We show that judicial independence can reduce local protectionism and foster cross-regional economic integration. We exploit a judicial independence reform in China with staggered roll-out since 2014. The reform removed local governments' control over local courts' financial and personnel...

We analyze the effects of exposure to industrial robots on labor markets and household behaviors, exploring longitudinal household data from China. We find that a one standard deviation increase in robot exposure led to a decline in labor force participation (-1%), employment (-7.5%), and hourly...

Although air quality deteriorates every year and millions of lives are put at risk, the determinants of individual attitudes toward environmental pollution remain obscure. We propose a hypothesis whereby the current day’s air quality affects attitudes toward environmental pollution. In the...

This paper investigates the effectiveness of engine-specific tax programs that are widely used in developing countries to contain car carbon emissions. Using the largest national tax abatement program for small displacement vehicles in 2015 and administrative data in China, our study identifies...