Working Papers:

Does Work Eligibility Work for Foreign-born Women? H-4 Visa Policy and Labor Outcomes (JMP) [Link]

Under Revision

Abstract: Foreign-born married women in the U.S. have historically lower labor force participation rates (LFPR) than comparable natives. In addition to family and individual characteristics discrepancies between foreign- and native-born women, foreign-born married women often face work restrictions according to their visa status in the U.S. This paper quantitatively explores labor market effects of an H-4 Employment Authorization Document (EAD) policy change, which allowed spouses of certain H-1B visa holders to work legally in the United States. I use American Community Survey data from 2010-2019 and the difference-in-differences approach to compare labor outcomes for selected noncitizens and naturalized citizens before and after the policy change, controlling for family and individual characteristics. I find that this policy change significantly increased LFPR and employment-to-population ratio (EPR) indicating that visa work restrictions keep some foreign-born out of the labor market. 

Fertility Divergence across Large and Small Areas, with John Winters  

Submitted

Abstract: This paper examines female fertility trends in the U.S. during the 2005-2019 period.  Large MSAs and small population areas are increasingly diverging in multiple ways including female fertility.  Small areas had higher fertility rates than large MSAs during every year we observe, and both types of areas experienced fertility declines between 2005 and 2019.  However, the decrease in fertility was much more pronounced for large MSAs, and the overall fertility gap between large and small areas widened considerably.  Closer investigation of fertility data by age group reveals that the widening gap across large and small areas is disproportionately driven by women ages 25-34.  We also use multivariate regression analysis to consider the role of observable individual-level and area-level characteristics in explaining the widening divergence in fertility between large and small areas for ages 25-34.  Occupational attainment and foreign-born status are important individual factors and housing costs are an important local area factor partially explaining the fertility divergence between large and small areas.  

The Effect of Relaxation in Labor Law on Youth Employment: Evidence from Wisconsin, with Kunwon Ahn 

Abstract: This study examines the effect of child labor relaxation on youth employment, with a particular focus on the employment rate of youth aged 16 and 17. To assess the causal relationship, we exploit the introduction of Wisconsin’s child labor relaxation policy as a natural experiment. We apply the synthetic control method (SCM) to American Community Survey (ACS) data to identify the causal relationship between the child labor relaxation policy and youth labor market outcomes. We find that the policy has a positive impact on the extensive margin of the labor supply of youth aged 16 and 17 in Wisconsin.

Opioid Epidemic  and Labor Market Conditions

Abstract: The opioid crisis is an important cause of the increasing mortality recently. It is coincidently more severe in economic distress areas. This paper studies the potential causal relationship between local opioid prescription rates and employment-to-population ratios. I use commuting zone level data from 2007 to 2019 to estimate an IV fixed effect model. I find that a higher overall opioid prescription rate can lower employment-to-population ratio throughout all time. On the contrary, there is no significant evidence that local employment status affects the opioid prescription rate, while the OLS results suggest they have an inconsistent relationship.