Research

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

I study how firms respond to shocks and disruptions. My research investigates the interplay between economic and institutional constraints—such as infrastructure failures, financial frictions, and weak state capacity—and how these shape firm adaptation, capital flows, and long-run productivity in developing economies. I work across two related streams: one on shock-induced misallocation, and another on behaviour change during crises and anchor both in policy-relevant design.

Methodologically, I combine experimental and quasi-experimental designs with tools from empirical industrial organisation to identify institutional inefficiencies and misaligned incentives. These empirical insights inform economic theory and help design scalable reforms that improve industrial resilience and policy delivery—especially in South Asia.

Research Fields: Development, Macro-Development, Industrial Organisation. 

Publications and Working Papers:

Shock-Induced Industrial Resource Misallocation

1.   Architecture of Shock-Induced Inter-Firm Resource Reallocation.

2.  Asymmetric Industrial Reorganisation and Adaptive Misallocation Post Disasters. 

      Economics of Disasters and Climate Change (2025): 1-47. 

      Journal Link | Twitter Thread | Ungated Version

Abstract: This paper presents evidence on how firms adapted following the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, with a particular focus on the vulnerabilities that drove differential impact and the expectation of minimal government aid shaping firm behavior. Using a difference-in-difference methodology on a nationally representative panel of 390 firms, this paper explores three key dimensions: the immediate disruption, short-term adaptation, and long-term resilience. The seismic shock damaged stock and reduced sales asymmetrically. Fragile intermediaries, firms with moderate capital-labor ratios, experienced pronounced declines in sales, while labor-intensive firms, besides highly capital intensive firms demonstrated greater resilience. Firms prioritised skilled labor retention, reducing non-production roles, increasing operational hours, and diversifying across markets. There was no evidence of innovation. Building on these findings, this paper develops a theoretical model showcasing how adaptive misallocation, where firms over-invest in short-term adaptive measures such as increased reliance on backup infrastructure, driven by expectations of minimal government aid, diverts resources away from productivity, erodes public-private trust, and ultimately undermines resilience.

Behaviour Change During Shocks and Crises

1. Building Adaptive and Effective Frontlines: Community Engagement in Resource-Constrained Emergencies. 

      AEA RCT Registry 

         Timeline: June 2021 - November 2021 

          Setting: Lahore, Pakistan. 

2.  Inducing Habit Formation within Non-Spatial, Information-Dense Structures in a Public Health Emergency

 AEA RCT Registry 

           Timeline: June 2021 - September 2021 

           Setting: Lahore, Pakistan. 

WORK IN PROGRESS

1.     Withdrawing Authority: The State and Environmental Governance in Transition.

2.     Mapping the Efficiency Gradients in Electricity Distribution Systems.

(Complete list available offline.)