Professor
Heiwai Tang is Professor of Economics at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Prior to HKU, he was tenured Associate Professor of International Economics at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is also Research Fellow at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the Center of Economic Studies and Ifo Institute (CESIfo) in Germany, and the Globalization and Economic Policy Center in the U.K. He has been a consultant to the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, United Nations, and Asian Development Bank, and held visiting positions at the IMF, Stanford University, MIT Sloan School of Management, Harvard University, and RIETI. He is on the editorial boards of Journal of International Economics, Journal of Comparative Economics, and China Economic Review.
Tang received his Ph.D. in economics from MIT and undergraduate degree in mathematics from UCLA. His research interests span a wide range of theoretical and empirical topics in international trade, with a specific focus on production networks and global value chains. His research has been published in leading journals in economics, including American Economic Review, Journal of International Economics, and Journal of Development Economics. He has also written articles for Financial Times, Foreign Policy, the Brookings Institution, and the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Academic & Professional Qualification
PhD: MIT
Bachelor: UCLA (B.S.)
Teaching
HKU (scheduled): Undergraduate Common Core: China in the Global Economy; MBA Global Economy; EMBA China in the World; MEcon Economic Policy
Johns Hopkins: Microeconomics (master); International Trade (master)
Research Interest
International Trade, Global Value Chains, Development Economics
Selected Publications
“Domestic Segment of Global Value Chains in China under State Capitalism”, Journal of Comparative Economics, 2020, forthcoming (w/ Fei Wang and Zhi Wang)
“Excessive Entries and Exits in Export Markets”, Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, forthcoming. (w/ Hiro Kasahara)
“Why is China Investing in Africa? Evidence from the Firm Level”, World Bank Economic Review, 32 (3), Oct 2018, 752-752. (w/ Wenjie Chen & David Dollar)
“Are Foreign Firms Favored in China? Firm-level Evidence on the Collection of Value Added Tax”, Journal of International Business Policy, 1(2), Inaugural Issue, Jun 2018, pp. 71-91. (w/ Yasheng Huang)
“Domestic Value Added in Exports: Theory and Firm Evidence from China”, American Economic Review, 106(6), Jun 2016, pp. 1402-1436. (w/ Hiau Looi Kee)
“Scale, Scope, and Trade Dynamics of Export Processing Plants”, Economics Letters, 133, Aug 2015, pp. 68-72. (w/ Ana Fernandes)
“Learning to Export from Neighbors”, Journal of International Economics, 94(1), Sep 2014, pp. 67-84. (w/ Ana Fernandes)
“Factor Intensity, Product Switching, and Productivity: Evidence from Chinese Exporters”, Journal of International Economics, 92(2), Mar 2014, pp. 349-362. (w/ Yue Ma & Yifan Zhang)
“International Politics and Import Diversification”, Journal of Law and Economics, 56(4), Nov 2013, pp. 1091-1121. (w/ Sergey Mityakov & Kevin Tsui)
“Exchange Rates and the Margins of Exports: Evidence from Chinese Exporters”, CESIfo Economic Studies, Symposium on China's Trade Performance, 58(4), Dec 2012, pp. 671-702. (w/ Yifan Zhang)
“Determinants of Vertical Integration in Export Processing: Theory and Evidence from China”, Journal of Development Economics, 99(2), Nov 2012, pp. 396–414. (w/ Ana Fernandes)
“Labor Market Institutions, Firm-specific Skills, and Trade Patterns”, Journal of International Economics, 87(2), Jul 2012, pp. 337–351.
Awards and Honours
Committee of 100 Next Generation Leader, 2018
Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy Grant, Columbia University, Co-PI, USD 14,500.
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada Insight Grant, Co-Investigator, CAD 78,736
Student-Elected Best Professor of the Master of International Econ and Finance Program, JHU SAIS, 2016-2017
Alcoa Foundation Grant, Co-PI, USD 500,000, 2016-2019
Hong Kong RGC Grant, Co-PI, HKD 364,378, 2017-2019
Outstanding Referee Journal of International Economics, 2014-2017.
Hong Kong RGC Grant, Co-PI, HKD 336,462, 2011-2013
The Nuffield Foundation Social Science Grant, SGS/36581, Co-PI, £12,000, 2009-2011
MIT Presidential Fellowship, 2002-2003
Service to the University/Community
Journal of International Economics, Associate Editor, 2019 -
China Economic Review, Associate Editor, 2018 -
Journal of Comparative Economics, Associate Editor, 2017 -
China Economics Summer Institute, Academic Committee Member, 2017 -
International Finance Corporation (IFC), Consultant, 2017 -
United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Consultant, 2016 - 2017
Asian Development Bank, Consultant, 2016 - 2017
IMF, Research Department, Visiting Scholar, 2015 - 2016
World Bank, Consultant, 2013 - 2017