I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh.
I am also an affiliate of Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), IZA- Institute of Labor , Center for Governance and Markets, and Mahbub ul Haq Research Center.
My Ph.D. is from the University of California Berkeley's Haas School of Business. I use field experiments and policy experiments to study topics at the intersection of development economics, behavioral economics, and political economy.
Email: yasir.khan@pitt.edu
Working Papers:
(1) Mission Motivation and Public Sector Performance: Experimental Evidence from Pakistan, (2nd Round Revise and Resubmit at the American Economic Review)
(2) Economic and Political Consequences of Credit Policy for Minorities: Evidence from India, with S. K. Ritadhi
Published and Accepted Articles:
(1) “Good Politicians”: Experimental Evidence on Motivations for Political Candidacy and Government Performance, with Saad Gulzar , The Review of Economic Studies (2024)
(2) Personalities and Public Sector Performance: Experimental Evidence from Pakistan, with Michael Callen, Saad Gulzar, Ali Hasanain, and Arman Rezaee, Economic Development and Cultural Change (2024)
(3) The Political Economy of Public Employee Absence: Experimental Evidence from Pakistan, with Michael Callen, Saad Gulzar, Ali Hasanain, and Arman Rezaee, Journal of Public Economics (2023)
(4) No bulls: Experimental Evidence on the Impact of Veterinarian Ratings in Pakistan, with Ali Hasanain and Arman Rezaee, Journal of Development Economics (2023)
(5) Using Preference Estimates to Customize Incentives: An Application to Polio Vaccination Drives in Pakistan, with James Andreoni, Michael Callen, Karrar Hussain, and Charlie Sprenger, Journal of the European Economic Association (2023)
(6) Data and Policy Decisions: Experimental Evidence from Pakistan , with Michael Callen, Saad Gulzar, Ali Hasanain, and Arman Rezaee, Journal of Development Economics (2020)
Work in Progress:
(1) Time Preferences and Dishonesty in the Public Sector, with Priyoma Mustafi [baseline]
(2) Limits of Information Campaigns in Correcting Social Norms: The Case of Women's Voting Rights, with Saad Gulzar [data cleaning]
(3) Psychotherapy and Performance of Workers [pilot in progress]
(4) "Hot Shots": Effect of Climate on Vaccinator Performance , with Karrar Hussain, Jiawei Lyu, and Gabe Tourek [prelim analysis in progress]
(5) Interactive Mobile Support for Community Health Workers Promoting Breastfeeding, with Erica Field, Nicola Singletary, Laura Stilwell, & Kate Vyborny [pilot]
Monographs and Permanent Working Papers
(1) Learning in Public Schools, with Tahir Andrabi, Sohaib Khan and Farooq Naseer
(2) Norms, Beliefs, and Networks: Descriptive Findings on Women's Political Participation in Pakistan, with Saad Gulzar and Luke Sonnet