Walk closer to economics

Author: Zhang Jun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Keynes once said: "The ideas of economists and political philosophers, whether right or wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. In fact, it is these ideas that rule the world. Many practitioners believe they are not influenced by any knowledge, yet they often become slaves of deceased economists. The madmen in power claim to have received divine guidance, but in reality, they merely pick up some absurd ideas from a few inferior authors in academia several years ago. Compared to the gradual erosion of ideas, the power of vested interests is often overestimated." This rather idealistic belief seems to be in stark contrast to the duty of economists to study the material aspects of society, yet it often coexists harmoniously in many economists. Professor Zhang Jun embodies this tradition, on one hand, immersing himself in the study and the rigorous world of economics, and on the other hand, engaging directly with the public through the media. This book is a summary of his recent efforts in such communication.
About the Author: Zhang Jun was born in 1963. He is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the Department of Economics, Fudan University. He has studied and worked at renowned international institutions such as the London School of Economics, the University of Sussex, and Washington State University in the United States. He primarily focuses on transition economics, particularly the reform of China's state-owned industrial economy. His representative works include Dual-Track Economics: China's Economic Reform, 1978-1992, Modern Property Economics, Economics, Society, and Culture: Economic Essays by Zhang Jun, and The Economics of Teamwork: A Literature Review.