home > the cfr think tank > experts > elizabeth c. economy
C.V. Starr Senior Fellow and Director for Asia Studies
Contact Info:
Phone: +1-212-434-9641
E-mail: eeconomy@cfr.org
Location:
New York, NY
Media downloads:
One-page bio (PDF, 56K)
Video clip (CR.MP4, 1.1 MB)
Video clip (WMV, 847K)
Award-winning author of The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenges to China’s Future. Currently writing a book on the implications of China’s global quest for natural resources.
Expertise:Chinese domestic and foreign policy; U.S.-China relations; global environmental issues.
Experience:Member, Board of Councilors, China-U.S. Center for Sustainable Development; member, Global Agenda Council on the Future of China, World Economic Forum; member, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations; member, Research Council, Institute for International Research at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies (2000-2002); member, Selection Committee for the Woodrow Wilson Center’s International Scholars Program (1999-2000); Cochair, Woodrow Wilson Center Working Group on China and the Environment (1997-99); member, Selection Committee of MacArthur Foundation Research Writing Competition (1996-98); periodically consults for agencies of the U.S. government; professorial lecturer, SAIS, Johns Hopkins University (1997); Research Fellow, Columbia University (1994); Visiting Assistant Professor of Chinese Foreign Policy, University of Washington (1993-94).
Languages:Chinese and Russian (familiar).
Honors:Received honorary degree from Vermont Law School (May 2008); The River Runs Black named best social sciences book published on Asia in 2003 or 2004 by the International Convention on Asia Scholars (June 2005); The River Runs Black named one of the top 10 books of 2004 by the Globalist; profiled in the National Journal’s special report on people whose ideas will help shape important policy issues after the 2004 presidential elections (May 2004).
Selected Publications:The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China’s Future (Cornell University Press, 2004); China Joins the World: Progress and Prospects (coeditor, Council on Foreign Relations Press, 1999); The Internationalization of Environmental Protection (coeditor, Cambridge University Press, 1997); “China’s Olympic Nightmare,” Foreign Affairs, (co-author, July/August 2008); China in Africa: Implications for U.S. Policy, Testimony before the U.S. Senate Committe on Foreign Relations' Subcommittee on African Affairs Hearing (June 4, 2008); "Economic Miracle, Environmental Disaster: The Degradation of the Huai River Basin," What Matters (Sterling Publishing, March 2008); "China's Growing Ecological Footprint: Global Threat or Opportunity for Collaboration?" The United States, Russia, and China: Confronting Global Terrorism and Security Challenges in the 21st Century (Praeger Security International, 2008); "China's Real Environmental Challenge," Caijing Magazine (Annual Edition, 2008); "A Regional Security Complex in East Asia: The Reality and the Potential," The Environmental Dimension of Asian Security: Conflict and Cooperation over Energy, Resources, and Pollution (United States Institute of Peace Press, 2007); Inside China (contributing author, National Geographic, 2007); "The Great Leap Backward?" Foreign Affairs (September/October 2007); "Scorched Earth: Will Environmental Risks in China Overwhelm its Opportunities?" Harvard Business Review (2007); "China vs. Earth," The Nation (2007); China's Environmental Challenge, testimony before the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission Hearing (February 2, 2006); Environmental NGOs in China: Encouraging Action and Addressing Public Grievances, testimony before the Congressional Executive Commission on China Roundtable (February 7, 2005); "Don't Break the Engagement," Foreign Affairs (May/June 2004); "Interview with Elizabeth Economy: China's Development and the Environment," Harvard Asia Quarterly (Winter 2003); Beginning the Journey: China, the United States, and the WTO, report of the Independent Task Force (codirector, Council on Foreign Relations Press, 2001); "Reforming China," Survival (Autumn 1999); "Painting China Green," Foreign Affairs (March/April 1999); and opeds and book reviews book published in the New York Times, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, New York Newsday, and South China Morning Post.
Related Links:
CFR Fellow Elizabeth Economy’s The River Runs Black Named Best Social Sciences Book on Asia
Current Research Projects
Past Research Projects
June 4, 2009
Testimony
See more in China, Climate Change, U.S. Strategy and Politics
May/June 2009
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
A heightened bilateral relationship may not be possible for China and the United States, as the two countries have mismatched interests and values.
See more in United States, China
May/June 2009
Podcast
This audio includes readings of selected articles from the May/June 2009 issue of Foreign Affairs.
See more in United States, U.S. Strategy and Politics
May/June 2009
Podcast
From the May/June 2009 issue of Foreign Affairs: Why the United States and China are not ready to upgrade ties.
See more in United States, China
February 26, 2009
Op-Ed
McKinsey & Company
Elizabeth Economy asks, "Can humankind find its way to a world that is cleaner, safer, and fairer than the one we inhabit today?"
See more in China, Energy/Environment, Natural Resources Management
February 19, 2009
Audio
Listen to CFR experts examine U.S. foreign policy toward Asia, the global economy, and the challenges and opportunities that fill the new administration's inbox.
See more in Asia, Economic Development, Trade
February 19, 2009
Video
Watch CFR experts examine U.S. foreign policy toward Asia, the global economy, and the challenges and opportunities that fill the new administration's inbox.
See more in Asia, Economics, Economic Development
February 19, 2009
Transcript
Embarking on her first international trip later this month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Japan, South Korea, China, and Indonesia to reinforce President Obama's commitment to active engagement and discuss the global financial crisis. Join CFR experts Edward Alden, Caroline Atkinson, and Elizabeth C. Economy to discuss U.S. foreign policy toward Asia, the global economy, and the challenges and opportunities that fill the new administration's inbox.
See more in United States, Asia, China, Economics, Business & Foreign Policy, Emerging Markets
February 12, 2009
Transcript
CFR Fellows Paul Stares, Sheila Smith, and Elizabeth Economy discuss Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's upcoming trip to Asia, her first trip in her new role.
See more in China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Public Diplomacy
February 12, 2009
Audio
Listen to CFR experts Elizabeth C. Economy, Sheila A. Smith and Paul B. Stares discuss U.S. foreign policy toward Asia, in advance of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's trip to the region.
December 12, 2008
Interview
Elizabeth Economy, CFR's director of Asian Studies, says that China's economy is now "losing steam very quickly" and that the "global economic crisis is going to make it much harder for China to address its own domestic economic problems."
See more in China, Economics, Financial Crises
December 1, 2008
Transcript
Session III of a Council on Foreign Relations Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: An Agenda for Change.
This session was part of the CFR Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: An Agenda for Change, cosponsored with the Asahi Shimbun.
See more in Japan, National Security and Defense
December 1, 2008
Video
Watch experts discuss how the United States and Japan can address critical security issues in northeast Asia, including the Six-Party Talks with North Korea.
This session was part of the CFR Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: An Agenda for Change, cosponsored with the Asahi Shimbun.
See more in Japan, National Security and Defense, Weapons of Mass Destruction
December 1, 2008
Audio
Listen to experts discuss how the United States and Japan can address critical security issues in northeast Asia, including the Six-Party Talks with North Korea.
This session was part of the CFR Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: An Agenda for Change, cosponsored with the Asahi Shimbun.
See more in Japan, Defense Strategy, Weapons of Mass Destruction
December 1, 2008
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Elizabeth C. Economy writes that "China matters more to the world every day-not just on trade and finance but on climate change, food safety, nonproliferation and other global challenges."
See more in China
November 20, 2008
Op-Ed
TimeOut New York
Elizabeth Economy writes that "until China's leaders fix things at home, they can't really tackle the global problems abroad."
See more in China
November 13, 2008
Expert Brief
CFR's Elizabeth Economy and Adam Segal write that Chinese leadership in resolving the financial crisis is likely to be constrained.
See more in China, Financial Crises
August 27, 2008
Video
Watch experts discuss foreign policy challenges for the next administration at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, featuring a special address by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, cosponsored with the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies and the City and County of Denver's 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable.
This roundtable was underwritten, in part, by Chevron Corporation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
See more in U.S. Strategy and Politics, U.S. Election 2008
August 27, 2008
Audio
Watch experts discuss foreign policy challenges for the next administration at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, featuring a special address by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, cosponsored with the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies and the City and County of Denver's 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable.
This roundtable was underwritten, in part, by Chevron Corporation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
See more in U.S. Strategy and Politics, U.S. Election 2008
August 27, 2008
Transcript
Experts discuss foreign policy challenges for the next administration at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, featuring a special address by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, cosponsored with the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies and the City and County of Denver's 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable.
This roundtable was underwritten, in part, by Chevron Corporation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
See more in United States, Congress, Foreign Policy History, U.S. Election 2008
Explore international efforts to curb nuclear proliferation with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
The Canadian oil sands present an important challenge to policymakers: they promise energy security benefits but present climate change problems. Michael A. Levi assesses the energy security and climate change effects of the oil sands and makes recommendations for U.S. policymakers within the context of broader bilateral relations with Canada.
This report explores an important element of the maritime policy regime: the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Author Scott G. Borgerson examines the international negotiations that led to the convention, the history of debates in the United States over whether to join it, and the strategic importance of the oceans for U.S. foreign policy today.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
In War of Necessity, War of Choice, Richard N. Haass contrasts the decisions that shaped the conduct of two wars between the United States and Iraq involving the two presidents Bush and Saddam Hussein, and writes an authoritative, personal account of how U.S. foreign policy is made, what it should seek, and how it should be pursued.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba’s unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
As Ray Takeyh shows in Guardians of the Revolution, behind the famous personalities and extremist slogans of Iran is a nation that is far more pragmatic—and complex—than many in the West have been led to believe.
Complete list of CFR Books
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
Sebastian Mallaby
Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for
Geoeconomic Studies, Deputy Director of Studies, and Paul A. Volcker Senior
Fellow for International Economics
smallaby@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9753
jhill@cfr.org
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.