Xiaochen Xie | Econometrics and Finance | Research Excellence Award

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Dr. Xiaochen Xie | Econometrics and Finance | Research Excellence Award 

Renmin University | China

Dr. Xiaochen Xie is an Assistant Professor at the School of Finance, Renmin University of China, where he has served since August 2021. He concurrently holds research associate appointments at the China Financial Policy Research Center, the Institute of Public Finance and Taxation, and the Institute of Digital Economics and Taxation at Renmin University. Dr. Xie’s research integrates international trade, industrial organization, public economics, and urban economics, with a strong emphasis on firm dynamics, pricing behavior, trade policy, and market structure in global technology industries. His scholarship particularly addresses the complex interactions between trade liberalization, industrial development, and consumer welfare, often using structural and empirical approaches to uncover mechanisms shaping modern markets. Dr. Xie earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Pennsylvania State University in 2021, where his dissertation, Essays on Firm Entry and Pricing, was supervised by renowned economist Jonathan Eaton. He also holds an M.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and dual bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Statistics from Peking University. His interdisciplinary training forms the foundation of his analytical approach to understanding global economic phenomena. His research has appeared in leading outlets, including the Journal of Economic Geography, and he maintains an active pipeline of working papers on export dynamics, optimal taxation, industrial policy, and global smartphone markets. Several of his papers are under review or revise-and-resubmit at prestigious journals such as the International Journal of Industrial Organization and the Journal of the European Economic Association. His work has received recognition, including the Outstanding Paper Award at the NCER-CCER Chinese Economy Conference in 2021. A frequent presenter at international conferences, Dr. Xie has delivered research at institutions such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, and at major meetings including the European Economic Association and EARIE conferences. He is also an active referee for top scholarly journals. At Renmin University, Dr. Xie teaches public finance, quantitative empirical economics, and structural methods, consistently earning exceptional teaching evaluations. He has secured multiple competitive grants, including NSFC and university-funded projects focused on tariffs, international tax policy, and fiscal capacity. Beyond academia, he previously worked in finance and investment analysis and has served as Vice President at Yuewei Capital. Born in Tianjin in 1992, Dr. Xie is fluent in Chinese and English and enjoys Xiangqi, soccer, and travel.

Profile: Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Chen, Y., Huang, T., & Xie, X. (2025). Place-based policies: First-mover advantage and persistence. Journal of Economic Geography, lbaf001.

Lu, W., & Xie, X. (2024). Trade, markups, and consumer welfare: Evidence from the global smartphone industry (SSRN Working Paper No. 4804811). SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4804811

Xie, X. (2021). Two essays on firm entry and pricing (Doctoral dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University).

Zewdie Shikur | Economics | Editorial Board Member

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Assoc Prof Dr. Zewdie Shikur | Economics | Editorial Board Member 

Wolaita Sodo University | Ethiopia

Dr. Zewdie Habte Shikur is an accomplished Agricultural Economist and Assistant Professor at Wolaita Sodo University, Ethiopia, with extensive expertise in agricultural policy analysis, production economics, rural development, and economy-wide impact modeling. With a robust academic background including a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Haramaya University, Dr. Zewdie has built a distinguished research profile reflected through his SCOPUS (H-index 5) and Google Scholar (H-index 9) achievements, backed by numerous peer-reviewed publications, impactful research projects, and international academic engagements. His methodological strength spans macro- and micro-econometric modeling, Social Accounting Matrix (SAM)-based multiplier analysis, Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) modelling, and advanced data analytics using software such as Stata, R, GAMS, SPSS, EViews, Atlas.ti, and ArcGIS. Dr. Zewdie’s research focuses on agricultural market systems, supply chain governance, food security, policy reform, climate-smart agriculture, institutional economics, and trade performance across African economies. He has published extensively on agricultural production, logistics performance, market integration, industrial policy, and rural welfare in top journals including Journal of Applied Economics, Cogent Food & Agriculture, Journal of Economic Structures, African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and Applied Econometrics and International Development. Dr. Zewdie has received prestigious honors such as first prize for Innovative Research at the International Conference on Genetics and Genomics of Diseases (2024) and the Research and Development Excellence Award for contributions to agricultural economics and sustainable development. His professional footprint includes a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Johannesburg, where he advanced empirical research in transport, logistics, and supply chain economics. He has taught a wide range of PhD, MSc, and undergraduate courses including advanced microeconomics, macroeconomics, agricultural project planning, farm management, production economics, and value chain analysis. He has supervised numerous MSc and BSc theses and currently supervises multiple PhD students at Wolaita Sodo University and Wollega University. Beyond academia, Dr. Zewdie has led and contributed to major national projects with the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), including the Agricultural One-Stop Shop (AOSS) and Integrated Apiculture Value Chain Development (IAVCD) projects, overseeing large-scale survey operations, data collection, and impact evaluations. His community service contributions include leading advanced training programs in econometrics, statistical software, and research methodology. As a reviewer for more than 15 reputable international journals and an active member of professional associations, Dr. Zewdie continues to play a significant role in advancing agricultural economics research, policy engagement, and capacity-building in Ethiopia and beyond.

Profile: Orcid

Featured Publications

Shikur, Z. H. (2023). Competitive agricultural input markets in Ethiopia: Theoretical promises versus reality. Regional Science Policy & Practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/rsp3.12656

Shikur, Z. H. (2021). Governance structures in wheat supply chains and their impacts on productivity and profitability of wheat producers in Ethiopia. Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development. https://doi.org/10.17306/J.JARD.2021.01396