Yihe Chang

Yihe Chang is originally from Beijing, China, and is currently studying Economics with minors in Latin American Studies, Civil Engineering, and Music. She is passionate about development economics, using empirical methods to explore how international engagement can promote more inclusive regional growth. Her work focuses on poverty, inequality, foreign investment, and how effective policy can be grounded in people’s lived experiences. 

She is currently conducting a field study in Peru that explores the two-sided information asymmetry between multinational companies and local communities. Her study on oil discovery in Guyana applies synthetic control methods to assess macroeconomic and institutional impacts, while another project analyzes 17 years of subnational data to understand how foreign investment has shaped public sentiment in Chile. Her work has been selected for presentation at the World Bank, the Embassy of Chile, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, and other conferences. 

Her fieldwork has taken her to seven Latin American countries, where she has interviewed over 50 residents, politicians, union leaders, academics, and foreign company executives. She views human interactions as essential to producing meaningful research.

As an RA at the World Bank, Yihe supported the evaluation of a social assistance program for in-transit migrants across Latin America, comparing the effects of cash and food-based transfers on well-being. 

Outside of academics, Yihe is a trained choral singer, an organist who has performed internationally, and a passionate salsa and bachata dancer. She also volunteered as an art teacher for newly arrived immigrant children at Sequoia High School. She is always seeking ways to bridge disciplines, communities, and cultures - in both her work and daily life.