Welcome! Nicholas Li is an assistant professor of Economics at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). His primary fields are trade and development. His research focuses on how trade and other market frictions affect the diffusion of prices and products across firms, borders, and space and the implications for household welfare. One strand of his research explores issues related to food consumption, production decisions and public policy for poor households in India. Another strand of research examines how trade and global competition are affecting retail and manufacturing firms in North America. His current research is focused on retail and food security issues in Canada’s remote northern communities.
Email: nicholas.li [at] torontomu [dot] ca
Employment and Affiliations
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Toronto Metropolitan University, July 2021-present.
Visiting Fellow, Department of Economics, Yale University, July 2020-June 2021.
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Toronto, July 2011–June 2021.
Education
Ph.D. Economics, University of California, Berkeley, 2011.
M.A. Economics, Queen’s University, 2004.
B.A. Economics, Dalhousie/University of King’s College, 2003.
Published Papers
Pass-through of subsidies to prices under limited competition: Evidence from Canada’s Nutrition North program with Tracey Galloway. 2023. Journal of Public Economics 225. Working Paper. Replication package
In-kind transfers, marketization costs and household specialization: Evidence from Indian farmers. 2023 Journal of Development Economics 164. Working Paper.
Gains from Trade Liberalization with Flexible Extensive Margin Adjustment with Chang-Tai Hsieh, Ralph Ossa and Mu-Jeung Yang. 2023. Journal of International Economics 142. Working paper.
Women’s Work in India: Evidence from changes in time use between 1998 and 2019. 2023. World Development 161. Working paper.
Borders, varieties and distribution costs: Evidence from a US-Canada retail chain. 2021. Canadian Journal of Economics 54(3). pp.949-985. Online Appendix. Working paper.
The Impact of Emerging Market Competition on Innovation and Business Strategy: Evidence from Canada with Lorenz Kueng and Mu-Jeung Yang. 2021. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 181, pp. 117-134. Online Appendix. Working paper.
An Engel Curve for Variety. 2021. Review of Economics and Statistics 103(1), pp. 72-87. Online Appendix. Working paper.
Accounting for the New Gains from Trade Liberalization with Chang-Tai Hsieh, Ralph Ossa and Mu-Jeung Yang. 2020. Journal of International Economics 127.
Caloric intake and Energy Expenditures in India with Shari Eli. 2020. World Bank Economic Review. 35(4), pp. 1057-1075. Online Appendix.
Perverse Consequences of Well-Intentioned Regulation: Evidence from India's Child Labor Ban with Prashant Bharadwaj and Leah K. Lakdawala. 2019. Journal of the European Economic Association 18(3), pp.1158-1195 Online Appendix.
Market Structure and Cost Pass-Through in Retail with Gee Hee Hong. 2017. Review of Economics and Statistics 99(1), pp. 151-166.
Sticker Shock: The Causes of the Canada-US Price Differential. 2014. CD Howe Commentary 409.
International Prices, Costs and Markup Differences with Gita Gopinath, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas and Chang-Tai Hsieh. 2011. American Economic Review 101(6), pp. 2450-86.
Working Papers
Work in Progress
Evaluating policies to improve food affordability, nutrition and food security in Canada's remote Northern communities with Angela Daley, Tracey Galloway and Barry Watson
Scale and scope: Manufacturer-Retailer interactions in distribution
What is a weekend? A view from the margins using Indian time-use data (E-mail for latest version)
Measuring Socioeconomic Status in the Census of Canada, 1871-1921 with Shari Eli and Janki Shah (E-mail for latest version)