Publications
Are Basketball Players Loss Averse? Reference-Dependent Preferences in the NBA
(with Lester Lusher and Stephen Fick) Applied Economics, 2018
Abstract: Models with reference-dependent preferences suggest that agents exert considerable effort to avoid falling below a reference point and ``losing." We provide visual and statistical evidence that player performances in the National Basketball Association bunch at salient, normatively extraneous round numbers (e.g. 10, 20, 30 points). Using data on nearly three million shot attempts with precise (x, y) coordinates on the court, we find that players improve free throw accuracy and attempt shots closer to the hoop when trying for a round number. The results are strongest for players on home teams, suggesting that the reference-dependence enters preferences through an external, social evaluation channel.
(with Lester Lusher and Stephen Fick) Applied Economics, 2018
Abstract: Models with reference-dependent preferences suggest that agents exert considerable effort to avoid falling below a reference point and ``losing." We provide visual and statistical evidence that player performances in the National Basketball Association bunch at salient, normatively extraneous round numbers (e.g. 10, 20, 30 points). Using data on nearly three million shot attempts with precise (x, y) coordinates on the court, we find that players improve free throw accuracy and attempt shots closer to the hoop when trying for a round number. The results are strongest for players on home teams, suggesting that the reference-dependence enters preferences through an external, social evaluation channel.
Working Papers
Trade Shocks and Firms Hiring Decisions: Evidence from Vacancy Postings of Chinese Firms in the Trade War
(with Karsten Mau and Mingzhi Xu) Submitted.
In the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time? The Long-Run Effects of the Send-Down Movement in China [Job Market Paper]
Abstract: The Chinese Send-Down Movement during the Cultural Revolution compulsorily sent youths of secondary-school age to live and work as peasants in the countryside. This paper investigates the long-run consequences of being displaced by this event, with a focus on health and family structure. I conduct a regression discontinuity design using across-cohort variation in the probability of being sent down, and extend the discussion on the causal effects of the Send-Down Movement with a two-sample method. The results suggest that the sent-down individuals, who encountered this sudden displacement in their adolescence and early adulthood, are more likely to have health issues, are less likely to have successful marriages, have children later in life, and grew up to have less trust in other people, including family members, irrespective of the socioeconomic status of the sent-down cohorts as adults. In addition, there is evidence of gender-asymmetric effects, with women being worse off in physical health and marital matching, and men being affected in mental health and fertility.
(with Karsten Mau and Mingzhi Xu) Submitted.
In the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time? The Long-Run Effects of the Send-Down Movement in China [Job Market Paper]
Abstract: The Chinese Send-Down Movement during the Cultural Revolution compulsorily sent youths of secondary-school age to live and work as peasants in the countryside. This paper investigates the long-run consequences of being displaced by this event, with a focus on health and family structure. I conduct a regression discontinuity design using across-cohort variation in the probability of being sent down, and extend the discussion on the causal effects of the Send-Down Movement with a two-sample method. The results suggest that the sent-down individuals, who encountered this sudden displacement in their adolescence and early adulthood, are more likely to have health issues, are less likely to have successful marriages, have children later in life, and grew up to have less trust in other people, including family members, irrespective of the socioeconomic status of the sent-down cohorts as adults. In addition, there is evidence of gender-asymmetric effects, with women being worse off in physical health and marital matching, and men being affected in mental health and fertility.
Work in Progress
Shopping with an Empty Stomach? The Effect of Time of Day on Grocery Purchasing Behavior (with Wenbo Zou)
