Haizheng Li

Economic transition and returns to education in China

Abstract This study uses the most recent household survey data from 1995 to estimate returns to education in urban China. Most existing studies in the literature are based on data from the 1980s and find that the rates of return to education in China are remarkably low. This study investigates whether the returns have been underestimated and whether such returns have increased as economic reforms deepen in China. The estimates of returns in this study are considerably higher than previous estimates. Two factors explain the findings: first, previous works using annual earnings instead of hourly wages bias the estimates downward; second, returns to education have increased as the transition process has deepened in China. In addition, average annual returns above the elementary school level are considerably higher than the overall returns. Finally, the private sector rewards highly educated individuals the most, while the state-owned sector rewards low education levels the most, and the returns to education are higher in less-developed, low-income provinces.

A CONDITIONAL LOGIT APPROACH TO U.S. STATE-TO-STATE MIGRATION*

This paper uses a conditional logit approach to study interstate migration in the United States for each of eleven years, from 1986–1987 to 1996–1997. We test substantive hypotheses regarding migration in the United States and demonstrate the richness of the conditional logit approach in studies of place‐to‐place migration. We investigate migration responses to relative economic opportunities (unemployment rate, per capita income) and the associated costs of moving (distance between origin and destination and its square). We also investigate how noneconomic factors, such as amenities, affect migration between states through a state fixed effect. Finally, we study the magnitude of unmeasured costs associated with a particular migration. The conditional logit model also allows us to compute various trade‐off and other values that are of interest in migration analysis.

HUMAN CAPITAL IN CHINA, 1985–2008

We estimated Chinas human capital stock from 1985 to 2008 based on the Jorgenson–Fraumeni (J–F) lifetime income framework. In order to accommodate the Chinese data and to capture human capital accumulation through both formal education and informal training, we modified the original J–F method by incorporating the Mincer model. We calculated total and per capita human capital stock for different population groups, and studied their trends and dynamics during the course of economic transition. We also constructed Divisia indexes of various orders to evaluate the contribution of different factors to the growth of human capital in China.

A field-deployed 810 GHz receiver incorporating a superconducting mixer developed for herschel space telescope and a SiGe low noise amplifier

We have constructed an 810 GHz receiver system incorporating a HIFI Band-3 superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixer developed for Herschel space observatory and a wide-band SiGe low noise amplifier (LNA) designed at Caltech. The instrument is currently installed at the RLT telescope (elevation 5500 m) in northern Chile. Hot/cold (280K/72K) load measurements performed at the telescope yield noise temperatures of 225 K (Y-factor = 1.7) including receiver optics. First-light observations indicate that the receiver is highly sensitive and functions stably. We present details of the receiver system, its performance at the telescope, and first-light observations with a Herschel mixer.

Reconfiguration of the Labor Market

This forward-looking volume offers insights into the globalization of the Chinese economy and its accession to the WTO. The contributors provide updated accounts of recent developments in the Chinese economy and examines the implications of Chinas accession for the rest of the world.

Pricing strategies in online book industry: a comparative study

In this paper, we examine pricing strategies in the U.S. online book industry over two time periods, with an aim to understand whether and how the driving factors of price dispersion change over time. Our empirical results show that dispersion in prices has remained substantial over the period of 2001–2006, but the driving factors of these variations in price have evolved. In 2001 online book retailers generally engaged in obfuscation, frustrating consumer search by manipulating shipping options. As documented by prior literature and revealed in our 2001 data, higher prices charged by retailers were positively related with longer shipping time. This strategy has been abandoned, as shown by our results of a 2006 sample. Online retailers are now competing to ship items quicker than rivals and to pass fewer or no shipping costs on to consumers. The impact of trust assurance seals (e.g., seals of online security and privacy) on price has materialized over the period of 2001–2006. This is because as more consumers become security conscious, the effects of assurance seals on the price becomes better recognized. Moreover, although retailers are roughly clustered into three cohorts, they strategize prices across different product items within each cohort.

The earnings effects of health and health-related activities: a panel data approach

We investigate the effects of health and health-related habits on earnings in China using panel data to control for unobserved heterogeneity related to individual traits and job characteristics. Health-related habits include smoking cigarettes, drinking tea, frequency of drinking alcohol and physical exercising. We find a significant and large impact of health status on earnings, controlling for schooling, experience and the unobserved individual heterogeneity and job heterogeneity. We also find that smoking has a strong negative effect on earnings net of health status, while the estimated effects of other health-related activities are statistically insignificant.