China special issue B introduction: cultural distance, households, innovation, and cultural industry

Special Issue B continues to address a set of research questions to complement Special Issue A which focused on China’s rapid economic growth and the associated challenges. Examples discussed include unbalanced domestic growth, Africa-China migration, a game theoretic perspective on cooperation, and industry structure and policy changes. Critically, Issue B identifies opportunities as well as uncertainties for Chinese enterprises and institutions in their quest to become the world’s leading economy. Specifically, papers examine issues related to the China Multinational Corporations (CMNC), workforce mobility, technological innovation, and the economic development of cultural industry, specifically, the film industry, all of which are having a profound impact on China’s economic landscape. Their research focus includes: CMNC sociocultural distance and its impact on cross-border replication of activities; socio- political decisions in relation to innovation efficiency; the ‘middle-income trap’ and its effect on workforce mobility and ‘functional inequality’. The frameworks, models, and theories discussed in these papers should help scholars to gain a better understanding of some of the social determinants of economic decisions as they relate to China’s economic development.