【Article by IMES】
On February 21, the International Master’s Program of Applied Economics and Social Development (IMES) at the College of Social Sciences hosted the International Symposium on Applied Economics. The event invited eight scholars from five countries and seven universities and research institutions to present their research findings in the field of applied economics. As the only applied economics institute in Taiwan—and one of the few in Asia offering courses entirely in English—the IMES program aims to build a platform for young applied economics scholars from the Asia-Pacific region to exchange ideas. This year marks the second edition of the symposium.

The morning session focused on labor economics research and was moderated by Professor Tzu-Ting Yang, who is jointly appointed by Academia Sinica and IMES. Professor Saisawat Samutpradit, originally from Thailand and currently teaching at Osaka University in Japan, discussed how elderly Thais adjust economically after the loss of a spouse. Professor Jisoo Hwang of Seoul National University in Korea analyzed the impact on Korean women’s earnings after becoming mothers, using Korea—one of the countries with the world’s lowest birth rates—as an example.
Professor Po-Chun Huang from NCCU’s Department of Economics examined the sources of wage inequality both between companies and within firms in Taiwan. Professor Chihiro Inoue from Kobe University in Japan explored how the proportion of girls in Japanese elementary school classrooms affects the academic performance of both female and male students.

The afternoon session focused on several important areas of applied economics, including trade, industry, healthcare, public finance, and agriculture. It was moderated by Professor Jack Wu, from the Department of Public Finance and the director of the IMES program. Professor Joonkyo Hong, a Korean national from the Department of Economics at National Taiwan University, used the ECFA signed between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait as an example to analyze whether trade liberalization has enabled industries or companies exporting to mainland China to gain greater monopsony power in the labor market. Researcher Han-Loong NG from Academia Sinica’s Institute of Economics, originally from Malaysia, used the U.S. Medicare system as a case study to explore the strategic choices of kidney transplant centers following the implementation of a performance evaluation mechanism for kidney transplant surgeries. Dr. Yi-Chun Ko, an alumnus of NCCU’s Department of Public Finance now working at the Asian Growth Research Institute in Japan, examined whether the impact of climate change on crop yields is influenced by the age of rice farmers, using aging farmers as an example. Professor Chien-Hao Fu from the Department of Public Finance at National Chengchi University analyzed the political and economic factors involved when Taiwanese local governments decide on the average property tax rate and property valuation mechanisms.

The young applied economics scholars from various countries found the symposium highly rewarding, actively offering comments and suggestions on their peers’ presentations. With the event open to NCCU faculty and students, several campus members attended as well. The IMES program, the only interdisciplinary graduate program in the world combining applied economics with social development, plans to continue hosting such small yet refined forums annually, inviting more young scholars from the Asia-Pacific region to NCCU for academic exchange.

Please refer to the IMES website for information on the International Symposium on Applied Economics.
https://imes.nccu.edu.tw/event-2025-international-symposiumon-applied-economics/