I am an Associate Professor in Economics. I hold a PhD in Economics and an MA in Political Science from the University of Zurich.

My research interests are in applied economics. I've mainly explored topics in economic growth and development, particularly in resource economics and conflict studies. I've recently been studying how we can change attitudes and behaviour for better natural resource management using behavioural economics. In my research, I use secondary data, as well as primary data gathered through surveys, field experiments, and lab-in-the-field experiments. I'm also fascinated by economic history and how it helps us understand present-day economic and political activities, and I love delving into old books and archives.

My work has been published in leading general interest and field journals such as Science, the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, the Journal of Monetary Economics, Ecological Economics, and World Development. One of my articles on the natural resource curse won the 2009 biennial Erik Kempe Award in Environmental and Resource Economics.

You may find further details on my work on my personal webpage.

PhD Supervision Interests

I am interested in topics involving mainly applied work (desk analysis or fieldwork) in economic growth and development, particularly in resource economics, conflict studies, and political economy. I am happy to advise theses that use macro-, microeconometric or behavioural approaches, and that combine theory with empirical applications. 

natural resource management; natural resource curse; natural resource transparency and accountability; environmental behavioural economics; origins of violent and nonviolent conflict