robust even when criticized with alternative definitions of Confucianism, sensitivity analysis and instrumental variable regression. The authors also discover that this effect is weaker in state-owned and foreign enterprises and weakened by the influence of Western culture.
Originality/value
This paper brings a new traditional-cultural perspective to the understanding of corporate irregularities and contributes to the literature on culture and finance. This paper also helps the authors understand the “China Puzzle” that is China's rapid economic development under an imperfect legal system.