Yang Wang

Yang Wang is an Associate Professor of Public Affairs at the La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison, with faculty affiliations spanning the Center for Demography and Ecology, Center for Demography of Health and Aging, Center for Financial Security, Institute for Research on Poverty, and the Risk Management and Insurance Department in the Wisconsin School of Business.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Economics, Duke University
• M.A. in Economics, Duke University
• MIPA in International Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• B.A. in International Relations, Peking University

Dr. Wang's research focuses on applied microeconomics, health economics, and applied econometrics, with publications in high-impact journals including the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics and Health Economics. Her work examines policy impacts on health outcomes, economic disparities, and demographic trends, notably contributing to The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology.

Her recent 2025 publications reveal a significant expansion into intelligent transportation systems, with 15 articles centered on autonomous vehicle technologies. These works explore cloud-based driving systems, edge computing architectures, and vehicle-to-everything communication frameworks, addressing critical challenges in adverse weather navigation, safety protocols, and computational resource allocation for connected vehicles.

As Co-Principal Investigator for the project 'The Consequences of Abortion Restrictions for Intimate Partner Violence and Child Welfare Involvement,' Dr. Wang leads interdisciplinary policy analysis. She teaches core courses including PA 281 Discovering What Works in Health Policy and PA 871 Public Program Evaluation, mentoring students in evidence-based policy design.

Her research integrates with UW-Madison's ecosystem through collaborations with transportation innovation initiatives and demographic research centers, positioning her at the intersection of public policy and emerging technology governance.