Mission Statement
"Designing evidence-based policy solutions for a better world through applied econometrics and causal inference.
Research
My research focuses on applying rigorous econometric methods to evaluate policies that shape human capital, health, and global economic integration. I specialize in causal inference and policy evaluation, using longitudinal data and quasi-experimental designs to answer critical questions in labor economics, health economics, and international trade.
(* indicate the paper derived from supervised student's dissertation/thesis and supervised student(s) are indicated with bold and blue font)
Working Papers:
When Breaking Rules Burns Bridges: A Status-Based Norm Violation Model of Unethical Behavior and Network Decay, (With S. Keem, E. Kim, M. Kim, Y. Kim, and K. Tai), R&R
When, for Whom, and How Do Multicultural Youth Policies Matter? Evidence from Longitudinal Data in South Korea , (With Y. Song, and E, Moon), R&R.
Revisiting Trade Diversion: Insights on the Persisting Effects of FTAs in an Era of Global Integration and Value Chains*, (With H. Song), R&R.
Strategic Division of Labor: AI Agents for Noncompliant Customers*, (With J. Hong, Y. Chen, and M. Kim), R&R.
Published Papers by Research Areas:
Theme 1: Human Capital & Social Welfare Understanding how policies affect education, labor markets, health, and family well-being
Do Maltreated Children Think of Suicide More? Evidence from South Korea* (With E. Tuzel and K. Tang), Economics & Human Biology, 61, May 2026
Does a Child's Early Schooling Affect Mother's Mental Well-being? Evidence from Australia* (With Y. Shin), Review of Economics of the Household, 24, March 2026
Shared Lives, Shared Stress: Witnessing and Spillover Effects in Spousal Mental Health Interactions (With D. Jung, K. K. Tang, and M. Yazbeck), Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 233: 106951, 2025
Satisfying National and Individual Interests: Impact Evaluation of the KOICA Master's Degree Scholarship Program (With K. Kang and J. Kim), Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies, 13(1): 10-38, 2025
Impact of Retirement and Re-employment on the Life Satisfaction of Older Adults in Korea (With J. Lee), Japanese Economic Review, 75, December 2024
Spillover Effects of Retirement: Does Health Vulnerability Matter?* (With D. Byrne, K. Tang, and M. Yazbeck), Economics & Human Biology, 48, January 2023
Attending a School with Heterogeneous Peers: The Effects of School Detracking and Its Attenuation (With J. Lee), Economics of Education Review, 94, June 2023
Poor Job Conditions Amplify Negative Mental Health Shocks (With D. Jung, K. Tang, and M. Yazbeck), Labour Economics, 79, December 2022
Can Older Workers Stay Productive? The Role of ICT Skills and Training (With J. Lee and E. Song), Journal of Asian Economics, 79, April 2022
Aging Labor, ICT Capital and Productivity in Japan and Korea* (With J. Lee and E. Song), Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 58, 2020
The Economic Impact of Patients' Health Information: Korean DUR Case* (With D. Jung, H. Kim, and M. Kim), Applied Economics, 52: 3555-3573, 2020
Class Attendance and Learning Outcome (With C. Sherwood and K. Tang), Empirical Economics, 57(1): 177-203, 2019
Why Are Single-Sex Schools Successful? (With C. Dustmann and H. Ku), Labour Economics, 54: 79-99, 2018 | VoxEU Column
New Insights into an Old Problem – Enhancing Student Learning Outcomes in an Introductory Statistics Course (With C. Sherwood), Applied Economics, 49: 5698-5708, 2017
Assessing the Impact of Blended Learning on Student Performance (With F. Menezes and C. Sherwood), Economic Record, 91(292): 91-106, 2015
A Role of β2-Adrenoreceptor Agonist Related to the Development of Parkinson's Disease (With W. Lee, D. Jung, and M. Kim), Neurology India, 71(4): 710-715, 2023
Impact of Retirement and Re-employment on Health of Older Adults (With J. Lee), Review of Economics of the Household, Accepted/In Press
Theme 2: Global Trade & Development Policy Examining how trade agreements, foreign aid, and economic integration affect developing and developed economies
The Impact of Japan's 2019 Export Restrictions on South Korea's Semiconductor Imports: An Analysis of Direct and Spillover Effects* (With H. Koo and K. Shin), 무역통상학회지, 25(5), December 2025
The European Green Deal's Impact on Vehicle Trade: Evidence from Electric, Battery, and Fossil-Fuel Vehicle Imports* (With K. Baek and K. Shin), 국제통상연구, 30(4), December 2025
The Impact of the Innovation City Project on the Local Economy: Evidence from Korean Innovation City Project from 2012 to 2014* (With S. Seo), Journal of Asian Economics, 99, February 2024
How Does Foreign Aid Enhance Developing Countries' Export Varieties?: The Role of Human Capital and Institutional Qualities* (With B. Han and K. Shin), Journal of International Politics, 28(1), Winter 2023
제품전환이 수출기업 생산성에 미치는 영향: 중국 제조업 수출기업을 중심으로 (With K. Shin), 국제통상연구, 27(4), December 2022
Participation in the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Its Impact on Productivity: South Korean Textile Firms' Experiences* (With S. Cho and H. Lee), Japan and the World Economy, 53, 2020
The Trade Effects of Tariffs and Non-Tariff Changes of Preferential Trade Agreements (With J. Cheong and K. Tang), Economic Modelling, 70: 370-382, 2018
Trade to Aid: EU's Temporary Tariff Waivers for Flood-hit Pakistan (With J. Cheong and H. Yuan), Journal of Development Economics, 125: 70-88, 2017
Can Intensive and Extensive Margins Help Explain Non-Decreasing Distant Effects Over Time? (With J. Cheong and K. Tang), Empirical Economics, 50(2): 253-278, 2016
It Is Much Bigger Than What We Thought: New Estimate of Trade Diversion (With J. Cheong and K. Tang), The World Economy, 38(11): 1795-1808, 2015
Can Preferential Trade Agreements Curtail Trade Creation and Prevent Trade Diversion? (With J. Cheong and K. Tang), Review of International Economics, 23(2): 221-238, 2015
Heterogeneous Effects of Preferential Trade Agreements: How Does Partner Similarity Matter? (With J. Cheong and K. Tang), World Development, 66: 222-236, 2015
Learning by Example: Do the Biggest and Most Generous Donors Inspire Others to Give More Aid?* (With A. Beech and K. Tang), International Journal of Social Economics, 42(1): 19-32, 2015
The WTO Puzzle, Multilateral Resistance Terms and Multicollinearity (With J. Cheong and K. Tang), Applied Economics Letters, 21(13): 928-933, 2014
Theme 3: Digital Transformation & AI in Society Exploring how technology and artificial intelligence reshape markets, behavior, and service delivery
Strategic Division of Labor: AI Agents for Noncompliant Customers* (With J. Hong, Y. Chen, and M. Kim), R&R
Home-Tutoring Services Assisted with Technology: Investigating the Role of Artificial Intelligence Using a Randomized Field Experiment (With J. Kim, M. Kim, and S. Lee), Journal of Marketing Research, 59(1), February 2022
Theme 4: Econometric Methodology & Causal Inference Advancing rigorous methods for policy evaluation and causal analysis
The Robustness of Conditional Logit for Binary Response Panel Data Models with Serial Correlation (With R. Martin and J. M. Wooldridge), Journal of Econometric Methods, January 2023
Collaborative Research with Students
I am committed to mentoring the next generation of policy analysts and researchers. Many of my publications stem from collaborative work with graduate students, reflecting my dedication to hands-on training in applied econometrics and causal inference.
Recent Student Co-authored Publications:
E. Tuzel – Economics & Human Biology (2026)
Y. Shin – Review of Economics of the Household (2026)
H. Koo – 무역통상학회지 (2025)
K. Baek – 국제통상연구 (2025)
S. Seo – Journal of Asian Economics (2024)
B. Han – Journal of International Politics (2023)
D. Byrne – Economics & Human Biology (2023)
S. Cho – Japan and the World Economy (2020)
E. Song – Journal of the Japanese and International Economies (2020)
D. Jung – Applied Economics (2020)
A. Beech – International Journal of Social Economics (2015)
H. Song – Working Paper (R&R at JITED)
J. Hong – Working Paper (R&R at POMS)
Y. Song – Working Paper (R&R at CYSR)