I am a 4th year PhD candidate in the Department of Economics at the University of Michigan. My research
interests span Development Economics, and Public 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.
Presented at the North East Universities Development Consortium (NEUDC) 2024 Conference
Abstract (click to
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How does early educational quality affect long-term academic outcomes? We exploit a natural experiment in the Philippines—a flawed implementation of mother-tongue education policy in public schools for kindergarten through Grade 3 starting in 2012—to examine this question. This policy led to an unexpected decline in educational quality, affecting only a subset of schools strongly predicted by pre-policy student language composition. We use language composition variables as instrumental variables for treatment. Leveraging panel data and confirming robustness to pre-trends, we find that the policy implementation: 1) had null effects on Grade 3 test scores, 2) led to declines in Grade 6 test scores across all subjects, and 3) reduced student enrollment and teacher retention in public primary schools. Employing a triple-difference strategy with Philippine Census data (across cohorts, localities, and 2010/2020 censuses), we show that by 2020, younger cohorts in highly-exposed localities completed 0.3 fewer years of schooling. Our findings demonstrate the substantial and enduring impact of early education quality on later academic achievement, contributing to the literature on human capital formation and education policy effectiveness.
Work in progress
Externality Correction with Distributional Concerns
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.