Sonqing Jin is the 2026 recipient of the Carl K. Eicher Award for International Development, which recognizes MSU faculty or staff members who have made lasting contributions that continue the legacy of Carl K. Eicher, former University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Economics in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Jin became a full professor in 2021 in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics (AFRE) where he regularly teaches two graduate-level courses: a masters-level econometrics course and a Ph.D.-level development economics course.
After working as a research economist at the World Bank and as a researcher in the Department of Agricultural Economics for the China National Rice Research Institute, Jin joined AFRE in 2007 where he has emerged as a global leader in international development economics with expertise in rural land property rights, agricultural technology, gender inequality, and labor markets in China, India, Vietnam and several African countries.
“The more I traveled to developing countries, the more I saw a clear and urgent need for skilled researchers. I realized that training others would have a greater impact than simply doing the research myself,” said Jin.
His achievements both as a mentor and as a scholar are formidable. With over 80 published journal articles and 10 book chapters, $5.2 million in grant funding, and 8,400 Google Scholar citations, Jin continues to dedicate time and energy to students and scholars both on MSU’s campus and outside the university. He’s trained and mentored 12 MSU graduate students and sat on 55 dissertation or thesis committees. Additionally, Jin has hosted 14 visiting scholars.
“My interest in an academic career began during my Ph.D. at UC-Davis. I was inspired by my own professors’ influence on their students and by former graduates who went on to become professors themselves,” Jin said.
“I take great pleasure from helping a student or a young local researcher publish their papers, especially their first one. That is why I made the move when the opportunity arose. I wanted to shift from producing knowledge myself to helping a new generation learn how to do it.”
His contributions extend beyond MSU’s campus community as he’s helped strengthen collaborations with three universities in China. Not only has he taught graduate courses at Zhejiang University, but he has also collaborated with 35 colleagues and students there, which resulted in 27 published journal articles, six manuscripts under review and five more underway. Because of his residence at Zhejiang University (ZJU), four other members of AFRE visited and gave talks there, while two from ZJU visited AFRE to give talks.
At Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU), Jin helped build institutional connections as well as tight research collaboration, which helped to formalize the MSU NAU Joint Institute, which launched in 2021.
Jin earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Davis and two master’s degrees — one from Rutgers University and the other where he completed his undergraduate education: Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China.
Jin is a core member of MSU’s Asia Hub and is affiliate faculty of the Asian Studies Center. His dedication to agricultural and development economics research in China and other developing countries aligns with what Carl Eicher, the namesake for this award, sought.
“To have my contributions to training the next generation recognized by an award that bears the name of a giant in our field is deeply humbling,” said Jin. "For me, this award validates a philosophy I have always held: Our most enduring legacy as scholars is not just the articles we publish, but the people we mentor."
“Investing time and energy in mentorship is an important component of international agricultural development.”