The Research Department of Social Development and the English Club held academic activities themed on the welfare system and economic development at the Development Research Center of the State Council, on August 27.

The activities were chaired by Gong Sen, vice-director-general of the Research Department of Social Development, and Wang Wei, vice-director–general of the Institute of Market Economy.

The one-day activity consisted of three lectures. The first lecture, Social Policies and Economic Growth, was given by Li Bingqin, associate professor at Australian National University. The second lecture, European Welfare System: From Social Protection to Social Investment, was given by Anton Cornelis Hemerijck, professor from Vrije University Amsterdam. The third lecture, Social Policies and Economic Development: Case Study on Germany, was delivered by lecturer Liu Tao from Bielefeld University.