How Does Immigration Policy Impact Innovation Outsourcing? Evidence From U.S. Public Firms With Federal Contracts

Joyce Ma
Joyce Ma
,
Divya Sebastian
,
Anurag Wasnik
· 0 min read
Abstract
How does immigration policy shape firms’ decisions to organize innovation activities? This project examines the annual cap on H-1B visas and asks whether constraints on access to highly skilled foreign talent lead federal contractors to outsource innovative activities through subcontracting. We construct a novel dataset linking federal contracts and subcontracts to firm-level H-1B petitions, visa lottery outcomes, and patenting activity. The project investigates which activities firms contract out when skilled talent becomes scarce, whether recipient firms rely more heavily on highly skilled workers, and how immigration policy ultimately affects firm boundaries and innovation performance.
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Joyce Ma
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Joyce Ma
PhD Candidate in Strategy

My name is Joyce. My Mandarin name is Heqiao, pronounced “huh-CHEE-ow.” I am a PhD Candidate in Strategy at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

My research lies at the intersection of non-market strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation. I study how innovative firms and entrepreneurs shape the institutional environment alongside policymakers, how they respond to institutional changes, and how startups and incumbents interact within the innovation ecosystem. My work combines novel data sources with text analysis, machine learning, AI, and causal inference.

Prior to my PhD, I earned a Master’s degree in Economics from Duke University and conducted policy research at a leading think tank in China.

I am on the 2026-2027 academic job market.