Why Does It Cost So Much to Build Infrastructure in the US? - and - The Political Economy of Redistribution
POSITION FILLED
FACULTY SUPERVISOR(S):
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Zachary Liscow, Professor at Yale Law School, is seeking an empirical research assistant to assist with research projects. Day-to-day work includes brainstorming, conceptualization of suitable empirical methodologies, collecting and structuring datasets, performing econometric analysis in Stata and interpreting results, undertaking literature reviews, and drafting manuscripts. Work also may include implementing field experiments and conducting surveys.
Professor Liscow mainly works in two areas: First, he works to understand what drives sky-high US infrastructure construction costs. A crucial aspect of growth and economic opportunity is public infrastructure. However, as Professor Liscow has shown, infrastructure costs have skyrocketed in the US – and these costs are far higher than in other countries. We are working on understanding why by exploiting variation in policies across US states to see where costs are highest and then developing solutions where policies drive up costs with little benefit.
Second, he studies the political economy of redistribution by understanding the psychology underlying the public’s redistributive attitudes. If we want to tax the super-rich or redistribute to the poor, we need to understand the public’s attitudes to develop policies that are consonant with these attitudes. Professor Liscow combines analysis of these attitudes with economic goals to generate innovative policy prescriptions to address inequality.
For more information, visit his website, https://www.law.yale.edu/zachary-liscow.
REQUISITE SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:
- B.A. or M.A. in Economics/Statistics (or equivalent).
- Strong econometrics background and experience programming in Stata.
- Eagerness to take initiative and solve intricate problems.
SPECIAL APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
If you are interested in committing to work for two years (for which we have some preference), please state that in your cover letter.