The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) provided decision-makers of the Chinese government with 517 policy memos last year, an increase of 22 percent from the previous year, a senior CASS official said Wednesday.

The policy memos were mainly concerned with recommendations for the draft of the national 11th five-year (2006-2010) economic and social development plan, urban immigrants, financial policies, energy consumption, social welfare, industrial restructuring, tax reform, enterprise reform, outflow of capitals, service industry, share options reform, economic relations between the central and local governments and fiscal reforms.

Leng Rong, deputy CASS president, said at a meeting that CASS researchers should closely follow up practical issues and conduct extensive policy analysis and recommendations.

Basic scientific research and consultancy to decision-makers through policy memos could be conducted effectively at the same time, Leng said, encouraging his fellow researchers to employ scientific methodologies in writing policy memos.

The Institute of Sociology, the Institute of Japanese Studies, the Institute of American Studies and another handful of institutes were honored for their outstanding job in submitting policy recommendations.

The CASS, covering the full disciplines of social sciences, has a tradition of providing consultancy to central decision-makers and ministries.
 
(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2006)