Dr. Liming Yao BSc, MSc, FHEA
Senior Lecturer
Summary
I am a Senior Lecturer in Real Estate and Course Leader for the MSc Real Estate, teaching asset management, real estate economics, housing market analysis, and supervising research, with research focused on housing affordability, policy effectiveness, and rural migrants’ housing decisions and return intentions.
About
I am a Senior Lecturer in Real Estate at SHU and Course Leader for the MSc Real Estate. My educational journey began with a BSc in Economics, followed by an MSc in Real Estate Investment and Finance, and a PhD focused on housing economics and housing affordability issues. I received my FHEA certificate in 2020.
My teaching covers asset and portfolio management, real estate investment and valuation, economics and market analysis, and supervising research dissertations for both UG and PG students.
My research focuses on housing-related issues, particularly housing affordability, policy efficiency, and housing tenure choices. Currently, I am exploring housing precarity among disadvantaged groups, such as rural migrants and individuals facing job market challenges.
I also supervise PhD students working in housing research.
Teaching
Sheffield Business School
College of Business, Technology and Engineering
Division of Business Management and People
Real Estate
BSc Real Estate;
Msc Real Estate
Economics and the Built Environment;
Global Real Estate Markets;
Property and Investment Markets;
Real Estate Strategy and Investment
Research
- Social and Economic Research Institute
My present research focuses primarily on the challenges of housing affordability: exploring the factors that have made home ownership increasingly unaffordable, identifying barriers that prevent younger generations from accessing the housing ladder, and examining the efficiency of housing assistance policies in alleviating housing struggles. I am also extending my research to explore the intersections of digital finance, entrepreneurship, and urban development, with a particular focus on how FinTech and digital inclusive finance influence rural households, migrant entrepreneurship, and the pursuit of common prosperity in China. I am also interested in the socio-economic integration of migrants and its impact on urban resilience and economic opportunities.
Publications
Journal articles
Deng, X., Chi, S., Yao, L., & Zou, J. (2024). FinTech and rural household entrepreneurship. Finance Research Letters, 68. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2024.106026
Zou, J., Yao, L., Wang, B., Zhang, Y., & Deng, X. (2024). How does digital inclusive finance promote the journey of common prosperity in China? Cities, 150. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2024.105083
Zou, J., Yao, L., Lan, X., & Deng, X. (2023). Promoting or inhibiting: The role of socio-economic integration on migrant entrepreneurship. Transactions in Planning and Urban Research, 2 (4), 432-458. http://doi.org/10.1177/27541223231216655
Book chapters
Yao, L. (2024). Housing Reform and Policy: an Overview of Housing Provident Fund in China. In Housing as a social good: an applied restatement of the concept. TBC
Theses / Dissertations
Lu, H. (2025). A Study of Education Public PrivatePartnership (PPP) Projects in China. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Yao, L., Wells, P., & Bennett, L. http://doi.org/10.7190/shu-thesis-00730
Presentations
Yao, L. (2024). To stay or to return: an investigation on how hosing difficulties influence migrants’ return intention. Presented at: AsRES-GCREC & AREUEA Joint Conference, Taiwan
Yao, L. (2024). To stay or to return: an investigation on how hosing difficulties influence migrants’ return intention. Presented at: ERES Annual Conference, Poland
Postgraduate supervision
Liming is currently supervising two PhD research projects on topics like Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in China and the delivery of local-level Electric Vehicle (EV) projects.