Welcome to my website!

I am an applied microeconomist completing my Ph.D. at the London School of Economics. My research examines how vulnerable households navigate fragmented public systems, and how legal, social, and healthcare institutions shape access to economic opportunity. I combine administrative data, causal inference, and implementation partnerships to study public service delivery, social protection, and access to justice.

In 2024-26, I am a Visiting Research Fellow at Opportunity Insights, Harvard Economics Department, invited by Professor Raj Chetty. I am also a Senior Researcher at Policy in Practice, a UK civic-tech organization focused on social protection and benefit take-up, and an American Bar Foundation Access to Justice Early Career Scholar. 

My work lies at the intersection of public economics, law and economics, and social policy, with a focus on legal aid and welfare reforms. Please reach out if you are in the Boston area!

Access to Justice Data 

I collect budget time series to build the World Legal Aid Database and study the cost structure of the Justice Gap. With  Varsha Aithala, we map changes in legal aid provision in India as part of the Economics of Legal Aid Project. Visit my Interactive Maps and Budget Series for an overview of legal aid provision in England and Wales!

I also collaborate with the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Access to Justice / Legal Aid Practitioners Group and the Justice Data Observatory to map access to justice initiatives and design AI tools for the legal aid sector.

Background

I graduated from the Paris School of Economics and the European University Institute. Before my Ph.D., I worked at the European Systemic Risk Board Secretariat and contributed to the World Political Cleavages and Inequality book project.

I am affiliated with Opportunity Insights, the International Inequalities Institute and the World Inequality Lab.

Contact & CV

You can download my CV here and find some of my work on Google Scholar. I'd love to hear from you! Contact me at: j.uraz@lse.ac.uk / julietniluraz@fas.harvard.edu

Twitter: @JulietUraz

Bluesky: @julieturaz.bsky.social