Delivery Agents, Social Ties and Group Identity: “Theory and Evidence from a Two-Layered Field Experiment”, joint with Oriana Bandiera (LSE), Robin Burgess (LSE), Erika Deserranno (Kellogg Northwestern), Ricardo Morel (BRAC) and Munshi Sulaiman (BRAC & StC) Individuals can have social preferences defined over their friends or share some group identity...

Migrants and the Making of America: The Short and Long-Run Effects of Immigration during the Age of Mass Migration We study the effects of European immigration to the United States during the Age of Mass Migration (1850–1920) on economic prosperity today. We exploit variation in the extent of immigration across...

Mistrust in Medicine: The Legacy of Colonial Medical Campaigns in Central Africa We examine how historical experiences with modern medicine affect present day engagement with the health sector by examining the legacy of French colonial medical campaigns. Between 1921 and 1958, the French military organized medical campaigns to treat and...

Sex and the Mission: The Conflicting Effects of Early Christian Investments on sub-Saharan Africa’s HIV Epidemic with Valeria Rueda (Oxford University). This article investigates the long-term historical impact of missionary activity on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. On the one hand, missionaries were the first to invest in...

The Persistent Effect of the Neolithic Revolution on Health and Life Expectancy: A Double-Edged Sword” (with Oded Galor (Brown University) and Omer Ozak (Southern Methodist University)). This research explores the persistent effects of the Neolithic Revolution on life expectancy. It advances the hypothesis that the Neolithic Revolution has had a...

Rage against the machines. Labor-saving technology and social unrest in England, 1830-32, with Hans-Joachim Voth Can the adoption of labor-saving technology lead to social instability and unrest? We examine a canonical historical case, the so-called ‘Captain Swing’ riots in 1830s Britain. Variously attributed to the adverse consequences of weather shocks,...

Conscience or Strategy: Voting in the Bundestag and the Weimar Republic Article 3 of the Weimar constitution defined the colors of the national flag. This was one of the most contested issues in the Weimar Republic. In this paper we analyze the precise voting process leading to that decision. We...