Peer-reviewed Journals
"Why Don't Trade Preferences Reflect Economic Self-Interest?" with Michael Tomz.
International Organization 71, Issue S1, April 2017, pp. S85-S108
This study tests the effects of economic ignorance on voters' preferences for trade policies. We argue that one of the reasons why voters do not express self-interested attitudes toward trade protection is that a majority of voters are uninformed about the consequences of trade policies. We utilize survey experiments that manipulate the level of information given to the survey respondents to analyze how information changes voters' responses. The study finds that informed respondents are more likely to express self-interested policy preferences, but they also become more sensitive to the interests of society.
Working Papers
"Industry, Self-Interest, and Individual Preferences over Trade Policy" with Michael Tomz
(Revise and Resubmit)
This paper utilizes an innovative survey design that measures public preferences over industry-specific trade policies. We posit that the industry-specific approach, instead of analyzing the public sentiment toward free trade in general, generates new insights about how individuals think about trade. The study concludes that public attitudes toward trade protection do not fit the predictions of economic trade models. We tested both standard models such as Stolper-Samuelson, Ricardo-Viner, or the "New-New trade model," which takes firm heterogeneity into account.
Atomized Incorporation: State-Labor Relations in Contemporary China
(work in progress)
What explains the Chinese state's incorporation of migrant labor since the mid-2000s? This paper argues that the Chinese state has adopted new policies that mitigate negative consequences of the Hukou system since the mid-2000s; yet, unlike in other corporatist non-democracies, the state incorporated the migrant labor only as individuals and not as a class. The study demonstrates that the limited incorporation results from the state's changing economic structures and new incentives at the local level to discipline investors in low-skilled sectors.
Anti-Foreign Sentiment and Labor Protest: Evidence from a Survey-Experiment in South China
(work in progress)
The series of labor protests that took place in Japanese-owned factories in China after the Diaoyu/Senkaku island dispute raise the question of how anti-foreign sentiment begets collective action among Chinese workers. Unlike the prevailing assumption that high levels of nationalism leads to Chinese workers' strong emotional reaction to international disputes, this paper shows that international disputes often provide an opportunity for Chinese workers to pursue their goals in a politically safe way. Utilizing a novel randomized experiment with Chinese workers in South China, the study finds that workers' increased propensity to protest at foreign-invested enterprises after international disputes originates mainly from their rational calculations that the local government become more incentivized to cooperate with Chinese workers. Case studies demonstrate how protest leaders utilize anti-foreign slogans to discipline local government officials and create public opinion to pressure them via online platforms.
"Why Don't Trade Preferences Reflect Economic Self-Interest?" with Michael Tomz.
International Organization 71, Issue S1, April 2017, pp. S85-S108
This study tests the effects of economic ignorance on voters' preferences for trade policies. We argue that one of the reasons why voters do not express self-interested attitudes toward trade protection is that a majority of voters are uninformed about the consequences of trade policies. We utilize survey experiments that manipulate the level of information given to the survey respondents to analyze how information changes voters' responses. The study finds that informed respondents are more likely to express self-interested policy preferences, but they also become more sensitive to the interests of society.
Working Papers
"Industry, Self-Interest, and Individual Preferences over Trade Policy" with Michael Tomz
(Revise and Resubmit)
This paper utilizes an innovative survey design that measures public preferences over industry-specific trade policies. We posit that the industry-specific approach, instead of analyzing the public sentiment toward free trade in general, generates new insights about how individuals think about trade. The study concludes that public attitudes toward trade protection do not fit the predictions of economic trade models. We tested both standard models such as Stolper-Samuelson, Ricardo-Viner, or the "New-New trade model," which takes firm heterogeneity into account.
Atomized Incorporation: State-Labor Relations in Contemporary China
(work in progress)
What explains the Chinese state's incorporation of migrant labor since the mid-2000s? This paper argues that the Chinese state has adopted new policies that mitigate negative consequences of the Hukou system since the mid-2000s; yet, unlike in other corporatist non-democracies, the state incorporated the migrant labor only as individuals and not as a class. The study demonstrates that the limited incorporation results from the state's changing economic structures and new incentives at the local level to discipline investors in low-skilled sectors.
Anti-Foreign Sentiment and Labor Protest: Evidence from a Survey-Experiment in South China
(work in progress)
The series of labor protests that took place in Japanese-owned factories in China after the Diaoyu/Senkaku island dispute raise the question of how anti-foreign sentiment begets collective action among Chinese workers. Unlike the prevailing assumption that high levels of nationalism leads to Chinese workers' strong emotional reaction to international disputes, this paper shows that international disputes often provide an opportunity for Chinese workers to pursue their goals in a politically safe way. Utilizing a novel randomized experiment with Chinese workers in South China, the study finds that workers' increased propensity to protest at foreign-invested enterprises after international disputes originates mainly from their rational calculations that the local government become more incentivized to cooperate with Chinese workers. Case studies demonstrate how protest leaders utilize anti-foreign slogans to discipline local government officials and create public opinion to pressure them via online platforms.
