Friedrich List in China ’s Quest for Development
Mei Junjie
Mei Junjie，Research Professor，Institute of China Studies，SASS
E-mail:mjj@sass.org.cn
This paper was first published in The Economic Thought of Friedrich List edited by Harald Hagemann，Stephen Seiter，and Eugen Wendler，Routledge，2019.
Friedrich List was a leading 19th-century German political economist who put forward a theory of “national economics” based on the growth of “productive power”.He believed that a nation ’s competitiveness lay in developing its productive power rather than boasting its current exchange value.Strongly critical of the laissez-faire and cosmopolitan economics of Adam Smith，List opposed the doctrine of universal free trade while systemizing the “infant industry argument” that called for protection in catch-up industrialization.He gave prominence to the nation-state perspective，stressing that a country lagging behind should adopt policies in line with its particular stage of development，instead of following the policies or prescriptions of the leading nation（s）.With his theoretical support for laggards in development，Friedrich List has been highly appealing to the Chinese economic circles even to this date.An overview of List ’s influence on the modern evolution of China，while interesting for academic inquiries in economic history，may also demonstrate what this great development strategist can offer to the Chinese in their ongoing transformation.