Profile: Yaxin Guo, Asia House Fellow

Yaxin Guo recently graduated with a distinction in a Master of Public Administration in Economic Policy from the London School of Economics. Yaxin brings with her extensive experience in policy research and a main focus of research interest lying in climate change policy and environmental policy. Yaxin’s research will focus on the impact of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) on regulations and practices in China’s export-intensity manufacturing industry. Her research aims to provide valuable policy insights for the development of China’s manufacturing sector and investment recommendations within the context of ESG policy implementation.

Prior to Yaxin’s degree, she worked for a number of charitable organisations and aged 18, founded an educational fund based in her hometown of Wuhan, China, aimed at creating an innovative and sustainable charitable platform. This initiative not only helped underprivileged students complete their education but also promoted the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises and successfully established a self-sustaining charitable model. Having secured funding for five years, this work provided Yaxin with a deep understanding of the significance of policy in addressing societal issues.

Alongside her background in finance and business which she gained through her education and internships with banks and consulting firms, Yaxin continued her environmental work and subsequently played a crucial role in assisting the China Plastic Waste Reduction Project and Chongqing Urban-Rural Plastic Reduction Subproject, conducted in collaboration with the World Bank and the Chongqing Development and Reform Commission.

In 2022 Yaxin participated in the “Reimagining the Welfare State: Lifetime Equal Opportunity Endowment” research project which was initiated by the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE) and subsequently in 2023, contributed to the research project titled: “The Impact of Labour Market Power”, a collaborative effort between LSE and the UK Competition and Market Authority.

Yaxin’s experience underscores her passion for policy research and her ongoing commitment to addressing societal challenges, which she has developed through her extensive experience in both the private and charitable sectors. It is through this work she made the decision to embark on a career in Think Tanks to further develop her policy expertise.