Department of Economics

[History]

In 1924, the Department of Economics was established at the beginning of the establishment of Sun Yat-sen University. In 1952, during the university restructuring nationwide, the Department of Economics of SYSU established the Economics Teaching and Research Office with the faculty of economics from Lingnan University. In 1972, SYSU reopened the Department of Economics, and in 1988, economics became one of the core disciplines of the newly established Lingnan College. The profound historical accumulation and diverse academic sources have shaped the academic tradition of the Department of Economics with a rigorous attitude, pragmatism, inclusiveness, and upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground. A group of Chinese economics founders, represented by Wang Ya'nan, have emerged, and a group of top-notch talents has been cultivated for "developing ideas, theories, and schools of thought" in Chinese economics. Multiple undergraduate alumni from SYSU teach at high-level universities overseas. Tenure-track professors such as Chen Hui from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Hong Han from Stanford University, and Xiang Chong from Purdue University have become leading figures in some fields of economics. A group of alumni working in domestic universities have also grown into renowned economists who aspire to take root in China and scale new heights in the academic field.

[Social Evaluation]

The talent cultivation and research level of the Department of Economics have been widely recognized by authoritative institutions both at home and abroad. The economics major was approved as an Innovative Experimental Zone for Talent Cultivation Models by the Ministry of Education in 2005, a National First-class Undergraduate Major Construction Site in 2019, and a 2.0 Base for the Basic Discipline Top Student Training Plan of the Ministry of Education in 2021. Applied Economics had excellent performance in the fifth round of subject evaluation by the Ministry of Education. Since the economics of Sun Yat-sen University was selected into the top 1% of ESI in the world in 2020, SYSU has risen in the international ranking of the economics discipline steadily, ranking 9th among universities in Chinese Mainland. In 2021, SYSU ranked 111th globally in "Business and Economics" according to Thames Higher Education (THE) and 7th among universities in Chinese Mainland. In 2021, it ranked 151st to 200th globally in QS "Economics and Econometrics", and tied for 9th in Chinese Mainland. In 2021, it ranked 162nd globally in “Economics and Business” according to US news, and 10th in Chinese Mainland. In THE's Second China Subjects Rating 2021, both Theoretical Economics and Applied Economics of the College were rated as A.

[Faculty]

The Department of Economics of Sun Yat-sen University has 46 faculty members, including 12 professors, 18 associate professors, 2 lecturers/assistant professors and 14 postdoctoral/full-time researchers. Most teachers have overseas study or research experience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Toronto, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Minnesota, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Amsterdam, National University of Singapore, University of Rochester, etc. The main research directions of teachers from the Department of Economics include political economics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, international economy and trade, public finance program, China's economy, digital economy, regional economics, institutional economics, development economics, population resources and environmental economics, etc.

[Scientific Research Results]

In the past five years, they have undertaken seven major projects of the National Social Science Fund of China (NSSFC), one key project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), various general projects and youth projects of the NSFC and the NSSFC, as well as one other project at the provincial and ministerial levels. They have published over a hundred academic papers in important journals domestically and internationally, like Social Sciences in China, Economic Research Journal, Journal of Management World, China Economic Quarterly, Journal of World Economy, China Industrial Economics, Journal of Econometrics, Journal of Monetary Economics, Journal of International Economics, Journal of Development Economics, Econometric Theory, Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Games and Economic Behavior, The World Economy, Review of International Economics, China Economic Review, etc. At the same time, the Department of Economics combines the characteristics of this discipline to provide policy advice, consultation, training and other services to central and local governments and enterprises, earning a good social reputation. The research reports of multiple teachers have been selected multiple times into the Collection of Important Research Results, many of which have been approved by national officials as well as officials of Guangdong Province.

[Future Outlook]

The Department of Economics of Sun Yat-sen University will adhere to the "1+N" development plan of Lingnan College in the new era and focus on the development of socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics, the theory of open economy, green economy and sustainable development, digital economy and data science, with Xi Jinping's economic thought and theoretical innovation of economy with Chinese characteristics as the core. Guided by talent cultivation through scientific research, the College will promote scientific innovation through talent cultivation, take a global perspective and keep a foothold in the Greater Bay Area, leverage its characteristics, and actively serve the major strategic needs of the country, aiming to undoubtedly create new brilliance and make greater contributions to the progress of economic theory and the practice of China's economic development.