天津大学学士学位，纽约州立大学(布法罗)硕士、博士学位。现任纽约州立大学(布法罗)经济系教授、中央财经大学人力资本与劳动经济研究中心特聘教授。 主要研究领域包括：应用微观经济学、中国经济、经济增长和发展、犯罪经济学。有关中国经济的研究课题涉及人力资本投资及回报、城乡人口流动、户口制度与城 乡差别、财政制度改革对经济增长的影响、及外商投资对技术转移的影响。在经济学主流学术期刊上发表多篇论文，其中包括：American Journal of Health Economics, Economic Development and Cultural Change, Journal of Comparative Economics, Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Human Capital, Journal of Law and Economics, Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Urban Economics等。 参于编辑《犯罪经济学》丛书三卷，曾任China Economic Review编委会委员及中国留美经济学会理事。
已发表论文（节选）
“Human Capital in China, 1985-2008” (with H. Li, Y. Liang, B. Fraumeni, and X. Wang) Review of Income and Wealth, forthcoming.
“Individual Well-being in Urban China: the Role of Income Expectations” (with Q. Shang) China Economic Review 23(4), December 2012, 833-849.
“Foreign Direct Investment and Technology Spillovers: Theory and Evidence.” Journal of Development Economics 85(1-2), February 2008, 176-193.
“The External Returns to Education: Evidence from Chinese Cities.” Journal of Urban Economics 61(3), May 2007, 542-564.
“Institution and Inequality: the Hukou System in China.” Journal of Comparative Economics, 33(1), March 2005, 133-157.
“Efficiency and Firm Ownership: Some New Evidence.” Review of Industrial Organization 19 (4), December 2001, 483-498.
“Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Growth in China.” (with J. Lin) Economic Development and Cultural Change 48(1), October 2000, 1-21.
“Sensitivity Analyses of the Deterrence Hypothesis: Let’s Keep the Econ in Econometrics.” (with I. Ehrlich) Journal of Law and Economics XLII, April 1999, 129-161.
“Productivity Growth and Firm Ownership: An Analytical and Empirical Investigation.” (with I. Ehrlich, G. Gallais-Hamonno, R. Lutter), Journal of Political Economy 108, October 1994, 1006-1038.
The Economics of Crime (volumes 1-3), (co-edited with I. Ehrlich), The International Library of Critical Writings in Economics Series, Edward Elgar Publishing, May 2006.