Research On Academic Sinicization Of NKIE (1927-1949)

In the volatile and complex political landscape and the harsh and turbulent social environment of the first20to40years of the twentieth century, Nankai Institute of Economics, abbreviated as NKIE, obtained a meteoric rise from being small to big, and weak to strong instead of going to decline, grew into a internationally recognized leading academic institution studying Chinese economy, and played a positive model and leading role in the economics field of that time. The reason why NKIE stood out among a large number of academic institutions was its being in compliance with the trend, with its aim of "knowing China, serving the Chinese", its principle of "being pragmatic, being practical", and its academic feature of "being sinicized". Moreover, NKIE had interacted and cooperated closely with domestic organizations of industry, commerce, agriculture, academy and government and foreign academic institutions to serve the society and promote academics, thus achieving fruitful "sinicized" results and enjoying a high international reputation. Its social investigation was the first of this kind, its indexing enjoyed popularity throughout the world, its publications were well-known globally, and its advices and suggestions remained very important to the government.Based on spatial and temporal change, with "Academic Sinicization" as its research topic, this dissertation inspects NKIE of1927-1949, especially NKIE in the Nanjing National Government Period (1927-1949). The dissertation explores and analyzes the academic activities and achievements and evaluates the success and failure of NKIE of the four periods (1927-1949) of establishment, development, prosperity, and decline.The dissertation is divided into ten chapters. Chapter one is an introduction, in which the writer presents the background and premise of NKIE’s establishment, and briefly reviews the development of western economics and its dissemination in china. Besides, a preliminary analysis of Chinese students of economics studying abroad and the establishment of China Economics Research Institute is made in this part.Chapter Two mainly clarifies the core definition of "Academic Sinicization", introduces the two-level evaluation standard of it, and presents the views of NKIE economic scholars, people at that time and now on it as well as the writer’s understanding of "Academic Sinicization", thus laying a foundation for further discussion of the activities of "Academic Sinicization" of NKIE in the following parts.Chapter Three introduces NKIE’s social investigations such as index, industry and commerce, and agriculture, rural areas and farmers. By comparing with the western methods for social investigations, this part summarizes the features and advantages of NKIE’s social investigations, "being sinicized" by using "empirical method","measurement method","Professor responsibility system", and "Project responsibility system". This part also explores social investigations of the period of the Republic of China, and demonstrates the role and status of NKIE’s social investigations. The next four chapters mainly explore the academic thoughts and economic theory of NKIE economic scholars, and introduce their activities and academic achievements about "Academic Sinicization". By comparing with the process and route of "industrialization" of Britain, France, The Soviet Union and The United States, and referring to Weber’s theory about industrial construction, Chapter four clarifies NKIE economic scholars’thought and theory of industrialization and their ideas about attitudes toward foreign experiences and patters of "Capital factors". This part assesses the evolution of Fang Xianting’s ideas about industrial center, and summarizes Chen Zhenhan’s heritage and innovation of Weber’s Theory of "Industrial Location".Based on agriculture economist Schultz’s theory of transforming traditional agriculture and idea about transforming traditional handicrafts, and the pattern and experience of cooperation organizations of America, Canada and Italy, Chapter Five introduces NKIE economic scholars He Lian and Fang Xianting’s thought and theory of transforming agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and developing rural industries and agricultural cooperation. This part points out that Fang Xianting and Wu zhi’s way of rural industry transforming system, which is different from Buhacarr’s, is more suitable for China’s national conditions.Chapter six explores the attitudes of NKIE economic scholars towards the successful economic patter of Soviet Union and Germany, and the evolution of their thought and theory of "Planned Economy","Controlled Economy "and "Planned Free Economy",summarizes the sinicized pattern of their "Mixed Economy" and "Planned Free Economy", clarifies their ideas about "international trade protection","reasonable control of foreign exchange" and tax reform based on China’s national conditions by applying western economics theory, and summarizes their thought and theory of "sinicized" monetary finance and price control system on the basis of Keynes’s The General theory of Employment, Interest and Money, Irving Fisher and Hawtrey’s monetary theory, and Pigou’s theory of cash balance.Chapter Seven focuses on NKIE’s ideas and measures of "Educational Sinicization". After a brief review of "Recurrent Education" event and "foreignization" phenomenon in modern China higher educational,this part analyzes NKIE’s educational policy of "localization" and reform scheme of "applied" talents cultivation.Chapter Eight discusses NKIE research environment of "Academic sinicization", exploring its cooperation and interaction with industrial, commercial, agricultural, academic, and political circles. Chapter Nine is a comprehensive assessment of NKIE’s "Academic sinicization" from such four aspects as "contribution","deficiency","awkwardness", and "debates","contribution" lies in the promotion of discipline construction,"deficiency" the absence of theory in theory building,"awkwardness" the poor teaching and research environment and finally the four-time "debates" of academic thoughts.The conclusion is a summary of NKIE’s way to success, which is attributed to its being in compliance with the trend, its aim of "knowing China, serving the Chinese", its academic idea of "Sinicization", its service principle of "Practicality first", and the first-class team construction and multi-access to finance. The present research traces the development of NKIE with focus on its "Academic sinicization" to reveal its secret to success and thus has vital significance.