The 32nd Xi Xian Forum on Income Distribution and Public Finance, jointly organised by the Institute of Social Sciences of ZUEL, the School of Public Finance and Taxation and IIDPF, was successfully held on 21 March 2023 in Conference Room 119, Wenqin Building. Professor Zhou Xiaoguang, Secretary General of the Population and Labour Economy Think Tank of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was the guest speaker of the 32nd Xi Xian Forum and was invited to deliver a speech entitled Key Focus and Direction of Think Tank Construction. The forum was chaired by Professor Shi Zhilai, Director of the Institute of Social Sciences, with the participation of Professor Zhang Kezhong, Director of the School of Public Finance and Taxation, and Dr. Liu Erpeng, researcher of the IIDPF, and other faculty and students.
Since the 18th Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made a series of important remarks and instructions on building a new type of think tank with Chinese characteristics and establishing a sound decision-making consultation system, especially emphasizing that the construction of a new type of think tank with Chinese characteristics should be effectively grasped as a major and urgent task. Professor Zhou Xiaoguang made a profound elaboration on the construction of new type of think tanks with Chinese characteristics from three topics: the future and direction of think tank construction, population and labour economy think tanks, and strengthening the cooperation between think tank platforms and universities, and believed that think tank construction should grasp the fundamental purpose of new type of think tank construction with Chinese characteristics, actively serve the major decision-making needs of the Party and the state, and strengthen the decision-making influence, international influence, social influence and academic The report also highlights the need for a new type of think tank to be built. At the same time, around the new type of think tank construction needs, think tanks should do a good job of introducing and training talents, establish an open, competitive and orderly talent training and exchange mechanism, through a variety of ways and forms to gather outstanding think tank talents.
Professor Shi Zhilai considered that as a special carrier of knowledge production and an important medium for knowledge dissemination, think tanks are playing an increasingly prominent role in the overall research system of China. He also expressed his hope that ZUEL and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences could integrate their resources, pool their efforts and build a think tank together to contribute more wisdom and strength to promote high-quality economic and social development.
Professor Zhang Kezhong considered that the construction of a new type of think tank should focus on academic research and continue to make efforts in theoretical research in terms of theoretical depth and academic thickness. In terms of academic cooperation and exchange, the layout and academic direction of disciplines should be constantly optimized, forming the characteristic advantages of cross-fertilization of disciplines and cooperating to form an academic network; in terms of think tank interconnection, the advantages of platform and resources should be given full play, gathering a wide range of strengths and building a pragmatic academic network.
The lecture given by Professor Zhou Xiaoguang to the faculty and students present also triggered in-depth thinking on the research topic, with active exchanges around the construction of think tanks with Chinese characteristics.