In 1993, facing the grave challenge of “how to bring stability and prosperity to one million immigrants in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region” posed by the launching of the Three Gorges Project, former Economic Research Institute of Chongqing Business School, the predecessor of the Research Center for Economy of Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River of Chongqing Technology and Business University, came into being. In July 2002, it established Research Institute of Regional Economics on the basis of the former Economic Research Institute and the Research Center of Regional Economics; it was selected into the first batch of Key Research Bases of Humanities and Social Sciences in Chongqing in the same year. In September 2002, Research Center for Economy of Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River (hereinafter referred to as “the Center”) was established on the basis of the Research Institute of Regional Economics, thanks to regional economics, industrial economics, statistics and other preponderant disciplines. In 2004, the Center was approved by the Ministry of Education as a “Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences in General Colleges and Universities”, the only one co-built by the Ministry of Education and Chongqing Municipal People’s Government; it also became the only national academic platform for systematic research on major strategic economic and social issues in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. In 2006, the Center, led by CTBU, integrated the scientific research forces in the field of industrial economics at Chongqing Academy of Social Sciences, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and Chongqing Jiaotong University to jointly establish a “Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences in Chongqing”, namely, Chongqing Institute of Industrial Economics. At this point, it has formed its own development model of administering two institutes (Research Institute of Regional Economics and Research Institute of Industrial Economics) and promoting the development of two schools (School of Economics and School of Finance) of the Center.
With the strong support of CTBU and the joint efforts of all colleagues, the Center has endeavored to promote its in-depth development despite great difficulties and obstacles. In 2009, the Research Institute of Regional Economics ranked first in the comprehensive evaluation of the first batch of key research bases in the city. In the same year, the Center won the honorary title of “Advanced Collectives of National Education System”. In 2010, the Center ranked third among similar bases in the country in the five-year evaluation launched by the Ministry of Education. In 2012, the National Urgently Needed Special Doctor Candidate Cultivation Project for “the Stability and Prosperity of One Million Migrants in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region”, which was led by the Center, was approved by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council. In 2013, “Collaborative Innovation Center of Urban Industries Development in Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone” led by the Center was approved as “Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center of 2011 Plan”. In 2014, the Postdoctoral Research Station of Applied Economics was approved by the State Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People's Republic of China. In 2015, applied economics was awarded the excellent discipline in the acceptance review of municipal key disciplines under the “12th Five-Year Plan”. In 2016, the Center ranked 63rd out of 151 bases nationwide in the evaluation of the Key Research Bases of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education. Among them, social service capabilities ranked 12th and decision support capabilities ranked 8th. The Center ranked 10th out of the 24 economic bases economic in “academia”. In 2017, the Center was selected into China’s Core Think Tank and into CTTI Source Think Tank; it established the Collaborative Innovation Research Center of the Belt and Road and Yangtze River Economic Belt; it was selected as a Key Thematic Think Tank in Chongqing; applied economics got B- in the fourth round of national discipline evaluation and were approved as Chongqing’s “Double First-Class Discipline” and municipal key disciplines under the “13th Five-Year Plan”. In 2018, the “Expert Service Base for Economic Development in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River of Chongqing Technology and Business University” led by the Center was selected into the fourth batch of national expert service bases.
The Center has piloted a flexible tenure system for full-time researchers and made every effort to create a “special talent zone.” At present, it is home to nearly 80 full-time and part-time researchers. More than 30 people have been approved as candidates for leading figures in Philosophy and Social Science of the “Ten Thousand Talents Plan”, Young and Middle-aged Experts with Outstanding Contributions, candidates for the “New Century Million Talents Project”, and National Cultural Master and “Four a Group of” Talent.
With a focus on open school running, the Center has built “Joint Research Base for Economic Analysis and Forecast” with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and “Chongqing Industrial Park Economic Research Consulting Center” and “Chongqing Creative Industry Development Research Center” with Chongqing Economy and Informationization Commission. It has signed strategic cooperation agreements with Wanzhou District People’s Government, Kaizhou District People’s Government, Yunyang County People’s Government, Fengdu County People’s Government. The Center has a Postdoctoral Research Station of Applied Economics of Chongqing Technology and Business University and a Postdoctoral Research Station of Applied Economics of Southwest University of Finance and Economics and Chongqing Technology and Business University”; it is the affiliated unit of Chongqing Association for Regional Economics. It has formed a multi-level personnel training system covering “master’s degree, doctor’s degree and postdoctoral degree” in applied economics, and established a multi-channel and high-level personnel training mode of full-time and part-time education, nurturing nearly 500 outstanding graduates.
In the past five years, the Center has been approved to host more than 50 national projects, over 140 projects at the provincial and ministerial levels or above, more than 400 projects commissioned by provincial-level and ministerial-level officials, the local government and enterprises and public institutions. Furthermore, it has published more than 200 papers listed in CSSCI or above, including more than 80 papers in SSCI, Economic Research, Management World and other important domestic journals. The Center has published more than 90 monographs in Science Press, Economic Science Press and other national presses, won more than 40 awards at the provincial and ministerial levels or above, and achieved great outcomes confirmed and approved by the Communist Party of China and state leaders. The Center held over 100 special training sessions for government cadres, and enterprises and public institutions in Chongqing, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangxi and other places, as well as for senior executives of banks, insurance companies and other enterprises. It also carried out over 300 special studies on economic and social development in Chongqing, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei and other places.
The Center has undertaken the academic journal West Forum and other related academic periodicals. Among them, West Forum is a well-known and highly reputable professional academic journal of comprehensive economics in China. It has now emerged as “Extended Edition of CSSCI Source Journal”, “Chinese Core Journal”, “Chinese Core Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences”, “Important Source for Scholarly Citations of Reprinted Journal Materials of Renmin University of China” and “Top 100 Social Science Journals in China”. With 1,000 square meters of scientific research office buildings, the Center has in its special reference room a wealth of domestic and foreign economic books and periodicals, as well as statistical yearbooks covering important fields and industries of provinces (municipalities) and provincial capitals. It houses more than 10 kinds of database resources and e-books, and self-built databases such as the “Characteristic Database of Economic and Social Development in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region”.
Based on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the Center will give full play to its scientific research, consulting service, personnel training, public opinion guidance, and academic exchanges, and facilitate the building of a new type of university think tank with Chinese characteristics. It will follow the general idea of promoting the integrated development of the national first-class Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences and Chongqing’s first-class discipline of applied economics in CTBU.
