In this paper, we study the effects of entry deregulation on firm innovation, using the business registration reform in China as a case in point. Entry deregulation has negative impacts on patent applications, and the effects are more pronounced for larger firms and older firms. Firms spend more...

In this paper, I document three stylized facts on leaders, institutions, and re-election incentives, using cross-country data: (1) in democracies, the positive relationship between leaders' performance and their capability is significantly less pronounced in their last term, when they do not...

In this paper, I document two stylized facts on leaders, institutions, and economic development: (1) leaders in democracies have more experience than those in non-democracies; and (2) more experienced leaders lead to better economic performance in democracies and higher regime stability in...