Cheng Lei
	Associate Professor
	Department of Mathematical Economics and Mathematical Finance
	Email: chenglei2016@whu.edu.cn
	Phone: +86-027-68753085
	PhD, Economics, University of California, Berkeley, USA (2011-2016)
	M.A., Economics, Peking University, China (2005-2008)
	B.A., Economics, Wuhan Textile University, China (2001-2005)

TEACHING AND RESEARCH AREAS

ŸTeaching Courses: Microeconomics, International Economics, Development Economics, Investments

ŸResearch Areas: Development Economics

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

ŸJuly 2024 –    : Associate Professor, Wuhan University

ŸJuly 2016 – 2023: Assistant Professor, Wuhan University

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

ŸZhen Sun, Lei Cheng. 2025. Strategic use of the second-tier patent system for short life-cycle technologies: evidence from parallel filings in China. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, forthcoming.

ŸLei Cheng. 2025. Political governance and firm performance in China: evidence from a quasi-natural experiment. Journal of Financial Stability, forthcoming.

ŸLei Cheng, Senyang Wang. 2024. The economic costs of obesity: evidence from China. Applied Economics Letters, forthcoming.

ŸLei Cheng, Yue Li. 2024. Political governance and corporate investment efficiency in China. Applied Economics Letters, forthcoming.

ŸLei Cheng, Zhimin Li. 2023. Political connections, competition, and innovation: quasi-experimental evidence from Chinese firms. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 71(3), 819-862.

ŸLei Cheng. 2022. Political capital and physical capital: substitute or complement? Evidence from China’s anti-corruption campaign. Emerging Markets Review, 51.

ŸZhen Sun, Lei Cheng. 2021. Air pollution and procyclical mortality: evidence from China. China Economic Review, 68.

ŸLei Cheng, Zhen Sun. 2021. The white elephant in IP management: market frictions, market connections and escalation of commitment. China Economic Review, 67.

ŸZhimin Li, Lei Cheng. 2020. What do private firms do after losing political capital? Evidence from China. Journal of Corporate Finance. 60.

ŸLei Cheng, Zhen Sun. 2019. Do politically connected independent directors matter? Evidence from mandatory resignation events in China. China Economic Review, 58(6).

ŸLei Cheng, Hong Cheng, Ziyin Zhuang. 2019. Political connections, corporate innovation and entrepreneurship: evidence from the China Employer-Employee Survey (CEES). China Economic Review, 54(2), 286-305.

ŸLei Cheng. 2018. Estimating the value of political connections in China: evidence from sudden deaths of politically connected independent directors. Journal of Comparative Economics, 46(2), 495-514.

ŸLei Cheng, Zhen Lei. 2015. Does the expansion of Chinese state-owned enterprises affect the innovative behavior of private enterprises? Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, 22(1), 24-54.

ŸLei Cheng. 2011. Research on the Effects of the Expansion of the Income Gap on the Insufficiency of Consumption Demand in China: A Theoretical Analysis and Empirical Test. Economic Science, (1): 11-24.

ŸYeliang Xia, Lei Cheng. 2011. Research on Spillover Effects of FDI on the Technical Efficiency of China’s Industrial Enterprises: A Quantitative Analysis of Chinese Industrial Firms from 2002 to 2006. Journal of China Industrial Economics, 268 (7): 55-65.

CONFERENCE

ŸLei Cheng, “Do Politically Connected Independent Directors Matter? Evidence from Mandatory Resignation Events in China”, International Conference on the Chinese Economy (CESA2017), UWA Business School, Perth, Australia, 12-14 July 2017.

ŸLei Cheng, “Estimating the Value of Political Connections in China: Evidence from Sudden Deaths of Politically Connected Independent Directors”, The 6th Asia-Pacific Innovation Conference, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, November 2015.

ŸLei Cheng, “Does the Expansion of Chinese State-owned Enterprises Affect the Innovative Behavior of Private Enterprises”, The 4th Asia-Pacific Innovation Conference, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, December 2013.

RESEARCH GRANTS

Ÿ2018.01 – 2020.12, National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.: 71703113), ¥ 180000.

Ÿ2017.04 – 2019.04, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Wuhan University, ¥ 30000.

REFERRER

•China Economic Review; Journal of Business Ethics; World Development; Contemporary Economic Policy；Economic Systems; International Journal of Conflict Management; Pacific-Basin Finance Journal