Ling ZHOU will defend her thesis on Economics on December 16th, 2021 at 2:00 PM.
Auditorium 6 (to attend the lecture, please contact Elvire JALRAN)
Title: Essays in Development Economics: Migration and Identity in China
Supervisor: Paul Seabright
Co-director: Ana Gazmuri
Memberships are:
- Alice Mesnard, Reader in Economics, City University of London
- Arnaud Dupuy, Professor University of Luxembourg
- Stefan Ambec, Senior researcher INRAE, University of Toulouse 1 Capitole - TSE
- Karine Van-Der-Straeten, Senior researcher CNRS, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole - TSE
- Paul Seabright, Professor, University of Toulouse 1 Capitole - TSE
Abstract:
Chapter 1 studies favoritism towards in-group members using cooperative games in natural villages in Yunnan, China. We found tendencies of favoritism towards co-ethnics but only when other groups are present. This favoritism can bring adverse effects on cooperation especially when group composition is unbalanced.
Chapter 2 studies study the effectiveness of merit-based migration policies when we consider the interaction between migration and marriage decisions. I first show that individual strategic marriage responses amplify policy impact on migrant inflow but weaken the impact on migrant composition. I apply the model to Chinese data and reforms on hukou registration. Aligned with the theoretical predictions, I show that we would substantially underestimate the migrant inflows to big cities in China if the main migration restrictions (hukou system) would be removed at all.
Chapter 3 examines individual migration responses to air pollution information disclosure. We exploit the roll-out of an influential national air quality monitor installation program in China and the variation in regional pollution before the program. We show that population pollution elasticity increases by 9% due to pollution information disclosure. Among the change, 10% is driven by rising environmental regulations through labor demand, and 90% is driven by the improved perception of health risk
