Publication & Working Paper:
[1] Urban Forests: Environmental Health Values and Risks (with Eric Zou, Jianwei Xing, Jintao Xu, and Fan Xia)
Review of Economics and Statistics, Conditionally Accepted
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Selected Presentations: Stanford SITE 2023; ASSA Annual Meeting 2024; NBER China Meeting 2024
Abstract: We study a massive urban afforestation policy in Beijing that planted 1/3 of a million acres of greenery in less than a decade. The policy reduces PM₂.₅ concentration at population hubs by 4.2 percent, the health value of which amounts to 1.5% of the city’s annual GDP. Rapid vegetation growth unexpectedly led to a 7.4 percent increase in pollen exposure, triggering respiratory emergency room visits, although the medical costs are outweighed by the pollution benefits. Urban forests are only partially capitalized in housing values, with buyers mainly appreciating proximity to green spaces but not the air quality improvements they bring.
[2] Greening through Tourism (with Mingying Zhu, Bo Chen, and Wei Du)
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Reject & Resubmit
Selected Presentations: CAERE Annual Meeting 2025; AAEA Annual Meeting 2025; PKU CCER Annual Meeting 2025
Abstract: This paper investigates whether productivity growth in the service sector can improve environmental quality. Using the expansion of China's national 5A-level tourist attraction list as a natural experiment, we find that when a city obtains its first nationally recognized tourist attraction, the PM2.5 concentration declines by about 4.5% over the following decade. The improvement in air quality is driven by structural transformation resulting from the reallocation of capital and labor toward the service sector, rather than strengthened environmental regulations. The air quality improvement generated an additional USD 3.1 billion in revenue for China's tourism sector over the ten-year period.
[3] Hiding behind the Trees: Pollution Control and Urban Greening in China (with Ding Ma and Xintong Li)
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Revise & Resubmit
Selected Presentations: China Economic Annual Conference 2025
Abstract: We document three facts about urban greening in China over the past two decades. First, urban greening remained stable between 2001 and 2013 but expanded rapidly thereafter, coinciding with the timing of China's air pollution control efforts. Second, compared with other cities, those suffering from heavier pollution experienced faster urban greening growth. Third, urban greening has been disproportionately concentrated around air quality monitoring stations. Taken together, these findings suggest that local governments strategically used urban greening to respond to the political pressure arising from air pollution control, which improved the supply of urban green space while distorting air quality monitoring simultaneously.
My Girlfriend's Research:
Ding Ma is a Ph.D candidate at PKU National School of Development, and she will be on the 2025-2026 academic job market.
[1] Hot and Cold Choices: The Role of Extreme Temperatures in Shaping Industrial Geographical Distribution (by Ding Ma, Min Wang, Shuo Li, 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.
Abstract: We document three facts about urban greening in China over the past two decades. First, urban greening remained stable between 2001 and 2013 but expanded rapidly thereafter, coinciding with the timing of China's air pollution control efforts. Second, compared with other cities, those suffering from heavier pollution experienced faster urban greening growth. Third, urban greening has been disproportionately concentrated around air quality monitoring stations. Taken together, these findings suggest that local governments strategically used urban greening to respond to the political pressure arising from air pollution control, which improved the supply of urban green space while distorting air quality monitoring simultaneously.
[3] Extreme Temperatures Promote High-Fat Diets (by Xi Chen, Shuo Li, Ding Ma, and Jintao Xu)
NBER Working Paper 34609
Abstract: We document three facts about urban greening in China over the past two decades. First, urban greening remained stable between 2001 and 2013 but expanded rapidly thereafter, coinciding with the timing of China's air pollution control efforts. Second, compared with other cities, those suffering from heavier pollution experienced faster urban greening growth. Third, urban greening has been disproportionately concentrated around air quality monitoring stations. Taken together, these findings suggest that local governments strategically used urban greening to respond to the political pressure arising from air pollution control, which improved the supply of urban green space while distorting air quality monitoring simultaneously.
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