Political Economy

Political economy is a term used for studying production and trade, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth. Political economy originated in moral philosophy. It was developed in the 18th century as the study of the economies of states, or polities, hence the term political economy.

A classic definition of the term was articulated in 1877 by Friedrich Engels: "Political economy, in the widest sense, is the science of the laws governing the production and exchange of the material means of subsistence in human society... Political economy is therefore essentially a historical science. It deals with material which is historical, that is, constantly changing."

In the late 19th century, the term economics came to replace political economy, coinciding with the publication of an influential textbook by Alfred Marshall in 1890. Earlier, William Stanley Jevons, a proponent of mathematical methods applied to the subject, advocated economics for brevity and with the hope of the term becoming "the recognized name of a science."

Today, political economy, where it is not used as a synonym for economics, may refer to very different things, including Marxian analysis, applied public-choice approaches emanating from the Chicago school and the Virginia school, or simply the advice was given by economists to the government or public on general economic policy or on specific proposals. A rapidly growing mainstream literature from the 1970s has expanded beyond the model of economic policy in which planners maximize utility of a representative individual toward examining how political forces affect the choice of economic policies, especially as to distributional conflicts and political institutions. It is available as an area of study in certain colleges and universities.

Teaching Materials and Techniques are constantly evaluated and updated to improve student learning.
Real-life situations are created to facilitate and improve students’ learning.
Diverse classroom activities, electives, seminars, and social events with a focus on different aspects of Chinese culture provide an enjoyable and effective learning experience.

Graduate student with a good command of English

1. Application Form

Please upload your finished application form here.

2. Photocopy of valid passport

With name, passport number & expiration date, and photo included

3. Passport photo

A recent passport-sized photo of the applicant

4. Undergraduate school transcript

It must be notarized photocopy

5. Bachelor's degree diploma (notarized photocopy)

Graduation certificate in languages other than Chinese or English should be translated into Chinese or English and be certified by notarization.

6. English proficiency test certificate

For example, IELTS or TOEFL, only for the applicant whose native language is not English.

7. Two letters of recommendation

From professor or associate professor or equivalents

Question: What is the cost of applying through ACASC?

Answer: ACASC charges a service fee of 50$ for using its online application portal. Applying through ACASC into Chinese universities attracts a service fee of $50.

Question: Can I apply to the university directly?

Answer: Yes. ACASC gives the applicants, the chance to directly apply to their desired universities through our online application portal. We have synchronized our system to create a simple platform that connects universities and colleges in China to international students all around the world.

Question: How can I track my application status?

Answer: To track the application status, please log in your ACASC personal account. Whenever there’s an update, you will be informed on your application status through ACASC system within a day as soon as we receive university’s notification. You will simultaneously receive ACASC auto-email about the application status. To directly inquire about your application status, feel free to send us an email to admission@acasc.cn and our team will keep you updated.

Question: How to deal with a pending application?

Answer: When an application is pending a decision it means that your school has received it and no admissions decision has been made yet. The admissions office may have reviewed your application package or may not have. The main cause of a pending application is usually incomplete application documents. As a result, you will be requested by the school’s admission office to re-check and modify all submitted application documents or perhaps even add extra documents and then re-submit them.

To avoid further delays, carefully read the university’s comments, modify your application form on ACASC, and re-upload the required application documents. You can contact ACASC on admission@acasc.cn for any help with regards to your pending application.

Question: How long does it take to process my application?

Answer: Processing time varies for different applications. For example, to process a degree program application requires more time than a Chinese language application. Confirmation for Chinese language application by the admission office usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. However, time for degree programs application differs. For example, fall semester application processing is after March, and it takes a period of 1 to 2 months. This also depends on your qualification and the number of applicants.