Using plant-level pollution data from Environmental Survey and Reporting Database in China, we analyze how the government's 2007 environmental policy aiming to curb pollution from two-high industries (i.e., high-polluting and high energy-consuming) affect real firm pollution activities across...

This paper studies how CEOs’ early life experiences of natural disasters affect corporate activities during COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. We find that following the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in late February 2020 in the U.S., most firms started to cut down capital expenditure (Capex),...

This study examines how minimum wage hikes affect firms’ industrial pollution. Using the establishment-level pollutant emission data on Chinese industrial firms and exploring the minimum wage policy discontinuities at county borders, we find that minimum wage hikes induce firms to pollute more...

Using data for over 600 households in 16 villages from Townsend Thai project, we find that the role of preexisting informal kinship networks in Thailand was enhanced following a quasi-formal village fund program in 2001. Transfers (gifts) among poor households play a crucial role in funding...

We study how the implementation of emissions trading systems (ETS) impacts emissions reductions and the usage of renewable energy using a panel sample of the largest 100 countries worldwide. Exploiting the cross-country variations in ETS implementations, we show that ETS adoption materially...

Through a unique database on daily activities of municipal party secretaries, we find that they spend a significant part of their work time on political and propaganda activities, including organizing various meetings to promote the central government's spirit ideology. We find that officials...