My current research focus is in the field of Development Economics, in particular its intersection with Public and Organizational Economics. As a researcher, I’m interested in understanding what makes an effective government in the developing country context. Governance and organizational frictions are pervasive in such settings, shaping what policies are adopted, how well or poorly they are implemented. Moreover, the nature of the challenges is often unique to developing settings. To date, I have studied some of these governance and organizational frictions and development-specific challenges in the context of public education in Brazil.
PUBLICATIONS
“Corrupting Learning: Evidence from Missing Federal Education Funds in Brazil” (with Claudio Ferraz and Frederico Finan), Journal of Public Economics, October 2012, Vol.96, Issues 9-10: 712-726. link
WORKING PAPERS
“Political Turnover, Bureaucratic Turnover, and the Quality of Public Services” (with Mitra Akhtari and Laura Trucco) link Revise and resubmit, American Economic Review.
“Recognizing Performance: How Awards Affect Winners’ and Peers’ Performance in Brazil” link
SELECTED WORK IN PROGRESS
“The Effect of Research Information on Policy Making: Evidence from Brazil” (with Jonas Hjort, Gautam Rao, Juan Santini)
“Political Turnover and Bureaucratic Disruption: Evidence from Administrative, Employer-employee Matched Data in Brazil” (with Mitra Akhtari and Laura Trucco)
