Hou Lei, a Ph.D candidate from joint doctoral training of the Department of International Economics of Economic School and the Economic School of Germany's University of Munich, collaborated with Zhang Jiarui, a Ph.D candidate from the University of Munich, on a thesis ‘Multiple Finances, Margins of FDI and Aggregate Industry Productivity’, which won the “Marijan Hanzekovic Award For The Best Thesis Of The Year 2011 Croatia ”.

This award is collaboratively funded by the Croatian International Institute of Public Finance, Croatian Ministry of Finance and Coratian central bank, and is named after Marijan Hanzekovic, a Croatian late professor of economy, jurisprudence, literature and linguistics. This award aims at rewarding outstanding scholars especially young scholars who have made significant contributions in the economic field and ranks first in Croatia as the most influential and regarded national award. The annually given awards for the best thesis and the best student work have only one winner each.

Hou Lei’s essay stood out among numerous academic dissertations from Europe and America and finally won the award for the best thesis of the year 2011 which went to a foreigner for the first time since its inception in 2000.

On December the 9th, 2011, Hou Lei flied to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and attended the award ceremony, after which she accepted reviews from major Croatian media. The competition essay has been published in the first phase of ‘Financial Theory and Practice’.(By Yang Yi)