Mohammadali Mokhtari (Ali)
Applied Economics, Health Economics, Development Economics.
Università della Svizzera italiana (USI Lugano)
About Me
I am an applied microeconomist, currently finalizing my PhD thesis at the University of Lugano.
Before joining Lugano in October 2019, I was a predoctoral researcher in the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich.
My research primarily uses causal econometric methods to tackle important questions in health and development economics, including a study on the impact of the largest cash transfer program in the developing world.
In addition to my research, I have over a decade of teaching experience, consistently praised for my effectiveness. I am on the job market since the fall of 2024 through 2025.
Last Updates
May 29, 2024: Four days after publishing my paper on energy subsidy reform on SSRN, the most popular newspaper in Iran, "World of Economy," requested a public-friendly article on this important subject. I wrote the piece, and on May 29, they published it as the leading editorial on the front page. It is encouraging to see the media tracking academic publications on critical issues. I hope this also captures the attention of policymakers in the country.
The article in Iran's most popular newspaper: tinyurl.com/yupuukbd
May 25, 2024: I have completed a draft of one of my projects that I have been working on for over two years. I presented the initial version of this project in August 2022 at the University of Tehran, and later in October 2022 during a brown bag seminar in Lugano, Switzerland. The study examines the broad outcomes for two groups—cash and non-cash recipients—following the extensive subsidy reform in Iran in 2010. It finds that the income gap between these groups affects their nutrition and health behaviors, likely impacting the health of children born around the time of the reform, particularly in a subset of the two groups in Tehran, where health data is available.
The link to the new version of the study and the presentation of the earlier draft at the University of Tehran are available below.
April 23 , 2024: I presented our collaborative research with Hamed Ghoddusi @Chaay at the prestigious ERF Annual Conference.