Roll Call Tribute

Chao-Cheng Mai
February 26, 1943 - March 6, 2019

Academician Mai was born on February 26th, 1943 in Hsinchu County, Taiwan Province. He graduated from the Economics Department of National Taiwan University in 1985. He obtained a master's degree in economics from the National Taiwan University and a Master's degree in economics from the University of Rochester in the 1949 and 1962 respectively. In 1965, he obtained a Doctorate degree in Economics from Texas A&M University.

In 1965, he returned to China after completing his studies and went to the Academia Sinica's Three People's Principles Institute to serve and teach at Chengchi University and National Taiwan University. From the 1960s to the 1970s, he and Academician Chen Zhaonan successively led the Research Institute of the Three People's Principles of the Academia Sinica, led a group of local scholars into the international academic period, and cultivated many outstanding research talents for Taiwan's economic circles. At that time, the academic performance of the Economics Group of the Sanmin Institute was second to none in Taiwan, which encouraged other academic units to catch up.

Academician Mai’s academic contributions are mainly concentrated in the fields of "regional economy" and "international trade". He has published academic papers in top international economic journals such as American Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of International Economics, Economic Journal, etc. Academician Mai was the first to incorporate regional differences in theory set price model, and get different scholars and traditional welfare effects. Academician Mai was also the first scholar to use the oligopoly model to analyze the comparison of tariffs and quotas in international trade theory. His research results have aroused widespread impacts in academia.

Academician Mai has outstanding academic performance and has been awarded many academic honors and awards, including: "Academician of Academia Sinica", "National Lecture of the Ministry of Education" for life, "Four National Science Council Outstanding Research Awards", "Business Academic Award of the Ministry of Education", "China Education and Culture Foundation Outstanding Research Award", "Outstanding Talent Development Foundation Outstanding Talent Lecture Award", and Taiwan Economic Association "Outstanding Contribution Award", etc.

From 1985 to 1991, he served as the dean of the China Economic Research Institute, and since 1991, he was employed as a chair professor in the Department of Industrial Economics of Tamkang University. Scholars always lead by example, conscientiously engaged in academic research for decades. This perseverance has not only affected the research partners around him, but has also become the best model for students, making the academic performance of every academic unit in which they are located has improved by leaps and bounds.

Academician Mai also contributed what he learned to the practical field of public policy. During his tenure as the dean of the China Economic Research Institute, he always needed to put forward countermeasures against real economic problems for the government's reference. During the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Mai analyzed the financial situation of Taiwan and proposed policy measures to minimize economic impact of the crisis. In 2000, he was appointed a policy advisor to Chen Shui-bian, President of the Republic of China. His research report on "Analysis and Countermeasures of China's Current Economic Issues" is available for government decision-makers to refer to and adopt to resolve the domestic economic crisis.

Academician Mai is not only committed to academic research and educating students, but also fully applying academic concepts to the formulation and implementation of public policies. His love for Taiwan is indeed a model for younger economists. With his perseverance and perseverance in academic research, Academician Mai has had a strong positive spillover effect on Taiwan’s economic circles.

*Translated from Chinese, please forgive any errors.