The newly established Centre of Applied Economic Research (CAER) at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) has successfully concluded its Inaugural Conference, held on 14–15 May 2026. The two-day event, themed “Advancing Common Prosperity: Inclusive and Sustainable Growth with New Quality Productive Forces”, brought together leading economists, policy experts and emerging scholars to discuss China’s economic transition and its implications for the wider Asian region.

The conference opened with remarks by Dr Hongbo Dong, Deputy Party Secretary at UNNC,  followed by the first public lecture from Professor Shi Li of Zhejiang University. Professor Shi is a member of the leading group of poverty alleviation and development experts advisory committee of the State Council and the expert advisory committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. In his lecture, Professor Shi addressed the growing challenge of wealth inequality and its relevance to China’s common prosperity agenda. 

A key highlight of the second day was the public lecture by Professor Yang Yao, Dean of the Di-shui-hu Advanced Finance Institute at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. In his lecture, titled “Human Development through Common Prosperity,” he outlined a framework for linking economic development with broader human wellbeing.

The conference also featured two expert roundtables. The first examined inequality, demographic change and social welfare, with contributions from Professor Bingjing Li (University of Hong Kong), Professor Sarah Cook (UNNC) and Professor Shi Li. The second considered common prosperity from local to regional perspectives, with insights from Professor Juzhong Zhuang (Fudan University), Professor Christine Wong (Australian National University) and Professor Yang Yao. Dr Xiao Fu, President and Party Secretary of the Ningbo Academy of Social Sciences, delivered the closing remarks at the end of the first day of the conference.

The event also provided a platform for the next generation of economists, with poster presentations by PhD researchers from the UNNC School of Economics. The conference concluded with a visit to Ningbo Port, giving participants a first-hand view of regional economic infrastructure and development.

“CAER is committed to producing rigorous, evidence-based research that informs policy and supports inclusive and sustainable development,” said a representative of the organising committee. “This inaugural conference demonstrated the value of bringing together academic research and policy discussion in ways that are both timely and relevant.”

About CAER

Founded in 2025 within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNNC, the Centre of Applied Economic Research (CAER) is dedicated to conducting impartial, evidence-based applied research that informs policy and supports decision-making across the public, private and non-profit sectors in Asia.