Short Version:
Guojun HE is the Hong Kong Jockey Club Professor in Economics at the University of Hong Kong. He is also the founding director of the HKU-Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute. His research examines the benefits and costs of environmental and development policies, with particular focus on how governance structures affect policy outcomes. Currently, he serves as a co-editor of the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, an associate editor of Management Science, and a member of the board of editors of the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy.
Long Version:
Guojun HE is an economist working on environmental, development, and governance issues. Currently, he is the Hong Kong Jockey Club Professor in Economics at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He serves as the director of HKU-Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute, the director of HKU Business School's Shenzhen ESG Research Institute, and the associate director of HKU's Institute of China Economy. He holds a concurrent appointment at the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago (EPIC) and leads research activities of its China center (EPIC-China).
He is a co-editor of the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, an associate editor of Management Science, and a member of the board of editors of the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. Professor He’s research examines the benefits and costs of environmental and development policies, with particular focus on how governance structures affect policy outcomes. His studies integrate economic analysis with policy evaluation, seeking to establish empirical foundations for effective governance and sustainable development.
His research has been published in leading economics journals (such as the American Economic Review and the Quarterly Journal of Economics) and general science journals (such as Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). His influential works on China’s air pollution and water pollution policies have profoundly shaped the understanding of environmental regulation, public health, and governance in China. His interdisciplinary approach and extensive engagement with citizens, corporates, and policymakers have advanced the understanding of how data-driven research can promote equitable and environmentally sustainable economic growth in rapidly developing economies.
Professor He has received many prestigious awards. He is a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, one of the most esteemed research honors in China, supporting young scientists with outstanding innovation potential. He was also awarded the 9th Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Award (Humanities and Social Sciences) by China’s Ministry of Education, which recognizes leading research achievements in the humanities and social sciences. At the international level, he received the European Award for Researchers in Environmental Economics under the Age of Forty, which honors the most significant contributions to environmental economic thought and knowledge. Additionally, he was honored with the Zhang Pei-Gang Award for Outstanding Achievement in Development Economics—China’s highest award in development economics—and the Gregory Chow Best Paper Award (twice) from the Chinese Economists Society. He was selected as a Young Scientist by the World Economic Forum.
He obtained his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Peking University. Before joining HKU, he served as an Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a Research Fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, He is a Fellow of the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research (ABFER), an external research affiliate of the Institute of Sustainable and Green Finance (SGFIN) at the National University of Singapore, a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago, UC San Diego, UC Riverside, University of Mannheim, and Arizona State University, etc. Beyond academia, he consults for the Asian Development Bank, CICC Research Institute, and other major organizations on issues of environmental governance, climate policy, and sustainable development.
Guojun HE is the Hong Kong Jockey Club Professor in Economics at the University of Hong Kong. He is also the founding director of the HKU-Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute. His research examines the benefits and costs of environmental and development policies, with particular focus on how governance structures affect policy outcomes. Currently, he serves as a co-editor of the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, an associate editor of Management Science, and a member of the board of editors of the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy.
Long Version:
Guojun HE is an economist working on environmental, development, and governance issues. Currently, he is the Hong Kong Jockey Club Professor in Economics at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He serves as the director of HKU-Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute, the director of HKU Business School's Shenzhen ESG Research Institute, and the associate director of HKU's Institute of China Economy. He holds a concurrent appointment at the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago (EPIC) and leads research activities of its China center (EPIC-China).
He is a co-editor of the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, an associate editor of Management Science, and a member of the board of editors of the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. Professor He’s research examines the benefits and costs of environmental and development policies, with particular focus on how governance structures affect policy outcomes. His studies integrate economic analysis with policy evaluation, seeking to establish empirical foundations for effective governance and sustainable development.
His research has been published in leading economics journals (such as the American Economic Review and the Quarterly Journal of Economics) and general science journals (such as Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). His influential works on China’s air pollution and water pollution policies have profoundly shaped the understanding of environmental regulation, public health, and governance in China. His interdisciplinary approach and extensive engagement with citizens, corporates, and policymakers have advanced the understanding of how data-driven research can promote equitable and environmentally sustainable economic growth in rapidly developing economies.
Professor He has received many prestigious awards. He is a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, one of the most esteemed research honors in China, supporting young scientists with outstanding innovation potential. He was also awarded the 9th Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Award (Humanities and Social Sciences) by China’s Ministry of Education, which recognizes leading research achievements in the humanities and social sciences. At the international level, he received the European Award for Researchers in Environmental Economics under the Age of Forty, which honors the most significant contributions to environmental economic thought and knowledge. Additionally, he was honored with the Zhang Pei-Gang Award for Outstanding Achievement in Development Economics—China’s highest award in development economics—and the Gregory Chow Best Paper Award (twice) from the Chinese Economists Society. He was selected as a Young Scientist by the World Economic Forum.
He obtained his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Peking University. Before joining HKU, he served as an Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a Research Fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, He is a Fellow of the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research (ABFER), an external research affiliate of the Institute of Sustainable and Green Finance (SGFIN) at the National University of Singapore, a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago, UC San Diego, UC Riverside, University of Mannheim, and Arizona State University, etc. Beyond academia, he consults for the Asian Development Bank, CICC Research Institute, and other major organizations on issues of environmental governance, climate policy, and sustainable development.