Research
Research
Addressing Inequalities in Higher Education
I study the determinants and consequences of unequal sorting in higher education. I focus on whether England's Widening Participation policy reduced the gap in access to selective universities between students from high- and low-socioeconomic backgrounds. The policy provided incentives for universities to increase the intake of students from under-represented local areas. I use a newly released and rich administrative dataset with information on educational trajectories, university applications, and labor market outcomes for all individuals born after 1985 who studied in England. I exploit a regression discontinuity design based on abrupt changes in universities' subsidy eligibility determined by students' finely defined areas of residence.
Access to Justice, with Diogo Britto, François Gerard, Joana Naritomi, and Breno Sampaio
Access to Justice and Social Protection (2025), AEA Papers and Proceedings, with Diogo Britto, François Gerard, Joana Naritomi, and Breno Sampaio
Governments in developing countries are expanding social protection policies, yet coverage remains imperfect. This paper explores how the justice system influences coverage and the consequences of unequal access to justice for targeting. Using administrative microdata from Brazil, we document how two distinct groups – displaced workers and the elderly poor – resort to the courts to secure social protection. Using the justice system for this purpose correlates with key individual characteristics – notably income and geographical distance from courts – suggesting that barriers to accessing justice influence policy targeting.
Is the Road to Hell Paved with Good Intentions? An Empirical Analysis of Budgetary Follow-up in the EU (2023), Journal of International Money and Finance, with Roel Beetsma, Matthias Busse, Massimo Giuliodori, and Martin Larch.