Nobel laureate helps launch research center in Shanghai

A research center named after Oliver Hart, an American Economist who won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2016, was established at East China University of Science and Technology on Sunday.

The Oliver Hart Research Center of Contracts and Governance was jointly founded by the university and Hart himself, as well as several experts in economics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Fudan University and East China Normal University.

Hart, now a professor at Harvard University, was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to contract theory.

Hart visited China in the 1990s to participate in discussions on key issues in China’s economic reforms. More recently he's been contributing to improving China’s research on economics and talent cultivation.

Focusing on contracts and governance, the new center will study major economic issues typical to China. Its key research topics will include digital economics, industrial organizations, corporate management and public governance mechanisms.

The center will also provide theoretical resources for policy makers and support China's economic development.