Research Summary
I am a development economist with a particular interest in how social and cultural factors influence the process of economic development. My research agenda has focused on Africa, and has drawn heavily from economic history, behavioural economics, and political economy. My work can be broadly grouped as follows: 1) the roots of conflict and process of reconciliation; 2) the nature of the agreements that people make when institutions are imperfect; 3) The roots of diversity and the history of language evolution. Methodologically, I rely on quasi-experimental and experimental research designs, and tend to prioritize investments in novel sources of data.
I am teaching ECO324 (Economic Development) in the fall, and ECO403 (Topics in Development) in the winter term.
My projects
Strategic Default in the International Coffee Market
With Rocco Macchiavello
The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 134(2), May 2019, p.p. 895–951
Paper Slides VoxDev Some news coverageErasing Ethnicity? Propaganda, Nation Building, and Identity in Rwanda
With Sharun Mukand
Journal of Political Economy, 127(3), June 2019, p.p. 1008-1062.
Paper Slides Marginal Revolution NHB Research HighlightAxis-orientation and Knowledge Transmission: Evidence from the Bantu Expansion
Journal of Economic Growth, 26(4), 2021, p.p. 359–384.
PaperMistaking Noise for Bias: Evidence from Hutu-Tutsi Reconciliation in East Africa
With Sharun Mukand
Journal of Development Economics, vol(158), 2022, 102943.
PaperLeadership and propaganda in nation building: Evidence from Rwanda under Kagame
With Sharun Mukand
Leadership and Propaganda in Nation Building, Chapter 15, 2023, 1-11.
ChapterReconstructing history: Using language to estimate religious spread
With Julian Dyer
Accepted The Journal of Economic History
PaperGlobalization of Capital Flows and the (In)Disciplining of Nations
With Sayantan Ghosal and Sharun Mukand
Accepted Journal of Comparative Economics
PaperThe Meritocratic Illusion: Inequality and the Cognitive Basis of Redistribution
With Anandi Mani, Sharun Mukand and Daniel Sgroi
Revise and Resubmit Oxford Economic Papers
PaperEnforce or Entrust? Experimental Evidence on Combating Corruption
With Sharun Mukand
Paper available on request Slides available on requestGender Norms and Coffee Yields: A Global Perspective
With Davide Del Prete and Rocco Macchiavello
Paper (soon) Slides (soon)Stuff I'm reading, or learning, or other misc.
Brassica is a restaurant in Ottawa run by some friends of ours.
A quick plug for the world's best art appraiser (and my wife), she operates out of Toronto, specializes in Canadian and European art.