My primary research interests are in development economics, applied microeconomics and political economy, specifically how the interplay of market conditions, social and political organization, and institutions affects economic behavior. Under this broad agenda, I am particularly interested in two  inter-connected themes: 1) the institutional and social-political causes of resource misallocation in developing economies; and 2) the extent to which communal institutions can be relied on to substitute for conventional institutions and formal markets in correcting market failure and resource misallocation.  Some of my recent papers have examined rural communities' land tenure arrangements under communal tenure, the effects of state capacity on firms' spatial and cross-market resource allocation, and the role of marketization reforms and anti-corruption campaigns in eliminating the influence of arbitrary constraints or non-productive incentives on individuals’ economic decisions.