Jingyi Xing is a third-year PhD student at the University of Maryland. Her field of expertise is industrial organization and digital platform regulation & antitrust economics.
"What kinds or forms of academic research do you conduct? What topics or questions do you explore?"
Xing describes her general goal of doing research as “working to inform the policies." For example, her current work examines a consumer protection policy in the context of airline delay compensation. Her research focuses on whether the policy achieves the goal of protecting consumers and whether there are any unintended consequences. She also conducts research about the platform economy (economic activity that occurs on digital platforms like Uber or Amazon) and mergers & acquisitions.
“What was your journey into academic research like? How did you get involved, and what motivated or inspired you?"
Xing's research journey started during her undergraduate years when she worked as a research assistant for a professor. Initially, she worked on a theoretical project that involved general equilibrium models, before she developed an interest in more empirical topics. She got an opportunity to do empirical research with Professor Ricard Gil at Queen's University. She was inspired by that experience and realized that research should be closely tied to the real world rather than being abstract. That project was about the movie industry and how a movie ticket you buy could reflect a lot of things about you, such as your cultural identity and political views. This new perspective on the applicability of research became her motivation for entering the PhD program and inspired her to pursue an academic career.
"How has learning about and conducting research impacted you? Have any of your beliefs, habits, or perspectives changed as a result?"
Research has fundamentally changed how Xing views economics and everyday life. As a researcher, she finds it powerful to observe patterns in data, noting: “Data will never lie. One can find truth in data.” This has shifted her understanding from thinking about economics as big macro events like recessions and monetary policy to appreciating how subfields like microeconomics explore more subtly patterns in society that can tell you something important about people’s lives.
"Can you share a moment when your research felt especially meaningful or had an impact beyond the lab/classroom? Or more generally, in what ways do you think your or your field's research is important to the wider community?"
Xing had a particularly meaningful moment recently when she was contacted by an Australian senior reporter from the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He asked her questions about her paper on the airline delay compensation policy because the Australian government was considering implementing a similar policy. Her paper, which studied the policy in the EU context, was directly relevant to the Australian government's considerations. She was able to provide answers on how the delay compensation scheme affects airlines' incentives to improve their on-time performance, and her paper was covered by the newspapers. She reflects that this was "really a moment where I realized my research was actually helpful for the wider community."
"Why do you think it's important for young people, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, to understand and engage with research?"
Speaking from her personal experience as a young researcher, Xing emphasizes that the most important thing is having the courage to try. She stresses that you don't have to get it right the first time—you can make errors and iterate the process until you reach the right place. This could involve taking small steps like talking to a professor at a conference for the first time or sending an email to someone you're interested in speaking with. She believes it's crucial to gain experience, reflect on what you've done, and correct yourself until you get it right. She specifically notes that "especially for female students who are underrepresented groups of people, it's important to just try it first. Have the courage to try and be brave."
"What advice would you give to someone just starting out or curious about getting into research?"
First, Xing emphasizes the importance of deep reflection: “Before starting your research journey or PhD program, think really hard about whether you want to do this. Take the time to reflect deeply and come up with a reason, or several reasons, that are truly convincing.” She notes that people sometimes confuse learning with researching, explaining that "you could be a good learner, but that doesn't mean you're a good researcher, because learning is absorbing what's already been done and what's out there. Research is about creating something new and innovation." Research involves uncertainty, and you need the mindset to accept both uncertainty and failure. Her second piece of advice is persistence: once you make up your mind, stick to it and don't give up. If research is truly something you want to do, commit to it for a long time with perseverance and passion for your subject.
"Finally, why should we, as a society, continue to support academic research and stay enthusiastic about it? What would the world lose if we didn't?"
Xing sees academic research as essential for advancing society. She provides concrete examples of how research impacts daily life: without academic research, we might not have mobile phones or such a convenient life. She points to Jean Tirole's research in the early 2000s as foundational to understanding the platform economy, noting that without it, services like Uber Eats and Uber rides may not be as convenient as they are today. This research helps us understand why Instagram users aren't charged while advertisers are, or why credit card companies like American Express and Chase give their cardholders so many perks while they charge high commission fees from merchants. She believes academic research helps us understand important aspects of what's happening around us. She also ends by pointing to current research in AI and new technology innovations that will help us look into the future and prepare for it.
