Hi, I'm Yixin Sun, but most people call me Sunny.

I am an environmental economist at the Centre for Net Zero, where I use experimental and quasi-experimental methods to study how we can build a sustainable energy system.

I completed my PhD in economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where my research focused on the intersection of environmental and development economics. Much of my dissertation work examined how people perceive and adapt to air pollution in developing settings. During the PhD, I was a DRW PhD Fellow at University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute.

I am also engaged in community-driven research as a Community Science Fellow in the American Geophysical Union's Thriving Earth Exchange, collaborating with local partners on projects that link scientific evidence with real-world community priorities.

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Yixin (Sunny) Sun

research

My working papers, works in progress, and other writings are available on the research page.

works in progress

Learning is in the Air: Clean Air as an Experience Good

with Budy P. Resosudarmo and Jeanne Sorin

Accepted, Journal of Development Economics Pre-Results Review · AEA RCT Registry No. 0013110

Abstract

Despite the severe health risks posed by air pollution, demand for cleaner air remains slow in many highly polluted developing regions. One potential explanation is that clean air functions as an experience good: where personal demand becomes evident only after consuming cleaner air. We provide the first experimental test of clean air as an experience good by randomly assigning households in Jakarta, Indonesia to a three-month air purifier rental. Our findings reveal that purifier rentals effectively reduced indoor PM2.5 concentrations by 33%, demonstrating that the intervention successfully exposed households to clean air. Households that experienced cleaner air felt the purifiers improved their health, and developed stronger beliefs about the benefits of clean air. The treatment increased WTP for air purifiers, but only among households with above-median income, suggesting that financial constraints limit demand despite learning effects.

Draft available upon request.

other writings