Welcome! Nicholas Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). His research focuses on how trade costs, competition, and government policies interact to shape prices, consumption and welfare. His past contributions include the analysis of national and international competition in the context of North American retail and manufacturing firms and price dynamics, and the impact of trade frictions and policy interventions on household consumption and production in India. His current research is focused on retail, distribution and food insecurity in Canada’s remote northern communities, where he works with large multi-disciplinary teams on field projects and provides frequent commentary to the media, advocacy groups and policy-makers.
Email: nicholas.li [at] torontomu [dot] ca
Employment and Affiliations
Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2024-present.
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2021-2024.
Visiting Fellow, Department of Economics, Yale University, 2020-2021
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Toronto, 2011–2021.
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 and Forthcoming Papers
Subsidies and heterogeneous pass-through: Evidence from Nutrition North Canada’s product-level price data with Tracey Galloway, accepted at Canadian Journal of Economics. Online Appendix. Replication Package.
Comment on “On the pass-through of Nutrition North Subsidies” with Tracey Galloway, accepted at Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics. Replication package
Traditional Indigenous foodways and retail subsidies: Evidence from the Northwest Territories Community Survey and Nutrition North Canada with Bela Georgiev. 2026. Canadian Journal of Economics 59(1). Working Paper. Replication package.
Unintended Consequences: Food Prices Increase in an Arctic Indigenous Community Amidst Road Infrastructure Development and Loss of Federal Freight Subsidy with T. Kenny, K. Mathieu, C. Teddy, C. Wolki, J. MacLean, S. Wesche. 2025. Frontiers in Nutrition.
Measuring Socioeconomic Status in the Census of Canada, 1871-1921 with Shari Eli and Janki Shah. 2025. Historical Methods. Working Paper.
Give and Take? Child benefits and prices in Northern Canada with Angela Daley and Barry Watson. 2025. Canadian Journal of Economics 58(3). Working Paper. Replication package
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 Errata
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. Replication package
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. Replication package
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.
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
Evaluating policies to improve food affordability, nutrition and food security in Canada's remote Northern communities with Angela Daley, Tracey Galloway and Barry Watson. Executive Summary
Vertical integration in uncompetitive markets: Evidence from the acquisition of North Star Air by the North West Company with Raymond Morgan.
The Costs of Extreme Remoteness with Raymond Morgan [E-mail for latest]
What is a weekend? A view from the margins using Indian time-use data
Decentralized Immigration and Provincial Decision Making: A Model of PNP Competition with Chika Agbo. [E-mail for latest]
Policy papers, public interest pieces and lightly refereed contributions
ICFI Food Security Evaluation project with Vandna Sinha and many others
Strengthening Food Access in Nunavut: Lessons from the Inuit Child First Initiative funded Grocery Supports and the Hamlet Food Voucher Program. 2026. Qupanuaq.
Measurement and analysis of food price levels and inflation in Nunavut, 2017-2025. 2026. Qupanuaq.
Inuit children in Nunavut face a preventable food security crisis. 2025. The Conversation.
Grocery retailers are benefiting from food subsidies in Northern Canada. 2023. The Conversation.
An economist explains: What you need to know about inflation. 2022. The Conversation.
Sticker Shock: The Causes of the Canada-US Price Differential. 2014. CD Howe Commentary 409. Op-Ed
Work in Progress
Online innovation, market entry and competition in remote Indigenous communities with Raymond Morgan, Yasir Mudathir and Amin Shirazian
Sustainable Human Use of the Arctic Marine Environment with Jackie Dawson and many others [Nordforsk-NFRF Grant]
Comparative Analysis of Food Security Models and Metrics in Nunavut with Niksik and many others [NNC Food Security Research Grant]
Community-Informed Modeling of Interventions to the Nutrition North Canada Subsidy Program with Tracey Galloway and many others [NNC Food Security Research Grant]
How can greater community leadership and control re-shape design and delivery of northern food security policy? with Tracey Galloway and many others [ICHR Project Grant]