Wenxuan Hou

Fulbright-Royal Society of Edinburgh Scholar Award

Wenxuan Hou (Wen) is Chair and Professor of Corporate Finance at the University of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His research examines how historical legacies, institutional structures, and cultural forces shape financial development, firm behaviour, and economic governance. His work has been published in journals including the Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Financial Intermediation, and Journal of Corporate Finance. As a Fulbright-Royal Society of Edinburgh Scholar at Brown University, Wen will collaborate with Professor Oded Galor in the Department of Economics on research connecting the deep roots of cultural evolution to comparative financial development. The project builds on his published work linking ethnic violence, historical institutions, and cultural attitudes to contemporary financial outcomes. A keen traveller who has visited more than 120 countries, Wen has a strong interest in cultures, cities, and intellectual history. During his Fulbright Award, he looks forward to engaging with Brown’s interdisciplinary research community, participating in seminars and workshops, and gaining a richer understanding of American academic and cultural life. He hopes the visit will foster lasting transatlantic collaborations and bring fresh perspectives to his teaching and supervision in Edinburgh.