Research Papers
[4] Marine Fishing Explains Large-scale Behavioral and Psychological Differences in Japan and Worldwide
An Huang, Thomas Talhelm Under Revision for a Journal
Fishing cultures combine characteristics typical of collectivism (holistic thinking, responsibilities in close relationships) and traits associated with individualism (weak in-outgroup distinctions in trust and economic decisions, openness to strangers).
[3] Exclusion and the Origin of Intergroup Bias
Yan Chen, An Huang
It has been shown that intergroup bias can facilitate the provision of public goods. This project reverses the causal arrow and proposes that the provision of public goods plays a role in shaping intergroup bias.
[2] Paddy and Prejudice: Evidence from a Natural Experiment on the Agricultural Origins of Prejudice
An Huang, Paulo Santos, Russell Smyth Under Review at a Journal
Prejudiced attitudes are less prevalent in areas where paddy rice has long been practiced. This relationship is mediated by historical exposure to better integrated markets, itself derived from paddy's higher land productivity, likely reflecting the opportunities for interpersonal contact created by markets.
[1] Behavioral Adaptation to Improved Environmental Quality: Evidence from a Sanitation Intervention
Lisa Cameron, An Huang, Paulo Santos, Milan Thomas Health Economics, 2025, vol. 34 (11), pp. 2037-2058.
Improved village sanitation coverage reduces the probability that households boil their drinking water. We interpret this as a rational response: better sanitary conditions lower marginal health benefits associated with boiling water, in a context where women and girls can be spared the time-consuming task of collecting firewood (for boiling water).
Data Publication
[1] A Collectivism Index for Investigating Cultural Variation in China across Regions and Time
(with Liuqing Wei, Thomas Talhelm, Jiong Zhu, Alexander S. English) Nature Scientific Data, accepted
