Debin Ma currently serves as Professor of Economics at the Institute of Economic Research of Hitotsubashi University in Japan, Associate Professor in Department of Economic History of LSE (currently on leave) and Visiting Professor of Economics at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. He obtained his Phd in Economics from University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and has taught and researched extensively in US, Europe and Asia. His main research interest is in long-term economic growth in China and Asia, comparative institutional analysis, measurement of long-term living standards and welfare. He is the author of numerous articles that appeared in Journal of Economic Literature, Journal of Economic History, Journal of Comparative Economics and etc. He is the co-editor of numerous economic history books and special issues in prestigious outlets. He is currently the co-editor of the two volume Cambridge Economic History of China (in progress). A member of the CEPR (Centre for Economic Policy Research), Debin Ma appeared regularly in BBC documentary series and other public engagement activities.