Research

Animus or Beliefs? Consumer Discrimination In Uncertain Times

Job Market Paper (Update: January 8, 2024)

Abstract: Neither beliefs nor preferences are observed in most studies of discrimination, making it hard to discern the underlying motive. This study overcomes the challenge by testing two plausible motives in consumer discrimination following the first case of COVID-19. Did consumers avoid Chinese restaurants due to belief-based concerns over virus risks or due to anti-Chinese sentiment? Using foot-traffic data on the universe of US restaurants, I exploit variation in service type to capture perceived health risks and variation in the ethnic mix of customers to capture anti-Chinese sentiment. I find strong evidence consistent with belief-based discrimination and inconsistent with taste-based discrimination.

Isolating the Effect of Grant Rates on Asylum Applications: A Relative Discrete Choice Approach

(Working Paper)

Abstract: I use the destination choices of migrants who arrive under different statuses as a plausible counterfactual to estimate the effect of grant rates (recognition rates) on the share of applications for asylum received by a destination country. Using a relative discrete choice model, I find a robust estimate of a 6.5 percent increase in the share of applications received by destination countries in response to a 10 percentage point increase from the mean grant rate. This approach may provide applied researchers with a simple and convenient method to attain estimates in other settings.

Social Media Exacerbates Discrimination: Evidence From Twitter In The Early Weeks Of COVID-19

(Work in Progress)

The Effect of Foreign Culture Exposure on Consumers: Evidence from K-Pop Tours

(with Allegra Cockburn, Work in Progress)