Singapore, 17 April 2017… The National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have jointly appointed Richard Baldwin, Professor of International Economics at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, and President of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) in London, as the MAS Term Professor in Economics and Finance from 17 to 30 April 2017. Professor Baldwin will be hosted by the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences’ Department of Economics and the Economic Policy Group at the MAS during the term of the Professorship.

Professor Baldwin is the Editor-in-Chief of the economic policy portal VoxEU.org, which he founded in June 2007. Having started his academic career as a professor at the Columbia School of Business in New York, Professor Baldwin has also been a visiting professor at Oxford University (2012–2015), and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2002–2003 and 1998–1999).

Professor Baldwin has provided advice and consultancy for numerous government and international organisations such as the European Commission, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Bank, European Free Trade Association, and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He was a Senior Staff Economist for the President’s Council of Economic Advisors in the Bush Administration (1990–1991), where he followed trade negotiations such as the Uruguay Round, North American Free Trade Agreement and numerous US-Japan trade disputes.

Professor Baldwin was Vice Chair of the Academic Advisory Committee of the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) in Washington (2008–2012), and an Elected Member on the Council of the European Economic Association (1999–2004, 2006–2011).

The author of numerous books and articles, Professor Baldwin’s research interests span international trade, globalisation, regionalism, and European integration. His latest book, The Great Convergence: Information Technology and the New Globalisation, was published by Harvard University Press in November 2016.

Professor Baldwin has received honorary doctorates from the Turku School of Economics and Business in Finland (2005), the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland (2012), and the Pontifica Universidad Católica del Perú in Peru (2014).

Professor Robbie Goh, Dean, NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, said, “We are very pleased to welcome to NUS and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Professor Richard Baldwin, a leading expert on international trade and globalisation. The insights from his research and vast experience in a wide range of high-level policy and consultative positions will contribute much to deeper understanding and greater appreciation of global economics.  This is particularly important for Singapore and the region in the context of recent developments in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere.  We look forward to facilitating the sharing of his work and ideas with the community, policymakers and members of the public here in the coming weeks.”

Mr Edward Robinson, Assistant Managing Director (Economic Policy) and Chief Economist at MAS, said, “Professor Richard Baldwin is an internationally renowned scholar, who has published extensively on international trade, globalisation and regionalism. His latest book, for example, provides a careful analysis of production fragmentation and the new globalisation of trade that is particularly relevant to economies in the Asian region. Indeed, his research on these issues has taken on renewed importance in light of the pressing policy issues confronting the global trade landscape, including the distributional effects of de-nationalised trade brought about in part by the rise of global value chains. It is a great privilege to welcome him as the MAS Term Professor and we look forward to engaging and learning from such an eminent scholar”.

Professor Baldwin will deliver a public lecture at NUS on 17 April 2017 on Globalisation’s Challenge: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. He will also present a research seminar on 25 April 2017 on the topic of global income divergence, trade and industrialisation. In addition, Professor Baldwin will hold dialogue sessions with NUS students and faculty members to discuss his latest research findings and advise PhD students on their research.

At MAS, Professor Baldwin will engage senior policymakers and economists on trade and macroeconomic issues. He will also meet with senior officials and staff from various government ministries and agencies.