Life-Cycle Patterns of Individual Debt Decisions
Lead researcher: Dr. Gallipoli, Giovanni
Debt can have varying levels of productivity based on when it is incurred in the life cycle and the purposes it serves. The potential returns from debt-financed activities, such as entrepreneurship and investing in human capital, can fluctuate significantly over the life cycle. This project examines individuals’ optimal debt decisions over the life cycle using household-level data. As a research assistant, I analyzed the Survey of Consumer Finances (1990–2020) in Stata to document household debt patterns by age, ethnicity, and decade. Moreover, I documented stylized facts to provide the empirical foundation for subsequent model development on optimal debt holdings.
Industrial Structure Change, Production Technology, and Fertility Choice
Lead researcher: Dr. Gallipoli, Giovanni
This study examines how the industrial structure change driven by technological advancement reshapes gender segregation in the labor market, and how such labor market shifts influence household fertility choices. As a research assistant, I collected and organized historical versions of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) data, matched release years to corresponding survey questions for comparative analysis, and created a detailed reference sheet documenting survey identifiers, sources, and metadata. I also supported the literature review and contributed to revising the paper draft.
Restricted Paths and Mission Impossible: Gender Views
Lead researcher: Dr. Sarsons, Heather
This study investigates gender differences in labor market outcomes by investigating how societal beliefs shape the perceived acceptability of men’s and women’s behaviors. As a research assistant, I conducted an extensive literature review in economics and sociology on how gender norms and social expectations influence men’s education and college major choices. Moreover, I synthesized findings on societal gender views to support future theoretical framing and empirical strategy.
Growing Miracle of East Asia
Lead researcher: Dr. Juhász, Réka
The last few decades of the twentieth century witnessed rapid and sustained economic growth across several East Asian nations, where industrial policy played an important role in explaining such a trajectory. During my summer research internship in the Industrial Policy Research Group, I collaborated on processing and analyzing international trade patterns for 10 East Asian countries from 1870 to 2013, covering over 120 industry categories. In addition, I contributed to data entry validation and coded East Asian industrial policies based on government policy records, creating a structured reference for subsequent empirical analysis of policy impacts on trade and growth.
Instrumental Variable Design and Empirical Evaluation
Lead researcher: Dr. Graves, Jonathan
As a team member of COMET (Creating Online Materials for Econometric Teaching) at the University of British Columbia, I contributed to the development of hands-on learning modules that connect econometric theory with real-world applications. My work focused on instrumental variable (IV) analysis, where I implemented IV methods in R, compiled a step-by-step guidebook, and designed a training packet for second-year economics majors. I also evaluated the validity of IV techniques for causal inference using confidential Canadian data, assessing their applicability in undergraduate research contexts.
Benchmark Analysis of Sequential Penalty Kickers in Games
Lead researcher: Dr. Li, Hao
This project investigates how the sequencing of penalty kickers influences outcomes in professional soccer under high-pressure and low-pressure game contexts. As a research assistant, I evaluated the preliminary benchmark analysis comparing kicker sequence results across pressure and non-pressure games, and contributed to the quantitative modeling by replicating the first stage of the game based on official penalty kick rules.
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