On July 14, 2025, our institute invited Dr. Zhiwu Wei, Research Fellow of the Leverhulme Trust at the Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, and the Cambridge Centre for Interdisciplinary Spatial Analysis, to deliver an academic lecture entitled “Mobile Internet Connectivity and Household Wealth in the Philippines.”

The lecture was chaired by Professor Zhou Mi, with Professor Liu Weilin and Assistant Professor Wang Ran serving as discussants.

Research Fellow Zhiwu Wei drew on big data, geographic information system (GIS) technology, and causal inference econometric methods to give a detailed introduction to the identification and evaluation of the relationship between mobile internet connectivity and household wealth in the Philippines.

In the discussion session, Dr. Wei had a lively exchange with the participating faculty and students. Professor Liu Weilin, Associate Professor Zhang Zhiqiang, Associate Professor Gao Xuelian, and Assistant Professor Wang Ran each provided insightful comments on the lecture from the perspective of their own research fields and raised questions and suggestions regarding aspects such as the data and instrumental variables used in the paper.

Dr. Wei gave detailed responses to the questions and suggestions from the faculty and students present.

Through this lecture, the students gained a deeper understanding of the roots and consequences of spatial inequality.

After the academic lecture, Research Fellow Zhiwu Wei visited the China Regional Economic Application Laboratory of our institute, where he learned about the laboratory’s achievements in urban spatial big data, experimental teaching, disciplinary development, and think tank building. He also shared and exchanged views on the development of laboratories in the international arena.

The “Nankai Institute of Economics and Development Young Scholars Salon” is an academic exchange platform established by our institute for young scholars. Each session invites outstanding young experts and scholars for discussions and is open to all faculty and students. Through this lecture series, the institute seeks to broaden the academic horizons of its faculty and students, while promoting communication and collaboration across domestic and international, as well as internal and external, resources.