Joint Assistant Professor, School of Economics and Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics, Xiamen University
- PhD from University of Illinois, Postdoc at Cornell ILR School
- IZA@LISER, Research Affiliate
- The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance (SSCI Q1), Editorial board
- Research Interests: Labor Economics, Economcis of Education, Public Ecoomics, Chinese Economy
- Contact: jzou at xmu.edu.cn
Research Opportunities
For students who would like to gain research experience:
1. Wuhan University is launching a new survey 中国健康与民生调查 (SHELS) and is currently looking for household survey interviewers; for details and application: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YgVD9uRcJ-5Y5BJXIkMqOA (Due Nov 9, 2026)
Working Papers
1. "The Finance-Education Nexus: Educational Consequences of US Interstate Bank Branching Deregulation" , with Xi Yang [Revise and Resubmit at Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis]
2. "Financing Urbanization in China"
3. "Disparate Impacts of Teacher Certification Exams", with Christa Deneault and Evan Riehl
4. "The Return to University Courses" , with Scott Imberman, Michael Lovenheim, and Kevin Stange
5. "Impact of Federal Nutrition Support for Infants and Young Children on Home Daycare Services", with Elizabeth T. Powers
6. "University Coursework and Teacher Value-Added", with Yaling Xu
Publications
7. "Occupational Licensing in US Public Schools: Nationwide Implementation of Teacher Performance Assessment", with Bobby W. Chung, Journal of Public Economics (April 2025) Vol. 244, 105328.
Coverage: National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) edTPA discussion| The Texas Tribune| New Jersey Policy Perspective| Education Next| Cato Institute Research Briefs
8. "The Peer Effect of Persistence on Student Achievement", Economics of Education Review (October 2024), Vol. 102, 102574.
9. "Migration Barrier Relaxation and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from the Hukou Reform in China", with Xinyan Liu and Yunjiao Xu, Labour Economics (October 2024), Vol. 90, 102605.
Coverage: South China Morning Post (National Day Special)
10. "Understanding Spillover of Peer Parental Education: Randomization Evidence and Mechanisms", with Bobby W. Chung, Economic Inquiry (2023 July), Vol. 61(3): 496-522.
Placement of My Former RA Students
UChicago Statistics (PhD); UChicago Booth (Master); NYU Stern (Master); NUS Econ (Master)
Student Supervision
1) For XMU students: please send me your CV and a research proposal;
2) For international students who plan to apply for XMU scholarship: please send me your CV, transcripts, Englsih proficiency document, and a research proposal.