2023-2024

09/07/2025 

Audrey GLASS- Individual Preferences for the Diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: a Discrete Choice Experiment (view poster)

PhD Supervision:  Sophie MASSIN | Research axis:  Decision making

Abstract: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) affects 3.5 million patients in France, but this figure is certainly underestimated due to under-diagnosis. Early diagnosis is important for good management and improved quality of life. In this research, we use a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) to investigate people preferences regarding COPD diagnosis. In particular, we try to determine whether certain diagnostic features create obstacles. We estimate the effect of an informational message about disease risk factors on respondents' preferences. Special attention is given to how socioeconomic characteristics influence these preferences. Overall, this study aims to offer insights for decision-makers to improve COPD diagnosis.

25/06/2025 - External Version

Teresa SZLAUROVÁ - The Output Gap During the COVID-19 Period: A Failure of Models or Modellers? (view poster)

Co-authors:  Jaromír Tonner and Osvald Vašíček 

Abstract: Since early 2020, the global economy has experienced a series of significant shocks. In this context, some have argued that the standard macroeconomic models employed by central banks failed to perform adequately, and that alternative modelling approaches should be considered. This article aims to demonstrate that the appropriate specification of the output gap at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic played a critical role in shaping monetary policy decisions. Regrettably, the mechanical application of simple models and filters to estimate the output gap often misclassified the COVID-19 shock as a demand shock. This misinterpretation led to inaccurate output gap estimates and, consequently, to suboptimal policy guidance. By contrast, a correct understanding of the nature of the shock—reflected in a more appropriate setting of the output gap as a model input—would have significantly improved the accuracy of model forecasts and reduced monetary policy errors. Based on the findings presented in this article, we conclude that it was not the models themselves, but rather the way they were applied, that contributed to forecasting and policy shortcomings during the COVID-19 period.

14/05/2025 

Elina ISHMUKHAMETOVA- An Experimental Investigation of Algorithm Delegation for Choice Tasks (view poster)

PhD Supervision:  Fabrice LE LEC  | Co-authors:  Fabrice LE LEC and Vincent LENGLIN | Research axis:  Decision making

Abstract: Are people willing to delegate their decisions to algorithms? This question is crucial for understanding the economic implications of AI. In this paper, we contribute to answering it by experimentally examining attitudes toward algorithmic delegation, i.e., the willingness to delegate choices to algorithms. Unlike prior research focused on forecasting or judgmental tasks, our study centers on choice tasks, where individuals make decisions based on personal preferences over lotteries. Two opposing forces may drive delegation: the desire for autonomy versus the burden of choice overload. To isolate intrinsic preferences, we equalize error rates across all treatments. Results from a preregistered study show no significant difference in willingness to delegate between human and algorithmic decision-makers, suggesting that people are not generally averse to algorithmic decision-making.

23/04/2025 

Mamadou Foune TOUNKARA- Moving Away from Informality: Key Drivers for Self-employed Workers in Developing Countries (view poster)

PhD Supervision:  Fabrice DEFEVER | Research axis:  Economic and Financial Flows | Discussant: Martin HULENYI

Abstract: Despite numerous efforts aimed at promoting the formalization of businesses, a significant proportion of small businesses in developing countries remain unregistered. This phenomenon raises critical questions regarding the determinants of registration decisions and the perceived benefits if any associated with formalization. Why do some informal enterprises opt to register while others continue to operate “off the books”? This paper seeks to identify the key factors influencing the decision to register informal business units in developing countries. We use representative sample of small businesses operated by self-employed workers in the WAEMU region. 

12/03/2025 

Tabitha Kisakye NAFULA - Challenging Overconfidence: How New Information Influences Entrepreneurial Beliefs (view poster)

PhD Supervision:  Thomas EPPER | Research axis:  Decision making | Discussant: Elina ISHMUKHAMETOVA

Abstract: Most entrepreneurs believe (and certainly, ought to believe) their businesses will be successful. Cooper et al. (1988) find that 81 percent of entrepreneurs consider their chances of success to be at least 70 percent, and 33 percent believe their chances of success reach a probability of 100 percent. However in reality, approximately 75 percent of venture-backed startups fail; that is, falling short of reaching product maturity and business metrics suitable for going to public markets (Pollman (2023)). Furthermore, two thirds of startups never show a positive return (Eisenmann (2021)). We investigate the phenomenon of overconfidence among entrepreneurs in France, testing how they update their beliefs in response to factual information. This study represents a novel application of information treatment to overconfidence and beliefs in entrepreneurs, allowing us to make causal inferences in a bid to explain persistently high firm failure rates. 

12/02/2025 

Gero DASBACH- The Political Economy of Inter-Regional FDI: Assessing Franco-German Town Twinning (view poster)

PhD Supervision:  Quentin DAVID and Abel FRANCOIS | Research axis:  Economic and Financial Flows 

Abstract: Franco-German town twinning agreements seek to bring together political as well as economic actors from two historically belligerent countries. Utilizing a unique dataset that brings together all Franco-German twin town agreements with project-level greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) data, we assess the potential effect of the town twinning movement on the allocation of greenfield FDI between subnational region pairs, from 2003 to 2024. Using a logit model, we find that the results differ according to the specifications and explanatory variables used. There seems to be a statistically significant co-movement of town twinning agreements and subsequent FDI, which is driven by particular region-pairs.

11/02/2025 - 2 PM - Special edition

Maqsood ASLAM- Does Biryani Matter? Vote-Buying in Pakistan under Two Regimes

Co -authors:  Etienne FARVAQUE and Hira IQBAL 

Abstract: We analyze the extent of vote-buying in Pakistan, comparing its prevalence and impact under the authoritarian and democratic regimes the country has known. We use household level consumption survey data from the Pakistan Social Living Measurement (PSLM), for the period 2004-2019, as well as data on local elections from the Election commission of Pakistan (ECP). We first document the presence of vote-buying at the macroeconomic level, and then, using a difference-indifference on quasi-randomization by survey dates methodology, we compare the increase in consumption expenditures at the microeconomic level. We show that consumption increases during electoral periods.

22/01/2025 

Nur BILGE- International Influx and Local Shifts: The Impact of Global Migration on Native Mobility in Turkey (view poster)

PhD Supervision:  Jan FIDRMUC, Simone MORICONI and Claire NAIDITCH (co-author) | Research axis:  Economic and Financial Flows | Discussant: Antony GOBRIEL

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of international migration to Turkey on internal migration, with a focus on racially motivated causes. We uncover heterogeneity among immigrants based on their nationality. Using a detailed dataset on bilateral migration flows from 2012 to 2022, our findings indicate that an increase in the share of foreigners in the origin province has a positive effect on internal migration. Extending our analysis to include overall satisfaction with public services, we observe that dissatisfied citizens may perceive foreign migrants as contributing to their dissatisfaction, prompting them to migrate internally in search of better living conditions or opportunities. Conversely, in provinces where residents are satisfied with public services, the influence of the foreign migrant ratio on internal migration declines.

11/12/2024 

Alicia GOMEZ - CANCELLED

PhD Supervision: Christine LE CLAINCHE | Research axis:  Decision making

Abstract: Forthcoming...

13/11/ 2024 

Mikaël PASTERNAK - Higher Education Expansion and Intergenerational Social Mobility: Diverging Impacts on Immigrants' and Natives' children in France (view poster)

PhD Supervision: Simone MORICONI and Nadiya UKRAYINCHUK | Research axis:  Economic and Financial Flows | Discussant: Claire  MORRIER

Abstract: This paper examines the democratization of post-secondary studies in France, with a focus on both natives and immigrants' children. One contribution is a newly constructed dataset on higher education institutions. Combining it with individual level data, I exploit a reform of higher education expansion in France to assess the causal impact of a faculty creation on the social mobility of natives and 2nd generation immigrants. I show that the exposure to a new higher education institution during secondary school in the département increases the educational social mobility, in particular for immigrants' offspring. By defining treatments across different ages and geographical scales, I find that the effect of faculty creations is not only due to an increase in the accessibility of higher education, but also to a broader local development. However, findings on occupational social mobility are mitigated by the lower incentives for internal migration, especially among immigrant families.

09/10/ 2024 

Martin HULÉNYI - Growing in the Desert: A Comparative Analysis of Firms Located in EU Border Regions (view poster)

PhD Supervision: Jan FIDRMUC and Nicolas DEBARSY | Research axis:  Economic and Financial Flows | Discussant: Mamadou TOUNKARA

Abstract: Borders constitute a barrier that limits the development of the areas around them. In his location theory, Losch (1944) goes as far as comparing these regions to deserts, where only smaller firms that suffice with reaching a smaller market potential settle. Although the Common Market in the EU along with the Schengen Area reduce market barriers that limit the development of border regions, these areas still face barriers, arising from physical geography and institutional differences between the two countries that the border separates. In this paper, I aim to use firm-level data to analyze whether the border effect penalizes the firms settled in border regions of the EU. 

25/09/ 2024 

Yoan WALLOIS - Climate Extreme Events and Environmental Policy Stringency (view poster)

PhD Supervision: Florence HUART | Research axis:  Economic and Financial Flows | Discussant: Gero  DASBACH

Abstract: We use a new indicator of environmental legislation to study the evolution in intensity of legislative provisions in environmental policy. Our study covers developed and developing economies (138 countries) over half a century (1970-2020). We investigate the main determinants of trends in environmental legislation, among which extreme climate events. In particular, we examine whether the frequency of natural disasters - droughts, floods, storms, extreme temperatures, wildfires - influences environmental policy stringency. We find that countries are more likely to adopt more stringent environmental laws and regulations if there are more frequently hit by droughts and extreme temperatures, but less likely if they are more frequently hit by floods. Legislative measures differ markedly depending on regional groups of countries, types of disasters and environmental areas. 

10/07/ 2024 

Audrey GLASS - Assessing the Impact of Healthcare Access Preferences on Health Inequality: Evidence for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Using a Discrete Choice Experiment (view poster)

PhD Supervision: Sophie MASSIN | Research axis:  Decision-making | Discussant: Yoan WALLOIS

Abstract: Air pollution is an aggravating factor of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Although it affects 3.5 million patients in France; this number is certainly much higher as this disease is largely underdiagnosed. Early diagnosis is important for good management and improved quality of life and the chances of survival. In this research, we use a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) to investigate patients' preferences regarding COPD diagnosis. In particular, we try to determine whether certain diagnostic features create obstacles. Special attention is given to how socioeconomic characteristics influence these preferences. Overall, this study aims to offer insights for decision-makers to improve COPD diagnosis.