I am a Ph.D. candidate in Public Policy and Management at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. In August 2025, I will join RAND Corporation as an Associate Policy Researcher. My research uses micro-level data and quantitative methods to study housing policy, real estate markets, urban economics, and social inequalities.
My current works follow three lines of scholarly inquiries. First, driven by my interest in poverty and policy solutions, I use quantitative methods to explore housing-related low-income policies and their causal impacts on housing markets, households, and neighborhood well-being. Second, I have a strong interest in social inequality. I have published two papers on inequality of opportunity and its effects on innovation, entrepreneurship, and social stability in China. Finally, my research explores real estate market dynamics such as the impacts of interest rate changes on rental market and household spatial mobility. You can find more about my works on my personal website: https://sites.google.com/usc.edu/lizhong-liu/about
Prior to my doctoral studies, I worked as a macroeconomic analyst at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange in China. I hold a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Management from Renmin University of China.