{"title":"Large Bank Expansion into Rural Markets: Implications for Agricultural Lending and Risk Taking by Rural Financial Institutions","authors":"Jinhua Liu, Zhongqi Liang, Xiuhua Wang","doi":"10.1111/cwe.70020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/cwe.70020","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper examines the impact of large bank business expansion into rural markets on agricultural lending and risk taking by rural financial institutions. The results indicate that competitive pressure from the entry of large banks increased the volume of agricultural loans extended by rural financial institutions, reflecting a classic “catfish effect.” The expansion of large bank business compressed the lending space available to rural financial institutions, raising their risk exposure and producing a “risk effect.” The study also finds that, to mitigate their own risk-bearing pressure, rural financial institutions tended to lower loan interest rates. This led to a narrower net interest margin and contributed to the exit of inefficient and high-risk rural financial institutions from the market. The study suggests that the expansion of large banks into rural areas can contribute to a more competitive and higher quality rural financial market.</p>","PeriodicalId":51603,"journal":{"name":"China & World Economy","volume":"34 2","pages":"182-219"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Parental Retirement and Offspring Tourism Consumption: An Intergenerational Transfer Perspective","authors":"Huiyue Liu, Qi Li, Tao Xu","doi":"10.1111/cwe.70019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/cwe.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigated the impact of parental retirement on offspring households' tourism consumption using data from the China Family Panel Studies (2018–2022) and a fuzzy regression discontinuity design. The results showed that the retirement of paternal-generation males significantly increased offspring tourism consumption, whereas female retirement exhibited no measurable effect. Mechanism analyses indicated that this effect operated primarily through intergenerational time reallocation rather than direct financial transfers. Specifically, retired paternal-generation men provided time endowments to offspring households, substantially reducing household production burdens. This labor substitution effectively relaxed the time constraints that typically limit tourism demand. Heterogeneity analysis revealed stronger effects when the paternal generation enjoyed good health or when offspring households contained more young children. These findings suggest that intergenerational time transfers substituted effectively for monetary costs to facilitate consumption upgrades, a conclusion robust across a comprehensive series of specification checks.</p>","PeriodicalId":51603,"journal":{"name":"China & World Economy","volume":"34 2","pages":"220-248"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Valuation Effects of US Semiconductor Restrictions on US Executives in Chinese Listed Companies","authors":"Jiaxin Liu, Tong Qi, Kai Wang","doi":"10.1111/cwe.70021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/cwe.70021","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Utilizing an event study methodology, this research examined the impact of the US semiconductor restrictions on corporate valuation. The findings reveal that publicly traded Chinese semiconductor firms suffered significantly diminished stock returns following the onset of the restrictions. The market's anticipation of disrupted business ties and the potential withdrawal of these key executives drove the decline in firm value. This negative impact was most acute in companies lacking prior US supply chains or cross-border mergers and acquisitions experience. Further analysis show that the presence of US CEOs exacerbated these losses while high levels of foreign shareholding served as a mitigating factor. Long-term data indicates that exposed firms aggressively scaled up R&D personnel to compensate for the loss of external expertise. This research highlights the importance of diversifying executive team, supply chain, and capital structure to mitigate geopolitical risks.</p>","PeriodicalId":51603,"journal":{"name":"China & World Economy","volume":"34 2","pages":"110-141"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tax Incentives and Firm Skill Composition: Evidence from China's Employee Training Deduction Reform","authors":"Ce Huang, Xiaoshu Jin, Rong Liu, Ruiting Wang","doi":"10.1111/cwe.70016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/cwe.70016","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigated how changes in China's tax policy regarding firms' employee training expenses affected the proportion of high-skilled employees. Focusing on a 2018 tax reform that raised the pretax deduction limit for employee training expenses, it analyzed data from listed companies using a difference-in-differences approach. The reform increased the share of high-skilled employees in affected firms. The proportion of technical personnel rose by 1.22 percentage points, with stronger effects in firms that had higher pre-reform training expenses, lower financial constraints, and greater capital intensity. Internal training and employee upward mobility were the main drivers, with a 24 percent rise in average training expenses per employee, primarily for front-line staff. There was a modest increase in research and development intensity and no reduction in average wages. Targeted tax incentives can thus encourage human capital investment and enhance workforce skill composition without adverse wage effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":51603,"journal":{"name":"China & World Economy","volume":"34 2","pages":"32-66"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Green Financial Innovation and Firms' Green Total Factor Productivity","authors":"Fenfen Wang, Qingfeng Luo, Can Wang","doi":"10.1111/cwe.12621","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/cwe.12621","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Green financial innovation policies play an important role in improving firms' green total factor productivity (GTFP) and balancing environmental protection with economic growth. Using firm-level data from China, this study examined the effect of green financial innovation policy on GTFP and explored the underlying mechanisms. A difference-in-differences approach was applied to evaluate policy effectiveness. The results indicate that this policy significantly increased firms' GTFP, with findings robust across multiple checks. Mechanism analysis indicated that internal governance channels improved GTFP by strengthening executives' environmental decision-making, encouraging green technological innovation, and enhancing environmental governance. External governance channels exerted their effects through alleviating financing constraints and improving market competitiveness. Substantial heterogeneity in policy effects was also identified across firms. These findings provide valuable insights into the optimization and targeted implementation of green financial innovation policies and highlight their role in supporting firms' green transformation and broader sustainable development objectives.</p>","PeriodicalId":51603,"journal":{"name":"China & World Economy","volume":"34 2","pages":"3-31"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}