Distinguished Economist Steven Joseph Davis Appointed MAS Term Professor at NUS Business School

Professor Steven Joseph Davis

The National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have jointly appointed Professor Steven Joseph Davis, William H. Abbott Professor of International Business and Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, as the MAS Term Professor in Economics and Finance from 4 April to 3 May 2016. Professor Davis will be hosted by NUS Business School during the term of the Professorship.

As MAS Term Professor, Professor Davis will deliver a public lecture at NUS Business School on 7 April 2016 entitled "Measuring Economic Policy Uncertainty”. In his talk, he will present his research findings on how policy uncertainty affects investment, output and employment in industry sectors as well as economies.

He will also meet with faculty members, advise students on their research, and share his latest work at seminars and workshops. At the MAS, he will engage senior policymakers, economists and analysts, on a range of macroeconomic and related issues.

Professor Davis is a distinguished applied economist whose research spans many areas, including employment and wage determination, worker mobility, job loss, labour market institutions, industrial organisation, economic fluctuations and public policy. His research has appeared in leading scholarly journals such as the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy and Quarterly Journal of Economics.

He is currently Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and Senior Academic Fellow with the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economics Research (ABFER). Professor Davis has previously consulted for the U.S. Congressional Budget Office and the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and Chicago. He was also a Distinguished Visitor at NUS Business School in September 2009.

On behalf of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Professor Davis co-organises the Asian Monetary Policy Forum, held annually in Singapore, in collaboration with ABFER, NUS Business School and MAS. This year’s Asian Monetary Policy Forum will be held on 27 May at The Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, and it aims to bring together an exclusive group of high-level central bankers, academics and private sector analysts to share perspectives on pressing monetary policy issues in Asia.

“We are pleased to welcome Professor Steven Davis back to NUS Business School and hope to learn more about his work on using indices to measure economic uncertainty. The NUS community will benefit tremendously from the sharing of knowledge and exchange of ideas with this internationally renowned economist,” said Professor Bernard Yeung, Dean and Stephen Riady Distinguished Professor at NUS Business School.

Mr Edward Robinson, Assistant Managing Director (Economic Policy) and Chief Economist at MAS, said: “Professor Davis is a highly regarded economist and a prolific researcher. His recent work on labour market fluidity and economic uncertainty, for example, has pushed the frontiers of applied macroeconomic research. Indeed, his work will be particularly useful in helping us understand developments in the US labour market and their application to Singapore’s job landscape, which is also undergoing transition. He is also a valued partner in Singapore’s economic and financial research initiatives, playing a leading role in the Asian Monetary Policy Forum. It is a great opportunity and privilege for us to engage such a distinguished expert as the MAS Term Professor and we look forward to learning from him at the MAS.”

First established in 2009, the MAS Term Professorship in Economics and Finance is awarded to distinguished scholars, who are appointed as Visiting Professors at both the NUS Business School and the Department of Economics at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. It aims to strengthen Singapore’s financial and economics research infrastructure and contribute to a vibrant research community and culture at local universities.

The MAS Term Professorship in Economics and Finance has been awarded to twelve distinguished scholars over the last seven years.