Welcome! 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 (2024-2029) for my project "Digitization of Public Service Delivery and Inclusive Development" (DIGIDEV). I was awarded with three teaching awards.
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], [Economic Report of the President]
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
Microfinance and Diversification (2022)
with Oriana Bandiera, Robin Burgess, Ricardo Morel, Imran Rasul, Munshi Sulaiman and Jack Thiemel
Economica
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 León-Ciliotta and Firman Witoelar
Review of Economics and Statistics
[journal link]; Media: [VoxDev]
The Impact of NGO-Provided Aid on Government Capacity: Evidence from Uganda (2024)
with Nancy Qian and Aisha Nansamba
Accepted at the Journal of the European Economic Association
[journal link]; Media: [Kellogg Insight], [VoxDev]
Working papers
The Allocation of Incentives in Multi-Layered Organizations (2024)
with Stefano Caria, Gianmarco León-Ciliotta, and Philipp Kastrau
R&R at the Journal of Political Economy (resubmitted)
Media: [VoxDev], [J-PAL brief].
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 (2024)
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 León-Ciliotta, and Philipp Kastrau
Media: [VoxDev Podcast], [Kellogg Insight], [Faculti Video]
Conference presentations: BREAD, NBER Personnel, NBER Development, CEPR Labor, SIOE
Work in-progress
The Role of NGOs in Economic Development
with Nancy Qian. In preparation for the Annual Review of Economics
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
Status: data collection completed (analysis stage).
Conference presentations: CEPR Symposium
Maximum Wage and Organization Performance: Evidence from the Liberian Public Service
with Vincent Pons, Daniel Rogger, Matteo Ruzzante
Status: data collection completed (analysis stage).
Remote Care for Remote Areas: The Impact of Telehealth in Rural India
with Amanda Dahlstrand and Andrea Guariso
Status: data collection in progress [AEA RCT Registry]
E-monitoring and Organizational Structure: Experimental Evidence from Sierra Leone
with Andrea Guariso and Gianmarco León-Ciliotta
Status: data collection in progress [JPAL summary]
Meritocracy at Work? Meritocratic Promotions and Gender Wage Inequality
with Gianmarco León-Ciliotta and Philipp Kastrau
Status: analysis stage
Non peer-reviewed
Bureaucracy VoxDevLit Review (2023)
with Guo Xu, Edoardo Teso and Diana Moreira
