The 38th Xi Xian Forum on Income Distribution and Public Finance, co-hosted by IIDPF and the School of Public Finance and Taxation, was successfully held on 14 June 2023 in Room 119 of Wenqin Building. Professor Gan Li, Director of the Study and Research Centre for Chinese Family Finance at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, was invited to give a keynote speech as the guest speaker of the 38th Xi Xian Forum on China's Grassroots "Three Guarantees": Characteristics, Facts and Responses as an Example of Research Topic Selection. The forum was chaired by Professor Zhang Kezhong, Dean of the School of Public Finance and Taxation and Deputy Director of IIDPF. Over fifty faculty members and students, including Professor Lu Yuanping, Executive Director of IIDPF, Professor Ma Yuanyuan and Professor Rong Zhao from Wenlan School of Business, Professor Li Jingyou and Professor Tian Binbin from the School of Public Finance and Taxation, attended the forum.
At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Zhang Kezhong introduced the academic achievements of Professor Gan Li, the keynote speaker of the lecture. Then, based on the financial budget database of Chinese local governments constructed by the Study and Research Centre for Family Finance, Professor Gan analysed in detail the factual characteristics of the grassroots' "Three Guarantees" expenditures (to protect basic livelihoods, wages, and operations) and the existing policy tools. The results of the study show that fiscal transfers have effectively compensated for the shortfall in the grassroots' "three guarantees" expenditures. On this basis, the study analyses the structure of the grassroots' "three guarantees" expenditures and the reasons for their changes. Professor Gan proposes countermeasures to alleviate the pressure on the "three guarantees" at the grassroots level from the perspectives of optimising the sequence of the "three guarantees" expenditures and rationalising the expenditure structure.
At the end of the lecture, Professor Zhang Kezhong presented a comprehensive summary and gave a speech to thank Professor Gan Li for his excellent presentation. Professor Gan further enriched the research on China's grassroots finance with facts about the characteristics of China's grassroots "Three Guarantees" expenditures and the existing policy tools. In the discussion session, the participating professors exchanged views and discussed related issues, and students also spoke enthusiastically. The lecture benefited both the professors and students, and the forum was successfully concluded with warm applause.