Research Interests: Environmental Economics; Non-market Valuation
Job Market Paper
The Economic Impact of Microbeads Ban on Face Cleansers
with John Crespi and Wendong Zhang
Microbeads, plastic additives used in personal care products with specific functions of exfoliating, are a growing global concern especially in the ocean and Great Lakes. With the support of growing scientific evidence, many countries passed laws to prohibit the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of rinse-off cosmetics containing plastic microbeads.
Our paper provides the first empirical assessment of the impacts of U.S. regulations on microbeads on the prices and sales of face cleanser products.
Leveraging the transaction level weekly Nielsen Retail Scanner data of face cleanser product sales from 2013 to 2016, we employ a difference-in-differences design to compare the sales of face cleanser products before and after the state bans relative to sales of our control groups - face lotion products. We follow Goodman-Bacon (2018) to explore the differential treatment effects resulting from variation in the enactment timing of the bans across the states.
Our results suggest that the microbeads bill introduction led to an increase in the sales of some face cleanser products. We also find evidence of an increase in sales of face cleanser products after bill enactment relative to sales of face lotion products.
The Economic Impact of Microbeads Ban on Face Cleansers
with John Crespi and Wendong Zhang
Microbeads, plastic additives used in personal care products with specific functions of exfoliating, are a growing global concern especially in the ocean and Great Lakes. With the support of growing scientific evidence, many countries passed laws to prohibit the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of rinse-off cosmetics containing plastic microbeads.
Our paper provides the first empirical assessment of the impacts of U.S. regulations on microbeads on the prices and sales of face cleanser products.
Leveraging the transaction level weekly Nielsen Retail Scanner data of face cleanser product sales from 2013 to 2016, we employ a difference-in-differences design to compare the sales of face cleanser products before and after the state bans relative to sales of our control groups - face lotion products. We follow Goodman-Bacon (2018) to explore the differential treatment effects resulting from variation in the enactment timing of the bans across the states.
Our results suggest that the microbeads bill introduction led to an increase in the sales of some face cleanser products. We also find evidence of an increase in sales of face cleanser products after bill enactment relative to sales of face lotion products.
Working paper
Recreational benefit disparity? Evidence from underrepresented population in Iowa
with Yongjie Ji and Wendong Zhang
Environmental justice issues related to amenities have been both a historical and modern concern over the last decade. Recent environmental justice research has focused on the distribution of environmental hazards and amenities through different socioeconomic groups, while other dimensions of justice such as recognition are rarely addressed. Here, we leverage the 6-round longitudinal household recreational data from the Iowa lakes valuation project and examine the possible disparity in preference for recreation across underrepresented and other households. Our results show that recreation preferences are different for the two socioeconomic groups and the disparities vary over time. Household characteristics also have a significant impact on household recreation decisions, though no significant differences are found between socioeconomic groups.
Recreational benefit disparity? Evidence from underrepresented population in Iowa
with Yongjie Ji and Wendong Zhang
Environmental justice issues related to amenities have been both a historical and modern concern over the last decade. Recent environmental justice research has focused on the distribution of environmental hazards and amenities through different socioeconomic groups, while other dimensions of justice such as recognition are rarely addressed. Here, we leverage the 6-round longitudinal household recreational data from the Iowa lakes valuation project and examine the possible disparity in preference for recreation across underrepresented and other households. Our results show that recreation preferences are different for the two socioeconomic groups and the disparities vary over time. Household characteristics also have a significant impact on household recreation decisions, though no significant differences are found between socioeconomic groups.
Work in progress
Impact of congestion during COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from cell phone mobility data
with Donghyuk Kim, Xibo Wan and Wendong Zhang
Extent of the Market and Its Impacts on Welfare Analysis: Evidence from a Two-decades Long Recreation Household Survey Project
with Yongjie Ji and Wendong Zhang
Impact of congestion during COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from cell phone mobility data
with Donghyuk Kim, Xibo Wan and Wendong Zhang
Extent of the Market and Its Impacts on Welfare Analysis: Evidence from a Two-decades Long Recreation Household Survey Project
with Yongjie Ji and Wendong Zhang
