Publications

Government attention on environmental protection and firms’ carbon reduction actions: Evidence from text analysis of manufacturing enterprises

Journal of Cleaner Production  [Download]

• with Kunyan Zhu and Lei Du (2023)

Summary: This study examines how government attention to environmental protection (GAEP) influences firms’ carbon reduction actions in China. Using text analysis of listed manufacturing firms (2012–2021), results show that GAEP enhances carbon reduction, partly by improving environmental subsidy allocation. The effect is stronger for state-owned firms and those in eastern and central China.

Working in progress

When Formal Management Practices Meet Informal Control: Family Governance and Productivity in UK Firms

R&R at Small Buiness Economics

• with Andrew Henley and Anna Kochanova

Working paper: “The Role of Management Practices in Productivity: Does Family Ownership Matter? ” The Productivity Institute, Working Paper No. 051. (2025)  [Download]

Summary: This study uses UK management survey data and examines how management practices affect productivity in UK firms, highlighting the moderating role of family ownership. Results show that while better management is associated with higher productivity, this effect is weakened in family-managed firms—especially SMEs and those in services. Professional management can offset this negative effect, though the impact remains smaller in manufacturing.

Truthfulness or Hypocrisy? Speculative Culture and Corporate Environmental Engagement

Submitted and under review

• with Xiaoyu Wei and Kunyan Zhu

Summary: This study explores how speculative culture influences corporate environmental engagement in China. Findings suggest that speculative culture promotes engagement primarily as a strategic response to acquire external resources, especially under high competition and regulatory pressure. However, its effect weakens with Confucian culture or financially experienced chairpersons and often leads to symbolic rather than substantive actions.

Dissecting the Productivity Disadvantage of Wales: A Firm-Level Decomposition Approach

Funded by Wales Productivity Forum

• with Melanie Jones

Summary: This paper uses ARDx data (2011–2020) to assess firm-level TFP in Wales relative to the rest of Great Britain. Wales shows a 4% productivity gap, with 55% explained by firm characteristics and 45% by structural factors. Unlike London, where gaps are structural, Wales’s disadvantage is mainly compositional, highlighting the need to improve firm mix and attract high value-added industries.

How does cooperation impact on innovation and productivity? A CDM Model Approach

PhD Chapter 2

Summary: This paper uses a CDM model and UK Innovation Survey data to examine how cooperation affects innovation and productivity. Cooperation boosts innovation input and output but impacts productivity only indirectly. SMEs gain more in early innovation stages, while large firms are better at converting innovation into productivity gains.

Do workers share in the returns to firm level R&D activity? Evidence from UK manufacturing firms

PhD Chapter 3

Summary: Using matched data from ARDx and BERD (1997–2019), we estimate labour market power via markdown measures. A 10% increase in R&D reduces markdown by 0.7%, indicating weaker monopsony power. The effect is stronger for internally funded R&D and in high-tech, labour-intensive firms, driven by increased employment and labour share rather than higher markups.

When Managers Work from Home: Productivity Loss and Its Mitigation

Summary: Using UK management survey 2023 data, we show that managerial remote work reduces firm productivity, while employee remote work has mild positive effects. Strong management practices and higher human capital substantially mitigate the productivity loss.