Working Papers
- Social Institutions and Low Birth Rates (with Christine Ho), Job Market Paper
Presentations: SEHO 2024, RUC-GLO 2024 Conference, ESAM 2024, SMU Applied Micro Workshop 2024, SMU Seminar Series 2024, Australian National University*, and University of Sydney*.
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.
- Family Size and Child Migration: Do Daughters Face Greater Trade-Offs than Sons? (with Christine Ho and Sharon Xuejing Zuo)
Presentations: AMES 2024 (Hangzhou), AMES 2024 (Ho Chi Minh)*, AASLE 2023, AMES 2023 (Singapore), SMU Applied Micro Workshop 2023, AMES 2023 (Beijing)*, 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 show that, conditional on family size, rural boys and girls are equally likely to migrate with parents in China. Nevertheless, daughters' migration may still be compromised because they tend to have more siblings in societies with strong son preference, and larger families are more likely to leave all children behind. We find that a one unit increase in sibship size decreases the probability that a daughter migrates by 12.5 percentage points—with stronger effects when migration restrictions are more stringent—but has negligible effects on sons. The results suggest that gender-neutral migration constraints may generate gendered family size trade-offs.
Selected Work in Progress
Publication (in Chinese)
- Child Migration and the Labor Supply of Migrant Mothers (with Kaizhi Yu and Hong Zou), Statistical Research (in Chinese, 统计研究), 2022, 39(2), 64–79.
Research brief is selected for inclusion in the government information of the National Bureau of Statistics of China.
Abstract
We examine the causal effects of preschool child migration on female migrants' labor force participation (FLFP) and their working hours. Utilizing data from the China Migrant Dynamic Survey and leveraging community-level variations in average child migration rates, we find that child migration significantly reduces both FLFP and hours worked among female migrants. These results remain robust across various checks, including relaxing the exclusion restriction with bound estimators and using alternative instruments. Further heterogeneous analyses reveal that the negative impact of child migration diminishes when access to outsourced formal childcare is available. In contrast, grandparent-provided childcare has a negligible effect on alleviating the consequences of child migration. Moreover, we provide suggestive evidence that the caregiving burden on grandparents adversely affects their health, thereby offsetting potential positive effects on female labor supply. Our findings suggest that enhancing access to formal childcare, such as daycare centers, may effectively alleviate these negative effects.
Research Experience
- Research Assistant to Prof. Christine Ho, Singapore Management University, 2022–2025
- Research Assistant to Prof. Jing Li, Singapore Management University, 2021
