Shang Jin Wei

N.T. Wang Professor of Chinese Business and Economy at School of International and Public Affairs

N T Wang Professor of Chinese Business and Economy at Columbia Business School

Schools

  • Columbia Business School
  • School of International and Public Affairs

Expertise

Links

Biography

School of International and Public Affairs

Focus areas: International finance, trade, macroeconomics, China

Dr. Shang-Jin Wei is N.T. Wang Professor of Chinese Business and Economy and Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and Graduate School of Business.

During 2014-2016, Dr. Wei served as Chief Economist of Asian Development Bank and Director General of its Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department. He was ADB’s chief spokesperson on economic trends and economic development in Asia, advised ADB’s President on economic development issues, led the bank’s analytical support for regional cooperation fora including ASEAN+3 (China, Japan, and Korea) and APEC, growth strategy diagnostics for developing member countries, as well as research on macroeconomic, financial, labor market, and globalization issues.

Prior to his Columbia appointment in 2007, he was Assistant Director and Chief of Trade and Investment Division at the International Monetary Fund. He was the IMF’s Chief of Mission to Myanmar (Burma) in 2004. He previously held the positions of Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, the New Century Chair in Trade and International Economics at the Brookings Institution, and Advisor at the World Bank.

He has been a consultant to numerous government organizations including the U.S. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, United Nations Economic Commission on Europe, and United Nations Development Program, the Asian Development Bank, and to private companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers. He holds a PhD in economics and MS in Finance from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Wei is a noted scholar on international finance, trade, macroeconomics, and China. He is a recipient of the Sun Yefang Prize for Distinguished Contributions to Economics (for the invention of the Competitive Saving Motive published in Journal of Political Economy), the Zhang Peifang Prize for Contributions to Economics of Development (for pioneering work on measurement of global value chains published in American Economic Review), and the Gregory Chow Award for Best Research Paper; some of his research was supported by a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Dr. Wei’s research has been published in top academic journals including American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of International Economics, and Journal of Development Economics, and reported in popular media including Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Economist, Business Week, Times, US News and World Report, Chicago Tribune, South China Morning Post, and other international news media.

Education

  • PhD, University of California, Berkeley
  • MS, University of California, Berkeley

Honors & Awards

  • Pushan Prize for Research Excellency on the World Economy, 2016
  • An Zhijian Prize for Research on International Trade, First Prize, 2016
  • Sun Yefang Prize for Distinguished Contributions to Economics
  • Zhang Peifang Prize for Contributions to Economics of Development
  • Gregory Chow Award for Best Research Paper

Columbia Business School

Biography

Dr. Shang-Jin Wei is N.T. Wang Professor of Chinese Business and Economy and Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and School of International and Public Affairs.

During 2014-2016, Dr. Wei served as Chief Economist of Asian Development Bank and Director General of its Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department. He was ADB’s chief spokesperson on economic trends and economic development in Asia, advised ADB’s President on economic development issues, led the bank’s analytical support for regional cooperation fora including ASEAN+3 (China, Japan, and Korea) and APEC, growth strategy diagnostics for developing member countries, as well as research on macroeconomic, financial, labor market, and globalization issues.

Prior to his Columbia appointment in 2007, he was Assistant Director and Chief of Trade and Investment Division at the International Monetary Fund. He was the IMF’s Chief of Mission to Myanmar (Burma) in 2004. He previously held the positions of Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, the New Century Chair in Trade and International Economics at the Brookings Institution, and Advisor at the World Bank. 

He has been a consultant to numerous government organizations including the U.S. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, United Nations Economic Commission on Europe, and United Nations Development Program, the Asian Development Bank, and to private companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers. He holds a PhD in economics and M.S. in finance from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Wei is a noted scholar on international finance, trade, macroeconomics, and China. He is a recipient of the Sun Yefang Prize for Distinguished Contributions to Economics (for the invention of the Competitive Saving Motive published in Journal of Political Economy), the Zhang Peifang Prize for Contributions to Economics of Development (for pioneering work on measurement of global value chains published in American Economic Review), and the Gregory Chow Award for Best Research Paper; some of his research was supported by a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Dr. Wei’s research has been published in top academic journals including American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of International Economics, and Journal of Development Economics, and reported in popular media including Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Economist, Business Week, Times, US News and World Report, Chicago Tribune, South China Morning Post, and other international news media. 

Teaching

Spring 2018

Navigating China - the Second Largest Economy in the World (MBA)

Fall 2017

Global Immersion: Growth Opportunities in a Transforming China (MBA)

Summer 2017

International Seminar: Shanghai (EMBA)

Spring 2017

Navigating China - the Second Largest Economy in the World (MBA)

Spring 2014

Global Immersion: Growth Opportunities in a China at Crossroads (MBA)
Global Immersion: Exploring Turkey''s Start Up Culture (MBA)
International Seminar: Shanghai (EMBA)

Summer 2013

International Seminar Hong Kong (EMBA)

Spring 2013

International Seminar China (EMBA)

Fall 2012

The Chinese Economy (MBA)

Summer 2012

International Seminar Hong Kong (EMBA)

Spring 2012

International Seminar China (EMBA)

Columbia Caseworks cases

Foxconn versus BYD (B): Strategic Approach to Intellectual Property Management in Emerging Markets (2014)
Coauthor(s): Yahong Li, Jiangyong Lu, Zhigang Tao, Shang-Jin Wei

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Negotiation in China: How Universal? (2011)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei, Zhigang Tao

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Viagra in China: A Prolonged Battle over Intellectual Property Rights (2010)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei, Yahong Li, Jiangyong Lu, Zhigang Tao

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Foxconn versus BYD (A): Commercial Espionage or Learning by Hiring? (2009)
Coauthor(s): Yahong Li, Jiangyong Lu, Zhigang Tao, Shang-Jin Wei

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Research

Journal articles

Tracing Value-added and Double Counting in Gross Exports In American Economic Review (2014)
Coauthor(s): Robert Koopman, Zhi Wang, Shang-Jin Wei

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A Faith-Based Initiative Meets the Evidence: Does a Flexible Exchange Rate Regime Really Facilitate Current Account Adjustment? In Review of Economics and Statistics (2013)
Coauthor(s): Menzie Chinn, Shang-Jin Wei

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A Theory of the Competitive Saving Motive In Journal of International Economics (2013)
Coauthor(s): Qingyuan Du, Shang-Jin Wei

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Trade Liberalization and Embedded Institutional Reform: Evidence from Chinese Exporters In American Economic Review (2013)
Coauthor(s): Amit Khandelwal, Peter Schott, Shang-Jin Wei

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Estimating Domestic Content in Exports When Processing Trade Is Pervasive In Journal of Development Economics (2012)
Coauthor(s): Robert Koopman, Zhi Wang, Shang-Jin Wei

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From the financial crisis to the real economy: Using firm-level data to identify transmission channels In Journal of International Economics (2012)
Coauthor(s): Stijn Claessens, Hui Tong, Shang-Jin Wei

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The Competitive Saving Motive: Evidence from Rising Sex Ratios and Savings Rates in China In Journal of Political Economy (2011)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei, Xiaobo Zhang

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Does Corporate Governance Risk at Home Affect Investment Choices Abroad? In Journal of International Economics (2011)
Coauthor(s): Woochan Kim, Taeyoon Sung, Shang-Jin Wei

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Slow Pass-through Around the World: A New Import for Developing Countries? In Open Economies Review (2011)
Coauthor(s): Jeffrey Frankel, David Parsley, Shang-Jin Wei

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The Composition Matters: Capital Inflows and Liquidity Crunch During a Global Economic Crisis In Review of Financial Studies (2011)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei, Hui Tong

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The Role of Intermediaries in Facilitating Trade In Journal of International Economics (2011)
Coauthor(s): JaeBin Ahn, Amit Khandelwal, Shang-Jin Wei

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When Is Quality of Financial System a Source of Comparative Advantage? In Journal of International Economics (2011)
Coauthor(s): Jiandong Ju, Shang-Jin Wei

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Domestic Institutions and the Bypass Effect of Financial Globalization In American Economic Journal: Economic Policy (2010)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei, Jiandong Ju

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Do External Interventions Work? The Case of Trade Reform Conditions in IMF Supported Programs In Journal of Development Economics (2010)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei, Zhiwi Zhang

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The Smuggling of Art, and the Art of Smuggling: Uncovering the Illicit Trade in Cultural Property and Antiques In American Economic Journal: Applied Economics (2009)
Coauthor(s): Raymond Fisman, Shang-Jin Wei

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The Value of Making Commitments Externally: Evidence from WTO Accessions In Journal of International Economics (2009)
Coauthor(s): Man-Keung Tang, Shang-Jin Wei

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Corruption and Cross-Border Investment in Emerging Markets: Firm-Level Evidence In Journal of International Money and Finance (2009)
Coauthor(s): Beata Javorcik, Shang-Jin Wei

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Financial Globalization: A Reappraisal In IMF Staff Papers (2009)
Coauthor(s): M. Ayhan Kose, Eswar Prasad, Kenneth Rogoff, Shang-Jin Wei

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In The Review of Economics and Statistics (2008)
Coauthor(s): Raymond Fisman, Peter Moustakerski, Shang-Jin Wei

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Estimation of De Facto Exchange Rate Regimes: Synthesis of the Techniques for Inferring Flexibility and Basket Weights In IMF Staff Papers (2008)
Coauthor(s): Jeffrey Frankel, Shang-Jin Wei

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In Search of a Euro Effect: Big Lessons from a Big Mac Meal? In Journal of International Money and Finance (2008)
Coauthor(s): David Parsley, Shang-Jin Wei

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A Prism into the PPP Puzzles: The Microfoundations of Big Mac Real Exchange Rates In The Economic Journal (2007)
Coauthor(s): David Parsley, Shang-Jin Wei

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Assessing China''s Exchange Rate Regime In Economic Policy (2007)
Coauthor(s): Jeffrey Frankel, Shang-Jin Wei

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Collateral Damage: Capital Controls and International Trade In Journal of International Money and Finance (2007)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei, Zhiwi Zhang

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The WTO Promotes Trade, Strongly but Unevenly In Journal of International Economics (2007)
Coauthor(s): Arvind Subramanian, Shang-Jin Wei

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Monetary Policies for Developing Countries: The Role of Institutional Quality In Journal of International Economics (2006)
Coauthor(s): Haizhou Huang, Shang-Jin Wei

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Connecting two views on financial globalization: Can we make further progress? In Journal of the Japanese and International Economies (2006)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei

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Fear of Service Outsourcing: Is It Justified? In Economic Policy (2005)
Coauthor(s): Mary Amiti, Shang-Jin Wei

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Transparency and International Portfolio Holdings In The Journal of Finance (2004)
Coauthor(s): R. Gaston Gelos, Shang-Jin Wei

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Tax Rates and Tax Evasion: Evidence from ''Missing Imports'' in China In Journal of Political Economy (2004)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei

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Books

China''s Growing Role in World Trade (2010)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei, Robert Feenstra

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Working papers

Current Account Adjustment: Some New Theory and Evidence In NBER No. 13388 (2007)
Coauthor(s): Jiandong Ju, Shang-Jin Wei

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Offshoring Tariff Evasion: Evidence from Hong Kong as Entrepôt Trader (2005)
Coauthor(s): Peter Moustakerski, Shang-Jin Wei

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Case studies

Negotiation in China: How Universal? (2010)
Coauthor(s): Tao Zhigang, Shang-Jin Wei, Penelope Chan

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Ideas and Insights

Who Benefits from the WTO? (2008)

In The News

Media Mentions

The Middle-Income Trap Has Little Evidence Going for It

The Economist

Asian Development Bank: A Force of Stability

Institutional Investor

Magazine articles

The Mystery of Chinese Savings In VoxEU.com (2010)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei

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Why Do the Chinese Save So Much? In Forbes.com (2010)
Coauthor(s): Shang-Jin Wei

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Videos

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