Topic：Race to Re-balance: Global Supply Chains and Labor Market Regulation
Speaker: Xiaoxue HU
Date & Time: 10:00-11:30 January 7, 2026
Venue: Room 245, Quanxue Building
Organizers: School of Accounting, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics; Liaoning Province Capital Market Finance and Accounting Graduate Innovation and Academic Exchange Center
Abstract:
Exploiting 18 million freight shipment records, we show that U.S. firms increase import 7% more from countries that strengthen labor laws through mandatory workforce policy (MWP) regulations. Firms that care more about labor welfare and social issues tend to respond strongly to MWP adoptions in supplier countries by increasing imports, despite facing higher operating cost. Our results are consistent with firms responding to employee preferences as we find the import increase from MWP countries is more pronounced when majority of firms
Exploiting 18 million freight shipment records, we show that U.S. firms increase import 7% more from countries that strengthen labor laws through mandatory workforce policy (MWP) regulations. Firms that care more about labor welfare and social issues tend to respond strongly to MWP adoptions in supplier countries by increasing imports, despite facing higher operating cost. Our results are consistent with firms responding to employee preferences as we find the import increase from MWP countries is more pronounced when majority of firms' employees are in Democratic states, and in industries with greater employee bargaining power. Our findings are robust to alternative channels and have important policy implications.
Introduction of Speaker:
Xiaoxue HU, Ph.D. candidate at the School of Economics, Xiamen University, expected to graduate in June 2026. Her main research interests include green finance, mergers and acquisitions, and supply chains. She has received honors such as the National Scholarship and the China Scholarship Council (CSC) Scholarship for the China-U.S. Doctoral Joint Training Program. From September 2024 to September 2025, she participated in a joint Ph.D. program at Nanyang Technological University. She has published papers in journals such as Journal of Financial Research and Pacific-Basin Finance Journal.
Special Attention:
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