Pollution is fast becoming one of China’s most serious issues, with worrying statistics circulating about the effect of pollution on life expectancy. But beyond the health risks, what are the financial costs of pollution on a country’s manufacturing sector? A ground-breaking new study has measured the effects of air pollution on labor productivity for manufacturing firms in China. CKGSB professor Brian Viard, one of the study’s co-authors, will present this data in public for the first time, explaining the rigorous methodology behind the calculations and revealing exactly how much China’s GDP is affected by different levels of pollution.
Overview
Topic
Measuring the Effects of Air Pollution on GDP in China
Pollution is fast becoming one of China’s most serious issues, with worrying statistics circulating about the effect of pollution on life expectancy. But beyond the health risks, what are the financial costs of pollution on a country’s manufacturing sector? A ground-breaking new study has measured the effects of air pollution on labor productivity for manufacturing firms in China. Professor Brian Viard, one of the study’s co-authors, will present this data in public for the first time, explaining the rigorous methodology behind the calculations and revealing exactly how much China’s manufacturing productivity is affected by different levels of pollution. He will then be joined by Anke Schrader, Senior Researcher at the Conference Board’s China Center for Economics and Business, who will help to discuss how improving air quality can generate substantial output and productivity benefits, as well as the impact of environmental regulations on firm competitiveness.
Agenda | |
| 09:30-10:00 | Registration |
| 10:00-10:05 | Welcome Remarks |
| 10:05-10:30 | Presentation by Brian Viard, Associate Professor of Strategy and Economics, CKGSB |
| 10:30-11:00 | Dialogue between Prof Viard and Anke Schrader, Senior Researcher, China Center for Economics and Business, The Conference Board |
| 11:00-11:30 | Q&A with Audience |
Details
Speakers
Brian Viard
Associate Professor of Strategy and Economics, CKGSB
V. Brian Viard moved to Beijing in 2007 to join the faculty of Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB). Prior to that, he was a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Professor Viard’s research focuses on industrial organization economics, economics of strategy, and environmental economics. He has studied the pricing and product strategies of firms in information and technology industries and whether switching costs make markets more or less competitive and the effectiveness of reward programs in creating switching costs.
Professor Viard’s recent work focuses on the determinants of Internet adoption, including provider competition and availability of content. He is also currently examining the economic effects of China’s efforts to reduce automobile pollution and the effect of air pollution on manufacturing productivity. Professor Viard teaches courses on competitive strategy, managerial economics, and information goods markets and is the recipient of CKGSB’s inaugural M.B.A. Best Teaching Award. He received his Ph.D. in Business Economics from the University of Chicago.
Anke Schrader
Senior Researcher, China Center for Economics and Business, The Conference Board
Anke Schrader leads the research of The Conference Board China Center for Economics and Business on corporate citizenship, sustainability, and human capital. Her current research interests include corporate sustainability practices, measurement, and reporting; corporate citizenship and philanthropy engagement; civil society development; demographic changes in China and their implications for business and economic growth; China labor force evolution and development; and the evolving skill sets of China’s workforce.
She is also responsible for coordinating China Center research programs, knowledge management, and outreach activities to members, institutions, co-operators, and the public. Anke graduated from the University of Konstanz, Germany with a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management.
