World-renowned economist Laurence J. Kotlikoff visited ShanghaiTech and delivered a lecture to faculty and students at the School of Entrepreneurship and Management on April 12. Professor Kotlikoff started his speech “Our Global Economic Future and How To Fix It” with his characteristic wry humor. “Economists are called dismal scientists. I won’t disappoint, ” he joked. He then presented the seven immense challenges the world is facing, namely nuclear proliferation, population explosion, climate change, financial instability, fiscal insolvency, growing inequality and automation. One by one, he discussed the severity of these challenges and proposed his solutions based on reasons of economics.
During his visit, Professor Kotlikoff was welcomed and met by Mianheng Jiang, President of ShanghaiTech. Accompanied by Vice-Provost Ge Jiang, he toured the ShanghaiTech campus and held a discussion session with SEM faculty members to share his experience in academic research and career development.
Laurence J. Kotlikoff is the William Fairfield Warren Professor of Economics at Boston University, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the Econometric Society, a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, Head of International Department for Fiscal Sustainability Studies, the Gaidar Institute, President of Economic Security Planning, Inc., and the Director of the Fiscal Analysis Center. He has served as a consultant to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Harvard Institute for International Development, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and a number of governments and central banks. In 2014, the The Economist name Kotlikoff as one of the world's 25 most influential economists.
