Publications

Whose Preferences Matter for Redistribution: Cross-Country Evidence,  with Alain Cohn, Raymond Fisman, and Michel Maréchal. Accepted at Journal of Political Economy: Microeconomics 

Using cross-sectional data from 93 countries, we investigate the relationship between the desired level of redistribution among citizens from different socioeconomic backgrounds and the actual extent of government redistribution. Our focus on redistribution arises from the inherent class conflicts it engenders in policy choices, allowing us to examine whose preferences are reflected in policy formulation. Contrary to prevailing assumptions regarding political influence, we find that the preferences of the lower socioeconomic group, rather than those of the median or upper strata, are most predictive of realized redistribution. This finding contradicts the expectations of both leading experts and regular citizens.

Working Papers

Skill-Biased Inequality and Fairness Views, with Simona Sartor. Draft available upon request.

In recent decades, macroeconomic developments such as globalization, skill-biased technological change, and automation have increased the wedge in the valuation of different skills in the labor market, with certain skills becoming less valuable while other skills receive even higher rewards. Do people perceive such skill-biased inequalities as fair? We provide causal experimental evidence of people's fairness views when income inequality between workers with different skills is driven by exogenous market forces.