Applied microeconomist.
I do experiments, work with big data and dabble in theory so struggle to define this broad (but regrettably, shallow) skillset.
Research should have social impact.
Very fortunate to be supervised by Lata Gangadharan, Pushkar Maitra & Paulo Santos and previously by Yaping Shan when at Adelaide Uni.
Peer Monitoring & Islamic Microfinance
Journal of Economic Behaviour & Organisation 2021.
with Yaping Shan & Mandar Oak.
In brief, we explore Shari’ah compliant, profit-loss-sharing microfinance contracts. We show that these contracts offer better insurance for borrowers, but also increase incentives for strategic default. We then introduce a novel mechanism to limit strategic default. This mechanism is joint liability in truthfully reporting realised profits as a way for the MFI to leverage private (local) information. When local knowledge is sufficiently high, we show PLS contracts, with our new mechanism, can outperform interest-bearing loans.
On the Origins of Misogyny. (Submitted)
Cameron, Gangadaran, Maitra and Santos.
We gather a large dataset of potential, exogenous historical determinants of contemporary misogyny (preference for gender equality) and use machine learning techniques to identify those which best explain misogyny. Once these are identified, we explain why these are the most important. WP available on request.
Inequality Aversion & Crowding Out.
Cameron, Gangadaran, Maitra, Santos & Joe Vecci.
We conducted a large, cross country online experiment in September through December 2022. Within treatments, we varied inequality levels between subjects. Across treatments we varied the way experimental income was redistributed between the rich and poor. Then, in an extended dictator game, we find no crowding out of either pro- or anti- social payments between subjects, irrespective of country, or of redistribution policy. Structural estimates show inequality aversion does not differ between treatments, likely explaining why we see no crowding out. WP available on request.
Risk Preferences: A Time-Space Odyssey.
Romain Viry, Daivd Smerdon and Pushkar Maitra.
Risk preferences decline gently until people reach around 50, they then stabilise, before declining again somewhat when individuals hit sixty plus. We create a new, more granular measure of risk based on opening moves players make in chess games. We use millions of games across decades and numerous countries. Using FIDE identifiers, we track individual players across their careers and control for ability. We map risk preferences across the lifecycle, across time and across space.
Silicon Preferences.
With Sudipta Sarangi, piloting ongoing.
Information Provision and Emic Biases.
With Gangadaran, Maitra, Tarun Jain & Divyanshu Jain. Ideation phase.