I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at Bocconi University, and an Associate Professor (untenured) in the MEDS Department of the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University [on leave 2022-2024].
My research is at the intersection of development, personnel, and organizational economics.
I was awarded an ERC Starting Grant (2023-2028) for my project "Digitization of Public Service Delivery and Inclusive Development" (DIGIDEV).
Affiliations: BREAD, J-PAL, CEPR, IGC, LEAP, IGIER, GPRL
Contact: erika (dot) deserranno (at) gmail (dot) com
Bocconi University, Via Roentgen 1, 20136 Milano, office 5-d1-01
[Google Scholar], [Kellogg official website], [Bocconi official website]
Published and accepted papers
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
[journal link]; Media: [World Bank Blog], [World Economic Forum], [VoxEU], [Kellogg Insight], [VoxDev]
Leader Selection and Service Delivery in Community Groups: Experimental Evidence from Uganda (2019)
with Miri Stryjan and Munshi Sulaiman
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
[journal link]; Media: [VoxDev Podcast], [World Bank Blog]
Minimum Wage and Individual Worker Productivity: Evidence from a Large US Retailer (2022)
with Decio Coviello and Nicola Persico
Journal of Political Economy
[journal link]; Media: [New York Times], [Washington Post], [Kellogg Insight]
Counterproductive Worker Behavior After a Pay Cut (2022)
with Decio Coviello and Nicola Persico
Journal of the European Economic Association
[journal link]; Media: [Wall Street Journal]
Effect of Mood and Worker Incentives on Workplace Productivity (2022)
with Decio Coviello and Nicola Persico
Journal of Law, Economics and Organizations
Social Incentives, Delivery Agents and the Effectiveness of Development Interventions (2023)
with Oriana Bandiera, Robin Burgess, Ricardo Morel, and Imran Rasul
Journal of Political Economy Micro
[journal link]; Media: [VoxDev]
When Transparency Fails: Financial Incentives for Local Banking Agents in Indonesia (2023)
with Gianmarco Leon and Firman Witoelar
Review of Economics and Statistics
[journal link]; Media: [VoxDev]
Microfinance and Diversification (2023)
with Oriana Bandiera, Robin Burgess, Ricardo Morel, Imran Rasul, Munshi Sulaiman and Jack Thiemel
Economica
[journal link]; Media: [VoxDev]
The Impact of NGO-Provided Aid on Government Capacity: Evidence from Uganda (2024)
with Nancy Qian and Aisha Nansamba
Forthcoming at the Journal of the European Economic Association
Media: [Kellogg Insight], [VoxDev]
Working papers
with Stefano Caria, Gianmarco Leon, and Philipp Kastrau
Revise and Resubmit at the Journal of Political Economy
Media: [VoxDev]
Conference presentations: NBER Development, BREAD, BREAD Conference on Africa, SIOE, RIDGE Political Economy & Public Econ, CEPR Development, CEPR Symposium
Gender Disparities in the Welfare Effect of the Minimum Wage (2023)
with Decio Coviello and Nicola Persico
Conference presentations: CEPR Labor, NBER Law and Economics
Promotions and Productivity: The Role of Meritocracy and Pay Progression in the Public Sector (2024)
Conditionally accepted at American Economic Review: Insights
with Gianmarco Leon and Philipp Kastrau
Media: [VoxDev Podcast], [Kellogg Insight], [Faculti Video]
Balancing the Books and Morale: The Impact of Pay Systems and Job Rotation on Worker Turnover (2024)
with Miri Stryjan, Julia Salmi, and Lame Ungwang
Conference presentations: CEPR Symposium
(e-mail me for an early version of the paper)
Work in-progress
The Role of NGOs in Economic Development
with Nancy Qian
in preparation for the Annual Review of Economics
Remote Care for Remote Areas: The Impact of Telehealth in Rural India
with Amanda Dahlstrand and Andrea Guariso
E-monitoring and Organizational Structure: Experimental Evidence from Sierra Leone
with Andrea Guariso and Gianmarco Leon
