LI Wenchao
Tenured Professor of Economics, Doctoral Advisor
Research Fields: Labor Economics; Development Economics
liwenchao1022@yeah.net
Li Wenchao is a Tenured Professor and Doctoral Advisor at the School of Economics and Management, Tongji University. She is a recipient of the Excellent Young Scientists Fund by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. She holds a First-Class Honours Bachelor’s degree and a PhD in Economics from the National University of Singapore. Her research focuses on labor economics and development economics. Her research work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Human Resources, Economic Journal, Journal of Business Venturing, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — and has received the Shanghai Philosophy and Social Science Outstanding Achievement Award and the Zhang Peigang Development Economics Research Award. She is also a recipient of the Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program. She leads a project under a Major Fund by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Currently, doctoral admissions are open in Western Economics (prospective applicants are advised to contact her in advance). Research in related fields requires solid preparation, rigorous dedication, and long-term commitment, but it also provides systematic training for those genuinely devoted to academic pursuits. If you have a strong interest in academic research and wish to receive further training, you may reach out via email.
EDUCATION
- 2013 – 2018: Ph.D. in Economics, National University of Singapore
- 2009 – 2013: Bachelor of Science with 1st Class Honors, National University of Singapore
EXPERIENCE
- 2018 – 2019: Postdoctoral Fellow in Economics, National University of Singapore
PUBLICATIONS
- 17 - Wenchao Li; Fangzhou Lian; Ninghua Zhong ; Highways to prosperity: Unlocking their potential through anti-poverty interventions. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2025, 239: 107261
- 16 - V. Bhaskar; Wenchao Li; Junjian Yi ; Strategic parental investments in a competitive marriage market. European Economic Review, 2025, 104958
- 15 - Jie Li; Wenchao Li ; Retreating from risks: Household stock market participation in a protectionist era. Journal of Banking & Finance, 2025, 107392
- 14 - Xiaolan Yang; Lele Zhang; Xiaoyue Hong; Wenchao Li ; Can digital financial inclusion facilitate intergenerational income mobility? Evidence from China. Journal of Comparative Economics, 2024, 52(4): 951-962
- 13 - Wenchao Li ; Do surging house prices discourage fertility? Global evidence, 1870–2012, Labour Economics, 2024, 102572
- 12 - Wenchao Li; Di Tong ; The benefits of having an entrepreneur mother: Influence of mother's entrepreneurial status on human capital formation among children, Journal of Business Venturing, 2023, 38(6): 106329
- 11 - V. Bhaskar; Wenchao Li; Junjian Yi ; Multidimensional premarital investments with imperfect commitment, Journal of Political Economy, 2023, 131(10)
- 10 - Wenchao Li; Zhiming Leng; Junjian Yi; Songfa Zhong ; A multifaceted poverty reduction program has economic and behavioral consequences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2023, 120(10)
- 9 - Wenchao Li ; Gender of children and risky health behaviors: Evidence from China, Economic Modelling, 2023, 119
- 8 - Xiaolan Yang; Xiaoyue Hong; Wenchao Li ; "Only children" and entrepreneurship in China: Spillover effects and mechanisms, Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, 2023, 101994
- 7 - Wenchao Li; Xuyan Lou; Junjian Yi; Junsen Zhang ; Unobserved endowments and gender differences in marriage matching, Journal of Labor Economics, 2023, 41(4): 859-886
- 6 - Wenchao Li; Changcheng Song; Shu Xu; Junjian Yi ; High sex ratios and household portfolio choice in China, Journal of Human Resources, 2022, 57(2): 465-490
- 5 - Xiaolan Yang; Yidong Huang; Wenchao Li ; Economic preferences and state-level corruption: Global evidence and mechanism, Applied Economics Letters, 2022: 1-21
- 4 - Wenchao Li ; The "miseries" of sex imbalance: Evidence using subjective well-being data, Journal of Development Economics, 2021, 151
- 3 - Wenchao Li; Jing Li; Junjian Yi ; Government management capacities and the containment of covid-19: A repeated cross-sectional study across Chinese cities, BMJ Open, 2021, 11(4)
- 2 - Wenchao Li; Junjian Yi ; Alphabetical author order, intellectual collaboration, and high-skilled migration, Economic Journal, 2021, 131(635): 1250-1268
- 1 - Wenchao Li ; Time barrier to export for OECD countries, Economics Letters, 2019, 175: 106-112
SELECTED WORKING PAPERS
- Wenchao Li; Yifan Lin; Junjian Yi; Haochen Zhang ; Dual-track in the family, R&R at Journal of Development Economics
TEACHING
- Econometrics
- Frontiers in Economic Research
- Urban Economics
PROJECTS AS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- National Natural Science Foundation of China, Major Fund, Sub-project，2026.01 – 2030.12
- National Natural Science Foundation of China, Young Scientists Fund (Category B) [formerly Excellent Young Scientists Fund Project]，2025.01 – 2027.12
- National Natural Science Foundation of China, Young Scientists Fund (Category C) [formerly Young Scientists Fund Project]，2022.01 – 2024.12, Completed
ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES
- Invited anonymous reviewer for academic journals including Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Human Resources, Management Science, and Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
AWARDS
- Zhang Peigang Development Economics Research Award, 2024
- Shanghai Philosophy and Social Science Outstanding Achievement Award, Second Prize, 2023
- Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program, 2020
- Singapore National Academy of Science Award, 2013
