Nancy Qian
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Nancy Qian

James J. O'Connor Professor of Managerial Economics & Decision Sciences

Kellogg Faculty Page →

Why Are So Many Young Chinese Depressed?

It’s not just the economic slowdown. The country’s education system and social policies have created a disillusioned generation.

Researchers: Nancy Qian

January 4, 2024

Economics

The Long Tail of China’s Zero-COVID Policy

As the costs of China’s pandemic experience are tallied, younger generations are confronting a disconcerting new reality.

Researchers: Nancy Qian

November 28, 2023

Economics

Is Chinese Youth Unemployment as Bad as It Looks?

China’s exceptional growth in recent decades has influenced the education and career choices of young people and their families. But now that high-skilled jobs are drying up and recent graduates are struggling to find work, there is a growing mismatch between expectations and new realities.

Researchers: Nancy Qian

October 2, 2023

Economics

Youth Unemployment and China’s Economic Future

For decades, China’s growth has followed the pattern of advanced economies, with rising incomes and educational attainment, shrinking family size, and growing female labor-force participation. But across these and other dimensions, the economy now appears to be going backward.

Researchers: Nancy Qian

July 27, 2023

Economics

China’s Youth Unemployment Problem

If the record-breaking joblessness persists, as seems likely, China will have an even harder time supporting its rapidly aging population.

Researchers: Nancy Qian

June 2, 2023

Economics

Banning China from Owning U.S. Farmland Will Achieve Nothing

A new bipartisan bill would prohibit anyone associated with “foreign adversaries” like China from purchasing U.S. farmland. While protecting the U.S. food system and making farmland more affordable to domestic producers by limiting foreign ownership may seem plausible on paper, the reality is more complicated.

Researchers: Nancy Qian

April 21, 2023

Policy

Podcast: China’s Economy Is in Flux. Here’s What American Businesses Need to Know.

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: the end of “Zero Covid,” escalating geopolitical tensions, and China’s potentially irreplaceable role in the global supply chain.

Researchers: Nancy Qian, Benjamin F. Jones and David Dollar

December 23, 2022

Economics

What Do American Businesses Need to Understand about China Right Now?

As China’s zero-Covid policy ends, it’s time to take stock of where the world’s second largest economy may be headed.

Researchers: Nancy Qian, Benjamin F. Jones and David Dollar

December 22, 2022

Economics

Post-War Reconstruction Is a Good Investment

Ukraine’s European neighbors will need to make a major financial commitment to help rebuild its economy after the war. Fortunately, as the legacy of the post–World War II Marshall Plan shows, investing in Ukraine’s future will also serve Europe’s own long-term interests.

Researchers: Nancy Qian

November 28, 2022

Economics

Why Did So Many Ukrainians Die in the Soviet Great Famine?

They perished at a much higher rate than ethnic Russians during what’s known as Holodomor. A new study suggests this was a deliberate policy decision.

Researchers: Andrei Markevich, Natalya Naumenko and Nancy Qian

October 1, 2022

Policy

China’s Future Will Reflect Russia’s

China learned from Russia’s post-1991 experience and pursued its economic liberalization with more care. But it ultimately could not avoid the political implications of pro-market policies and is now following Russia down the road to autocracy—continuing a century-long pattern of mirroring its neighbor’s historical trajectory.

Researchers: Nancy Qian

September 28, 2022

Politics & Elections

The Food Crisis Is Bigger Than Ukraine

While Russia’s war has undoubtedly caused real problems in global food markets, they are different and more complex than what most news coverage suggests.

Researchers: Nancy Qian

August 26, 2022

Economics

Take 5: Democracies and How They Thrive

A look at this form of government at a time when democracy is under stress around the world.

Researchers: Georgy Egorov, Ameet Morjaria, Sandeep Baliga, Nancy Qian and and coauthors

China Is Caught in a COVID-19 Trap of Its Own Making

Why moderating its “zero-COVID” strategy is proving difficult.

Researchers: Nancy Qian

April 26, 2022

Policy

Will Putin's War Slow China's Growth?

The additional spike in food and energy prices caused by the Russia–Ukraine conflict could be devastating for China. But the country’s neutral political stance toward the war may also yield economic gains.

Researchers: Nancy Qian

March 17, 2022

Economics

To Escape Jim Crow–Era Discrimination and Violence, Some Black Men Passed as White. But How Many?

Hundreds of thousands, according to a new study of Census data. Doing so provided some economic benefits but came at a great personal cost.

Researchers: Ricardo Dahis, Emily Nix and Nancy Qian

April 1, 2021

Economics

How Racism Discouraged Volunteer Enlistment Immediately after Pearl Harbor

New research examines what happened when Black and Japanese men, who were battling discrimination at home, were asked to fight injustice abroad.

Researchers: Nancy Qian and Marco Tabellini

December 1, 2020

Social Impact

Why Well-Meaning NGOs Sometimes Do More Harm than Good

Studies of aid groups in Ghana and Uganda show why it’s so important to coordinate with local governments and institutions.

Researchers: Erika Deserranno, Aisha Nansamba, Nancy Qian, Katharine Baldwin, Dean Karlan, Christopher Udry and Ernest Appiah

August 7, 2020

Social Impact

Take 5: The Psychology of Healthy Eating

Opting for a salad instead of a steak can be hard. Research from Kellogg can help.

Researchers: Alexander Chernev, Rima Touré-Tillery, Michal Maimaran, Yuval Salant, David A. Matsa and Nancy Qian

June 4, 2019

Marketing

A Nation’s Wealth May Depend on How Much Its Workers Can Learn on the Job

New research suggests that formal schooling is not the panacea to global inequality that many have long believed it to be.

Researchers: David Lagakos, Benjamin Moll, Tommaso Porzio, Nancy Qian and Todd Schoellman

June 3, 2019

Economics

Why Economic Crises Trigger Political Turnover in Some Countries but Not Others

The fallout can hinge on how much a country’s people trust each other.

Researchers: Nancy Qian, Nathan Nunn and Jaya Wen

September 4, 2018

Politics & Elections

How the Potato Ushered in an Era of Peace

Its arrival in Europe had consequences that went far beyond diet.

Researchers: Murat Iyigun, Nathan Nunn and Nancy Qian

May 2, 2018

Economics

Does Immigration Help or Hurt Local Economies?

Historically, where immigrants cluster in the U.S., prosperity follows.

Researchers: Nathan Nunn, Nancy Qian and Sandra Sequeira

June 6, 2017

Economics