Faculty Profiles


Alex Wong Headshot

Ho Lun (Alex) Wong, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Economics

On Faculty since 2019




I am an empirical economist and am most interested in doing research that generates insights for addressing real-world problems. My primary areas of research are development economics and the economics of education. I am also interested in working on related fields such as health economics, labor economics, and public economics. Most of my past and current projects are conducted in the poor parts of developing countries, such as China’s and Ethiopia’s rural areas. In my projects, I typically analyzed micro-level data to study the impacts of intervention programs or policy changes. My research has been published in the Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Public Economics, Economics of Education Review, and Journal of Development Studies.

Prior to joining Wheaton, I had taught at Lingnan University in Hong Kong for six years and had concurrently served as the warden of a student hostel for three years. I am married and my wife, Flora, and I have two children.

Dr. Wong's website

Ph.D., Economics, Stanford University, 2012

M.A., Economics, Stanford University, 2008

B.A., Economics and Mathematics (double major) with Political Science minor, UCLA, 2005

  • Intermediate Microeconomics
  • Economic Growth and Development
  • Econometrics
  • Senior Seminar

Primary: Development Economics, Economics of Education

Secondary: Health Economics, Labor Economics, Public Economics

Ho Lun Wong, Wang Yu, Renfu Luo, Linxiu Zhang, and Scott Rozelle. 2017. Local Governance and the Quality of Local Infrastructure: Evidence from Village Road Projects in Rural China. Journal of Public Economics, 152, 119–132.

Ho Lun Wong, Yaojing Shi, Renfu Luo, Linxiu Zhang, and Scott Rozelle. 2014. Improving the Health and Education of Elementary Schoolchildren in Rural China: Iron Supplementation versus Nutritional Training for Parents. Journal of Development Studies 50(4), 502–519.

Ho Lun Wong, Renfu Luo, Linxiu Zhang, and Scott Rozelle. 2013. The Impact of Vouchers on Preschool Attendance and Elementary School Readiness: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Rural China. Economics of Education Review 35, 53–65.

Ho Lun Wong, Renfu Luo, Linxiu Zhang, and Scott Rozelle. 2013. Providing Quality Infrastructure in Rural Villages: The Case of Rural Roads in China. Journal of Development Economics 103, 262–274.