【主讲人】周广肃 教授
【主持人】高明 长聘副教授
【报告题目】The Impact of Robots on College Enrollment in China: A Perspective on Employment Polarization

【报告摘要】China has experienced a boom in the adoption of industrial robots in the past decade, promoting the industrial productivity significantly. Many studies have begun to focus on the potential effects of robots on Chinese labor market, especially the substitution effect on routine jobs and the creation effect on high-skilled jobs. Most of these studies have found the heterogeneous effects of industrial robots among different educated or skilled workers, however, no one further explores the impact on the social demand for higher education. This paper is the first to investigate the impact of industrial robots on high school and college enrollment in China. We find that the spread of industrial robots has significantly increased the college enrollment rate, while has no effect on high school enrollment. The increase in the wage premium for a college degree due to robotization is the main reason for the increase in college enrollment. We also show that, the penetration of industrial robots even changes household educational investment decisions for the next generation, with parents willing to invest more money and time on their children's education.

【主讲人介绍】周广肃现任中国人民大学中国就业与民生研究院副院长、劳动人事学院教授、吴玉章青年学者，长期致力于劳动力市场、收入分配和数字经济等相关领域的研究。他曾在《经济研究》《管理世界》和Journal of Regional Science、Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal等中英文刊物发表论文近50篇，主编教材1部，参与撰写学术专著5部，主持相关研究领域的省部级以上课题3项，并曾获得全国优秀财政理论研究成果二等奖、刘诗白经济学奖、《经济学》（季刊）最佳论文奖等奖项。