Research

Animus or Beliefs? Consumer Discrimination In Uncertain Times

(Job Market Paper)

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 in a unique setting where motives prompt divergent responses. Using GPS mobile tracking data, I examine consumer discrimination against Chinese restaurants immediately following the first case of COVID-19. I adopt a simple identification strategy: a belief-driven discriminator, motivated by health concerns, discriminates only where there is elevated perceived risk of infection, whereas a taste-driven discriminator, motivated by ethnic animus, discriminates everywhere regardless of perceived risk. I rely on variation in service type to capture perceived health risk and variation in restaurant clientele to capture potential for 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)