Early Life Adversities and Well-being Later in Life: Evidence from China

Abstract

Once I was 23 years old, I fell in love with Econometrics and had a dream to become an econometrician/economist. Then I made a decision to start my training at the University of Groningen. Most of the time, the training was enjoyable because I could feel that I was making progress everyday. Nevertheless, it was also a tough journey. I had once doubted my goal I was pursuing and the meaning of my life. Luckily, when I felt low, there were many people cheering me up and encouraging me to move on. First of all, I want to express my great gratitude to my supervisors Rob Alessie and Viola Angelini. We have had a lot of formal meetings and lunch talks about my curriculum studies, research projects, job seeking, and so on. They are very knowledgeable in both theoretical and empirical economics. I have gained a lot of research experience under their supervision. They always encourage me to think outside the box, ask critical questions to develop my data and economic intuition, and guide me to be a good economist. They are also wonderful people personally. They both care about my work-life balance and help me relax when I experience stressful moments. When I visited the job market, they provided a lot of support and encouragement. Rob inspires me with his insights into many economic and Lastly, I want to thank my family, who always stand by me throughout this journey. Especially, I want to thank my girlfriend Ya for her company. It is my greatest luck to be your boyfriend. We had a lot of wonderful memories together in the past several years, and I am looking forward to having more with you in the future. Last but not least, my gratitude goes to my mother, Rongmei Li, who is the best person in my world and the best reason I live in this world. Her altruistic and dedicated investment in my human capital is the major determinant of all the achievements I have made.