Yujuan Gao
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Location:
319A Hutcheson Hall250 Drillfield Drive
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
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I am an applied microeconomist with research interests in development economics, health economics, economics of education, and impact evaluation. My work examines how information, digital technologies, and social interactions influence educational attainment, fertility decisions, labor outcomes, and child development outcomes. I combine field experiments, quasi-experimental methods, and administrative data to study policy-relevant questions in developing-country contexts.
My current research focuses on information and communication technologies (ICT), social networks, and human capital development. My goal is to generate evidence that can inform policies aimed at improving educational opportunities and long-term welfare outcomes.
- Ph.D., Applied Economics
University of Florida, 2026 - Visiting Graduate Research Fellow
Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, 2019 - M.A., Economics
Shaanxi Normal University, 2019 - B.S., Statistics
Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, 2016
My research focuses on development economics, human capital development, and impact evaluation. I study how information, digital technologies, and social interactions shape fertility behavior, educational outcomes, labor market participation, and child development. My work combines experimental and quasi-experimental approaches to understand how policies and interventions affect long-term development outcomes.
Who Sits Next to Whom? The Role of Physical Distance in Shaping Academic Achievement in Rural China (with Y. Bai, Y. Ma, A. Rule, and S. Rozelle), China Agricultural Economic Review, 2026, ahead-of-print.
Do Color-Coded Nutrition Facts Panels Nudge the Use of Nutrition Information on Food Packaging? (with X. Chen, L. House, and Z. Gao), Food Policy, 2024, Vol. 124.
Associations Between Urbanization and the Home Language Environment: Evidence from a LENA Study in Rural and Peri-urban China (with Y. Ma, S. Rozelle, et al.), Child Development, 2023, Vol. 94(4).
Maternal Health Behaviors During Pregnancy in Rural Northwestern China (with Y. Ma, S.-E. Dill, et al.), BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2020, Vol. 20.
Arrival Order for Positive and Negative Effects of Parental Migration on the Academic Performance of Left-behind Children in Rural China (with Y. Bai), Studies in Labor Economics, 2018, Vol. 46.