Research

The ends and means of development require examination and scrutiny for a fuller understanding of the development process; ... economic growth cannot sensibly be
treated as an end in itself. Development has to be more concerned with enhancing the lives we lead and the freedom we enjoy.

——Professor Sir Amartya Kumar Sen, 'Development As Freedom'

My research lies in the fields of Development Economics, Applied Microeconomics, and Applied Microeconometrics. In the first two fields, my research topics include poverty, vulnerability and inequality analyses, social protection, and rural-to-urban migration, all in the Chinese contexts. I'm particularly interested in behavioural responses and their consequences for livelihood. In this regard, I've recently looked at marriage and child development. In the last field, my research centres on household panel data analysis and policy/programme evaluation. I occasionally publish articles revolving around Public & Political Economics (governance and corruption) and Environmental Economics, with a particular focus on China.

Research Grants (Principal Investigator)

06/2017 - 05/2020

01/2017 - 12/2020

01/2017 - 12/2019

01/2015 - 12/2017

01/2014 - 12/2016

01/2014 - 12/2015

09/2013 - 08/2014

01/2013 - 12/2015

12/2012 - 11/2013

Social Science Foundation of Beijing (Early-career Researcher Grant)
- Migrants' multidimensional social integration in Beijing.
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, "General Research Grant").
- Rural households' dynamic livelihood strategies under risk and multidimensional poverty in clustered ultra-poor areas: Perspectives from behavioural economics.
The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and the Research Funds of Renmin University of China ("Policy Research and Consultancy Grant").
- Joint policy interventions and their causal impact on poverty in rural China.
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, "Young Scientist Grant").
- Dynamics of multi-dimensional poverty for Chinese rural households.
The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and the Research Funds of Renmin University of China ("Key Project").
- Evaluating the dynamic causal impact of the Labour Contract Law on job-match quality in urban China.
Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education, Ministry of Education of China.
- Forecasting China’s green growth based on provincial panel data.
The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and the Research Funds of Renmin University of China ("International Publication Grant").
- Measuring dynamic causal impact of formal microcredit on child health in rural China.
Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, Ministry of Education of China.
- Poverty dynamics and transition in rural China: An asset perspective.
Research Funds of Peking University - Lincoln Institute Center for Urban Development and Land Policy.
- The determinants and forecasts of China's green growth.
Humanities and Social Science Research Fund, Ministry of Education of China.
- Asset-based poverty and welfare analysis for rural households.
The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and the Research Funds of Renmin University of China ("New Faculty Grant").
- The Impact of microcredit on child education in rural China.
The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and the Research Funds of Renmin University of China ("International Publication Grant").
- Identifying pathways of poverty dynamics.
The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and the Research Funds of Renmin University of China.
- Dynamics of household welfare in rural China.

Research Grants (Co-Investigator)

03/2016 - 02/2018

01/2016 - 06/2016

08/2015 - 07/2017

02/2014 - 07/2015

National Social Science Foundation of China (NSSFC, "Key Project").
- Targeting in poverty alleviation programmes in China. With Prof. Sangui Wang, Renmin University of China.
University of Manchester Research Institute (UMRI) - Pump Priming Programme.
- Multi-disciplinary analysis of poverty and inequality in China. With Dr Katsushi Imai and Dr Xiaobing Wang, University of Manchester.
British Academy - Leverhulme Small Research Grant.
- Air pollution in Chinese urbanisation. With Prof. Andreas Kontoleon (University of Cambridge).
The Faculty Strategic Investment Research Fund (SIRF), Faculty of Humanities, University of Manchester, UK.
- The effects of urbanisation, rural diversification and migration on rural and urban poverty dynamics and vulnerability in China: A multi-dimensional approach. With Katsushi Imai, Xiaobing Wang, Wenya Cheng, Cecilia Wong and Albert Park.

Consultancy

03/2016 - 12/2016

10/2015 - 05/2016

03/2014 - 09/2014

The Chinese State Council Leading Group Offcie of Poverty Alleviation and Development (CPAD).
- Monitoring and evaluating the progress of development plans in 14 nationally designated "clustered poor areas".
UNU-WIDER, Helsinki, Finland.
- Evaluating social assistance programmes in China.
The 12th Round of Negotiation over China-US Investment Treaty and the EU-China Investment Agreement, Ministry of Agriculture of China.
- Specifying the 'negative investment list' in the agriculture sector.

Publication in Peer-Reviewed Journals

1. Wang, J. S-H., Ssewamala, F. M., Neilands, T. B., Bermudez, L. G., Garfinkel, I., Waldfogel, J., Brooks-Gunn, J. and You, J. (2018) Effects of financial incentives on saving outcomes and material well-being: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in Uganda. Journal of Policy Analysis & Management, forthcoming.
2. You, J. and Wang, S. Y. (2018) Unemployment duration and job-match quality in urban China: The dynamic impact of 2008 Labour Contract Law. Economic Modelling, forthcoming.
3. You, J., Kontoleon, A. and Wang, S. G. (2018) Identifying a sustained pathway to multidimensional poverty reduction: Evidence from two Chinese provinces. Journal of Development Studies, forthcoming.
4. You, J., Wang, S. G. and Roope, L. (2018) Intertemporal deprivation in rural China: Income and nutrition. Journal of Economic Inequality 16(1): 61-101.
5. You, J. and Nie, H. (2017) Who determines Chinese firms' engagement in corruption: Themselves or neighbors? China Economic Review 43: 29-46.
6. You, J. (2017) Asset-based poverty transition and persistence in rural China. Agricultural Economics 48(2): 219-239. [Appendix: Threshold estimation]
7. You, J. (2016) Lending to parents and insuring children: Is there a role for microcredit in complementing health insurance in rural China? Health Economics 25(5): 543-558.
8. You, J., Imai, K. and Gaiha, R. (2016) Declining nutrient intake in a growing China: Does household heterogeneity matter? World Development 77: 171-191.
9. You, J. and Ozanne, A. (2015) Volatility and inequality: Household vulnerability as uncertain welfare in rural China. European Journal of Development Research 27(5): 686-706.
10. You, J. (2014) Poverty dynamics in rural China revisited: Do assets matter? Journal of Economic Policy Reform 17(4): 322-340.
11. You, J. and Annim, S. (2014) The impact of microcredit on child education: Quasi-experimental evidence from rural China. Journal of Development Studies 50(7): 926-948. [Appendix]
12. You, J. (2014) Risk, under-investment in agricultural assets and dynamic asset poverty in rural China. China Economic Review 29: 27-45.
13. Imai, K. and You, J. (2014) Poverty dynamics of households in rural China. Oxford Bulletin of Economics & Statistics 76(6): 898-923.
14. You, J. (2013) The role of microcredit in older children's nutrition: Quasi-experimental evidence from rural China. Food Policy 43: 167-179.
15. You, J. (2013) China's challenge for decarbonized growth: Forecasts from energy demand models. Journal of Policy Modeling 35(4): 652-668.
16. Wang, X., Weaver, N. and You, J. (2013) The social security function of agriculture in China. Journal of International Development 25(1): 1-10 (the lead article).
17. Wang, Y. and You, J. (2012) Corruption and firm growth: Evidence from China. China Economic Review 23(2): 415-433.
18. You, J. (2011) Evaluating poverty duration and transition: A spell-approach to rural China. Applied Economics Letters 18(14): 1377-1382.
19. You, J. (2011) China's energy consumption and sustainable development: comparative evidence from GDP and genuine savings. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 15(6): 2984-2989. [Appendix]

Papers Under Revision & Resubmission

1. You, J. and Huang, Y. (2016) Green-to-grey China: Determinants and forecasts of its green growth. Revision request by China Economic Review.
2. You, J., Ding, X., Niño-Zarazúa, M. and Wang, S. G. (2015) Lofty pine and clinging vine: The educational "Great Gatsby Curve" and the role of house prices. R & R at Journal of Housing Economics.
3. You, J. and Niño-Zarazúa, M. (2017) Smoothing or strengthening the "Great Gatsby curve"? The intergenerational impact of China’s New Rural Pension Scheme. R & R at Population and Development Review.

Paper Under Journal Review

1. You, J., Yi, X. and Chen, M. (2016) Love, life, and "leftover ladies" in urban China.

Book Chapters

1. You, J. and Du, Z. (2018) Dual malnutrition in China. In: Raghbendra Jha (eds.), Introduction: Hunger and Malnutrition as Major Challenges in the 21st Century - A Review of the Issues. World Scientific Publishing, Singapore, forthcoming.
2. You, J. (2014) Dietary change, nutrient transition and food security in fast growing China. In: Raghav Gaiha, Raghbendra Jha and Anil B. Deolalikar (eds.), Handbook on Food: Demand, Supply, Sustainability and Security. Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, UK. ISBN: 978-1-78100-428-9.

Authored Book

1. You, J. (2013) China's challenge of sustainable development: Achieving decarbonised economic growth and green poverty reduction. LAMBERT Academic Publishing, Germany. ISBN: 978-3-65935-508-0.

Referee

World Development, Agricultural Economics, China Economic Review, The World Economy, European Journal of Political Economy, Food Policy, European Journal of Development Research, The Manchester School, The Developing Economies, China Agricultural Economics Review, Social Indicators Research, Journal of Peasant Studies, Social Science Research, Emerging Markets Finance and Trade.