Research

Assistant Professor at Tohoku University, Japan

Ph.D. in Economics, University of Bologna, Italy, 2019

Main interests: Labor Economics, Economics of Education, and Development Economics

A fellow of the Global Labor Organization

Supported by a strong research environment and the active collaboration of local researchers and students, my current research primarily focuses on human capital and gender studies in Southeast Asia and Africa, as well as the economic history of Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule.

I previously served as a Specially Appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo and Nanjing Audit University (research representatives are Professor Ning Sun and Professor Ning Yu).

RESEARCH

Publications:

The long-run and heterogeneous impact of educational policy on crime (with Yanjun Li, Xinyan Liu, and Ryuichi Tanaka). Journal of Comparative Economics, 2026 Link Working Paper

Corruption disclosure and its impact on labor-related actions (with Yanjun Li, Hamza Umer). Economica, 2026 Link Working Paper

Land reform and illegal adoption of children (with Masaki Nakabayashi and Yanjun Li). Journal of Comparative Economics, 2025 Link

Highway havens for hidden horrors: Expressway connections and child trafficking in China (with Yanjun Li, Xinyan Liu, and Yajie Sun). Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2024 Link

Quantity-quality trade-off in Northeast China, 1780-1880 (with Pakhung Lam and Yanjun Li). Journal of Population Economics, 2023 Link Working Paper

Media Coverage: GLO news PoIiticaI理论志 (in Chinese)

Political tournament and growth-enhancing policies (with Yanjun Li). Journal of Regional Science, 2022 Link

Media Coverage: 南开城市与区域经济 (in Chinese)

The legacy of the Great Wall (with Anastasia Arabadzhyan and Yanjun Li). Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2022 Link Working Paper

Media Coverage: 香樟经济学术圈 (in Chinese)

Chinese aid and local political attitudes (with Yanjun Li and Yunuo Wang). Economic Modelling, 2022 Link

More suffering, more involvement? The causal effects of seismic disasters on social capital (with Yanjun Li). World Development, 138, 2021 Link

Good bye Chiang Kai-shek? The long-lasting effects of education under the authoritarian regime in Taiwan (with Yanjun Li). Economics of Education Review, 78, 2020 Link

A Sibling-pair analysis for causal effect of education on health (with Yanjun Li). The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 18.4, 2018 Link

Working Papers:

A long-run consequence of the relaxed education for labor market performance (with Ryuichi Tanaka). Working Paper

This paper finds a relaxation-oriented educational approach leads to worsened labor market outcomes in Japan.

Sophie and the locust curse: Effects of locust plague on human capital accumulations (with Guojun He, Pakhung Lam, and Yanjun Li). Working Paper

This paper investigates whether and how a locust swarm invasion created a devastating and enduring impact on the human capital accumulation of offspring.

From Fields to Families: Locust Infestations and Child Marriage in the Sahel (with Yanjun Li). Working Paper

Using quasi-experimental variation from major locust plagues in the Sahel, this paper shows that exposure during adolescence increases the likelihood of child marriage and leads to long-term negative outcomes for women’s employment, autonomy, health, and civic participation.

Do Girls Help Girls? Exploring the Impact of Female Teachers on the Cognitive and Noncognitive Development of Female Students (with Chen-Hsuan Liao). Working Paper Revise and Resubmit

We find that female teachers enhance students' academic achievements and non-cognitive skills. The mechanisms include teachers interacting more with students of the same gender and female students feeling more comfortable and inspired by same-gender teachers.

Golden Opportunities: Firm-Level Evidence on the Economic Impacts of Mining Operations (with Yanjun Li). Working Paper

This paper shows that firms 10–100 km from active gold mines experience higher sales, employment, and resilience due to reduced business constraints. Sales gains are larger in less corrupt countries, while employment effects dominate in more corrupt ones.

Historical Roots of Political Instability (with Yanjun Li, Xinyan Liu). Working Paper

This paper finds that counties near imperial capitals in China, with stronger state presence, experience lower political instability today. It argues that cultural transmission, rather than development or demographic change, preserves the legacy of these institutions.

Less Pressure, Happier Minds?: The Mental Health Impact of Education Curriculum (with Yanjun Li, Xinyan Liu, and Ryuichi Tanaka). Working Paper

The results show that students exposed to more years of relaxed education experienced better mental health, mainly due to reduced study hours and increased leisure time. However, these positive effects appear to be short-lived, suggesting that the benefits of relaxation-oriented education may not persist in the long run.

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