The Intersection of History and Policy

My current research focuses on the pivotal moments when Western economic thought met Chinese reform-era policy. Milton Friedman’s visits in the 1980s represent a unique case study in intellectual diplomacy. Milton Friedman’s papers at the Hoover Institution provide a behind-the-scene perspective of those visits and a real-time asessment of the prospect of the Chinese economy.

Key Research Questions:

• The 1980 Lecture Series: How did the Chinese leadership interpret Friedman’s “Price Theory” during his first visit?
• Meeting Zhao Ziyang: Analyzing the transcripts of the 1988 meeting and the subsequent shift in price reform.
• Legacy: How do these historical visits inform the current “Stanford Abundance” framework?

“The Chinese people are the same as people everywhere. They want to improve their lives. They are industrious, they are energetic.” — Milton Friedman, 1988

Project Status

This project is currently under development. I am currently reviewing several key documents related to the 1988 visit at the Hoover Institute.

Milton and Rose Friedman during their visit to TianAnMen Square in Beijing.

Milton Friedman meeting with General Secretary Zhao Ziyang in 1988.