Khairy Tourk
“I have always been interested in international subjects. I was born in Alexandria ,Egypt- well known for being a cosmopolitan city where people of different nationalities and cultures lived together. The varied richness of my surroundings in my formative years explains my life-long passion for comparative studies “.
Notable Vignette
I count myself lucky to have a Nobel prize winner in economics, Prof.Daniel L.McFadden , as my Ph.D dissertation advisor. One great economist at Berkeley that I deeply admired was Prof.Bent Hansen. He aroused my interest in the study of the economic conditions in the Middle East and Asia. I am indebted to him for guiding me to the necessity of incorporating politics, culture and history in dealing with economic policies. My interest in policy issues was further aroused during my consultation with international institutions such as the World Bank, IMF and the UN.
It was the 1997-98 Southeast Asian financial crisis, however, that propelled me toward policy making research. At that time, I was invited by top decision makers in Malaysia to lecture on capital controls. Shortly afterwards, I started lecturing in Japan with my first speech at Keio University. This has led to teaching and research positions at top universities in Japan such as The University of Tokyo, Nagoya University and Hitotsubashi University.
What excites me about Stuart
Teaching an internationally-oriented course invariably raises multiple perspectives. I am really impressed by the stimulating discussions that usually follow. Such discussions provide a learning experience for me as well as for the students. I still correspond with many who graduated years ago.
My Teaching Philosophy
In my teaching, I always start from the very basics in order to ensure that all students in the class are on the same wavelength. Due to their different backgrounds, early meetings might focus on introducing the basic tools. I try as much as possible to connect academic theories with real life policy issues. That is why the Financial Times is a required reading in some of my courses. In every class that I teach, a review session is given before the final exam.
My Teaching/Research Interests
My teaching covers managerial economics, international trade and international business. My research focuses on East-Asia with an emphasis on the role played by Japan in the industrialization of its neighbors before and after 1945. With the center of economic gravity moving from the Atlantic to the Pacific, accelerated by the current global economic crisis, Asian nations are bound to play a pivotal role in the creation of the new international economic order .The core of my present research is the study of the political economy of globalization, past and present.
