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Tao Zou

Tao Zou

PhD student

Research interests

  • International development
  • Economics
  • Business
  • Policy

Contact details

Biography

Tao is a PhD candidate in Development Economics and a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of International Development, School of Politics & Economics, and King's Business School. He holds dual Master's degrees in Local Economic Development and in Development Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the University of Manchester.

His research focuses on Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and Global Value Chains (GVCs). He has been selected for a two-year program in the AIB-CIBER Doctoral Academy, funded by the Sheth Foundation Fellowship. He has worked at the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and was a finalist for the UNCTAD-AIB Award for Best Research on Investment and Development.

Research

Thesis title: 'Essays on Outward FDI and Firm Development in Emerging Economies: How GVCs and Industry 4.0 reshape the Internationalisation of MNEs?'

Tao's research is rooted in the fields of International Business, Development Economics, and Economic Geography. It will explore the development dilemmas of MNEs and FDI strategies from an insight into GVCs and cutting-edge digital technologies, to shape a new policy agenda of SDGs. Tao worked on the AI and Knowledge Diffusion section for the UN's Technology and Innovation Report 2025.

Tao's research has been funded by the Academy of International Business (AIB), Centre for Doctoral Studies, and King's SOF, and selected for the 2024 AIB Annual Conference, the 50th AIB-UKI conference, and the CEA European Conference.

PhD supervision

Further Details

See Tao's research profile

Research

Banking and Finance
Global Production, Finance and Labour research group

A multidisciplinary research group dealing with global production, labour, money and finance within the Department of International Development at the School of Global Affairs, King's College London.

Economics and finance and Strategic Entrepreneurship
Technology, Innovation, and Economic Development research group

The Technology, Innovation, and Development Research Group explores the role of cutting-edge technologies in International Development.

Digital China
Chinese International Investments research group

We examine how Chinese companies and government initiatives have made China a new source of large-scale capital investments and business activities in a variety of sectors.

Research

Banking and Finance
Global Production, Finance and Labour research group

A multidisciplinary research group dealing with global production, labour, money and finance within the Department of International Development at the School of Global Affairs, King's College London.

Economics and finance and Strategic Entrepreneurship
Technology, Innovation, and Economic Development research group

The Technology, Innovation, and Development Research Group explores the role of cutting-edge technologies in International Development.

Digital China
Chinese International Investments research group

We examine how Chinese companies and government initiatives have made China a new source of large-scale capital investments and business activities in a variety of sectors.