Working Papers
[Job Market Paper] Agriculture, Trade, Migration, and Climate Change (solo-author) [SSRN] [PDF] - (First draft: Nov 10, 2024 / Current Version: April 17 2025) - going through updates!
Presentations: Camp Resources XXX, AAEA Annual Meeting, AAEA-KREI Workshop, Summer School in International Economics by the Journal of International Economics, MEA Annual Meeting, MSU AFRE Brown Bag Seminar, IATRC Annual Meeting, Columbia University IPWSD
Abstract
Climate change affects agricultural production through land productivity and multicropping capacities. Given agriculture’s substantial contribution to both income and employment in developing economies, evolving agro-climatic conditions can reshape labor reallocation and agricultural production. I develop a dynamic spatial general equilibrium model incorporating farmers’ optimal crop choices, international trade, and forward-looking migration. Under RCP 8.5, global welfare effects on agricultural workers are modest but vary significantly across countries. Results highlight that the general equilibrium effects of labor mobility are nontrivial, and domestic structural transformation can play a crucial role in mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.
Dynamics of Global Emission Permit Prices and Regional Social Cost of Carbon under Noncooperation.
(with Yongyang Cai and Khyati Malik) [PDF] -Current Version: Nov 18, 2025.
Presentations: Korea-Japan International Trade Workshop, Seoul National Unviersity, LSE Environment Camp, Heartland Workshop, OSU Interdisciplinary Research Fall Forum: Computational Approaches for a Just and Sustainable World
Abstract
We develop a dynamic multi-region climate–economy model with emissions trading and solve for the dynamic Nash equilibrium under noncooperation, where each region follows Paris Agreement–based emissions caps. The permit price reaches $923 per ton of carbon by 2050, and global temperature rises to 1.7°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100. The regional social cost of carbon equals the difference between regional marginal abatement cost and the permit price, highlighting complementarity between carbon taxes and trading. We find substantial heterogeneity in regional social costs of carbon, show that lax caps can raise emissions, and demonstrate strong free-rider incentives under partial participation.
Selected Work in Progress
Trade Policy, Crop Choice, and Water Stress: Evidence from Mexican Agriculture. (with Saera Oh)
Abstract
International trade can influence the crop choices of local farmers, with important implications for water use, as some crops are significantly more water-intensive than others. This study investigates how trade policy shapes crop selection in Mexican agriculture and evaluates its impacts on local water resources.
Dynamic Land Use, Emissions, and Climate Change (with Karnpanich Tunskul and Yongyang Cai)
Abstract
This paper develops a model of dynamic global land use to examine the implications for land emissions and climate change.
Publications
Jihyun Eum, Ian Sheldon, Hyeseon Shin, Stanley Thompson (2024). Upgrading Food Product Quality: Evaluating the Impact of Competition and Non-Tariff Measures. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. [Link]
Abstract
In this paper, the effect of non-tariff measures (NTMs) on upgrading of food product quality is analyzed. Based on a multi-sector Schumpeterian model, and given threat of entry, compliance costs, and monopoly profits, NTMs are predicted to have heterogeneous effects on quality upgrading. Using disaggregated data for 14 European Union (EU) countries across 18 food industries for the period 2008-2019, NTM enforcement is found to deter quality upgrading for products distant from the quality frontier due to compliance costs. Conversely, NTM enforcement stimulates quality upgrading for products close to the quality frontier, given an increased probability of capturing monopoly profits.
Other Articles
Hyeseon Shin, Raphael Gomes de Silva, Valentyn Litvinov, Saera Oh, Anh Phuoc Thien Nguyen (2024). The Future of (Ag-) Trade and Trade Governance in Times of Economic Sanctions and Declining Multilateralism. IATRC Trade Policy Brief. [PDF]