Subject Area

Economics

Abstract

Chapter 1 explores the strategic behavior of provincial leaders in China in response to visits by central government leaders. I find that such behavior is correlated with provincial leaders’ personal characteristics and their connections with the visitors. Meanwhile, acting strategically during these visits has a positive and significant effect on overall promotions, but a positive and insignificant effect on promotions to the most important positions in the Politburo.

Chapter 2 examines the impact of the Confucian norms on the spatial heterogeneity of fertility rates and sex-selective abortions in contemporary China. To overcome the challenge of quantifying cultural norms, I construct an innovative proxy for Confucian norms by estimating the amount of joss paper burned during Ghost Festival celebrations. My findings indicate that in counties where Confucian norms are more prevalent, both fertility rates and male-to-female ratios at birth are significantly higher.

Degree Date

Spring 5-16-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Economics

Advisor

Klaus Desmet

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