The paper "Infrastructure Construction of the Belt and Road, Economic Development and Financial Elements", written by Professor Jianjun LI, Dean of the School of Finance, and doctoral student Juncheng LI, was published in the 2nd issue of "Studies of International Finance" in 2018. The whole paper was reprinted in the 4th issue of "World Economic Guide" in 2018 by the Book and Newspaper Information Center of Renmin University of China.

Abstract: Does the Belt and Road Strategy enhance the economic development of countries along the route？ In this paper, we adopt the comprehensive evaluation method of RSR and TOPSIS to evaluate the comprehensive level of national infrastructure construction along the route of “One Belt, One Road”. Based on the above analysis, we discuss the relationship between infrastructure construction and economic development. The results show that the comprehensive level of infrastructure construction is positively correlated with economic aggregate and per capita output, and it could cut the rate of unemployment. Besides, this paper examines the impact of financial factors on the comprehensive level of infrastructure. The results show that financing risk, financing efficiency and financing cost are essential factors restricting the construction of infrastructure along the route. Finally, this paper puts forward the corresponding policy suggestions for the financial cooperation in the belt and road infrastructure.

Keywords: Belt and Road; Infrastructure; Economic Development; Financial Elements