Belt and Road Initiative
Project Description
The appointee will be working on a HKSAR-funded research project on “Trade and Investment under ‘One Belt One Road’ (OBOR) and Implications for Hong Kong”. Led by Albert Park, Director of the Institute and a Professor in the Economics Department, the team also includes other faculty members and research fellows. The project is composed of five inter-related studies addressing the following topics: how OBOR will affect international trade flows, especially for China, Hong Kong, and OBOR countries; how increased trade from OBOR may increase the use of the Renminbi in trade settlement, contributing to its internationalization; how OBOR investments are implemented and their development impacts based on country case studies (including Pakistan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Russia, and other countries the Southeast Asia region); the development impacts of infrastructure projects as revealed by a road building project in India; and the potential for Hong Kong financial institutions to provide capital and financial services for OBOR investments. The studies shall provide valuable evidence-based insights that can help the Hong Kong SAR government to design optimal trade and investment policies to bolster Hong Kong’s future development.
Supervisor
PARK Albert Francis
Co-Supervisor
TRITTO Angela
Quota
5
Course type
UROP1100
Applicant's Roles
The project has opportunities for various roles. One of the most important task is to collect and organize data (both quantitative and from articles) on different Belt and Road countries, especially those on which the project will focus (see above). This data will then be used to build country profiles to show related investments and trade. The role therefore involves data gathering, data analysis, and data reporting. Data can either be collected manually, or through web-scraping techniques and other methods for data collection, if the candidate has suitable skills. Candidates with specific background in math or computer science that have had previous experience of building web-scraping algorithms will be highly preferred for this role. Candidates also preferred who have a background in social science or business, and/or who have expertise and language skills that will facilitate gathering and summarizing data on the following Southeast Asian countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Applicant's Learning Objectives
The applicant will get a unique opportunity to learn about the Belt and Road Initiative, and to be an active part of our research team. He/she will develop his ability to gather reliable data sources, analyze them and write concise reports. The applicant that will oversee the web-scaping algorithm will gain an invaluable opportunity to apply his knowledge to a real-life research project with high impact. Overall, all applicants will gain considerable knowledge and experience on data collection, data analysis, and research methods.
Complexity of the project
Moderate