Jun Zhang
Jun Zhang is a Chinese economist and Cheung Kong Professor of Economics at Fudan University, Shanghai. Having received a doctorate from Fudan University, he completed post-doctoral fellowships at Washington State University and the University of Sussex, before becoming a professor at numerous universities worldwide, including the London School of Economics, the University of London, Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Aarhus and Tokyo Metropolitan University. Zhang's principal academic fields include Chinese economic reform and development economics, and he has published a variety of publications in both Chinese and English.
Papers Published in World Economics:
Poor Economic Statistics Fuel China’s Low Consumption Myth
The generally held belief that China’s consumption is too low is a myth based on inadequate theory, a misreading of official statistics and the use of market exchange rates for making international comparisons. Chinese official statistics underestimate consumption expenditure on housing, they omit consumption paid for as benefits by the corporate sector, and there are a number of problems with the household expenditure surveys employed. An adjustment for statistical issues suggests that the rate of consumption is 60–65% of GDP, not the 48% based on the widely quoted official statistics figures, and is quite similar to the level experienced by other East Asian economies.
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