Wookun Kim

Wookun Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at Southern Methodist University (SMU). He is also a CESifo Research Affiliate and an external faculty affiliate at the Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on regional and urban economics, international trade, and demography, emphasizing the causal effects of public policies on economic activity distribution and welfare outcomes. Dr. Kim holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from UCLA, an M.A. from Boston University, and a B.A. with Honors in Applied Mathematics-Economics from Brown University.

His research integrates economic models, micro-level data, and quasi-natural experiments to evaluate policy impacts. Key areas include fiscal policies, environmental regulations, trade frameworks, and labor market dynamics. Notable work explores immigration reforms' effects on intra-household bargaining, pro-natalist policies' influence on maternal mental health and fertility, and the spatial implications of public spending redistribution.

Publications span topics like local employment multipliers, optimal pandemic lockdown strategies, and the unintended consequences of baby bonuses on sex ratios. His interdisciplinary approach bridges econometrics with policy analysis, contributing to understanding urban development, public finance, and global demographic challenges.