The Impact of the Olympics: Baizhu Chen

 

Baizhu Chen was educated at Fudan University and the University of Rochester. He is an economist and teaches finance and business in the USC Marshall School of Business. He heads the USC/Shanghai Jiaotong Global Executive MBA program in Shanghai and is a member of the USC U.S.-China Institute executive committee. Chen has published many articles on the political economy of growth, private investment, foreign currency markets, China’s financial markets, and monetary policy. His current research projects include these topics and Chinese savings patterns.

Click on the play button above to view Baizhu Chen’s comments on the economic impact of the Beijing Olympics.

Baizhu Chen discussed the presentations of Jeff Owens and Kelly Crabb. He argued that while the cost of hosting the Olympics was enormous, it was not large enough to significantly affect the nation’s economy. It was large enough to impact Beijing’s economy. In the end, however, Chen argued that the Olympics needs to be seen in consumption rather than in investment terms. He likened it to a family’s decision to occasionally have a big party. 

Click here to return to the USC Beijing Olympics conference page.