WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE!
ABOUT ME
I am a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Economics at Northeastern University. I am interested in the empirical studies in Industrial Organization and Applied Microeconomics. My current research concentrates on consumer behaviour and seller’s strategic behaviour on e-commercial platforms.
I will be on the 2019 – 2020 job market and available for meetings at the ASSA Annual Conference in San Diego in January 2020.
EDUCATION
PH.D., APPLIED ECONOMICS, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
2020 (Expected)
Industrial Organization
M.A., ECONOMICS, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
2014
Master Degree in Economics
B.A., XIAMENÂ UNIVERSITY
2011
Double Major in Applied Mathematics and Economics
RESEARCH
The Welfare Effects of Summary Information: Taobao’s Golden Seller Certification
Abstract: Consumer-based rating systems and reputation signals have been main sources of information on product quality and seller performance in online markets. However, it is time consuming to sifting through all the information. This raises an important question: if someone has evaluated all the reviews, summarized all the available information and compiled it into a simple badge, will consumers value such easily accessible information in decision making? This paper studies the valuation of Golden Seller certification, a badge that conveys such summary information, using data collected from the smart phone markets on Taobao. We use a structural model to evaluate the
overall effects of the Golden Seller certification on consumer welfare and seller profits. Our results reveal that the Golden Sellers charge a relatively lower price, but have a significant higher sales volume. Additionally, our demand estimation and counterfactual simulation suggest that consumer welfare improves because of the new information as well as the added convenience and accessibility of the existing information conveyed in the badge. Meanwhile, Golden Sellers, or high-quality sellers, benefit from the certification substantially while the other sellers are only slightly worse off. These results suggest that the certification enhances market efficiency and expands market.
Price and Quality Effects of Code Sharing Agreements: Evidence from United Airlines/US Airways
Abstract: Past studies of airline alliance have focused on price effects, while very limited empirical evidence was shown on the service quality. This paper investigates the price and quality effects of the codesharing agreements between United Airlines (UA) and US Airways (US) on ticket level. Using a difference-in-difference-in-difference model, this study finds that market fares in UA/US codesharing markets on average decrease relative to the non-codesharing markets. Further, there is an incremental negative effect on codesharing tickets, which is mainly driven by the virtual codeshare. However, the evidence on service quality in terms of connection is very interesting. The quality in UA/US codesharing markets on average declines relative to the non-codesharing markets. Moreover, regardless of the codesharing type, the alliance has a significantly negative effect on service quality. The passengers of traditional codeshared flights are harmed most by the alliance due to both relatively higher market fare and a longer distance traveled.
EXPERIENCE
2014-2019
RESEARCH ASSISTANT, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY, BOSTON, US
Assisted Professor Catalina Herrera Almanza in various research topics in development economics that focuses on resilience to natural disasters, maternal and children’s health.
Main tasks include conducting literature review, collecting data from household surveys and public databases, performing quantitative analysis using various statistical software, and documenting findings.
2014-2015
TEACHING ASSISTANT, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY, BOSTON, US
Development Economics, Gender and Development, Statistics for Economics, The Principle of Microeconomics, Senior Economics Seminar
Guided students through data collection and data analysis to develop their own projects, participated in the assessment process, and supervised group discussions in class and advised on students’ presentation skills
2015 & 2016
TEACHING ASSISTANT, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE, US
Quantitative Methods in Economics and Business, Introduction to Econometrics
Prepared answer keys to assignments and examinations, invigilated examinations, graded problem sets and examinations
2018-2019
INSTRUCTOR, ELITE EDUCATION, VANCOUVER, CANADA
AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, Statistics, and Calculus
Presented lectures, designed homework and exams, and helped students prepare AP tests.
2018
RESEARCH ASSISTANT, BROADLEAF CONSULTING, VANCOUVER, CANADA
Main tasks include collecting and summarizing data, literature review, and helping evaluate community-based projects focusing on health issues.
REFERENCES
JAMES D. DANA
Professor of Economics and Strategy
Department of Economics
Northeastern University
j.dana@northeastern.edu                  Â
(617)373-7517
JOHN E. KWOKA
Neal F. Finnegan Distinguished Professor
Department of Economics
Northeastern University
j.kwoka@northeastern.eduÂ
(617)373-2252
IMKE C. REIMERS
Assistant Professor
Department of Economics
Northeastern University
i.reimers@northeastern.edu
(617)373-5949
LET’S CONNECT
Department of Economics
Northeastern University
360 Huntington Avenue
301 Lake Hall
Boston, MA 02115