Associate Professor Gecheng Yuan, a researcher of the base, has published a collaborative paper titled "The gig economy and household financial vulnerability" in China Economic Review.

Abstract: Using a combination of manually collected data and the China Household Finance Survey from 2011 to 2019, we explore the effect of the gig economy on household financial vulnerability. To address endogeneity issues, we exploit the spatial and temporal variation in the presence of ride-hailing and food delivery services across Chinese cities. Employing a staggered difference-in-difference (DID) strategy, we find that the entry of gig platforms into a city is associated with a 5.97 % reduction in household financial vulnerability. This effect is more pronounced among households with lower wealth levels, lower female employment ratios, lower educational levels, as well as among households in poorer regions and areas with higher unemployment rates. To shed light on the mechanisms, we provide evidence that the entry of gig platforms provides households with additional income sources, reduces their liquidity constraints, and improves entrepreneurial quality. Our study contributes to the literature by highlighting the potential of the gig economy to serve as a buffer against financial instability, particularly for vulnerable populations.

Keywords: The gig economy; Household financial vulnerability; Income; Entrepreneurial quality; Liquidity constraint

Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2025.102581

Author profile

Gecheng Yuan ,PhD in Economics from Wuhan University. She joined the School of Finance, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in 2019. She currently serves as Deputy Secretary of the First Party Branch of the Investment Department and Deputy Director of the Investment Economics Teaching and Research Office. Her research fields include household finance, financial development, and corporate innovation. Her research has been published in journals such as China Industrial Economics, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, and Energy Policy. In 2022, she was awarded a General Project of the Hubei Social Science Fund and a Philosophy and Social Science Research Project of the Hubei Provincial Department of Education.