Pioneer Research Program
Through the Pioneer Research Program, I studied International Economics under Professor William Lincoln of Claremont McKenna College, combining advanced coursework on economics topics like the Ricardian model of comparative advantage, econometric estimation of gravity models of international trade, and the economic effects of immigration alongside an independent empirical research project. The program spanned over half a year and involved developing a research question, reviewing academic literature, working with historical economic data, applying econometric methods, and presenting and revising a full research paper.
My research, “Estimating the Impact of the Marshall Plan on Post-War European Economic Recovery,” examined whether Marshall Plan aid caused recipient countries to experience greater growth in GDP per capita. I used a Difference-in-Differences model, comparing countries that received substantial aid with a control group before and after the program. My findings were mixed: models based on total aid received showed a statistically significant positive relationship with economic growth, while the aid-per-capita model was not statistically significant, suggesting that the Marshall Plan was only one part of a much broader post-war recovery story. My paper received an A+ overall evaluation and placed in the top 5% of Pioneer scholars.
Mongolia Research
Through the Mongolia Research Program, I explored Mongolian history from the rise of Chinggis Khan to the country's modern political development. The program combined seminars, extensive primary and secondary-source reading, written responses, and conversations with scholars and practitioners, including former Mongolian Ambassador to the United Nations Enkhsaikhan Jargalsaikhan. I also studied works by leading Mongol historians such as Morris Rossabi, alongside translated accounts from travellers, diplomats, and chroniclers across Eurasia.
My main independent research project examined how Mongol rule affected the expansion and development of the Silk Road. Rather than treating the Pax Mongolica as a simple period of peace, I investigated how political integration, protection of merchants, communications networks, mobility, and Mongol patronage affected overland and maritime exchange, while also considering the disruption caused by conquest and regional variation across the empire. My research ultimately suggested that the Mongols did not create the Silk Road, but significantly intensified and reshaped existing Eurasian networks, accelerating the movement of goods, people, technologies, ideas, and knowledge between East Asia, the Islamic world, and Europe. This culminated in an approximately 6,000-word research paper.
