A collaborative research paper by Professor Wang Liyong of the School of International Trade and Economics at Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE), together with Chang Qing (PhD graduate of the class of 2024 and assistant researcher at Tsinghua University), Huang Jinglei (lecturer at University of International Business and Economics), and Associate Professor Zhang Longtian of CUFE (corresponding author), has recently been published in Issue 2 of the 2026 volume ofEconomic Research Journal.

Titled “Cross-border data flows and economic growth: A theoretical framework and empirical evidence,” the paper develops a multi-country general equilibrium model that incorporates cross-border data flows. The study innovatively introduces the concept of the dual non-rivalry nature of data as a production factor and constructs a benchmark theoretical framework for analyzing cross-border data flows. Using this framework, the authors examine both the mechanisms and the economic growth effects associated with cross-border data flows.

Empirical findings show that cross-border data flows significantly promote economic growth. Both data exports and data imports generate positive economic effects. The study also finds that such flows stimulate growth by influencing the share of factor income within an economy. Moreover, the positive impact of cross-border data flows is more pronounced in technologically advanced economies, reflecting a trend of widening economic divergence driven by data flows across countries. Meanwhile, trade costs are found to negatively moderate the relationship between cross-border data flows and economic growth.

Based on these findings, the authors propose several policy recommendations: advancing cross-border data flows through high-level institutional openness to cultivate new drivers of economic growth; strengthening data technology capabilities and digital infrastructure to provide endogenous support for data flows; improving institutional frameworks to reduce compliance and transaction costs; and refining income distribution and labor adjustment mechanisms to mitigate structural distributional impacts arising from cross-border data flows.

Professor Wang Liyong serves as dean of the School of International Trade and Economics at CUFE and is a second-tier professor recognized under China’s national high-level talent program. He is the principal investigator of a major project funded by the National Social Science Fund of China, a Distinguished Scholar in Quantitative Economics in China, and a core member of one of the first Innovation Teams in Philosophy and Social Sciences designated by China’s Ministry of Education. He has published nearly 200 papers in SSCI and SCI journals as well as leading Chinese journals such as Economic Research Journal, theJournal of World Economy,and theJournal of Management World, and has authored or translated multiple academic books.

Associate Professor Zhang Longtian is a doctoral supervisor at the same school and has led projects under the Original Exploration Program and the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. His research has been published in leading journals includingManagement Science, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control,andEconomic Research Journal.

Writers: CHANG Qing

Reviewers:WANG Liyong

Editors: LI Ying

Approvers: HUO Xiaoran