Research

Publications

Order! The Border: Multitasking, Air Pollution Regulation, and Local Government Responses

Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2025

This paper presents new evidence on how multitasking local governments’ strategic responses to top-down environmental regulations can induce pollution in border areas. We find that after the environmental regualtion, pollution in border counties significantly increased. We also identify salient window dressing effects, that the pollution in the border decreases when policy inspection comes and increases soon after the inspection ends.

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The Premium of the Old Neighborhood Upgrading Projects in China: Evidence from Hefei

Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 2024

This paper examine the premium effects of neiborhood upgrading projects in China, Hefei. We show that surrounding neighborhoods within a 500-meter radius of the upgrading areas experienced a significant increase in prices by 6.01% compared to neighborhoods located beyond this range. Mechanism analysis shows the old neighborhood upgrading projects revitalize community vitality, thereby increasing housing prices of surrounding neighborhoods.

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The Heterogeneous Impact of House Purchase Limits Policy on Housing Prices: Comparison between Elite and Non-elite School District Houses

Real Estate Economics, 2023

This paper examine the heterogeneous effect of housing purchase limits policy on the price of elite school district houses (ESDH) and non-elite school district houses. We find that the the puchase limits policy increased housing price of ESDH relative to non-ESDH, which unintendedly exacerbate the educational capitalization.

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Working Papers

When the Wind Blows: Agricultural Fire Exposure, Parental Investment, and Long-term Outcomes

Revise & Resubmit at Jounal of Population Economics, 2025

This paper investigates the long-term consequences of in-utero exposure to agricultural fires in rural China. We show that in-utero exposure to agricultural fires significantly reduces individuals’ health, cognitive, and non-cognitive performance in adolescence, and decreases education years and earnings in adulthood. Households respond to the negative health shock by reallocating investment away from exposed children. The provision of Health insurance can largely offset the deleterious effects of agricultural fire exposure.

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Harvesting the Concrete: Urban Expansion and Agricultural Land Productivity

Revise & Resubmit at Regional Science and Urban Economics, 2025

This paper investigates the effect of urban expansion on agricultural land productivity. We show that urban expansion leads to a decline in both the quantity and quality of agricultural land. The implementation of strict farmland protection policies may inadvertently reduce land quality when local leaders prioritize economic growth. The decrease in land quality reduces agricultural production and mechanization, while increasing the use of fertilizer as substitutes.

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In the Name of Love: Policy Imitation, Political Incentives, and Local Economic Growth

Revise & Resubmit at Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2025

This paper investigates the economic impacts of the “Taobao Villages (TBVs)” program in China, a bottom-up pilot on rural e-commerce that is imitated na-tionwide under top-down directives. Contrary to previous findings that confirm the positive role of TBVs in promoting village economies, our nationwide analysis finds that the establishment of TBVs significantly reduces night light of townships. Suugestive evidence shows that the strategic behavior of local governments could be the potential channel.

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