Bryn Mawr College

Washington, D.C., April 1, 2009, 5:30–8 pm

The Bryn Mawr Alumnae Association is honored to invite you to a reception at The Washington Club to introduce you to President Jane Dammen McAuliffe. The reception will also include Bryn Mawr's New York Classroom, a faculty-student panel moderated by President McAuliffe. We will be joined by Harvey Wexler Professor of Economics Michael Rock and two of his students, Menghan Shen '10 and Tinu Akinfolarin '09, who will discuss the role of institutions in economic development We hope to see you there!

Faculty Bios

Michael Rock
Harvey Wexler Professor of Economics

Professor Michael Rock teaches and writes about economic, political and environmental developments in the fast growing, newly industrializing countries in Northeast and Southeast Asia. He received his B.S. from Duquesne University and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. Professor Rock has published articles on corruption and democracy, democracy and development, industrial policy and development, and on the environment and development in East Asia. His latest book is Industrial Transformation in the Developing World (Oxford University Press: 2005). His work has been supported by, among others, the MacArthur Foundation, the U.S. National Science Foundation, UNIDO, the Asian Development Bank, the Government of Japan, and the World Wildlife Fund.

Student bios

Menghan Shen '10

Menghan Shen, a junior from Guangzhou, China, is majoring in economics and mathematics. She is very interested in development economics and pays special attention to issues in rural China. In her freshman year, she founded an NGO “PEER Summer Camp” to empower high school students in rural China that serves 150 rural students every year. She is the off-site researcher for Global Action on Aging (based at the UN) that advocates older people's needs. In addition, she worked as the research assistant on the development and democracy for Professor Rock. She plans to pursue graduate studies in economics.

Tinu Akinfolarin '09

Tinu Akinfolarin, a senior from Boston, Massachusetts, is majoring in economics. She wrote her thesis last semester with Professor Rock where she examined the role that a neopatrimonial institution played in the development outcomes of Nigeria. On campus, Tinu serves as a Hall Advisor and she is also co-president of Project Educate in Africa, an advocacy group that seeks to promote educational opportunities in Africa by organizing book drives on campus and setting up scholarship funds for underprivileged students in Africa. She is also a member of the Student Finance Committee, which allocates money to over 100 student organizations on campus. Tinu spent last summer interning at Lehman Brothers in New York City. After graduation she hopes to pursue a career where she can use her passion for business and education to promote social change.