
This past summer, I had the privilege of working at the Institute of New Structural Economics at Peking University in Beijing, one of China’s premier research centers dedicated to national and international development. With a mission to produce influential research shaping global policymaking, INSEC’s findings are endorsed by esteemed economists worldwide, including over ten Nobel Laureates such as Joseph Stiglitz and Michael Spence, as well as high-ranking policymakers across Africa, Central Asia, Europe, and key multilateral institutions like the UN Development Office and the World Bank. INSE comprises a team of 52 Professors and Research Fellows and a 21-member international advisory council, which includes three Nobel Laureates. During my time at INSE, I worked in the Public Development Finance Department, which is collaborating with the Development Agency of France to create the first global database on the financial sustainability of national development banks worldwide. To date, the team has compiled data into a single dataset from the balance sheets and income statements of over 500 national development banks, spanning the period from 2013 to 2024.
I contributed to the Public Development Finance Project, a partnership between the Institute and the French Development Agency, which aims to establish the first global database on the mandates and balance sheets of National Development Banks worldwide. My role involved conducting a case study comparing the financial sustainability of the China Development Bank and the Brazilian Development Bank with the average performance of commercial banks in those countries. Given that over 90% of the global money supply—the lifeblood of the economy—is created and allocated by commercial banks through, examining banking in both its commercial and alternative public forms is essential in the quest for economic sustainability and growth. During my fellowship, I traveled to cities and villages in other provinces, such as Sichuan, Shandong, and Tianjin, using the high-speed railway. Additionally, I visited historical sites, attended live performances and rituals significant to Chinese culture and history. I also saw more than twenty Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Muslim, and Confucian temples in the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing, and Qufu (Confucius' birthplace).