Aug 2004
Research Proposal for Visiting Scholar Program
ZHANG Ning
Ph.D., Management, Sun Yat-Sen University
Assoc. Prof., Economics, Department of Business, Guangzhou University
E-mail: [email protected]
1. Research Topic, Goal and Expectation
My final research topic is “Informal Public Products and The Political Reform of China”. But because of the time limitation, during my stay at your university, I will just prepare one part of the research work that is the “literature survey”.
The goal of the research is to improve the progress of the political reform of China with a new angle of view, a new perspective, and a new system of thoughts.
The research expectation is to prepare a "literature survey" of the scholarship already published in English that is relevant to my theory of "informal public goods" and its relationship to the modernization of Chinas Political & legal system.
My expectation is that the visiting scholar program will offer me the opportunity to build a strong theoretical foundation for my further research after I return to China.
After I return to China, I will have a good foundation to finish my final research “Informal Public Products and The Political Reform of China”.
2. Reasons of Topic Selection
（1） The reform progress of China has entered into a new phase, that is political reform period. The period of economic reform of China has passed away. So there is an urgent need of theories to guide the political reform progress of China.
（2） The current, single discipline-based, and dominant academic concepts, research topics, and research coverage can’t give a satisfactory explanation and feasible answer to the political reform of China, and also can’t be accepted by most of Chinese people and Chinese government and officials. There is an urgent need to develop a new concept and a new angle of view to provide a theoretical guide for the political reform of China.
（3） The research of “informal public products” a newly-developed multidisciplinary topic that covers economics, management, political science, legal science, public policy management, behavior science, and behavior philosophy, etc. So this topic can provide a wide platform and angle of view to do research about the political reform of China. It is believed that the research results will be more academic, more rational, more systematic, and more accepted by Chinese officials, Chinese people, and Chinese government.
3. Brief Contents of My Final Research Paper
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Informal Public Products and The Political Reform of China （1） Literature Survey (to be prepared during my time at UW law school) （2） New Concept and Structural Model of Informal Public Product § New Concept of Informal Public Product § Structural Model of Informal Public Product § Evolution and Trend Model of Informal Public Product （3） Informal Public Products in China § The Contemporary Top 10 Informal Public Products in China § The Structural Model of Informal Public Products in China （4） Informal Public Products in America § The Contemporary Top 10 Informal Public Products in America § The Structural Model of Informal Public Products in China （5） Comparison and Differences between China and America in Informal Public Products § Gap in Structure § Gap in Evolution § Gap and Intersection in Trend （6） The Effect of Informal Public Products to Formal Public Products and Political Reform § The Effect of Informal Public Products to Formal Public Products § The Effect of Informal Public Products to Political Reform （7） Development of Informal Public Products and Its Effect on Political Reform in China § Development and Common Trends of Informal Public Products § Development and Common Trends of Informal Public Products and Political Reform in China （8） Conclusion and Political Suggestion to Political Reform of China with The Angle of View of Informal Public Products § Informal Public Products: The Main Field, Obstacle and Potential of Political Reform in China § How to Consider, Treat, and Utilize Informal Public Products in China |
The contents may be modified up to the further research.
During my stay at UW, I will just prepare the “Literature Survey”. My final research paper will be written and finished after I return to China.
4. Forms or Ways of My Research
Because my research is multidisciplinary and relatively advanced, I would like the following forms or ways to do my research:
（1） Go to the UW library, and spend my time at UW preparing a "literature survey" of the scholarship already published in English that is relevant to my theory of "informal public goods" and its relationship to the modernization of Chinas legal system. This will include:
§ A survey of books and articles published in English on "public goods"
§ A survey of books and articles published in English on "informal sector"
§ A survey of books and articles published in English on the modernization of Chinas economy, political system and legal system.
This literature survey could take the form of an "annotated bibliography." I would find the most important books and articles in each area, read it and write a one-paragraph summary of its main points.
（2） Audit classes that are relevant to my research.
For "public goods" I would like to audit these law school courses:
§ Law and economics
§ Administrative law
For "informal sector" I would like to audit these law school courses:
§ Law reform in transition economy
§ Comparative law seminar
§ International trade law
For "Chinas modernization" I would like to audit these courses:
§ Chinese law
§ Introduction to the Interdisciplinary Study of China
§ A course on Chinese government offered in International Studies graduate program
§ A course on Chinese economy offered in International Studies graduate program
Auditing these courses will help me prepare the annotated bibliography by giving me a deeper understanding of the books and articles I are reading that are related to my research on "informal public goods". If I audit these courses or other similar courses and prepare an annotated bibliography during my year in the UW Visiting Scholar program then after my return to China I will be better prepared to write my theory of "informal public goods" with comparisons between China and the US or other Western countries.
（3） Meet with my mentor. Most of the information I can get about US theories will come through auditing classes and library, and not from personal meetings with professors. So I just meet with my mentor one time each month or two months for one or two hours to discuss my progress on my annotated bibliography.
5. My Preliminary Thoughts and Viewpoints to be Tested and Proved
（1） My final goal of research is to improve the political reform of China. But I think that single discipline and current mainstream research topics cannot give a satisfactory explanation to this field. So I have developed a new and non-mainstream research topic (Informal Public Products) to do this challenged area. The concept of Informal Public Products, defined by my research, is some kind of public products that are not accepted by laws. So law and principles of law is the key of my definition on Informal Public Products.
（2） My research attempts regarding policies as products, and regarding formal/ informal public products as formal/ informal public products. Here public products are different from public goods stated in Economics. The former are intangible, and the latter are mostly tangible.
（3） Informal Public Products, most of them are intangible products, are those public products (public policies) that are not recognized by laws and other formal rules, but are really existing and playing real role in almost every public sector of the world. Informal Public Products, not formal public products, are the real products provided to the general public. Informal Public Products are determined by public management mechanics, informal culture, current productivity, and so on.
（4） Informal Public Products consist of Informal Political Products, Informal Economic and Financial Products, Informal Social Products, and Informal Cultural Products, etc.
（5） Informal Public Products are playing more and more important role in all aspects of our life, especially in transit economy and society, such as China. Without the study and consideration of Informal Public Products, we cannot explain why so many political, social, economic, and cultural activities have been happening.
（6） There is a dialectic relationship between Informal Public Products and Formal Public Products. Informal Public Products have more essential meaning and play dominant and real role. These two kinds of products play different role in the real world and can transform each other under some conditions.
（7） Informal Public Products Theory should become the new dominant theory for political reform of China. My research on Informal Public Products is a multidisciplinary job which may covers law, economics of law, political science, etc.
（8） The Development, formalization, legalization of informal public products of China may be the basic path and process of the political reform of China.
6. Research Value
（1） Academic Value of Innovation. The research is expected to have high academic value of innovation that restructure the discipline system of political & legal science and public policy management, etc. by adding the new concept and analysis model of informal public product into these disciplines.
（2） Realistic Value of Practice Guiding and Policy Suggestion. The research is expected to high realistic value that can provide a newly developed theoretical guide for the political reform of China. The research result will exceed the current theories of political reform of China and will be more close to the practice of political reform progress of China.
7. My Current Research Achievements
（1） ZHANG Ning．Study on the Outline of the Informal Finance in China and Its Important Correction to the Mainstream Viewpoints．Management World, 2003/3
（2） ZHANG Ning．Study on Allfinanz．Economist, 2003/2
（3） ZHANG Ning．Allfinanz Should Be the Main Form of Operation in the Future of Financial Industry in China．Contemporary Finance & Economics, 2003/6
（4） ZHANG Ning．Study on Informal Finance．Contemporary Finance & Economics, 2002/11
（5） ZHANG Ning．Study on Allfinanz Model．Dissertation of Ph.D. Degree of Sun Yat-Sen University, 2003/5
8. Abstracts of My Published Papers
Study on the Outline of the Informal Finance in China and Its Important Correction to the Mainstream Viewpoints
ZHANG Ning
Abstract Aiming to the situation of the weakness of the study on informal finance in China, according to the emerging theory of international informal finance, based on the empirical analysis, this paper gives the study on the outline of the informal finance in China, provides a basic framework for the analysis to the informal finance in China and the principles and strategy for considering and dealing with the informal financial problems in China, and makes the important correction to the mainstream viewpoints from the financial business circle and academic circle.
Keywords informal finance; outline of the informal finance in China; important correction to the mainstream viewpoints
Study on Informal Finance
ZHANG Ning
Abstract Informal finance is an important financial system that has been omitted by the academe for a long time. It sometimes plays a principal role in economic and financial life. Much failure and delay of financial policies is related to omitting informal finance. This paper tries to set up a framework for study on informal finance, including the concept, the classification, the system, the existing and developing causes, the relationship with formal finance, the important status, top 10 problems inside and outside China, development trend and proposals, etc. of informal finance.
Keywords real financial system; informal finance; formal finance; framework for study
Study on Allfinanz
ZHANG Ning
Abstract This paper thinks that allfinanz has more strong financial functions than any other financial integration model or single financial institution, it is a new state of the world finance in the future, allfinanz operation model is the oriented model of the world finance in the future, and allfinanz products are the micro-base for existence and development of allfinanz operation model, and the oriented form of financial products in the future world. This paper presents concept of allfinanz and the basic characters of allfinanz operation model and allfinanz products.
Keywords allfinanz; the operation model of allfinanz; allfinanz products; allfinanz marketing; the basic characters
Allfinanz Should Be the Main Form of Operation in the Future of Financial Industry in China
ZHANG Ning
Abstract Faced with the great trend of financial integration, and based on the historical causes and realistic situation of financial separation in China, This paper presents that the oriented form of financial operations in the future China is neither universal banks of developed countries, nor the general cooperation between banks, insurers, and brokers, even more nor keeping financial separation; it is allfinanz operation model with Chinese characters based on financial separation system. This paper gives the new concept definition of allfinanz different with the overseas schools, presents the basic requirements of allfinanz operation and allfinanz products, and analyzes the special importance of achieving allfinanz in China, and presents basic character of allfinanz operation model and products with Chinese characters.
Keywords allfinanz; allfinanz operation model; allfinanz products; oriented form; allfinanz with Chinese characters
9. Budget and Time Schedule
Budget: about US$20,000.
Term: about one year
10. Reasons of Going to Your University/ School
（1） The visiting scholar program offered by your university is very suitable and helpful for my current research. The online-listed research area and interest, research thoughts, achievements, and methodology of the relevant faculty of your university are very similar and helpful to my research topic, and are very important to guide my multidisciplinary research.
（2） The academic idea, tradition, mechanics and resources of your university are also very suitable and helpful for my current multidisciplinary research.
（3） Something I lack in my current research is just the advantage of your university.
（4） I like your campus very much.
If you have any question, or suggestion, or need to learn more about me, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email.