Ding Ma is an assistant professor at School of Economics and Management, Nanjing Agricultural University.Β
Her research:
01 Hot and Cold Choices: The Role of Extreme Temperatures in Shaping Industrial Geographical DistributionΒ Β Β π PaperΒ Β Β π Preprint
with Min Wang, Shuo Li,Β and Xiumei Yu
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2026
Abstract: This paper examines how extreme temperatures shape firm entry decisions and industrial geography. Leveraging comprehensive firm registration data from China, we identify an inverted U-shaped relationship between temperature and firm entry, while firm exit remains largely unresponsive. Sector analyses reveal that temperature extremes suppress firm entry in agriculture and industry through production shocks, and in services through demand-side spillovers. Firms also adapt by shifting equity investments toward new firm establishments in regions with milder climates. Climate projections indicate that ongoing warming will significantly reshape industrial geography, with warmer regions experiencing greater losses. These findings highlight firm location choice as a critical channel of climate adaptation and underscore the role of temperature risk in driving long-term spatial economic change.Β
02 Incentivizing Environmental Public Goods: Evidence from Urban Greening in ChinaΒ Β Β π PaperΒ Β Β π Preprint
with Zhiren Hu and Xintong Li
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2027
Abstract: China's recent surge in urban greening presents a puzzling deviation from global patterns. We document three empirical patterns. First, urban greening was stable from 2001 to 2013 but expanded rapidly afterward, coinciding with China's air pollution control efforts. Second, more polluted cities experienced faster growth in urban greening. Third, greening expansion was disproportionately concentrated near air quality monitoring stations. These patterns suggest that urban greening expansion in China after 2013 was largely driven by political pressure induced by air pollution control. The economic benefits of the urban greening expansion exceed the associated costs. Our results suggest that top-down air pollution control reshaped local government incentives, thereby improving the provision of environmental public goods and social welfare.
03 Extreme Temperatures Promote High-Fat DietsΒ Β Β π Preprint
with Xi Chen, Shuo Li, and Jintao Xu
NBER Working Paper 34609, 2027
Abstract: Extreme temperatures threaten agriculture and exacerbate global food insecurity, yet their direct impact on dietary choices remains poorly understood. We provide novel evidence of how short-term exposures to extreme temperatures affect macronutrient intake in China. We show that both hot and cold weather elevate high-fat diet risks. In particular, hot weather reduces carbohydrate and protein consumption but not fat intake, while cold weather increases all nutrient intake, particularly fats. Temperature-induced dietary changes are shaped primarily by physiological responses to thermal stress, whereas physical activities demonstrate little effect. Technologies that improve indoor thermal comfort (via fans, air conditioners, and heating systems) substantially mitigate high-fat diet risks. Socioeconomic disparities are evident, with rural and poor individuals more likely to adopt high-fat diets under hot or cold weather. Projections indicate that more extreme temperatures due to climate change may increase the prevalence of high-fat diets nationally, while substantial regional heterogeneity emerges, with declines in northeast China and increases in southern China. These results highlight a crucial but overlooked pathway linking climate change to dietary health inequality.