Research

Working Papers

The Welfare Effects of Sponsored Product Advertising. April 2024.

Awarded Econ Job Market Best Paper by the European Economic Association and UniCredit Foundation

[Abstract]

Many retail platforms have recently expanded their advertising businesses, featuring sponsored products in search results. While sponsored product advertising can enable sellers to reveal information, it can also worsen search results and raise prices. Using data on Amazon searches, purchases, and advertising auction bids, I estimate a model incorporating consumers, sellers, and the platform to evaluate the welfare effects. Counterfactual analysis suggests that eliminating advertising could benefit consumers and sellers under a fixed commission rate, but would harm them if Amazon adjusts the rate optimally. Advertising tends to be more beneficial in markets with newer products and greater product differentiation.

The Effects of Occupational Licensing Stringency on the Market for Public School Teachers (with Bradley J. Larsen, Ziao Ju, Adam Kapor). American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Revise and Resubmitted. May 2023.

[Abstract]

Concerned about the low academic ability of public school teachers, in the 1990s and 2000s, some states increased licensing stringency to weed out candidates with low academic ability, while others decreased restrictions in hopes of attracting more competitive candidates. We offer a theoretical model justifying both reactions. Using data from 1991–2007 on licensing requirements and teacher characteristics, we find that stricter licensing requirements, specially those emphasizing academic coursework, increased the left tail of the distribution of college selectivity among secondary school teachers. We find no evidence of disparate effects for high-minority or high-poverty school districts.

Publications

Splitting the Difference in Incomplete Information Bargaining: Theory and Widespread Evidence from the Field (with Dan Keniston, Bradley J. Larsen, Shengwu Li, J.J. Prescott, and Bernardo S. Silveira). International Economic Review, 65(4). November 2024.

Competitive Bidding in Drug Procurement: Evidence from China (with Shengmao Cao and Lisa Xuejie Yi). American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 16(3). August 2024.

The Welfare Effects of Vertical Integration in China's Movie Industry (with Luming Chen and Lisa Xuejie Yi). American Economic Journal: Microeconomics,16(2). May 2024.

Selection with Variation in Diagnostic Skill: Evidence from Radiologists (with David C. Chan and Matthew Gentzkow). Quarterly Journal of Economics, 137(2). May 2022.

Trends in the Diffusion of Misinformation on Social Media (with Hunt Allcott and Matthew Gentzkow). Research and Politics, 6(2).  April 2019.