I am a consultant at the World Bank in Washington, DC. I received my Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Houston in 2023.
I study how economic development and structural transformation shape labor markets, economic mobility, inequality, and long-run growth in developing and emerging economies. My research examines how individual and household decisions and broader processes of structural transformation shape economic mobility, earnings, and long-run economic development.
My work brings together questions at the micro and macro levels. I study household decisions concerning consumption, saving, fertility, and human capital formation, as well as how labor-market opportunities and structural change affect workers and economies. My current research interests include labor transitions, intergenerational mobility, investment, productivity, and the distribution of economic opportunities.
I combine large-scale microdata, macroeconomic evidence, and quantitative and econometric methods to connect individual economic outcomes with broader processes of development. My broader goal is to understand how economic opportunities evolve, how individuals and economies respond to these changes, and what these dynamics imply for long-run growth and inequality.
Research fields: Macroeconomics · Development Economics · Public Economics
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Contact: liujiaenv@gmail.com · The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433