Meet Our Researchers: An Interview with Lingsheng Meng
Meet Our Researchers: An Interview with Lingsheng Meng
We spoke with Research Scholar Lingsheng Meng to learn more about his journey from studying economics in Beijing to conducting cutting-edge research on some of China’s most pressing policy issues.
Lingsheng Meng is a Research Scholar at the Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions (SCCEI) and a key researcher with the China Labor, Income and Population (CLIP) research program. His research spans labor economics, development economics, and public economics, focusing on areas such as social mobility, inequality, gender disparities, the role of government, political connections, higher education, and the U.S.-China trade war.
We spoke with Dr. Meng to learn more about his journey from studying economics in Beijing to conducting cutting-edge research on some of China’s most pressing policy issues.
The Journey to Becoming a Researcher
Q: Tell me a bit about your journey to academia and what inspired you to pursue getting a Ph.D. and becoming a researcher?
A: As an undergraduate in the late 1990s, I chose economics as a second major at the China Center for Economic Research (CCER, now the National School of Development) at Peking University. At a time when most programs still reflected a planned economy, CCER stood out with U.S.-trained professors, Western textbooks, and a focus on math and statistics. The gap between China’s evolving market economy and how economics was commonly taught struck me. Inspired by my professors, I began considering a Ph.D. in the U.S. and an academic career in China.
My research naturally gravitated toward areas where empirical analysis is more common. While theoretical work is essential for offering new insights into how markets function, I realized early on that my strengths lay elsewhere. I was drawn to data—uncovering patterns and asking questions grounded in real-world evidence. I happened to be in graduate school during the rise of the Credibility Revolution in economics, a time when labor economics was leading the way with cutting-edge econometric methods and a focus on causal inference. As labor economics students, we were exposed to innovative research designs that soon influenced fields like development and public economics. I was especially drawn to the idea of testing economic theories empirically, which made economics feel more like a scientific pursuit.
Making the Complex Clear
Q: If you met someone who knew absolutely nothing about you or your research, how would you describe the work that you do and why you do it?
A: I use non-experimental data to study policy-relevant issues in China, aiming to make causal inferences whenever possible. My research focuses on six main areas: (1) social mobility and inequality, (2) gender disparities, (3) the role of government, (4) political connections, (5) higher education, and (6) the U.S.-China trade war. I chose these topics either because I happened to gain access to data that allowed me to explore questions I’d long been curious about, or because working with a novel dataset revealed its potential to answer important questions that others had struggled to address.
Decoding China’s Sharp Fertility Decline
Q: Can you share a bit more about one of your recent studies?
A: I recently completed a project on China’s sharp fertility decline in the 1990s. The central question was: given that the One-Child Policy (OCP) had been in place since the late 1970s and the total fertility rate (TFR) remained stable through the 1980s, why did fertility drop so sharply in the early 1990s? We hypothesize that the key driver wasn’t the OCP itself, but how it was enforced—specifically, the introduction of the One Vote Veto (OVV) policy, which linked officials’ promotions to population targets.
To test this, I spent extensive time gathering archival data from both online sources and libraries at Stanford and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), ultimately building a province-level dataset on OVV implementation dates. We then merged this with a unique survey on women’s birth histories from the early 2000s. Our analysis shows that fertility rates fell steeply following OVV implementation, with the policy explaining nearly half of China’s TFR decline in the 1990s—pushing it below replacement level. We also found a marked rise in contraceptive use “recommended” by local officials after OVV took effect.
This study makes two contributions. First, it challenges the view that policy had limited impact on China’s fertility decline, highlighting the powerful role of OVV enforcement. Second, it adds to the literature on bureaucratic incentives, showing how aligning them with policy goals drove enforcement—even in a centralized system.
This is joint work with my outstanding co-authors—Hongbin Li, Grant Miller, and Hanmo Yang, all from Stanford. I hope the paper helps deepen understanding of how public policy functions in China.
Advice for Aspiring Researchers
Q: Lastly, do you have any advice to give to a younger person just beginning to explore pursuing research as a career?
A: Stay curious so you can ask meaningful questions. Keep learning so you're equipped to answer them with the best tools available. Engage with others—listen, discuss, and refine your ideas. That’s how you discover new questions and find collaborators to explore them with. Happy exploring, and good luck!
Dr. Meng’s research underscores the power of data-driven analysis in unpacking complex social and economic challenges. Whether examining how policy incentives shape behavior or how social structures influence opportunity, his work offers critical insights into the evolving landscape of China’s development. As both a scholar and mentor, he continues to inspire with his curiosity, precision, and passion for uncovering truths that matter.
