Li Xiaoping: A Down-to-earth Scholar of Economics

2018 has been a fruitful year for Professor Li Xiaoping, the deputy dean of the School of Economics. According to the 2018 Economist's Report of Influential Scholar, Professor Li Xiaoping's academic influence is cited as the 15th (the total number of the authors included are 2,430). The good news followed was that the National Social Science Fund’s major project, “The Belt and Road Initiative” Regional Value Chain Construction and China’s Industrial Transformation And Upgrading Research in which Professor Li Xiaoping is the chief expert, was approved. And it became the second major national social science fund project of the theoretical economics of our university that had been approved.

More Thoroughly He Studies, More Progress He Will Make

When you look at Li Xiaoping’s WeChat account, you will find information about academic studies and lectures accounted for more than half of his moments. As in his work and life, teaching and research has become the most important subject.

A scholar can accomplish outstanding achievements only after he/she oncentrate on studying for a long time. In 2003, after graduating from the Central Economics University of Central South University of Economics and Law, Li Xiaoping went to Shanghai University of Finance and Economics to pursue a Ph.D. in international trade with the support of Professor Lu Xianxiang. “The academic atmosphere of Shangcai is very strong, and the students are full of scientific research. We have only twenty or thirty doctoral students in this session, and five or six authoritative papers such as “Economic Research” have been issued.” Ph.D. Since returning to his alma mater, he has been tracking the academic frontiers of sustainable development and global economic governance in international trade and the environment, productivity growth, and the first author published four articles in the top economic journal of economics, Economic Research. Authoritative journals such as “Management World”, “World Economy”, “Statistical Research”, “Quantitative Economics, Technology and Economic Research” published more than 50 articles; hosted one major national social science fund project, three national social science funds, and the Humanities and Social Sciences Fund of the Ministry of Education. Huo Yingdong Youth Teacher Fund, China Postdoctoral Special Grant, and Hubei Provincial Social Science Fund Key Projects and other provincial and ministerial level projects. He won 9 provincial and ministerial awards as the first author or the research results of his own work. I was selected as a new century talent of the Ministry of Education, and was awarded the outstanding young and middle-aged experts in Hubei Province and the outstanding youth in the social sciences in Hubei Province. Scholars and rainbow scholars from Hubei Province. At the same time of rapid growth, Li Xiaoping continued to charge, first engaged in postdoctoral research at the Institute of Finance and Trade, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and then went to New York University as a senior visiting scholar.

Slowly, his academic influence is growing. He is not only an evaluation expert of national social science fund, peer review expert of the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Project of the Ministry of Education, peer review expert of the Ministry of Education's doctoral fund project and evaluation expert of doctoral master's thesis of the Ministry of Education's degree center, but also an anonymous reviewer on outstanding academic journals at home and abroad such as Finance and Trade Economics, Economic Quarterly, Quantitative Economics and Technology Research, Energy Policy and World Economic WeChat.  -No pain, no gain. From associate professor to professor, to third-level professor and second-level professor, Li Xiaoping, from a humble beginning, one step at a time, worked hard for 11 years with determined faith.

A Better Command of Knowledge Facilitates the Decision-Making Process

Li Xiaoping always remembers his duty as an economics scholar. In recent years, he has focused on the study the key of sustainable development is to increase the growth of total factor productivity. Based on the background of China's supply-side structural reform and its new open economic system, his study has systematically explained the quality of exports. Enhance the impact on economic growth, trade development, and its mechanism, and re-interpret the mystery of China's trade growth from the perspective of export quality; high-quality development and tune structure, steady growth under the new normal of China's economy the foreign trade strategy provides theoretical and empirical support. At the same time, based on the background of the impact of low carbon constraints on international division of labor and international trade pattern, this paper systematically expounds new ideas, new ways and new mechanisms for the benign interaction between international trade and environment under low carbon constraints, and explores some new researches on trade and environmental issues. Perspectives; enrich and expand research on international trade and environmental issues. With a profound academic foundation and a solid research foundation, he first tried to declare a major project of the National Social Science Fund in 2018, and he stood out and won the bid.

In scientific research, he also applies the theories to real-world practice, closely combines academic research and industrial production, actively makes full use of professional edges and academic expertise, and brings high-quality academic research in down-to-earth decision-makings to serve the government, enterprises and social organizations. All in all, what Li Xiaoping did was let theory and practice reinforce each other. Other than being the vice president of the School of Economics, he also serves as the deputy dean of the two key think tanks-Hubei Comprehensively Deepening Reform Research Institute and the Hubei Economic Construction Research Institute of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. And the Hubei Comprehensive Deepening Reform Research Institute is one of the ten key think tanks of Hubei Province, which aims to provide theoretical support for the macro decision-making of Hubei Provincial Party Committee. From 2015 to 2018, Li Xiaoping focused on the construction of “Bring Prosperity to Hubei” and the construction of new development model of economy. He was funded by the Hubei Provincial Social Science Fund for four consecutive years. Many of his works on policy consultations were adopted by the Hubei Provincial Committee as valuable reference on decision-making process, and was reported to the general secretary of Hubei provincial party committee, standing committee and all government organs of the province. Apart from contributing intelligence to Hubei's economic and social construction and the busy teaching and research administration work, he was also invited to write a popular reading material for the civil servant system of Hubei Province at the invitation of the Propaganda Department of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee: The Way to Scientific Development (Hubei People's Publishing House, 2011) , which was for the  purpose of training civil servants in the whole Hubei Province.

The Way of Learning: Morality, Diligence, Knowledge, Accumulation

Students believe that professor Li Xiaoping is not only an outstanding economist, but also an excellent teacher. The courage to explore, the advanced research concepts and scientific research methods are most valued when he trains graduate students. Therefore, he insists on offering courses such as “World Economic Cycle”, “International Economics” and “International Trade” for graduate students and doctoral students every year. Besides the frontier issues at home and abroad, students are also required to know about main research methods in this field. Under Professor Li’s guidance, the weekly academic seminars with graduate students and doctoral students as well as Zhongnan Economics Seminar, which invites experts from other colleges every two weeks, have become academic feasts for students. In addition, he asked students to participate in his research project, to discover experiences and solve problems in China's economic development; he also actively created chances and tried to recommend students to exchange visits abroad, which broadens their horizons and enhance their academic abilities.

Zhou Jishun, who is now working at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, is one of the doctoral students trained by Li Xiaoping. During his study, Zhou Jishun and his instructor Li Xiaoping's paper Does the ‘quality’ of export affected the ‘quantity’ of export? was published in the authoritative journal Economic Research, No. 8, 2015, and was reprinted by International Trade Research Journal, No. 1, 2016 as the front-page article. The main points were reprinted by Chinese Social Science Abstracts, No. 2, 2016. As a doctoral student, Zhou Jishun also won Academic Encouragement Award at 19th Anzijie International Trade Contest. When talking about his tutor, Zhou Jishun is grateful: I began my doctoral study after resigning. Professor Li patiently led me to the academic path and kept cultivating my academic sensitivity. Finally, my hard work paid off.

This is exactly what Li Xiaoping is expecting. He often said that studying is just like learninghow to behave, which needs all-round development of morality, diligence, knowledge, and accumulation. “Morality” is to cultivate academic morality and abide by academic norms; “diligence” refers to hard work, willing to work hard, not opportunistic; “knowledge” is to have insight and understanding, to use sharp insight, and advanced sense of innovation; “accumulation” is to be generous, to have a far-sighted vision and indomitable spirit.