Zeyu (Peter) Li

Economist and Data Scientist

I am an economist and data scientist with a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Irvine. My research specializes in applied microeconomics with a focus on labor and housing markets, urban development, and education policy. I work with diverse datasets—from surveys and administrative records to web-scraped data—and apply techniques like causal inference and machine learning to generate actionable insights. I am proficient in Stata, Python, and R for data cleaning, analysis, and visualization.

I am joining Google as a Data Scientist in July 2025.

Research

Global Roommates, Local Outcomes: How Foreign Peers Influence Domestic Students in Higher Education
Economics of Education Labor Economics

PDF Abstract: This paper investigates the causal impact of foreign roommates on the academic outcomes of domestic students at a large U.S. public university. Leveraging quasi-random roommate assignment, I estimate the effects of living with foreign peers on major choices and academic performance, with a particular focus on STEM participation. The results show that male students assigned foreign roommates are 3.5 percentage points more likely to pursue a STEM major and to graduate in STEM fields, while no significant effect is found for female students. The positive effect on males is concentrated among those who initially declared STEM majors, with little evidence of non-STEM majors switching into STEM. GPA and overall graduation rates show minimal impacts, though male students benefit from a reduced time to graduation. Further analysis suggests that these outcomes are driven by students' perceptions of their abilities relative to their higher-achieving foreign peers, especially in STEM. These findings contribute to the literature on peer effects and gender disparities in education, highlighting the broader role of diversity in shaping academic trajectories in higher education.

Too Much of a Good Thing? How Narrow Targeting and Policy Interactions Influence Responses to California’s EITC
Tax Policy and the Economy, 39(1)
Working Paper (NBER)
Replication Package
Media Coverage:

The New York Times
Labor Economics Public Economics

PDF Abstract: California has the highest Earned Income Tax (EITC) supplement to the federal EITC, with an 85% supplement rate. However, we find that despite the apparent generosity of the California EITC, there is no employment effect on less-skilled single mothers, in sharp contrast to the evidence of positive extensive margin effects of other state EITC supplements, and of the federal EITC. Our analysis points to two reasons why, unlike other EITCs, California’s EITC does not appear to have an extensive margin effect. First, most states simply supplement the federal EITC by a fixed percentage. In contrast, in California the maximum credit is reached at a much lower income level, the state EITC begins to phase out as soon as the maximum EITC payment is reached (i.e., there is no plateau), and the phase-out rate is as steep as the phase-in rate. The result is a much higher marginal tax rate that sets in at a much lower income level. Second, California has a very high (and rising) minimum wage. The interaction between a high minimum wage and the unique budget constraint created by the California EITC implies that workers who work more than a relatively low number of hours are unlikely to gain any extra income because of the EITC.

Building Up and Boosting Productivity: Evidence from the Daylight Spacing Regulation in China
Working Paper (SSRN)
Urban Economics Labor Economics

PDF Abstract: Estimating the productivity benefits of urban density is challenging due to the endogeneity of density. In this study, I exploit variations arising from a nationwide building spacing policy in China, which imposes restrictions on the distance between buildings. I construct a policy-implied spacing factor and use it as an instrument to estimate the causal effect of density. The results indicate that population density has a positive impact on wages, with an elasticity of approximately 40%. Additionally, the findings suggest that density benefits the economy by enhancing the output of the service sector as well as promoting innovation.

The Effect of Housing Prices on Private School Enrollment
Urban Economics Economics of Education

PDF Abstract: This paper examines the effect of housing wealth on private school enrollment. I use PUMA-average house value changes to identify the causal effect and find that a $10,000 increase in house value raises the probability of attending a private school by 2.18% for children from low-income households, while the effect is much smaller among other income groups. The findings contribute to the literature by suggesting that education inequality may be expanded by housing market fluctuations.

Vitae

Education

Ph.D. in Economics, University of California, Irvine, 2025
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M.S. in Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2019
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B.A. in Economics, Central University of Finance and Economics, 2017

Experience

Graduate Student Researcher (UC Irvine, 2021 - Present)
Graduate Teaching Assistant (UC Irvine, 2019 - 2023)
Research Associate Intern (China Development Research Foundation, 2019)

Honors & Awards

Art DeVaney Prize for Best Graduate Poster Presentation (UC Irvine, 2023)
DTEI Fellowship for Teaching Excellency (UC Irvine, 2020)
Best Master's Research Papers (UW-Madison, 2019)
Graduate Research Scholarship, (UW-Madison, 2018)
Scholarship for Academic Research and Innovation (CUFE, 2014 & 2015)
Scholarship for Comprehensive Development (CUFE, 2015)

Zeyu Li