Economics student reaches final of prestigious global competition

Class of ’22 Economics graduate Yijun Tang was chosen as one of four finalists in an international competition organised by the prestigious International Atlantic Economic Society (IAESLink opens in a new window) to find and celebrate outstanding undergraduate research.

As one of the finalists, Tang travelled to Washington DC to attend the annual conference of the International Atlantic Economic Society (IAES) and present his paper to the judging panel.

Now in its 18^th year, the Best Annual Undergraduate Paper Award (BUPALink opens in a new window) competition is organised by the IAES to recognise and reward outstanding research conducted by undergraduate students worldwide.

Each year, the field is narrowed to just four finalists invited to present their research in person to the IAES conference audience of senior economists and finance experts.

Tang was the only 2022 finalist from a university outside the USA and presented his paper, Who entered the high-wage industries in China? The importance of network, hukou, and productivity factors.

As one of the finalists, Tang will see an 800-word summary of his research published in the Atlantic Economic Journal, founded in 1973 by the IAES to increase communication among scholars from different countries to encourage cross-fertilization of ideas and scholarly research.

Reflecting on his conference experience, Tang said:

'It has been a truly rewarding and fruitful experience to attend the IAES conference. I have had the precious opportunity to communicate with Economics scholars at other universities and receive constructive feedback on my research. Such experience helped me to gain a new perspective on my project and broadened the scope of my research.

“I would like to thank IAES for giving me this opportunity, and Professor Abhinay Muthoo for his guidance and insightful comments that allowed me to perfect this research.”

Professor Caroline Elliott, Deputy Head of Department (Teaching and Learning) said:

“On behalf of the whole Department I’d like to congratulate Yijun on reaching the final of this year’s IAES Best Undergraduate Paper Award.

“To be chosen as one of the four best authors from an international field is a significant achievement for Yijun and an ongoing testament to the high quality of the work completed by our students in the Research in Applied Economics dissertation module.”

Previous finalists from Warwick have included:

2018Link opens in a new window: Paul Noller, Evaluating the Credibility of the European Bank Bail-in Commitment, and Maria Polyakova, Child Marriage and Female Educational Attainment: an Investigation into a Complex Relationship, Using Nigerian Data.

2017Link opens in a new window: Gytautas Karklius The Effect of Central Bank Informal Communication on Bond Markets: The Evidence from the Bank of England and Yin Li Toh The Role of Land Wealth on Child Labour in Vietnam.

2016Link opens in a new window: Adam Brzezinski, Synergies in Labour Market Institutions - the nonlinear effect of minimum wages on youth employment. Adam was the overall winner in 2016.

2015Link opens in a new window, Hameem Raees Chowdury, Joint-Liability in Microcredit: Evidence from Bangladesh, and Virginia Minni, Can greater bank capital lead to less bank lending? An analysis of the bank-level evidence from Europe.' Hammem’s paper, won the competition and was included in the Atlantic Economic Journal.

17 October 2022