Working Papers
- Social Institutions and Low Birth Rates (with Christine Ho)
Presentations: ESWC 2025, Hong Kong Labor Symposium, NBER—Fertility and Declining Population Growth in High-Income Countries 2025*, Barcelona School of Economics Summer Forum—Income Dynamics and the Family 2025*, SEHO 2024, RUC-GLO 2024 Conference, ESAM 2024, SMU Applied Micro Workshop 2024, SMU Seminar Series 2024, Australian National University*, University of Sydney*, Institute of Fiscal Studies*, KU Leuven*, IE University*, Bocconi University*, Economic Demography Workshop (EDW) 2025*.
Abstract
We document three cross-sectional stylized facts on labor supply and family formation. First, female labor force participation (FLFP) and total fertility rates (TFRs) are much lower in Eastern societies compared to Western economies. Second, labor hours and the gender pay gap are much higher in the East than in the West. Third, parents invest more on schooling in Eastern societies compared to Western economies. To account for these features, we develop and estimate a rich heterogeneous-agent model with endogenous marriage, fertility, labor supply, and time and money investment in children. Estimates using data from South Korea and the United States highlight the importance of gender norms and long work hours practices in driving down FLFP while child quality mores drive down fertility in South Korea. Our results suggest that a multi-pronged policy approach or reductions in the gender pay gap may help boost both FLFP and fertility in East Asia.
- When Family Size Shapes Child Migration: Gendered Trade-Offs in Rural-to-Urban Migration in China (with Christine Ho and Sharon Xuejing Zuo)
Presentations: AMES 2024 (Hangzhou), AMES 2024 (Ho Chi Minh)*, SMU Applied Micro Workshop 2023, AMES 2023 (Beijing)*, AMES 2023 (Singapore), CCER Summer Institute*, MWIEDC 2023*, RES 2023*, SEHO 2023*, Exeter Diversity and Human Capital Workshop*, GLO Global Conference 2022, Fudan Forum of Public Economics and Policy, Hamilton*, SMU Brownbag Workshop Series 2022, Fordham*, Jinan IESR*, Southampton*, and University of Macau*.
Abstract
We investigate how family size shapes child migration in China, where most rural families have at least two children, and nearly 50% of children have migrant parents. We propose a model showing that, conditional on family size, boys and girls are equally likely to migrate with parents to cities. However, in societies with strong son preference, daughters' migration may still be constrained as they tend to have more siblings, and larger families are more likely to leave all children behind. Using a nationwide sample of adult migrant households with children born after China's ban on ultrasound-based prenatal sex screening, we test these predictions with a twin-based instrumental variable strategy. We find that an additional sibling reduces the likelihood of a daughter migrating by 12.5 percentage points, while sons remain unaffected. These effects are more pronounced under stricter migration restrictions. The results are robust to extensive sensitivity checks, including bounding family size effects by relaxing the exclusion restriction. Our findings reveal that ostensibly gender-neutral migration constraints can create gendered trade-offs in rural-to-urban child migration, driven by family size and son-biased fertility preferences. This study provides novel evidence on a unique measure of parental investment in children, shedding light on how gender inequality may stem from indirect gender discrimination in contexts with strict migration policies.
Selected Work in Progress
Publication (in Chinese)
- Child Migration and the Labor Supply of Migrant Mothers (with Kaizhi Yu and Hong Zou), Statistical Research, 2022, 39(2), 64–79.
Research Experience
- Research Assistant to Prof. Christine Ho, Singapore Management University, 2022–2025
- Research Assistant to Prof. Jing Li, Singapore Management University, 2021
