Research
Peer-reviewed publication
The Trade Impact of the Creation/Disbandment of Diplomatic Relations: The Case Involving Mainland China and Chinese Taiwan
Review of International Economics 33(4), 870–885, 2025.
Review of International Economics
This paper studies developing countries that switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Mainland China between 1995 and 2019. The results show an asymmetric change in trade: imports from Mainland China increased, exports to Mainland China declined, imports from Taiwan fell, and exports to Taiwan were largely unchanged.
Working papers and research in progress
Diplomacy Beyond Tariffs: State-Supported Buyer Access in Malawi’s Export Shift to China
This paper studies Malawi’s export shift to China after the 2007 diplomatic switch. The surge was concentrated in tobacco and cotton, whose tariffs did not fall, while official records document state-supported purchasing and buyer coordination.
Diplomatic Leverage and Political Signaling: Recipient Strategy in Securing ODA Commitments
This project asks how aid-recipient countries use their presence and voting behavior at the United Nations to influence official development assistance. It studies delegation size and composition, as well as voting alignment with the United States, across 93 developing countries.
Garment Manufacturing and Women's Work, Reproduction, and Human Capital Accumulation
With S. M. Shihab Siddiqui. Work in progress.
In the Court of Public Opinion: Crowd Effects on Refereeing Judgment
With Jeffrey Cross. Work in progress.
This paper uses COVID-19 stadium closures in European soccer to study how crowd pressure affects racial disparities in refereeing. It finds that removing spectators reduced disparities in the treatment of African players in Spain and Italy, mainly when referees decided whether a rule had been violated.