The Chinese Women Economists (CWE) Research and Training Program at Peking University's National School of Development (NSD) was inaugurated in 2002. Our goals are to improve the research capabilities of women economists in universities and research institutes throughout China, promote economic research on women/gender issues, and enhance communication and cooperation between women economists in China and overseas.
Mission

    The CWE Research and Training Program's mission is to:
  • Increase Chinese women economists'  visibility in economic research by improving their research capabilities;
  • Encourage research of women and gender issues, and to bring gender perspective to economic research and policy analysis;
  • Build a professional network for Chinese women economists, and enhance communication and cooperation between women economists both in China and overseas.
 
History
In 2001, at symposium celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the launch of rural reform in China hosted by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2001, a group of internationally established economists noted for research on the Chinese economy gave presentations. During the symposium, six participants, including Professors Dong Xiao-yuan, Zhao Yaohui, Song Lina, Denise Hare, Scott Rozelle, and James Kung, expressed their shared concerns that women economists are disadvantaged in Chinese academia, that a gap in research capacity exists between domestic and international economists, and that gender issues are rarely touched upon by Chinese economists. To address these issues, they proposed to initiate a program for women economists in China that would include training, mentoring, and network building. The proposal gained the support of Dr. Sarah Cook, the public policy program officer at the Ford Foundation, and Professors Justin Yifu Lin and Hai Wen, director and deputy director respectively of Peking University's China Center for Economic Research (CCER). With financial support from the Ford Foundation, the CWE Research and Training Program was established at CCER in May 2002. Directors of the program are Professors Dong Xiao-yuan from the University of Winnipeg in Canada, and Zhao Yaohui from CCER.