China has become the world's manufacturing center, receiving more foreign direct investment than any other country. For the past two decades, China has enjoyed an "economic miracle" with more than 8 percent growth per year. India also has enjoyed boom times since the late 1990s.

To explore this economic performance, the Center for the Study of Economy and Society at Cornell University is convening a symposium, "Comparing China and India's Economic Miracle," on Friday, Jan. 30, from 1:15 to 5:30 p.m. in G-08 Uris Hall on the Cornell campus. The conference is free and open to the public.

The symposium brings together leading economists and sociologists with expertise on China and India. They will explore the relationships among state-sponsored institutional innovation, globalization and economic performance from the perspective of comparative institutional analysis in economics and sociology.

"There has been a very rapid movement up the product chain as high-technology industries move manufacturing sites to China and India and as domestic entrepreneurs in these countries have successfully penetrated markets in the global economy," says Victor Nee, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Sociology at Cornell, who organized the event with Cornell colleague Kaushik Basu, the C. Marks Professor of International Studies and a professor of economics.

Basu adds: "Although not quite as spectacular as China, India's economic growth surpasses virtually all other nations, having hovered between 5 and 8 percent since 1993. In a few sectors, such as software and information technology and pharmaceuticals, India's growth rate has been just extraordinary. Not surprisingly, a little more than a quarter of the visas for professionals that the U.S. gives out goes to Indian computer scientists." Presenters include Debin Ma of the Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development, Japan, speaking on "A Historical Perspective: Economic Growth in the Lower Yangzi Region"; Montek Ahluwalia of the International Monetary Fund, speaking on "The Indian Experience on Reforms and Growth"; Sonja Opper, Tübingen University, Germany, who will talk about "Politicized Capitalism in China"; and Vivek Chibber of New York University, speaking on "State-Building and Capitalist Industrialization in India."

For more information, e-mail cses@cornell.edu or call (607) 255-1506.