Welcome to my webpage!

I am an Associate Professor of Economics (with tenure) at the University of Lausanne.

My research explores the roots and consequences of state capacity in public service delivery, regulation, and public infrastructure investment, across both high- and low-income countries.

One stream of my research examines state capacity in a given contemporary context. In particular, I have investigated the effects of for-profit provision of public services on public procurement, regulation, and contractual design.

A second stream focuses on the importance of culture in building state capacity. I have studied how historical shocks shape the contemporary demand and supply sides of public services through cultural traits such as inherited trust and the perceived legitimacy of the state’s mission. My current research develops the economics of institutional legitimacy: how norms come to be recognized as worthy of institutionalization, how persuasion in the public sphere produces that recognition, and how culture configures the process—with implications for state capacity and private values.