Overview
Nicolas is an applied micro-economist who uses behavioral insights to study important policy questions. His research interests fall in the fields of public economics, behavioral economics and development economics. In his work, Nicolas combines different empirical strategies, such as field experiments and natural/policy experiments. His current research focuses on studying the extent to which social comparisons matter and how they shape individual’s behavior. For example, his research shows that social comparisons affect location decisions, and individual effort and performance in the context of sports and education. Nicolas also works on understanding social consequences of public policy more broadly, such as the effect of legalized gambling on crime, and studying the interplay between government and nonprofit service provision.