Social status affects individual behavior and well-being. The traditional norms and the recent alarming inequality in China have made status seeking and relative deprivation more and more intense for Chinese population. Dr. Xi Chen analyzes its main impact on a wide range of economic behaviors and well-being indicators and discusses key implications for public policies in China.

Examining the government work report from the National People’s Congress, Zhang Monan outlines the major issues facing China’s leadership as it continues economic reforms.

The reform of State-Owned Enterprises has become a major focus for the Chinese government. Ding Yifan explores what the reform may mean, and shows why the government is addressing the issue now.

China’s rapid growth has brought the infamy of being the world’s number one consumer of energy resources and number one discharger of air pollutants. Zhao Qiguang expresses the hope that the economy will continue to grow in a speedy but steady manner.

China should foster a stable system that encourages citizens to use their right to expose corruption, expand freedom of speech, and allow the media to expose officials’ corrupt behavior, writes Tong Zhiwei.

The meeting of the Third Plenum late in 2013 made clear that the reform agenda that Li Keqiang and his colleagues are facing is a formidable one – formidable enough to have set up a leading group entirely focused on reform alone, writes Kerry Brown.

After last week’s annual meeting of the National People’s Congress, Qin Xiaoying examines Chinese President Xi Jinping’s continued anti-corruption crackdown and his efforts to stabilize the country through reforms.

Why has the popularity of Western shows like “House of Cards” and “Sherlock” soared in China? As Dan Redford and Joan Xu explain, the lack of a developed and mature cultural voice has led Chinese citizens to define their own “Chinese Dream” using Western counterparts.

Launched on Monday in Beijing, the 12th National People’s Congress consists of 2200 delegates gathering at the “Great Hall of the Public” in Tiananmen Square. As Minxin Pei explains, this year’s annual meeting will be closely watched to see how Xi Jinping’s reform agenda will play out over the 10-day session.

As President Xi implements his reform agenda, Cheng Li evaluates the fantastic opportunities and potentially enormous risks that lie ahead for the world’s second-largest economy.