BFI and Joint Center Announce 2021-22 Visiting Students

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics China (BFI-China) and the Tsinghua-UChicago Joint Research Center for Economics and Finance are pleased to announce the selection of four visiting students for the 2021-22 academic year.

“We are excited to have these students here with us in Chicago and to benefit from their talent,” said BFI-China Director Zhiguo He, the Fuji Bank and Heller Professor of Finance, Booth School of Business. “The experiences they have gained and the perspectives they bring to research projects here have been invaluable already.”

I-Han Lai, Yiyuan Wang, Shiqi Yang, and Chun Zhao – undergraduate students at Tsinghua University – are working as research professionals in economics at the University of Chicago for the 2021-22 academic year, supporting research led by multiple scholars.

“Our projects are deeply rooted in Chinese society and economy; hence it’s quite challenging but interesting to share China’s unique situation with professors here,” I-Han Lai said. “It is a precious chance to build the bridge in this bicultural environment.”

BFI-China and the Joint Center are proud to facilitate academic and cultural exchange that provides key opportunities for students and crucial support for economics scholars.

“This has been a great chance to immerse myself into a complete research procedure, from data to model, from proposals to publications,” Lai said. “And the experiences with different professors will also be a lifetime treasure.”

The goal of BFI-China’s research support is to deepen economists’ understanding of the Chinese economy and to produce new insights on the most critical policy challenges facing China today.

“Joining BFI-China and the Joint Center in Chicago has given me more exposure to economic research and a clearer understanding of the real economy,” Yiyuan Wang  said. “The projects I am currently working on cover many aspects of the Chinese economy, including China’s judicial reform, China’s interbank market, and China’s land development and transactions.”

“Here in Chicago, I can devote myself to research and accumulate research experience,” Wang added. “Rather than just learning the laws of economics in books, getting my hands dirty with data provides me with a deeper understanding of the real economy. I also have learned a lot from participating in the whole process of the initiation, exploration, conduct, and publication of a research project.”