Dr. Zuohong Pan
Dr. Zuohong Pan received his B.A. and M.A. at Remin University of China, and Ph.D. in Economics at Wayne State University. He is currently a Professor of Economics at Western Connecticut State University, teaching macroeconomics, microeconomics, money & banking, applied econometrics, contemporary domestic economic issues, and social research seminars. His research interests are in international trade and finance, financial modeling & forecasting, and urban economics.
Why did you become a member of the International Atlantic Economic Society?
I was first introduced to the International Atlantic Economic Society by my colleague and friend Dr. Oluwole Owoye. I became attracted to the rich opportunities the IAES provides through its conferences and publications to communicate with excellent scholars and experts of a broad field and around the world. An IAES membership was a rational and pleasant decision for me.
What types of projects/research are you currently working on and what inspired/motivated you to pursue these interests?
Currently, I’m working on a project that examines the issue of the equilibrium exchange rate of the Chinese RMB. The project was motivated by the increasing trend of the US trade deficit with China and the belief by the US government that China has artificially undervalued the RMB by 15% to 40%. The US government has repeatedly called for China to revalue its currency. In the heat of the most recent trade wars with China, the US government determined that “China is a Currency Manipulator”, the first formal designation since 1994. The purpose of the project is to determine whether, and to what degree, the Chinese RMB is undervalued/overvalued against the US dollar; and to estimate the actual impact of the government intervention on the dynamics of the RMB/USD rate, focusing on the exchange rate misalignments, if any, after 2005 when China’s foreign exchange regime moved from a de facto fixed rate regime into a managed floating system. My approach will explicitly incorporate the government intervention, an issue often left out in the current literature.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering entering your line of work/field of study?
Keep a wide range of interests but be very good at a few topics; build and maintain a good professional network by attending conferences, seminars and forums; always encourage yourself to learn new things; equip yourself with solid technical skills in econometrics and statistics packages. My personal favorite is Stata, but RATS is powerful if you like to do time series analysis.
Going forward, what other projects/research are you looking to or hoping to pursue?
After I’m done with the current project on the equilibrium exchange rate of RMB, I’m thinking to examine the actual impacts of the RMB/USD rate misalignments on the US-China trade imbalances. This will be an extension to the current project and with the same motivation.
What’s your favorite hobby?
I enjoy hiking, playing basketball and travelling.