Asia Institute for Political Economy (AIPE) summer academic programme at HKU

The School of Economics and Finance, in conjunction with The Fund for American Studies and Georgetown University in Washington D.C., offer a 3-week academic programme at the University of Hong Kong in summer term each year.

In 2010, students from around the world, including Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States congregated in Hong Kong to participate in the Asia Institute for Political Economy summer academic programme to learn about the principles of free market economics and political concepts.

Universities represented from abroad include, Ateneo de Manila University, Australian National University, Central Washington University, Duke University, East Carolina University, Hanoi Foreign Trade University, Harvard University, Indonesia National University, Institute for Business Education, International Business School – Budapest, Kathmandu University, Marietta College, Mount St. Mary’s College, National Taichung University, National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Northern Arizona University, Pannasastra University of Cambodia, Presh Kossomak Polytechnic Institute, Purbanchal University, Royal University of Law and Economics, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Seoul National University, Singapore Management University, Tribhuvan University, Tulane University, United State Air Force Academy, United State Military Academy, United States Air Force Academy, United States Coast Guard Academy, University of Cambodia, University of Chittagong, University of Colombo, University of Kaiserslautern, University of Miami, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Virginia, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Wesleyan University, Winona State University and from the China Mainland – Central University of Finance and Economics, East China Normal, Fudan, Nanjing, Peking, Renmin, Shanghai Jiaotong, Sun Yat-Sen, Tsinghua and Zhejiang.

For three weeks, 73 students lived and studied on campus, and engaged in discussions on global economic and trade issues with one another as well as with regional specialists, industry leaders, legislators and professors from the United States and Hong Kong. Topics ranged from the rule of law and the property rights infrastructure as the underpinnings of a free market system, the local and regional equity markets, to the factors underlying China's economic growth. Well-known and popular speakers included Prof. Edward K.Y. Chen, Mr. Andrew Work, etc. Extracurricular activities were planned to promote both cross-cultural awareness and exchange.