Jian Qi (Jay) Tan
Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics
Jian Qi (Jay) Tan received his joint bachelor’s degree from the National University of Singapore and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. Using methods from empirical labor economics and economic history, he studies how changes in government policy after WWII affected science and innovation in the United States. Another strand of Tan’s research focuses on the effects of communication and recognition on productivity in collaborative knowledge work.
Recent Courses Taught
Introduction to Econometrics
Microeconomic Theory
Research Interests
Labor economics, economics of innovation, economic history
Selected Publications
- The Impact of Right-to-Work Laws on Working Conditions (with Rania Gihleb and Osea Giuntella). Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 2024; 43:696-713.
- The Importance of Considering Debt and Young Children in Activation: A Survival Analysis of Return to Welfare (with Irene Ng, Mathew Mathews, Kong Weng Ho and Ting Yi Ting). Social Policy and Society, 2021; 22(2):299-314.
- Economic distress and health: A fixed effects analysis of low-income persons in Singapore (with Irene Ng). International Journal of Social Welfare, 2021; 30: 17-29.
- Rethinking the Role of Employment Barriers in Active Labor Market Policy: Evidence from a Fixed Effects Analysis (with Irene Ng and Kong Weng Ho). Journal of Poverty, 2021.
Appointed to the Faculty
2025Educational Background
Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
M.Soc.Sci., National University of Singapore
B.A., National University of Singapore and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
