Introducing Chinese private enterprise survey: points and prospects

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to introduce the history and major achievement of the Chinese private enterprise survey (CPES), which is one of the most enduring large-scale nationwide sample surveys in China, providing important micro firm-level data for understanding and studying the development of Chinese enterprises and entrepreneurs over the past 26 years. Design/methodology/approach The main body of this paper is based on a bibliometric analysis of all literature using CPES until 2017. Findings This paper discusses problems that users may encounter during data mining. By doing so, it can assist other researchers to get a better understanding of what has been done (e.g. journals, topics, scholars and institutions) and do their research in a more targeted way. Research limitations/implications As members of the survey project team, the authors also take a prospect of the future data design and use, as well as offer some suggestions about how to use the CPES data to improve high-quality development and business environment evaluation in China. Originality/value This paper is the first to provide an overall picture of academic papers in China and abroad that have used the CPES data.