My research examines how environmental conditions, social interactions, and economic incentives shape human capabilities and their development throughout the life course. Combining large-scale administrative and digital-trace data with quasi-experimental methods, I study how factors such as climate shocks, digital distractions, peer influence, and workplace incentives affect learning, health, productivity, and economic decision-making. My work seeks to identify barriers to human capital accumulation and inform policies that expand people’s opportunities to develop and apply their capabilities.
Selected Publications
1.Barwick, Panle Jia, Siyu Chen, Chao Fu, and Teng Li. (2026). “Digital Distractions with Peer Influence: The Impact of Mobile App Usage on Academic and Labor Market Outcomes.” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 141(1), 1–49.
2.Chen, Siyu, and Zihan Hu. (2024). “How Competition Shapes Peer Effects: Evidence from a University in China.” The Review of Economics and Statistics, advance online publication, 1–27.
3.Agarwal, Sumit, Siyu Chen, Haonan He, Xinfei Huang, and Teng Li. (2024). “Associations between Stock Market Fluctuations and Stress-Related Emergency Room Visits in China.” Nature Mental Health, 2(8), 909–915.
4.Chen, Siyu, and Teng Li. (2020). “The Effect of Air Pollution on Criminal Activities: Evidence from the Nox Budget Trading Program.” Regional Science and Urban Economics, 83, 103528.
5.Chen, Siyu, Chongshan Guo, and Xinfei Huang. (2018). “Air Pollution, Student Health, and School Absences: Evidence from China.” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 92, 465–497.
