A Bridge on Economic Issues between China and the World
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Quarters of Birth Matter for Girls: How Agricultural Seasonality Shapes Gender Inequality in China
Xuezheng Qin, Junjian Yi, Haochen Zhang, Oct 08, 2025We find that people born in the fourth quarter tend to have better lifecycle outcomes than others in China. More importantly, this birth quarter effect is significantly larger for females than for males. Such a gendered pattern is likely driven by seasonal variations in household resources induced by agricultural seasonality, which may exert gender-differentiated effects on intrahousehold neonatal investment due to son preference. These findings have meaningful implications for the role of economic development in reducing gender inequality through the (gender-neutral) increase in household resources.
Money or Monitoring: What Motivates Workers in China?
Jing Cai, Sai Luo, Shing-Yi Wang, Sep 17, 2025Higher compensation incentivizes workers to work additional hours and stay at the firm, while increased monitoring enhances work quality but also increases quitting by workers.
Geopolitics in the Evaluation of International Scientific Collaboration
Alexander C. Furnas, Ruixue Jia, Margaret E. Roberts, Dashun Wang, Mar 11, 2026Highlighting a tension between science’s universalist ideals and today’s geopolitical realities...
How Do New Firms Shape Regional Economic Growth in China?
Loren Brandt, Gueorgui Kambourov, Kjetil Storesletten, Dec 09, 2025Barriers to entry facing new firms are a major source of regional economic differences. Removing these barriers can play an important role in economic convergence and growth.
Can Foreign Direct Investment Boost Social Mobility? Evidence from China
Jianpeng Deng, Zibin Huang, Qing Shi, Xin Zhao, Apr 01, 2026Using China’s foreign direct investment (FDI) liberalization following WTO accession as a quasi-natural experiment, we examine whether foreign direct investment can promote intergenerational occupational mobility.
