The Impact of COVID-19 on Chinese Trade and Production: An Empirical Analysis of Processing Trade with Japan and the US

Authors: Mary Everett Hancock and Jesse Mora (2023)

Journal: Journal of Asian Economics (Link)

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted international trade, leading countries to grapple with product shortages and firms to experience major supply chain issues. These challenges increased production costs and significantly contributed to lower trade and higher inflation. In this paper, we examine the impact of COVID-19 on Chinese trade through its two main trading partners: Japan and the US. By differentiating products by product type and processing status, we find evidence that products in the middle of the global supply chain were most affected by the pandemic and that the severity of the shock depends on the partner country's role in the global supply chain.  Additionally, we find that Chinese exports are more impacted than Chinese imports, regardless of processing status. These findings are largely consistent with economic theory. Understanding that the effects of global shocks vary by product and country will help guide policies that minimize supply chain disruptions.

The Effects of Rail Expansion on the Disabled Employment: Evidence from Los Angeles County

Author: Mary Everett Hancock (solo-authored)

Status: Draft

This paper focuses on the effects of rail expansion on disabled employment and welfare income. I examine the two major rail expansions in Los Angeles County using a market access approach that relates job opportunities to required walking distance. These expansions were constructed on existing, out-of-use tracks and were thus less disruptive and plausibly exogenous to the characteristics of the people living near the new rail. I find that new rail increases employment and decreases income from state and local government assistance for disabled individuals, and I provide evidence that disabled people switch occupations after the addition of new rail. My findings imply structural barriers to disabled employment and financial independence, as well as imperfect competition in the disabled labor market.

Adjusting to the Energy Transition: Training and Transfers in Coal Country

Author: Eleanor Krause (2026)

Journal: Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (Link)

Local Energy Access and Industry Specialization: Evidence from World War II Emergency Pipelines 

Authors: Jacob Greenspon and Gordon Hanson (2025)

Journal: Explorations in Economic History (Link)

Where Have All the Good Jobs Gone? Changes in the Geography of Work in the US, 1980-2021 

Authors: Gordon Hanson and Enrico Moretti (2025)

Journal: Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics (Link)

The U.S. Place Based Policy Supply Chain

Authors: Gordon Hanson, Dani Rodrik, and Rohan Sandhu (2025)

Journal: NBER Working papers (Link)