Bent E. Sørensen is the Lay Professor of International Economics at the University of Houston and a research fellow of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. His empirical research focuses on macroeconomic aspects of financial integration and on models of consumption. A significant part of Sørensen’s research studies regions within countries as potential paradigms for perfectly integrated financial markets. His work is particularly relevant for measuring the degree of financial integration within the European Union, and he has lectured repeatedly at the EU Commission and the European Central Bank. Sørensen received his PhD in economics from the University of Copenhagen.