The 2024 International Conference on Regulation Theory and Policy was successfully held on October 26. The conference was jointly organized by the new type key professional think tank in Zhejiang Province—China Research Institute of Regulation and Public Policy (referred to as CRTT, ZUFE), Technical Committee on Industrial Regulation of the China Society of Industrial Economics, Technical Committee on Urban Utilities Reform and Regulation of the Chinese Society for Urban Studies, and Technical Committee on Energy Regulation of the China Energy Research Society. It was co-hosted by the China Institute of Regulation Research of ZUFE, the Zhejiang Provincial Dengfeng Discipline “Applied Economics,” the strategic discipline team of Government Regulation Theory and Policy Research, and the Collaborative Innovation Center for the Regulation of Urban Public Utilities listed as Zhejiang 2011 Collaborative Innovation Center. The conference adopted a hybrid format, combining online and offline participation, with nearly 400 domestic and international experts and scholars in attendance.
Professor Wang Junhao, chief expert of CRTT, ZUFE, delivered an opening speech in which he briefly outlined the development of think tanks and its significant research achievements. He expressed hope that the conference would generate more innovative academic perspectives and valuable policy recommendations, thereby advancing the development of economics of regulation in China and enhancing the effectiveness of government regulation.
Professor Wang Junhao delivered a welcome speech
Mr. Chen Yongmin, tenured professor of Economics and Provost’s chair professor of University of Colorado, United States; Mr. Chen Zhiqi, chair professor in the Department of Economics of Carleton University, Canada; Professor Alessandra Guidi, science and technology counsellor at the Italian Embassy in China; Professor Lin Ping, dean of the School of Economics of Shandong University; Professor Zhang Bing, vice president of Nanjing University of Finance and Economics; Mr. Shao Shuai, vice dean of the School of Business and distinguished professor at East China University of Science and Technology; Professor Li Sanxi, vice dean of the School of Economics and director of the Digital Economy Research Center at Renmin University of China; Professor Yu Zuo, director of the Digital Economy Research Institute at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics; Researcher Du Chuang, director of the Microeconomics Research Office at the Institute of Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Professor Wei Wendong, director of the Department of Environmental Management at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Professor Qi Yu, vice dean of the School of Public Finance and Taxation and deputy director of the Ecological Civilization Research Institute at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law; Mr. Shi Ce, assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and deputy director of CUHK-Zhejiang University Joint Research Center for Digital Economy; and Professor Tang Yaojia, a researcher at CRTT, ZUFE, each delivered a keynote speech.
The keynote speeches were chaired by Professor Yu Liangchun from Shandong University, Professor Hu Hanhui, founding director of the Research Center for Group Economics and Industrial Organization at Southeast University, Professor Jin Tong, executive vice president of CRTT, ZUFE and director of the China Institute of Regulation Research, and Researcher Wang Ling, vice president of CRTT, ZUFE and vice dean of the School of Economics at ZUFE.
The participating experts and scholars engaged in extensive discussions and exchanges on cutting-edge issues in the digital economy, including product safety in the era of artificial intelligence, regulation of personalized customization and privacy protection, challenges posed by the digital economy to efficient markets and well-functioning governments, the transformation of government regulation in China during the digital economy era, and competition policies for digital platforms. They also explored frontier topics in social regulation, such as food safety regulation, healthcare regulation, and environmental regulation.
Professor Wang Junhao concluded the conference and delivered a keynote speech titled “The Theoretical System of Audit Market Regulation and Its Implementation Pathways.”
Through the exchange of ideas among domestic and international scholars, the conference further clarified key and forefront issues in the field of government regulation. It presented a series of innovative research conclusions and policy approaches, providing valuable insights and references to enhance the efficiency and modernization of Chinese government regulation and to develop a disciplinary and academic system for it.
