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Professor of Economics, Emeritus

Lawrence Lau

Senior Fellow Emeritus
Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR)

The Kwoh-Ting Li Professor of Economic Development, Emeritus
Department of Economics

Professor Lawrence J. Lau received his B.S. degree (with Great Distinction) in Physics from Stanford University in 1964 and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1966 and 1969 respectively.  He joined the faculty of the Department of Economics at Stanford University in 1966, becoming Professor of Economics in 1976 and the first Kwoh-Ting Li Professor in Economic Development at Stanford University in 1992.  From 1992 to 1996, he served as a Co-Director of the Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University, and from 1997 to 1999, as the Director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.  He became Kwoh-Ting Li Professor in Economic Development, Emeritus, upon his retirement from Stanford University in 2006.  From 2004 to 2010, Professor Lau served as Vice-Chancellor (President) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.  From September 2010 to September 2014, he served as Chairman of CIC International (Hong Kong) Co., Limited.  Since 2007, Professor Lau has also been serving as the Ralph and Claire Landau Professor of Economics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Professor Lau specializes in economic development, economic growth, and the economies of East Asia, including that of China.  In 1966, he developed the first econometric model of China. He has authored, co-authored, or edited seven books and published more than 190 articles and notes in international professional journals.

He is a Member of Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi, a Fellow of the Econometric Society, an Academician of Academia Sinica, Taipei, a Member of the Conference for Research in Income and Wealth, an Overseas Fellow of Churchill College, the University of Cambridge, an Honorary Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and an Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences.  Professor Lau was awarded the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa, by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 1999, the degrees of Doctor, honoris causa, by Soka University and Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by Waseda University in 2007, the degree of Doctor of Management Sciences, honoris causa, by the National Central University, Taiwan, in 2010, the degree of Doctor of Economics, honoris causa, by Fudan University in 2011 and the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2014.

Focal Areas: Global Development and Trade, Innovation and Technology, Money and Finance

Education

PhD, Economics, University of California Berkeley, 1969
MA, Economics, University of California Berkeley, 1966
BS, Physics and Economics, Stanford University, 1964

Contact

(650) 322-7500