I am a 3rd year PhD student in the Department of Economics at the University of Michigan. My research
interests span Development Economics, Public Economics and Labor Economics with a focus on education,
inequality, externalities, and the design and evaluation of public policies.
I previously worked as a research assistant at CREST,
the Department of Economics of Ecole Polytechnique and ENSAE. I hold master's degrees from Ecole Polytechnique
and HEC
Paris, and completed my undergraduate degree at the Toulouse School of
Economics.
Abstract (click to
expand) (–): Would consumers be willing to pay
more for goods for which there is less inequality in
wages across those involved in their production? In incentive-compatible behavioural
choice studies on representative samples of the English and US populations, we find significantly positive
willingness to pay for such inequality reductions in over 80% of subjects.
Whilst it varies with political leaning and the extent of the inequality reduction, willingness
to pay is positive across the political spectrum and for all studied inequality differences. It
is higher for more intuitive and informative inequality-reporting formats. Our findings
have policy implications for both governments and firms. On the one hand, they suggest the promise of
universal provision of product-level inequality information as a tool
for moderating income inequality. On the other, they highlight the potential relevance of
inequality reporting for firms’ marketing strategies.
Work in progress
The Impact of a Negative Shock to Education Quality in Early Childhood: Evidence from the Philippines
Colonizer Identity and Economic Development: Evidence from the Scramble for Africa
Abstract (click to
expand) (–):
This paper examines the long run economic impacts of differential European colonial rule in Africa,
by exploiting differences arising from the arbitrary borders established during the Scramble for Africa (1876-1912).
Using a regression discontinuity design along the full set of British/French colonial borders, I explore the impact of colonizer identity on measures of economic development.
I find persistent effects of the legacy of colonial institutions, with areas formerly under British rule exhibiting higher nighttime light intensity and lower malaria prevalence at the grid cell level relative to areas formerly under French colonial rule.
Additionally, at the individual level, these areas display higher educational attainment, lower unemployment rates, and improved public good provision.
I explore mechanisms and find evidence in support of sharp discontinuities in formal institutions at the border, such as the structure of property rights and the quality of government, as opposed to informal institutions such as proxies for entrepreneurship and the prevalence of Protestantism.