Li-an Zhou

Li-An Zhou is a Professor of Appied Economics at Guanghua School of Management at Peking University. Dr. Zhou received his BA and MA in economics from Peking University, and his Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University. He joined Gunaghua as an Assistant Professor in 2002 and became a full Professor in 2010. His research interests include political economy, industrial organization, economic development, and Chinese economy. Dr. Zhou has published papers in economics and management journals including American Economic Review, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Public Economics, Economic Journal, Journal of Health Economics, and Strategic Management Journal. He is also the author of the book Incentives and Governance: China's Local Governments (Cengage Learning, 2010).

Education Background

• 2002 Stanford University Economics
  
• 1991 Peking University Economics
  
• 1988 Peking University International Economics

Career Experience

• July 2006-January 2011 Associate Chair, Department of Applied Economics, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University
• January 2011- September 2020 Chair, Department of Applied Economics, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University
• May 2018-present Associate Dean, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University
• August 2006-present Associate Director, Institute of Economic Policy Research (IEPR), Peking University

PUBLICATIONS IN JOURNALS (ENGLISH)

• “Arrival of Young Talent: The Send-down Movement and Rural Education in China” (with Yi Chen, Ziying Fan, and Xiaomin Gu), American Economic Review, forthcoming
• “Career Incentives of City Leaders and Urban Spatial Expansion in China” (with Zhi Wang and Qinghua Zhang), Review of Economics and Statistics, forthcoming
• “Estimating Returns to Education in Urban China: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Schooling Reform” (with Yi Chen and Sheng Jiang), Journal of Comparative Economics 48(1): 218-233, 2020
• “Farewell to the God of Plague: Estimating the Effects of China's Universal Salt Iodization on Educational Outcomes” (with Chang Liu and Qingyang Huang), Journal of Comparative Economics 48(1): 20-36, 2020.
• “Target Setting in Tournaments: Theory and Evidence from China” (with Xing Li, Chong Liu and Xi Weng), Economic Journal 129(623): 2888–2915, 2019.
• “Understanding China: A Dialogue with Philip Huang,” Modern China 45(4) 392–432, 2019.
• “The Gradients of Power: Evidence from the Chinese Housing Market” (with Hanming Fang and Quanlin Gu), Journal of Public Economics 176: 32-52, 2019.
• “Bilateral Trust and Trade: Evidence from China” (with Weibo Xing), The World Economy 41: 1918–1940, 2018
• “Does Raising Family Income Cause Better Child Health? Evidence from China” (with Yi Chen and Xiaoyan Lei), Economic Development and Cultural Change 65(3): 495-520, 2017
• "Market Facilitation by Local Government and Firm Efficiency: Evidence from China" (with Robert Cull, Lixin Colin Xu, Xi Yang, and Tian Zhu), Journal of Corporate Finance 42: 460–480 2017.
• “Strategic Interaction in Political Competition: Evidence from Spatial Effects across Chinese Cities” (with Jihai Yu and Guozhong Zhu), Regional Science and Urban Economics 57: 23–37, 2016
• " Executive Compensation and Legal Investor Protection: Evidence from China’s Listed Firms" (with Zhigang Zheng, Yanmei Sun and Chao Chen), Review of Development Economics 20(1): 39-47, 2016.
• "Demystifying the Chinese Housing Boom" (with Hanming Fang, Quanlin Gu, and Wei Xiong), NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2015, Vol.30, edited by Martin Eichenbaum and Jonathan Parker
• “The Administrative Subcontract: Significance, Relevance and Implications for Intergovernmental Relations in China,” Chinese Journal of Sociology, Vol.: 1-41, 2015
• “The Effect of Microinsurance on Economic Activities: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment" (with Hongbin Cai, Yuyu Chen and Hanming Fang), Review of Economics and Statistics 97(2): 287–300, 2015
• “Seller Reputation: From Word-of-mouth to Centralized Feedback” (with Hongbin Cai, Ginger Jin, and Chong Liu), International Journal of Industrial Organization 34: 51-65, 2014.
• "Family Ties and Organizational Design: Evidence from Chinese Private Firms" (with Hongbin Cai, Hongbin Li and Albert Park), Review of Economics and Statistics 95(3): 850-867, 2013.
• “Returnees Versus Locals: Who Performs Better in China’s Technology Entrepreneurship?” (with Haiyang Li, Yan Zhang, Yu Li, and Weiying Zhang), Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal 6: 257-272, 2012
• “Intra-Industry Knowledge Spillovers from Foreign Direct Investment in R&D: Evidence from China’s ‘Silicon Valley’” (with Yasuyuki Todo and Weiying Zhang), Review of Development Economics 15(3), 569-585, 2011.
• “FDI Spillovers in an Emerging Market: The Role of Foreign Firms’ Country Origin Diversity and Domestic Firms’ Absorptive Capacity” (with Yan Zhang, Haiyang Li and Yu Li), Strategic Management Journal 31: 969–989, 2010.
• “Income and Consumption Inequality in Urban China: 1992-2003” (with Hongbin Cai and Yuyu Chen), Economic Development and Cultural Change 58 (3): 385-413, 2010, lead article.
• “Incentives, Equality, and Contract Renegotiations: Theory and Evidence in the Chinese Banking Industry” (with Hongbin Cai and Hongbin Li), Journal of Industrial Economics 58(1): 156-189, 2010.
• “Knowledge spillovers from FDI in China: The role of educated labor in multinational enterprises,” (with Yasuyuki Todo and Weiying Zhang) Journal of Asian Economics 20 (6), 626-639, 2009.
• "Political Connections, Financing and Firm Performance: Evidence from Chinese Private Entrepreneurs" (with Hongbin Li, Lingsheng Meng, and Qian Wang), Journal of Development Economics 87: 283-299, 2008.
• "The Long-Term Health and Economic Consequences of the 1959-61 Famine in China" (with Yuyu Chen), Journal of Health Economics 26: 659-681, 2007, lead article.
• “Incentive Contracts and Bank Performance: Evidence from the Banking Industry in Rural China" (with Hongbin Li and Scott Rozelle), Economics of Transition 15(1): 109-124, 2007.
• "Relative Performance Evaluation and the Turnover of Provincial Leaders in China" (with Ye Chen and Hongbin Li), Economics Letters 88: 421-425, 2005.
• “Political Turnover and Economic Performance: The Incentive Role of Personnel Control in China” (with Hongbin Li), Journal of Public Economics 89:1743-1762, 2005. Reprinted in "Governing Rapid Growth in China: Equity and Institutions", edited by Ravi Kanbur and Xiaobo Zhang, 2009, London and New York: Routledge.
• "Parental Childcare and Children’s Educational Attainment: Evidence from China" (with Hongbin Li, Xianguo Yao, and Junsheng Zhang), Applied Economics, 37 (18): 2067-2076, 2005.
• “How Prudent Are Community Representative Consumers?” (with Yuyu Chen) Topics in Macroeconomics: Vol. 3: No. 1, Article 4. 2003