Job Market Paper
Internal Migration Restrictions, Aggregate Productivity, and Spatial Growth [Download]
Last updated, August 2025
Abstract: I study how internal migration restrictions affect productivity, spatial growth, and welfare in China using a dynamic spatial–equilibrium model with iceberg trade and Fréchet firm heterogeneity. Hukou operates as a persistent mobility/amenity penalty that interacts with migration costs; agglomeration in productivity and rent-financed amenities create feedback from labor flows to place-based growth. Calibrated to prefecture-level data and validated out of sample, the model recovers geographic vs. institutional components of mobility frictions and evaluates counterfactual reforms. Full Hukou abolition yields sizable long-run gains in productivity, output, and welfare; a decomposition shows important roles for both reallocation and endogenous productivity/amenity channels. Targeted reforms can deliver smaller average gains and raise inequality when inflows concentrate in lower-dynamic cities, underscoring complementarities between mobility reform and place-based investment.
Who Moves and Who Benefits? Simulated Effects of Hukou Reform After 100 Years
Publications
Why is household electricity uptake low in Sub-Saharan Africa? [Download]
with Moussa P. Blimpo and Agnieszka Postepska
World Development, Volume 133, 2020.
Abstract: This paper spanning over 30 Sub-Saharan African countries, employs individual and household-level data, combined with qualitative fieldwork, to analyze demand-side constraints to electricity access in SSA. We find that demand factors contribute significantly, constituting over two-fifths of the access deficit, often overlooked in electrification efforts focused on supply. We also conclude that some household and community characteristics influenced electricity uptake. Income, its regularity and housing quality drive household uptake, while community-level uptake is strongly linked to infrastructural endowment. To enhance electricity access in less developed countries, the paper suggests policies addressing cost reduction, flexible bill payments and targeted efforts considering complementary income-generating inputs, aligning with ongoing supply-side initiatives.
Working Paper
Technology in the Classroom and Learning in Secondary Schools. [Download]
with Moussa P. Blimpo, Ousman Gajigo, Solomon Owusu and Ryoko Tomita
Policy Research Working Paper No. 9288. World Bank, Washington, DC. 2020.
Abstract: This paper studies the impact of a computer-assisted learning program on learning outcomes among high school students in The Gambia. The program uses innovative technologies and teaching approach to facilitate the teaching of mathematics and science. Since the pilot schools were not randomly chosen, the study first used administrative and survey data, including a written test, to build a credible counterfactual of comparable groups of control students. It used these data to conduct a pre-analysis plan prior to students taking the high-stakes certification exam. The study later used the certification exam data on the same students to replicate the results. The findings show that the program led to a 0.59 standard deviation gains in mathematics scores and an increase of 15 percentage points (a threefold increase) in the share of students who obtained credit in mathematics and English, a criterion for college admission in The Gambia.
Research In Progress
Digital Skills—A New Frontier in Labor Market Demand and Implications for Mismatch in Labor Market
Abstract: The lack of digital skills not only reinforces barriers to access but also hampers countries’ ability to prepare for future labor markets. In many developing regions, adults possess limited ICT and problem-solving abilities, which are crucial in today’s technology-driven environments. As technological advances reshape job demands, lifelong skill acquisition is essential. Strong digital skills enable access to online resources and continuous learning. This study investigates the emergence of digital skills as a new demand in the labor market and its influence on skill mismatches. Focusing on Central Asia, we present evidence of the evolving dynamics in the region’s workforce.
Transportation Infrastructure and Human Capital Development
Abstract: Geographical mobility plays a crucial role in labor market access. Poor infrastructure limits both the physical movement of workers and their ability to invest in skills that can be better utilized in more productive regions, ultimately causing insufficient investment in acquiring skills and inefficient human capital allocation. This paper examines how improved transportation would affect labor mobility, human capital accumulation, labor supply elasticity, and aggregate productivity. When transportation infrastructure is weak, the return on investing in education or skills may be lower because individuals cannot easily access better opportunities. Workers with advanced skills or education may find it economically unviable to relocate or commute to regions where their skills are in demand. This diminishes incentives for further education and skills training, especially in regions with poor connectivity.
Yanbin 