John Whalley, Background

John Whalley’s interest in applying abstract mathematical concepts to global issues stems from his time at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom and Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where he worked as a teaching assistant to Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz. His early research focused on applying general equilibrium theory to taxation, with an initial interest in the economic integration of the United Kingdom into the European Economic Community, which later developed into the European Union.

John’s research quickly expanded from the domain of public finance to international trade and development, which saw him conduct part of the early computational work for the Tokyo Round of the General Agreement on Trades and Tariffs. Before the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1995, John had already begun to examine international trade through the lens of globalization. In 1979, John was named director of the Centre for International Economic Relations at the University of Western Ontario, in London, Canada, a position he still holds on a joint basis.

Since the early 1990s, climate change has been a major research area for John. He has focused on the effects of alternative policy approaches, and on the interface between environment and trade. John joined CIGI as a distinguished fellow in 2004. Recently, his focus on Chinese policy issues has led him to conclude, “nothing happens in China without impacting the rest of the world.”

In January 2011, John was listed as the top-ranked Canadian researcher in the Research Papers in Economics (RePEc) database, which factors the number of papers published and the ranking of the individual journals. He is a fellow at the Royal Society of Canada and the Econometric Society, and a foreign fellow of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. John is the co-editor of CESifo Economic Studies, the journal published by the Center for Economic Studies (CES) and Oxford University Press, and Economic Forum published by the Ifo Institute for Economic Research. A recipient of the 2012 Canada Council Killam Prizes, he is also a former joint managing editor of The World Economy.

When he isn’t conducting research or teaching, John enjoys travelling throughout China and, less frequently, the Canadian north.

Notable Media & Presentations

“Has geography become history?” Work cited in a story in The Economic Times (India) on the performance of seven key Asian economies. August 26, 2010.
“Canadian economist says China’s reaction to yuan appreciation pressure not strong enough.” Quoted in a Xinhua News story on a symposium on Chinese policy response. March 24, 2010.
“Possibility for new Bretton Woods initiative as a result of the financial crisis.” Interviewed for CCTV9 (China) program Dialogue, November 28, 2008.
“The role of government and market in financial crisis.” Interviewed for CCTV9 (China) program Dialogue. October 29, 2008.
“How should we negotiate globally on climate change?” Op-ed in the The Waterloo Region Record on the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 13) in Bali. December 5, 2007.

Selected Publications

Whalley, John (2009). “Introduction to the Symposium on Poverty and Inequality in China.” CESifo Economic Studies 55, no. 3-4.
Whalley, John, and Yufei Yuan (2009). “Global Financial Structure and Climate Change.” Journal of Financial Transformation 25.
Walsh, Sean, and John Whalley (2009). “Bringing the Copenhagen Global Climate Change Negotiations to Conclusion.” CESifo Economic Studies 55, no. 2.
Wigle, Randall, and John Whalley (1991). “Cutting CO2 Emissions: The Effects of Alternative Policy Approaches.” The Energy Journal 12, no. 1.
Shoven, John, and John Whalley (1974). “On the Computation of Competitive Equilibrium on International Markets with Tariffs.” Journal of International Economics 4, no. 4.