Liaoning University (LNU) successfully recruited Professor Tian Jianrong, a well-known outstanding economist in China, who holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to join the Faculty of Economics. This is another significant achievement for the university in deeply implementing the talent-strong strategy and accelerating the construction of “Double First-Class” initiative. It signifies a breakthrough in LNU’s efforts to attract high-level talents, highlighting the increasing academic influence and talent attraction of the institution.
Professor Tian Jianrong previously held a position at the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Hong Kong (2016-2023) and was a visiting scholar at the National School of Development at Peking University (2023-2024), as well as a short-term visiting scholar at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. He has long been committed to innovative research in microeconomic theory, particularly in the areas of observational learning, comparison of information structures, coarse information, mechanism design, and methods for monotone comparative static analysis, where he has achieved outstanding results. His research is pioneering and influential, and his findings have been published multiple times in top-tier international economics journals, including the Journal of Economic Theory, Economic Journal, and Review of Economic Studies. His representative achievements include:
1. Breakthroughs in the field of observational learning: In an article published in the top journal Review of Economic Studies, Professor Tian successfully resolved a long-standing theoretical puzzle in observational learning theory that had troubled two leading theoretical economists, opening up new directions for research in this field and gaining prominence.
2. Establishment of a coarse information analysis framework: In a solo-authored article published in the Economic Journal, he proposed an innovative analysis framework for coarse information and derived several general conclusions. The reviewers praised it as “one of the smartest applications of cutting-edge comparative statics methods”.
3. Economic characterization of information theory: In a solo-authored article in the Journal of Economic Theory, Professor Tian provided an intuitive economic characterization of core concepts in information theory—entropy and mutual information. This characterization was hailed by reviewers as an “incredible contribution” and has been successfully applied to the measurement of social issues such as racial segregation.
4. Significant progress in mechanism design: Professor Tian’s recent working paper, “Implementability without Quasilinearity”, has attracted widespread attention in the field of mechanism design. He extended Rochet’s (1987) classic cyclic monotonicity condition to non-quasilinear assumptions and applied this extension to thoroughly solve the implementability problem of monotone allocation under single crossing conditions. This achievement has impressed leading theoretical economists, including Larry Samuelson and Ludvig Sinander.
In addition to his outstanding research achievements, Professor Tian Jianrong has also accumulated extensive experience in teaching. He has taught a variety of courses to doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate students, including Advanced Microeconomics, Special Topics in Microeconomic Theory, Mathematical Economics, Uncertainty and Information, Behavioral Economics, and Microeconomic Analysis: Tools and Applications. His teaching style is clear and profound, which is highly appreciated by students, and his lecture notes have also received widespread praise.
Professor Tian Jianrong stated that LNU’s eagerness and respect for talent, as well as its rich academic atmosphere, deeply attracted him. He believes that LNU will provide a strong platform for him to continue advancing cutting-edge research in microeconomic theory. His joining is not only an important progress in the university’s talent team building but also a significant work achievement in the university’s “Double First-Class” construction process. As a renowned expert in microeconomic theory, Professor Tian’s addition will significantly enhance the overall strength of our university’s economics discipline and inject strong momentum into the university’s efforts to build an internationally influential research highland in economics.
