Michael B. Wong

Assistant professor, HKU


About

Research

Teaching

Notes

Policy Writing

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About

I am an assistant professor in management and strategy with a joint appointment in economics at HKU Business School. I received my BA from Harvard University in 2012 and my PhD from MIT in 2022.

I am an applied microeconomist. I study labor, organizational, monetary, and housing economics. My research aims to understand the microstructure of marketplaces and organizations using transparent data analysis, simple models, and attention to institutional detail.

Here is my CV. You can reach me at mbwong@hku.hk or DM me on Twitter. I am hiring a pre-doctoral research assistant for 2024-2025 or 2025-2026. Feel free to email me!


Working Papers

The Firm as a Nexus of Relational Contracts

(with Duoxi Li)

Last Updated: March 2024

Abstract (click to expand)

Labor Market Effects of Domestic Outsourcing: Evidence from Legalization in Brazil

(with Mayara Felix)

Last Updated: June 2023

Abstract (click to expand)

Twitter thread

Does Outsourcing Smooth Labor Demand?

(with Duoxi Li)

Last Updated: November 2022

Abstract (click to expand)

What is Money? Evidence from Introducing Digital Currency to a Barter Community

Last Updated: February 2022

Abstract (click to expand)

Twitter thread

Presentation Video (September 2022)

Targeting Housing Assistance with Rent Notches: Evidence from a Quasi-experiment

Last Updated: March 2024

Abstract (click to expand)

Ideological Bias and Trust in Information Sources

(with Matthew Gentzkow and Allen T. Zhang)

Last Updated: March 2024

Revise and resubmit, AEJ: Micro

Abstract (click to expand)


Publications


Work in Progress

Commodity Money: Theory and Field Evidence

(with Baiyun Jing)

Digital Money Adoption and Redemption

(with Baiyun Jing, Yang You, and Yulin Zhong)


Teaching

Current: Instructor for HKU’s PMGM7004 (Global Management from Economics Perspectives) and PMGM7019 (Economics of Strategy and Organization).

Previous: TA for MIT’s Intro Micro (undergrad, 2022), Intermediate Micro (undergrad, 2018-20), Applied Econ for Managers (EMBA, 2019), Org Econ (PhD, 2018), and Industrial Organization II (PhD, 2022).


Notes

Things I learned in Grad School (the Hard Way)


Policy Writing

The Solution to Hong Kong’s Subdivided Housing Crisis (Translated from Hong Kong Economic Journal, 2024-2-14)

Brain Drain, Brain Gain, and The Future of Hong Kong: Evidence from LinkedIn Profiles (Hong Kong Economic Policy Green Paper, 2024-1-10, with Alan P. Kwan and Heiwai Tang)

Using Data and Algorithms to Reduce Public Housing Wait Times (Hong Kong Economic Policy Green Paper, 2024-1-10, with Shing-Yi Wang and Maisy Wong)

What Caused Hong Kong’s Housing Crisis? (Hong Kong Economic Policy Green Paper, 2022-9-23, Twitter thread)

In Hong Kong’s Olympic glory, a glimpse of a hopeful new future (South China Morning Post, 2021-8-4)

Liberal or conservative, Hongkongers must learn to listen to those they disagree with (South China Morning Post, 2019-9-7, with Spike Lee and Josephine Au)

香港劏房問題之出路 (香港信報, 2024-2-14)

人才得失與香港前景:領英社交資料佐證 (香港經濟政策綠皮書, 2024-1-10, 與關穎倫和鄧希煒)

利用數據和算法減低公屋輪候時間 (香港經濟政策綠皮書, 2024-1-10, 與王欣儀和黃美施)

香港房屋危機之謎 (香港經濟政策綠皮書, 2022-9-23)

預算案500億推創科 怎用得其所 (香港經濟日報, 2018-3-18)

社會面對新挑戰 須3方面調整 (香港經濟日報, 2017-9-13)