The National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have jointly appointed Professor Atif Mian as the MAS Distinguished Term Professor in Economics and Finance from 2 to 17 January 2025. Professor Mian will be hosted by NUS Business School’s Department of Real Estate and the Economic Policy Group of MAS during the term of the Professorship.
2 Professor Mian is the John H. Laporte, Jr. Class of 1967 Professor of Economics, Public Policy, and Finance at Princeton University. He co-founded the Center for Economic Research in Pakistan and is currently the Director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy and Finance at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
3 Professor Mian’s research emphasises the role of leverage, credit cycles and financial fragility in driving macroeconomic outcomes. His research explores how household debt contributes to economic recessions and how inequality can affect the long-term sustainability of economic growth. He is the co-author of House of Debt, an influential book demonstrating how excessive borrowing pre-Global Financial Crisis (GFC) led to prolonged economic stagnation post-GFC.
4 Professor Andrew Kenan Rose, Dean of NUS Business School, said, “Professor Atif Mian is an esteemed figure in economics and finance who has produced influential research in a number of areas. I look forward to his visit, and am sure that many of our faculty and students will benefit from interactions with him.”
5 Mr Edward Robinson, Deputy Managing Director (Economic Policy) and Chief Economist, MAS, said, “Professor Mian is an internationally renowned economist whose work has significantly contributed to our understanding of how excessive debt can increase the likelihood of recessions and dampen long-term economic growth. His research has important implications for key aspects of financial stability in Singapore. It is our great privilege to welcome him as the 23rd MAS Term Professor, and we look forward to learning from such a distinguished scholar.”
6 Professor Mian will deliver a public lecture at NUS on 14 January 2025, where he will speak on the effects of inequality on financialisation, debt-dependence, and a debt super-cycle. In addition, Professor Mian will engage in dialogue sessions with NUS faculty members to discuss his latest research findings.
7 Professor Mian will also give a talk at MAS, and engage with senior policymakers and economists on international finance and monetary policy issues.
About the MAS Term Professorship in Economics and Finance
First established in 2009, the MAS Term Professorship in Economics and Finance is awarded to distinguished scholars, who are appointed as Visiting Professors at the Department of Economics at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the NUS Business School, or the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. It aims to strengthen Singapore’s financial and economics research infrastructure and contribute to a vibrant research community and culture at local universities. Since its inception, the MAS Term Professorship in Economics and Finance has been awarded to 23 distinguished scholars over the last 15 years. On 4 December 2024, MAS reaffirmed its partnership with NUS by extending the scheme for another five years.
