讲座人：Mai Wo  Yale University

讲座时间：2026年5月20日上午10:30-12:00

讲座地点：北京大学国家发展研究院承泽园校区249教室

讲座题目：Firm Sorting without Agglomeration

内容简介：This paper develops a neoclassical theory of firm spatial sorting in which more productive firms locate in larger cities even in the absence of agglomeration externalities or market frictions. The core mechanism operates through relative factor prices: when labor and intermediate inputs are complements and productivity is labor-augmenting, spatial variation in relative wages gives rise to a unique pure-sorting equilibrium with spatial positive assortative matching. The resulting market equilibrium is efficient. The framework is then extended to incorporate agglomeration externalities and to characterize optimal place-based policy, showing that pecuniary sorting dampens optimal subsidies and introduces a progressive force in policy design. Using Chinese firm-level tax data, key technology parameters are estimated. Quantitatively, relative price mechanism alone account for approximately 40% of observed firm spatial sorting in the data.

主讲人简介：Mai Wo is a PhD candidate in the Department of Economics at Yale University. His research focuses on innovation, geopolitics, and spatial economics. He is the recipient of the Carl Arvid Anderson Prize Fellowship in Economics. His research has been presented or is scheduled to be presented at the NBER Summer Institute (2025 IEG, 2026 IFMD), the NBER Spring ITI 2026, the Society for Economic Dynamics 2026, and the Cowles conference 2026.

组织者：

（国家发展研究院 ）李力行、席天扬、王轩、徐化愚、易君健、黄清扬

（经济学院）刘冲、吴群峰、曹光宇、年永威、施新政

（光华管理学院）张晓波、仇心诚