Elizabeth Economy

Elizabeth C. Economy (born 1962) is a researcher and author on Chinese domestic and foreign policy, Sino-US relations, and global environmental issues. Economy received her PhD from the University of Michigan, her AM from Stanford University and her BA from Swarthmore College. She has taught undergraduate- and graduate-level courses at Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, and the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies.

Economy is currently the C.V. Starr senior fellow and director of Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. She serves on the board of the China-US Center for Sustainable Development and the advisory board for Issues and Studies, an international journal on China, Taiwan, and East Asian affairs. Economy has published widely on both Chinese domestic and foreign policy. The River Runs Black was named one of the top ten books of 2004 by The Globalist and won the International Convention on Asia Scholars Award for the best social sciences book published on Asia in 2003 or 2004. She is a frequent guest on nationally broadcast radio and television programmes, has testified before Congress on numerous occasions, and regularly speaks at international conferences such as the World Economic Forum in Davos and the Fortune Global Forum.    

Top 10 Ideas

Download Elizabeth Economy's Top 10 Ideas from the interview.

Interview Transcript

Download a transcript of the interview.

In this video, Elizabeth Economy, author of The River Runs Black (2004), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about the history and state of environmental degradation in China with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 11 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Elizabeth Economy, author of The River Runs Black (2004), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about the role of civil society in China with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 11 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Elizabeth Economy, author of The River Runs Black (2004), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about the role of government and legislation in China with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 11 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Elizabeth Economy, author of The River Runs Black (2004), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about the role of globalisation and global issues in China with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 11 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Elizabeth Economy, author of The River Runs Black (2004), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about the role of clean technology in China with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 11 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Elizabeth Economy, author of The River Runs Black (2004), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about the role of multinationals and the supply chain in China with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 11 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Elizabeth Economy, author of The River Runs Black (2004), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about the global impact of China and drivers for change with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 11 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Elizabeth Economy, author of The River Runs Black (2004), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about climate change and China with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 11 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.

In this video, Elizabeth Economy, author of The River Runs Black (2004), one of the most influential books on sustainability, talks about scenarios and hope for the future with CPSL Senior Associate Wayne Visser, on 11 August 2008. The interview was part of the Cambridge Top 50 Sustainability Books Project.