From November 6 to 7, the 2025 IESR Labor Conference was hosted by the Institute for Economic and Social Research (IESR) at Jinan University. Scholars from renowned institutions, including Brigham Young University, the University of Oregon, the University of Southern California, and Jinan University, attended the conference.

Conference Participants

At the beginning of the conference, Professor Shuaizhang Feng, Dean of IESR, and Professor Lars Lefgren from Brigham Young University delivered welcome speeches, expressing their warm welcome to all participants. They hope this conference will promote academic exchanges and cooperation in labor economics.

Welcome Speech by Professor Shuaizhang Feng

Welcome Speech by Professor Lars Lefgren

In the presentation session, twelve scholars presented their latest research in labor economics, with in-depth discussions on labor market policies, fertility policies, human capital, and relevant topics.

Professor Benjamin Hansen from the University of Oregon presented a paper titled “The Impacts of Drug Decriminalization on Overdoses: Evidence from Measure 110 in Oregon.”

Professor Xiaomeng Cui from Jinan University presented a paper titled “The Unseen Harvest Down the River: Health Externalities of Bt Cotton.”

Professor Rich Patterson from Brigham Young University presented a paper titled “Intergenerational Effects of Occupation Choice: Evidence from the United States Army.”

Professor Shu Cai from Jinan University presented a paper titled “The Direct and Spillover Effects of Return Entrepreneurship Policy on Local Labor Markets.”

Professor Patrick Turley fromthe University of Southern California presented a paper titled “Estimating Changes in Assortative Mating over Time with Genetic Data.”

Professor Jiemin Xu from Jinan University presented a paper titled “Parent-Child Strategic Interaction and Skill Development in Adolescence.”

Professor Kaixin Liu from Jinan University presented a paper titled “Teacher as Public Servant: Younger-than-35 Eligibility and Distortion in Student’s Performance.”

Professor Siyu Chen from Jinan University presented a paper titled “Smart money: Innate Ability, Education, and the Unequal Returns to Wealth.”

Professor Lars Lefgren from Brigham Young University presented a paper titled “Family Peer Effects in Fertility.”

Professor Shuaizhang Feng from Jinan University presented a paper titled “The Effect of Local Economic Conditions on Wages for College Graduates in China.”

Professor Olga Stoddard from Brigham Young University presented a paper titled “The Visible Costs of Invisible Household Labor.”

Professor Bin Xie from Jinan University presented a paper titled “Wealth Redistribution and Fertility Rate: Evidence from China’s Land Reform.”

The event ended with insightful discussions and received positive feedback from all the participants. The successful hosting of this conference laid a solid foundation for further exchanges and cooperation between IESR and scholars from the United States.