H E A L T H A N D S O C I E T Y
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R E S E A R C H
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H K U S T
China’s unparalleled economic rise has lifted 600 million people
out of poverty in three decades and turned the country into a
key player in the global economy. Now, as the legacy of the one-
child policy kicks in, the country’s workforce has begun to shrink
turning it into a nation that is rapidly aging at the same time as
it is developing. Indeed, China has the largest elderly population
globally. According to United Nations projections, the current
130 million-plus over the age of 65 are forecast to more than
double in the next two decades, reaching one-quarter of China’s
total population. In 2000, the ratio of the working-age popula-
tion to the elderly and young population was 12:1. This will drop
to around 2:1 by 2050.
The question of how China can meet the challenge of pop-
ulation aging and increasing workforce scarcity is one of the
major issues being explored through rigorous data collection
and evidence-based analysis by labor economist and China
economic development specialist Prof Albert Park. Previously
at the University of Oxford, Prof Park joined HKUST in 2011,
where he holds a joint appointment as Chair Professor of Social
Science and Professor of Economics.
Health and Retirement Insights
HKUST research has been given a tremendous boost by the
groundbreaking China Health and Retirement Longitudinal
Study (CHARLS), involving Prof Park and academics at Peking
University and the University of Southern California. CHARLS
builds on the highly influential social science survey model of
the Health and Retirement Study pioneered in the US, and is the
first effort to extend such state-of-the-art socio-economic data
collection to a large developing country. It provides a nationally
representative survey following people aged 45 and older over
the course of their lives.
The survey program is also distinctive in its aim to continue
indefinitely and highly interdisciplinary approach. It contains
modules on the family, work and retirement, economic status,
health and healthcare utilization, cognition, as well as physical
health examinations, including blood samples. Having data from
so many different domains enables connections to be drawn that
may not be obvious when studying a single discipline, Prof Park
said.
The survey polls over 17,500 individuals inmore than 10,000
households in 150 counties and districts and 450 villages and
urban neighborhoods in 28 of China’s 30 provinces (excluding
Tibet). Pilot studies began in 2008, with the first CHARLS baseline
survey undertaken in 2011. There have been two further waves,
with follow-up interviews with individuals in 2013 and 2015.
AGING
GIANT
How is the global engine of growth shaping up for a
graying but still developing future
CHINA
’
S
EMERGENCE
Given its physical size, population of
1.3billion, uniquehistory, political and
cultural background, and rapid pace
of change, China offers challenging
terrain for academics to study.
Located in the Special Administrative
Region of Hong Kong, HKUST
economists and social scientists
have the academic networks, cultural
affiliations as well as global reach to
explore the diverse developmental
issues facing China. Issues related
to aging, corruption, and the labor
market are highlighted in this issue
