Wenying Li

Wenying Li

  • Associate Professor of Quantitative Methods
  • Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology
334-844-4953
wzl0064@auburn.edu
4072 Haley Center
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Dr. Wenying Li is currently an Associate Professor of Quantitative Methods in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at Auburn University. Prior to joining Auburn, he earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics from the University of Georgia in 2020, a Master’s degree in Financial Statistics from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2014, and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Renmin University of China in 2013. Dr. Li has published extensively in top-tier journals such as AJAE, Nature Food, and Food Policy. He is the recipient of the Outstanding AJAE Article Award in 2011, the Best Publication Award in the Food Safety Nutrition Section of AAEA in 2022, the Best Publication Award in Health Economics Section of AAEA in 2023, and the Outstanding Publication Award in the College of Agriculture, Auburn University in 2024. He has also worked on and led multiple grants with the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), USDA and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA.

Education

  • Ph.D. University of Georgia2020

  • M.S.London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)2014

  • B.S.Renmin University of China2013

Professional Experience

  • 2025-present: Associate Professor of Quantitative Methods,Auburn University
  • 2020-2025: Assistant Professor of Quantitative Methods,Auburn University

Research

Dr. Wenying Li's research focuses on the economics of food, health, and nutrition. He utilizes scanner data to estimate demand and collective household models, with the support of a skilled team of Ph.D. students who are proficient in quantitative analysis. His goal is to provide meaningful insights that can influence health policies and consumer behaviors.

Selected Publications

  1. “Revising Income Eligibility for the National School Lunch Program: Evidence from Indifference Scales for Households with Children”, with Wanqi Liang, Yunei Hua, and Jeffrey Dorfman, Forthcoming.  American Journal of Agricultural Economics
  2. “The Cost of Raising a Child: Equivalence Scales in the United States”, with Peibin Hou, Falin Sun, Wendiam Sawadgo, and Samir Huseynov, 2025. Economics Letters, 252, 112359
  3. “Global food expenditure patterns diverge between low-income and high-income countries”, with Wanqi Liang, Pathmanathan Sivashankar and Yunei Hua, 2024. Nature Food, 5, 592-602
  4. “Retail Food Environment and Household Food Waste: An Empirical Study” with Joel Cuffey, Ruiqing Miao, and Yang Yu, 2023. Food Policy, 117, 102457
  5. “Estimating the Unintended Impact of North American Free Trade Agreement on the U.S. Public Health” with Derick Adu and Wendiam Sawadgo, 2023. Social Science & Medicine, 333, 116140
  6. “Intended and Unintended Consequences of Salient Nutrition Labels” with Eric Finkelstein and Chen Zhen, 2022. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 104(2), 853-872.
  7. “Intrahousehold Economies of Scale with Application to Food Assistance and Work Incentive Programs” with Jeffrey Dorfman, 2021. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 103(4), 1251-1267.
  8. “The Implications of Heterogeneous Habit in Consumer Beverage Purchases on Soda and Sin Taxes” with Jeffrey Dorfman, 2019. Food Policy, 84, 111-120.

Honors & Awards

  1.  Outstanding Publication Award, College of Agriculture and Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn University, 2024
  2. Best Publication Award, Health Economics Section, Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA), 2023
  3. Best Economics Paper in Food Safety and Nutrition, Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA), 2022  
  4. Outstanding AJAE Article Award, Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA), 2021