IEM PhD students from China won grant for digital human capital research

IEM TSU PhD students Yuan Kefeng and Zhang Xiaoxia, together with their academic supervisor, IEM professor Olga Nedospasova, became winners of the competition organized by the National Social Science Foundation of China. Their research on accumulation of digital human capital in China has received financial support for 3 years.

National Social Science Foundation of China is the most respected organization in China that is specialized in financing strategically important fundamental and interdisciplinary research that facilitates preservation and development of Chinese science and culture. Total sum of the grant – 200 000 yuan.

“For a Chinese researcher, victory in this competition is not only prestigious, but also very difficult,” noted Yuan Kefeng. “In 2022 year only, the Foundation supported 290 projects in various areas of knowledge, and our project named “China Digital Human Capital Accumulation Research Project in the Background of Digital Economy” has taken a highly significant 71st place in the final rating of the Foundation.

The topic of the supported project coincides with the research topics chosen by Yuan Kefeng and Zhang Xiaoxia for their graduate works in Labor Economics. During his studies, Yuan Kefeng researched the transformation of the budgetary decision-making mechanism in a modern Chinese family, and Zhang Xiaoxia investigated the changes in the Chinese labor market amid an aging population.

The labor market and financial decisions of households in China are undergoing significant transformationsover the recent years, which is caused by many factors: the completion of the second demographic transition, rising living standards, urbanization, digitalization, and changes in PRC social policy.

“The involvement of IEM in the implementation of the international grant gives us new opportunities, primarily in terms of expanding the publication activity, the use of foreign data in comparative studies, strengthening international cooperation and the successful defense of Chinese PhD students at the end of their training programs," notes Olga Nedospasova, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Organizational Behavior and Personnel Management at IEM TSU.

It should be noted that the students enrolled to the PhD studies at IEM in 2020 on a quota basis (the Chinese government pays for their tuition). In 2023, Yuan Kefeng and Zhang Xiaoxia will complete their studies, and by that time, they plan to submit their final papers for defense.