Lai Wei is an Assistant Professor in Sociology at the University of Hong Kong. Before joining HKU, he completed a BA in sociology from Tsinghua University in 2018 and a PhD in sociology from Princeton University in 2024. He studies social stratification and quantitative methodology, focusing on intergenerational mobility and causal inference. His past works try to adapt, develop, and apply causal inference methods to understand the causes, mechanisms, and consequences of social mobility. Some past studies under this general theme include: (1) What is the impact of intergenerational (im)mobility on average fertility and income inequality in the United States? (2) What is the impact of rising parental levels of education on intergenerational income inequality in the United States? (3) How has the change in labor market demands affected the channels of intergenerational economic transmission in the United States?
PhD in Sociology, Princeton University
BA in Sociology, Tsinghua University
Social Stratification
Intergenerational Mobility
Sociological Methodology
Causal Inference
Computational Social Science
He currently has two lines of research. The first is an attempt at developing causal inference methods to evaluate the causes, consequences, and mechanisms of social stratification. Underlying this agenda is a new methodological program called “causal intervention”. The second focuses on how the transformation of the educational system and the labor market environment affected intergenerational mobility in the United States.
Charlotte Elizabeth Procter Honorific Fellowship, Princeton University 2023-2024
Nan Lin Award, Honorable Mention, ICSA 2023
Aage B. Sørensen Award at RC28 Spring Conference 2022
Liying Luo and Lai Wei. "For Whom Does Education Convey Health Benefits? A Two-Generation Life Course Approach." Forthcoming, Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Lai Wei. "When the Wall is Broken: Rural-to-Urban Migration, Perceived Inequality, and Subjective Social Status in China." Research in Social Stratification and Mobility82 (2022): 100731.
Lai Wei, Elaine Yao, and Han Zhang. "Authoritarian Responsiveness and Political Attitudes during COVID-19: Evidence from Weibo and a Survey Experiment." Chinese Sociological Review (2021): 1-37.