Khanh-Duy Nguyen Phan
Khanh-Duy Nguyen Phan
Master's Student · University of Padova  ·  Research Assistant · James Madison University

I am a Master's student in Applied Economics (Digital Economics track) at the University of Padova, Italy, and a Research Assistant at James Madison University under Assist. Prof. Huiyi Chen.

My fields of interest include Digital Economics, Environmental Economics, and Political Economy.

My research explores the intersection of labour markets, technology, and political economy in emerging economies. I am particularly interested in how social media, digital platforms, and institutional environments shape collective action and economic outcomes.

I hold a Bachelor's degree in International Business (Honours, Summa Cum Laude) from Can Tho University, Vietnam.

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Research
Working Papers
Social Networks and the Spread of Labour Strikes
(with Assist. Prof. Huiyi Chen)
Work in Progress
This paper examines the role of social media and online networks in the diffusion of labour strikes in the United States. Using the Cornell ILR School's Labor Action Tracker enriched with social media engagement variables — Facebook likes, followers, and group members — collected via custom Python web-scraping scripts, we study how online visibility and network exposure shape the timing, spread, and intensity of strike activity. The analysis leverages a panel of over 20 million observations and exploits variation in social media engagement across labour union strikes.
Data collection: Facebook engagement indicators for each strike event in the Cornell ILR Labor Action Tracker, 2021–present.
Impact of Sustainable Mangrove–Shrimp Farming Innovations on Fish Farmer Welfare
Research conducted at GIZ Vietnam
Work in Progress
This paper estimates the causal impact of sustainable mangrove–shrimp farming innovations on the welfare of fish farmers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Using a Difference-in-Differences design applied to a panel database of 300+ fish farmers, the study evaluates outcomes aligned with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). Conducted in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Teaching
KT113H Econometrics
Teaching Assistant · Can Tho University · Fall 2024, Fall 2025
Undergraduate econometrics course covering OLS estimation, hypothesis testing, panel data methods, and instrumental variables. Conducted weekly tutorials and held office hours for students.
KT111H International Economics
Teaching Assistant · Can Tho University · Spring 2024
Undergraduate course covering trade theory, international factor movements, exchange rate determination, and trade policy. Assisted with grading and led weekly discussion sections.
KT110H Statistics for Business
Teaching Assistant · Can Tho University · Spring 2025
Undergraduate statistics course covering probability theory, descriptive statistics, sampling distributions, and hypothesis testing. Supported students through weekly tutorials and graded problem sets.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
2025–present
Master's in Applied Economics (Digital Economics track)
University of Padova, Italy  ·  GPA: 30/30
2020–2025
Bachelor's in International Business (Honours), Summa Cum Laude
Can Tho University, Vietnam  ·  GPA: 3.94/4.0
Research & Professional Experience
Apr 2025–present
Research Assistant — James Madison University
Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Huiyi Chen
Built Python scripts to crawl social media engagement indicators for labour union strikes, enriching the Cornell ILR Labor Action Tracker. Processed and analysed a panel of 20M+ observations in STATA.
Jul 2024–Jan 2025
Research Intern — GIZ
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
Applied a Difference-in-Differences design on a panel of 300+ fish farmers to estimate the impact of sustainable mangrove–shrimp farming innovations (SDG 2). Prepared policy briefs, translation, budgeting, and event planning.
Oct 2022–Jul 2024
Research Assistant — Can Tho University
Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Pham Le Thong, Assoc. Prof. Phan Anh Tu
Worked on 5 research projects funded by USAID and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education. Designed surveys, cleaned and analysed datasets, created visualisations, and prepared journal submissions.
Teaching Experience
2024, 2025
Teaching Assistant — KT113H Econometrics
Can Tho University (Fall 2024, Fall 2025)
2025
Teaching Assistant — KT110H Statistics for Business
Can Tho University (Spring 2025)
2024
Teaching Assistant — KT111H International Economics
Can Tho University (Spring 2024)
Honours & Awards
2025
Invest Your Talent in Italy Scholarship (€30,000)
Italian Government
2025
YSEALI Academic Fellows Program ($20,000)
U.S. Department of State
2023–2024
Small Research Grant ($4,000)
Alliance for Biodiversity & CIAT
2022–2024
Dean's List ($3,000)
Can Tho University
2024
Summer School Grant ($1,500)
Brunei Darussalam University & Can Tho University
2024
Conference Grant ($500)
National Pingtung University, Taiwan
2022–2023
Undergraduate Research Grant — PI ($800)
Can Tho University
2022
Conference Grant ($500)
Airlangga University, Indonesia
Languages & Skills
Languages: English (fluent, IELTS 8.0)  ·  Vietnamese (native)  ·  Italian (basic)
Software: STATA  ·  Python  ·  R  ·  MATLAB  ·  QGIS  ·  LaTeX
References
Assist. Prof. Huiyi Chen
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Economics
James Madison University
chen9hx@jmu.edu
Assoc. Prof. Pham Le Thong
Dean, Faculty of Agricultural Economics
Can Tho University
plthong@ctu.edu.vn
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