About me
I am a Food Systems Resource Economics Fellow in the Stanford Climate and Energy Policy Program (CEPP) at the Woods Institute for the Environment.
My research has focused on two areas: understanding the role of agricultural policy and technology in shaping societal and environmental outcomes, and improving econometric methods widely used in agricultural economics.
I received my PhD in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota, specializing in agricultural economics and policy.
Research projects
The econometrics of the farm size-productivity relationship debate
We show that the econometrics methods commonly used by researchers to measure the relationship between farm size and productivity are misaligned with production theory and have quirks that make consistent estimation nearly impossible. As a result, findings have often been misinterpreted, and publication bias favors negative estimates.
Read moreAgricultural mechanization and structural change
Does farm machinery substitute labor and lead to more employment in non-agricultural sectors? Or does it make farming a more attractive occupation than ever?
Read moreTeaching
Principles of Economics
Ling Yao, PhD
Food Systems Resource Economics Fellow, Stanford University
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