Qian is the Deputy Director of The Economist Group’s research arm—The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Under her leadership, the EIU’s Access China service has expanded into a global team of analysts covering China’s 31 provinces and 287 key prefectures. She also leads key industry forecasts and is also responsible for generating bespoke research and forecasts for clients in China.
Qian aims to provide the world with an unbiased view of China’s economy, one that is grounded in substance rather than hyperbole or misconception. Her work involves a deep cleaning of extensive and often highly problematic data, detailed quantitative forecasting using econometric modeling, and frequent travel to China’s regions and cities.
Before joining the EIU, Qian obtained her Ph.D. in Economics from Uppsala University and spent one year as a visiting research scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. Her doctoral research focused on labor economics, and her fields of interest include education, gender and employment. Qian has published research articles in a number of academic journals including Oxford Economic Papers, Berkeley Electronic Journal of Economic Analysis and China Economic Review. Qian is also a guest lecturer at New York University, Tsinghua University, Chinese Academy of Social and Fudan University.
Qian is currently based in Beijing and speaks English, Mandarin and Swedish. She is a regular commentator at media outlets including the BBC, CNBC, CNN and CCTV, and has recently given a TEDx talk about the world’s views on China.
In China, a single woman above 27 is referred to as a “leftover woman”. But does this phenomenon truly exist on a large scale? And, if so, is it more women than men who are to blame or does the marriage market somehow fail to match the right people. This talk will provide some scientific insights into this hotly-debated but yet not-fully-studied social phenomenon by combing classic economic literature and a rich set of statistics.
