Biography

Prof. Bai is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He got his Ph.D. degree at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His research interests encompass development economics, economic history, and political economy of China. Currently, he is examining China's long-term economic backwardness using uniquely constructed data sets. Some of his recent works have appeared in Econometrica, the Journal of the European Economic Association, and the Review of Economics and Statistics.

Research

• Bai, Ying and Ruixue Jia. 2016. “Elite Recruitment and Political Stability: The Impact of the Abolition of China’s Civil Service Exam System”. Econometrica, vol. 84 (2), 677–733.
• Bai, Ying and James Kung. 2015. “Diffusing Knowledge while Spreading God’s Message: Protestantism and Economic Prosperity in China, 1840-1920.” Journal of European Economic Association, vol. 13(4): 669–698.
• Bai, Ying and James Kung. 2014. “The Shaping of an Institutional Choice: Weather Shocks, The Great Leap Famine, and Agricultural Decollectivization in China.” Exploration in Economic History, vol. 54 (lead article): 1-26.
• Bai, Ying, James Kung, and Yang Zhao. 2013. “How Much Expropriation Hazard is Too Much? Land Reallocation and Fertilizer Usage in Rural China.” Land Economics, vol. 90(3): 434-457.
• Bai, Ying and James Kung. 2011. “Climate Shocks and Sino-nomadic Conflict.” Review of Economics and Statistics, vol. 93(3): 970-981.
• Bai, Ying and James Kung. 2011. “Genetic Distance and Income Difference: Evidence from Changes in China’s Cross-Strait Relations.” Economics Letters, vol. 110(3): 255-258.
• Kung, James and Ying Bai. 2011. “Induced Institutional Change or Transaction Costs? The Economic Logic of Land Reallocations in Chinese Agriculture.” Journal of Development Studies, vol. 47(10): 1510-1528.
• Shen, Yan, Minggao Shen, Zhong Xu and Ying Bai. 2009. “Bank Size and Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Lending: Evidence from China.” World Development, vol. 37(4): 800-811.

Awards and Honours

Research Grant Council Early Career Scheme, Hong Kong Government (2017-2018)

Courses Taught