2015 marked the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations. During a UN Round Table on South-South Cooperation chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping in New York on September 26, 2015, he announced that China would set up an institution of research and learning to enhance South-South cooperation and development.
Chinese President Xi’s announcement at the United Nations eventually gives birth to the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development at Peking University (ISSCAD). From the very outset the Institute has received strong and synergic support from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce in coordination with the Chinese Ministry of Education and the Chinese Ministry of Finance.
The Institute currently offers two sets of graduate degrees -- master's degree in public administration and doctoral degree in theoretical economics, both with a focus on national development. In addition to these regular degree programs, it also offers non-degree executive training programs of varying durations catering to the specific needs of mid-level to senior managers or officials from the government, the media, NGOs, and other public sectors from the developing world.
Combining theory with practice, both the research and the knowledge that the Institute conducts and offers are interdisciplinary in nature. Its aim is to help students develop their strategic visions, enhance their leadership skills, and acquire the knowledge and management tools necessary to meet the daunting challenges of national development under different conditions in the developing world. The learning philosophy here is “to think rigorously and globally and to act effectively and locally”.
Nested in the vibrant learning environment of the National School of Development (NSD) at Peking University, the core faculty of the new Institute draws heavily from NSD, which is well-known for many of China’s best scholars and for their impact on policy making in the real world. Not only have they received systematic education in their respective academic disciplines, they also have had first-hand experience in policy-setting in the real work. Indeed, some have served in senior positions of international organizations such as the World Bank; others have advised the Chinese government as members of the Monetary Policy Committee of its Central Bank; still others speak regularly at the World Economic Forum. National School of Development has now become Peking University’s premier multidisciplinary school actively engaged in policy research, teaching, and consulting. It is also regarded as a leading think-tank in China.
