The Department of Economics of The Chinese University has been ranked number one by the Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly among all economics programmes provided by the seven universities in the territory. The department came first in all three criteria adopted by the magazine—overall research performance, proportion of teaching staff with doctoral degrees, and employers' evaluation of graduates.
Prof. Lawrence J. Lau, Vice-Chancellor of the University, is delighted at the ranking and believes it to reflect the hard work of staff and students. 'Since the inception of CUHK, the Department of Economics has been striving for excellence. Its teaching and research have reached the highest standards. We are also privileged to have Prof. Sir James Mirrlees, Nobel laureate in economic sciences, as our distinguished professor-at-large,' he remarked.
According to the survey published in issue 334 of the Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly, teaching staff of the department had the highest per capita publication output in international academic journals. The work ability, work attitude, and language ability of its graduates were also highly rated by their employers. Prof. Sung Yun-wing, chairman of the department, said the department puts great emphasis on research and has the widest course selection among the local universities. It is especially well known for research in economic theory, labour economics, and the Chinese economy. 'We focus on both theory and application, providing our students with a comprehensive training and a solid foundation. We have a lot of mainland and exchange students, which helps cultivate an international learning environment for our students. As it continues to grow, the department will offer new courses such as experimental economics, and economics and law. We will also recruit more teachers.'
Alumni of the Department of Economics who have excelled in different sectors of the community include Mr. Vincent Cheng, HSBC chairman designate; Mr. Kwok Kwok Chuen, government economist; Mr. Edward Leung, chief economist of the Trade Development Council; and Mr. Joseph Pang, executive director and deputy chief executive of the Bank of East Asia.