Colin Hawes is Associate Professor in the Law Faculty at University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and a Research Associate at the Australia-China Relations Institute.
Dr Hawes joined the UTS Law Faculty in 2005 after obtaining his PhD at the University of British Columbia and practising law in Vancouver, Canada. He has published three books and numerous articles on Chinese law and society and Chinese corporate governance in international journals such as Law and Society Review, Journal of Corporate Law Studies, and the American Journal of Comparative Law.
Colin is interested in the intersection between corporations, law, and the natural/human environment. His research focuses on the complex dynamic networks of Chinese corporations, the growth of legal precedents and creative interpretation of corporate law by Chinese judges, and the impact of technology on the operation of the Chinese legal system.
His most recent book, The Chinese Corporate Ecosystem (Cambridge University Press, 2022), shows how Chinese corporations have co-evolved by interacting creatively with their sociopolitical environment, leading to rapid growth yet massive ecological degradation. The book proposes channelling the 'vital energies' (qi) of government officials and corporate leaders through realigned incentive mechanisms to reverse the damage.
Colin has also acted as an expert witness in Australian and Canadian courts, and advised Chinese and international corporations on cross-cultural legal issues and minimizing the risks of cross-border legal disputes.