Skip to main content

Daniel Yi Xu

David Rubenstein Distinguished Professor of Economics
Economics
Box 90097, Durham, NC 27708
220 Social Sciences Bldg, Box 90097, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Daniel Yi Xu is the David Rubenstein Distinguished Professor of Economics at Duke University, a Faculty Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a Research Fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research, and a Senior Fellow at the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research.
His research focuses on the intersection of productivity, international trade, and industrial organization. Professor Xu’s current research agenda involves the use of large-scale microdata to model and estimate a broad range of dynamic individual firm decisions and to examine how these decisions impact resource allocation, industry performance, and economic growth, particularly in developing and emerging economies.
His most recent work has been published in leading economics journals, including the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Review of Economic Studies, RAND Journal of Economics, Review of Economic Dynamics, and Management Science. Professor Xu is currently a co-editor of the American Economic Journal: Microeconomics and an associate editor of the RAND Journal of Economics. He previously served as co-editor for the Review of Economics and Statistics and the Journal of Development Economics. Additionally, he has been an associate editor for the American Economic Journal: Applied, Economic Journal, Journal of Industrial Economics, Journal of International Economics, Quantitative Economics, and the Review of Economics and Statistics.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


David Rubenstein Distinguished Professor of Economics · 2025 - Present Economics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Economics · 2017 - Present Economics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published March 25, 2025
Duke Honors 31 New Distinguished Professors
Published April 11, 2024
How the News Stories You Share Can Nudge Businesses
Published October 9, 2013
Economics Workshop on China Brings Experts on International Trade to Duke

View All News

Recent Publications


Do better managers bribe less? Cross-national and experimental evidence

Journal Article Business and Politics · March 25, 2026 AbstractWork on the relationship between regulation and bribery suggests that bribes are a joint function of the demands of bureaucrats and the supply of business managers willing to pay them. However, du ... Full text Open Access Cite

Regulating Conglomerates: Evidence from an Energy Conservation Program in China

Journal Article American Economic Review · February 1, 2025 We study a prominent energy regulation affecting large Chinese manufacturers that are part of broader conglomerates. Using detailed firm-level data and difference-in-differences research designs, we show that regulated firms cut output and shifted some pro ... Full text Open Access Cite

O-Ring Production Networks

Journal Article Journal of Political Economy · January 1, 2024 We document strong skill matching in Turkish firms’ production networks. Additionally, in the data, export demand shocks from rich countries increase firms’ skill intensity and their trade with skill-intensive domestic partners. We explain these patterns u ... Full text Cite
View All Publications

Recent Grants


Excellence in Research: The impact of online comparison websites on the remittance industry

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Spelman College · 2018 - 2021

Fiscal Incentives and Firm Growth

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2017 - 2018

Collaborative Research: International Buyer-Seller Matches

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2014 - 2017

View All Grants

Education


Pennsylvania State University · 2007 Ph.D.

External Links


Personal Website