Daniel Yi Xu

Daniel Yi Xu

David Rubenstein Distinguished Professor of Economics, Duke University.

International Trade Industrial Organization Development Environmental & Energy Regulation
Selected papers Affiliations Contact

Roles & Affiliations

Current positions, editorial roles, and research networks.
David Rubenstein Distinguished Professor of Economics
Duke University
Research Associate
NBER — Productivity, International Trade, Development
Research Fellow
CEPR — Climate Change & Environment
Senior Fellow
Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research
Research Affiliate
International Growth Centre
Editorial Roles
Co-editor, American Economic Journal: Micro· Associate editor, RAND Journal of Economics

Selected papers

Full publications list organized by topic; links open PDFs where available.

Environmental Regulation and Productivity

The Geographic Leakages of Environmental Regulations: Evidence from the Clean Air Act
March 2025 · with M. Curtis, W. Miao, F. Soliman, and J.C. Suárez Serrato
Firm Selection and Growth in Carbon Offset Markets: Evidence from the Clean Development Mechanism in China
March 2025 · R&R at American Economic Review · with Q. Chen and N. Ryan
Regulating Conglomerates: Evidence from an Energy Conservation Program in China
American Economic Review (Feb 2025) · with Q. Chen, Z. Chen, Z. Liu, and J.C. Suárez Serrato

Globalization and Technology Upgrading

Market Congestion and Information Frictions on Global E-Commerce Platforms
Aug 2025 · 2nd R&R at ReStat · with J. Bai, M. Chen, J. Liu, and X. Mu
Notching R&D Investment with Corporate Income Tax Cuts in China
American Economic Review (July 2021) · with Z. Chen, Z. Liu, and J.C. Suárez Serrato
Trade, Quality Upgrading, and Input Linkages: A Theory with Evidence from Colombia
American Economic Review (Jan 2018) · with A. Fieler and M. Eslava
The Role of Firm Factors in Demand, Cost, and Export Market Selection for Chinese Footwear Producers
Review of Economic Studies (Oct 2018) · with M. Roberts, X. Fan, and S. Zhang
R&D Investment, Exporting, and Productivity Dynamics
American Economic Review (June 2011) · with B.Y. Aw and M. Roberts

Political Economy of Service Industries

The Societal Impacts of the Legal Profession: Evidence from Commercial Disputes in China
May 2025 · with Z. Liu, W. Peng, and S. Wang
When Food Gets Political: How Does News Drive Green Food Offerings
March 2025 · R&R at Marketing Science with B. Xu and T. Guo

Trade War and Trade Networks

Strategic Avoidance and the Welfare Impacts of U.S. Solar Panel Tariffs
Nov 2025 · with T. Gerarden, B. Bollinger, and K. Gillingham
Who Pays for Tariffs Along the Supply Chain
Jan 2026 · with A. Flaaen, A. Hortaçsu, F. Tintelnot, and N. Urdaneta
Two-Sided Search in International Markets
Feb 2026 · 2nd R&R at Journal of Political Economy · with J. Eaton, D. Jinkins, and J. Tybout
O-Ring Production Networks
Journal of Political Economy (Jan 2024) · with B. Demir, A. Fieler, and K. Yang

Market Distortions and Misallocation

The Spatial Distribution of Markups
(coming soon) · with J. Becker, C. Edmond, and V. Midrigan
How Costly Are Markups
Journal of Political Economy (July 2023) · with C. Edmond and V. Midrigan
Competition, Markups, and the Gains from International Trade
American Economic Review (Oct 2015) · with C. Edmond and V. Midrigan
Finance and Misallocation: Evidence from Plant-level Data
American Economic Review (Feb 2014) · with V. Midrigan
Macroeconomic Implications of Size-Dependent Policies
Review of Economic Dynamics (Oct 2008) · with N. Guner and G. Ventura

Fiscal Incentives and Firm Dynamics

Tax Policy and Lumpy Investment: Evidence from China VAT Reform
Review of Economic Studies (Mar 2023) · with Z. Chen, X. Jiang, Z. Liu, and J.C. Suárez Serrato
The Structure of Business Taxation in China
Tax Policy and the Economy (Oct 2020) · with Z. Chen, Y. He, Z. Liu, and J.C. Suárez Serrato

Industry Evolution

A Structural Empirical Model of R&D Investment, Firm Heterogeneity, and Industry Evolution
Journal of Industrial Economics (June 2023) · with Y. Chen
Understanding the Social Learning Effect in Contagious Switching Behavior
Management Science (July 2019) · with M. Hu and S. Yang
Competitors, Complementors, Parents and Places: Explaining Regional Agglomeration in the U.S. Auto Industry
Review of Economic Dynamics (Oct 2018) · with L. Cabral and Z. Wang
Entry, Exit, and The Determinants of Market Structure
Rand Journal of Economics (Fall 2013) · with T. Dunne, S. Klimek, and M. Roberts