Huayu Xu

"The Long-Term Health and Economic Consequences of Improved Property Rights."  Journal of Public Economics, 2021.

Early-life exposure to China's land property reform improved later-life outcomes. However, reform exposure at critical school ages reduced human capital investment.

"Hostel Takeover: Living Conditions, Reference Dependence, and the Well-being of Migrant Workers," with Ach Adhvaryu and Anant Nyshadham. Journal of Public Economics, 2023.

Worker satisfaction depends critically on how expectations are set by firms. Migrant workers experienced large losses in subjective well-being when randomized improvements in hostel living conditions were more modest than expected.

"The Human Capital Effects of Access to Elite Jobs,"  with Ach Adhvaryu. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2024.

Individuals who enjoyed greater access to elite bureaucratic jobs invested more in schooling and achieved better labor market outcomes.

"Land Reform and Health Endowments at Birth," with Yawen Ding and Xiaobing Wang. Journal of Comparative Economics, 2025.

Increased labor productivity from land reform boosted health endowments at birth.

"The Power of Children in Energy Conservation: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial," with Yuan Wang, Xiaoguang Xu, and Yongmei Zhou. Journal of Development Economics, 2025.

An innovative energy conservation program improved conservation knowledge and practices among young students, leading to a 7% reduction in household electricity consumption.

"The Agricultural and Economic Impacts of Massive Water Diversion," with Guangbo Huang, Chong Liu, Tianyang Xi, and Wei You. Journal of Development Economics, 2025.

China's South-North Water Diversion Project significantly benefits water-receiving regions with limited adverse impacts on source areas.

"The Socioeconomic Impacts of Industrial Parks in Ethiopia," with Guangbo Huang and Min Wang. Revise & Resubmit, Journal of Urban Economics.

Industrial parks in Ethiopia have driven economic growth, urbanization, poverty reduction, and women's empowerment, but their impacts largely remain within the local districts, with limited spillover to surrounding areas.

"Managerial Attention, Employee Attrition, and Productivity: Evidence from a Field Experiment," with Hugh Wu and Shannon Liu. Revise & Resubmit, Management Science.

The allocation of managerial attention among employees plays a pivotal role in shaping workplace outcomes.

"Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives and Employee Performance: Evidence from a Field Experiment," with Hugh Wu and Seth Carnahan. Revise & Resubmit, Strategic Management Journal.

Randomized exposure to organizational CSR efforts improved employee retention and attendance, though effects varied between initiatives targeting external stakeholders and those focused on employee well-being.

"Sanitation and Human Capital Accumulation: Long-Run Impacts of a Nationwide Campaign in China," with Yinhe Liang, Xiaobo Peng, and Jiawei Zhang.

Large-scale sanitation improvements can significantly enhance human capital development, with benefits persisting across generations.

"The Value of Managing Up: A Field Experiment in the Workplace," with Ach Adhvaryu, Anant Nyshadham, and Hugh Wu.

Intervention and Data Collection Completed.  AEA RCT Registry