SMU School of Economics Associate Dean (Faculty Research) and Professor of Economics Hoon Hian Teck takes a macroeconomics approach to the question of how does an economy stay healthy and keep on growing. In his research, Prof Hoon studies both the big swings in economic activities – such as Singapore’s dramatic advancement from third to first-world standard of living – as well as short-term business fluctuations commonly known as recessions or economic booms. He asks questions like “What makes economies grow?”, and has developed theories that explain why even fundamentally strong economies sometimes face economic woes. Prof Hoon’s theories have also been able to explain Singapore’s economy under changing circumstances.