Yang Liang

Yang Liang

Welcome to my website! I am an applied microeconomist with research interests in public policy analysis across the fields of labor economics, health economics, and international economics. I’ve been an assistant professor of economics at San Diego State University since 2018 and assistant director for the Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies since 2021.

Current Positions

Working Papers

  • The Effect of E-Cigarette Flavor Restrictions on Tobacco Use

    w. Chad Cotti, Charles Courtemanche, Johanna Catherine Maclean, Erik Nesson, and Joseph J. Sabia

  • The Effect of E-cigarette Taxes on Substance Use

    w. Dhaval M. Dave, Johanna Catherine Maclean, Caterina Muratori, and Joseph J. Sabia

  • Can Anti-Vaping Policies Curb Drinking Externalities? Evidence from E-Cigarette Taxation and Traffic Fatalities

    w. Dhaval M. Dave, Johanna Catherine Maclean, Joseph J. Sabia, and Matthew Braaksma

  • Follow Thy Neighbor: The Role of First Exporters

    w. Hao T. Fe and Mary E. Lovely

    • Accepted Publications

    The Effects of Recreational Marijuana Legalization on Employment and Earnings

    w. Dhaval M. Dave, Caterina Muratori, and Joseph J. Sabia

    Journal of Population Economics, Forthcoming
    Do E-Cigarette Retail Licensure Laws Reduce Tobacco Use?

    w. Charles Courtemanche, Johanna Catherine Maclean, Caterina Muratori, and Joseph J. Sabia

    Journal of Health Economics, 2024
    Can Exports Be Pain Relievers? The Effect of Exports on Workplace Safety and Health

    w. Ling Li

    Review of International Economics, 2024
    Recreational Marijuana Laws and Teen Marijuana Use, 1993-2021

    w. D. Mark Anderson, Hao T. Fe, and Joseph J. Sabia

    JAMA Psychiatry, 2024
    Recreational Marijuana Legalization and Workplace Injuries Among Younger Workers

    w. Ling Li, Joseph J. Sabia, and Dhaval M. Dave

    JAMA Health Forum, 2024
    Targeted Liberalization: China’s Foreign Investment Regulation Reform and Its Post-WTO-Accession Export Surge

    w. Mary E. Lovely and Hongsheng Zhang

    Review of International Economics, 2024
    Mandatory Seatbelt Laws and Traffic Fatalities: A Reassessment

    w. D. Mark Anderson and Joseph J. Sabia

    Journal of Applied Econometrics, 2024
    Have Recreational Marijuana Laws Undermined Public Health Progress on Adult Tobacco Use?

    w. Dhaval M. Dave, Michael F. Pesko, Serena Phillips, and Joseph J. Sabia

    Journal of Health Economics, 2023
    Association Between State Antibullying Policies and Suicidal Behaviors Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Questioning Youth

    w. Daniel I. Rees, Joseph J. Sabia, and Cooper Smiley

    JAMA Pediatrics, 2023
    Job Creation and Job Destruction: The Effect of Trade Shocks on U.S. Manufacturing Employment

    The World Economy, 2021
    Offshoring, Exports, and Employment: Theory and Evidence from Korean Firms

    w. Priyaranjan Jha, Jae Yoon Lee, and Devashish Mitra

    The World Economy, 2021
    Economic Geography and Inequality in China: Did Improved Market Access Widen Spatial Wage Differences?

    w. Mary E. Lovely and Hongsheng Zhang

    China Economic Review, 2019

    Book Chapters, Policy Work, and Other Publications

    The Effects of Recreational Marijuana Legalization on Employment and Earnings

    w. Dhaval M. Dave, Cateria Muratori, and Joseph J. Sabia

    Research Briefs in Economics Policy NO. 347, CATO Institute, 2023
    Trump Tariffs Primarily Hit Multinational Supply Chains, Harm U.S. Technology Competitiveness

    w. Mary E. Lovely

    Policy Brief 18-12, Washington: Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2018
    They Saved the Worst for Last: Why Trump's Impending December Tariffs on China Should Be Rolled Back

    w. Mary E. Lovely

    Trade and Investment Policy Watch, Washington: Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2019
    State Enterprise Reform in China: Grasp or Release?

    w. Mary E. Lovely

    Wei-Chiao Huang and Huizhong Zhou (eds.), The Impact of China's Rise on the Pacific and the World, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, MI, 2018
    ¿Necesita México libre comercio con Estados Unidos?

    w. James Gerber

    Estudios Fronterizos, 2022