Chinese Economists Society 2025 North American Annual Conference Report
Event Overview
The Chinese Economists Society (CES) successfully convened its 2025 North American Annual Conference at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business from March 22-23. Under the leadership of Conference Chairs Ying Fan, Jeffrey Scott McCullough, and Brian Wu (all University of Michigan), the event attracted hundreds of scholars for two days of rigorous academic exchange.
Conference Highlights
· 53 academic sessions featuring cutting-edge economic research
· 18 dedicated Rising Star presentations showcasing emerging scholars
· 150+ research presentations spanning diverse economic disciplines
· Interactive panel discussions on publishing and research innovation
· Networking receptions and specialized mentoring sessions
Opening Remarks
· Dr. Joseph Lam delivered the opening remarks on the history of the collaboration between the University of Michigan and CES.
Distinguished Keynote Speakers
· Zhiguo He - James Irvin Miller Professor of Finance, Stanford University
· Ariel Pakes - Thomas Professor of Economics, Harvard University
· Xiaohong Chen - Professor of Economics, Yale University
· Qingmin Liu - Professor of Economics, Columbia University
· Jeffrey Wooldridge - Professor of Economics, Michigan State University
Economics Journal Editors
· Ying Fan (University of Michigan) - RAND, AER AE
· Brian Jacob (University of Michigan) - Review of Economics and Statistics
· Matthew Shapiro (University of Michigan) - AER Co-Editor
· Jeffrey Wooldridge (Michigan State University) - Journal of Econometrics
· Zhiguo He (Stanford University) - Review of Finance
· Qingmin Liu (Columbia University) - AER, Theoretical Economics
Business Journal Editors
· Brian Wu (University of Michigan) - Strategic Management Journal
· Natarajan Balasubramanian (Syracuse University) - Strategic Management Journal
· Fred Feinberg (University of Michigan) - Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing
· Gordon Gao (Johns Hopkins University) - Management Science, IS Research
· Jun Li (University of Michigan) - Management Science, Operations Research
Conference Conclusion & Awards
CES President Susan Feng Lu (University of Toronto) closed the conference by reinforcing CES's commitment to advancing economic research and nurturing young scholars and announcing the upcoming China meeting in July 2025 at Sun Yat-sen University.
Award Recipients:
· Gregory Chow Rising Star Award
o Winner:
§ Yuxiao Hu (London School of Economics) – "Government and Nature: Evidence from the Distribution of Flood Damages in China"
o Runners-up:
§ Irisa Zhou (University of Toronto) - "Skill Mismatches and Earnings Inequality Among College Graduates"
· CES Best Paper Award
o Winner:
§ Wei Xiang (University of Michigan) - "Clean Growth and Environmental Policies in the Global Economy"
o Runners-up:
§ Jingyuan Cui (IMF) - "Information, Social Media, and International Trade"
§ Shenzhe Jiang (Peking University) - "Stage-Dependent Infrastructure Investment and Economic Growth"
2025 CES NA Annual Conference Program Committee
CES Leadership
Susan Feng Lu, CES President, University of Toronto
Vivian Xu, Executive Assistant to the President, Columbia University
CES Conference Chairs and Organizers
Ying Fan, University of Michigan
Jeffrey Scott McCullough, University of Michigan
Brian Wu, University of Michigan
Conference IT Chair
Shuming Bao, China Data Institute
Mentoring Committee
Liangfei Qiu, Director, University of Florida
Tingting Ding, Chair of Job Market Services, James Madison University
Adam Zhuo Chen, University of Georgia
Scientific committee
Xi Yang, University of North Texas
Awards committee
Carl Shu-Ming Lin, Bucknell University
Lizhen Shi, Tulane University
Yong Wang, Peking University
Xi Yang, University of North Texas
Administrative Support
Susan Booth, University of Michigan
Shawna Sloan, University of Michigan
