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Derrick Xu 徐明垚

I am a postdoc fellow at WZB Berlin Social Science Center; I will join the University of Southampton as an Assistant Professor in 2026. I did my PhD at the University of Bristol.

I am an applied microeconomist working on public and behavioural economics. My research focuses on the motives behind prosocial behaviour across different contexts, such as charitable giving, climate change, and political polarisation.

I often use my computer science skills to analyse non-traditional data, aiming to uncover behavioural insights that help us better address social challenges.

Email: derrick.mingyao.xu@gmail.com

Working Paper

Spillovers in the Charitable Market: Evidence from Reputation Shocks (sole-author)

Revise & Resubmit at Economic Journal | draft

When a big charity is hit by scandal, do people give elsewhere or stop donating altogether? I find donors don’t give up on giving; instead, they shift support to other similar charities, identified by the language charities use in their missions.

Only in My Backyard: The Effect of Flood Exposure on Environmental Behavior (sole-author)

Revise & Resubmit at Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | draft

Do people care more about environment after climate disasters? I find that those directly affected by flooding do, but most don’t change their action when their neighbours are hit, except for those with strong moral universalist values.