Emerging Scholar of 2007 is KU professor
Economics professor Elizabeth Asiedu received national recognition when Diverse magazine recently selected her as one of 10 Emerging Scholars for 2007.
Asiedu caught the attention of the magazine, formerly called Black Issues in Higher Education, for her research into the role of foreign nations' direct investments on Africa's economy.
"Africa has received a lot of foreign aid," Asiedu said. "That is all well and good, but unlike foreign aid, foreign direct investment creates employment, fosters the transfer of technology and enhances productivity."
Asiedu has advised policymakers in Africa on how to make a "friendlier" investment climate to attract more foreign investment. She has also worked for several international organizations, including the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, International Labor Organization and the International Monetary Fund on issues regarding foreign investment to Africa.
"I am where I am because of the generosity of so many people," she said. Asiedu cites Charles Oswald, c'51, a businessman whose gifts to KU Endowment made her the first Oswald scholar in economics; Joe Sicilian, chair of the department of economics, who nominated her; and her colleagues for creating an environment conducive to research.
Asiedu came to KU as an assistant professor in 1998. She's a member of the African Studies Council and Black Faculty and Staff Council and a research scholar at KU's Institute for Policy and Social Research.
She's a graduate of the University of Ghana and completed her graduate work at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign.
