Publications

A Simple Model of Group Conflict, Inequality, and Stratification. (with Daniele Tavani). 2024. Review of Black Political Economy (Forthcoming). Link Working Paper PDF

We present a simple equilibrium model of group conflict that formalizes several key insights of stratification economics. To begin with, discrimination is a purposeful activity pursued by dominant groups in order to maintain their status in society. However, not every member of the dominant group needs to fully engage in discriminatory efforts. In other words, dominant-group members can free ride on discriminatory actions taken by members of the same group. At the same time, though, someone must have discriminated, otherwise discrimination would not exist in equilibrium. We also show that discrimination is wasteful from a societal standpoint; yet, it persists because of the dominant group’s interest in maintaining their status, the fact that marginalized groups’ agency in lessening the effects of discrimination has costs, and the costly and imperfect nature of antidiscrimination enforcement. In particular, when the burden of proving discriminatory behavior falls on individuals in the marginalized group, discrimination will never be completely removed. Finally, we highlight how racial income inequality reverberates into wealth inequality (i.e., stratification), and we discuss the role of reparations in mitigating such outcomes.

A Decline in International Income Inequality? Cross-National Income Convergence Revisited. (with Anthony Roberts). 2023. Sociology of Development, 9 (4), 408–432. Link

Prior research shows global income inequality declined over the last few decades because of a reduction in income disparities between countries. However, concerns over the sustainability of this trend have grown with increases in income disparities within countries. Yet, despite these contrasting trends, few studies examine the extent to which the latter affects the former. Based on dynamic panel models of 108 countries from 1981 to 2017, we find that the rate of convergence in incomes between countries is moderated by the income inequality within countries. The national incomes of egalitarian countries are converging, while the national incomes of inegalitarian countries tableare diverging. Overall, this study calls into question the sustainability of decreasing international income inequality amid increasing national income inequality. More importantly, it shows that national redistribution policies are increasingly important in the twenty-first century, not only to reduce income disparities within countries but also to potentially reduce income disparities between countries.

Working Papers

The Persistent Effects of Compensation for Abolition. Job Market Paper. PDF

Throughout the 19th century, colonizers officially abolished chattel slavery in their territories. The process of abolition granted compensation to slave-owners as a reimbursement for their ‘property’ loss. I exploit the intuition behind compensation to estimate its long-run effect on current economic performance. The financial award assisted slave-owners in continuing plantation production, mistreating former slaves, and maintaining power in the territories. These effects are deterimental to economical and institutional development, and are still being felt in the Caribbean. Slave-owners received compensation based on the prices they paid for slaves before abolition, and prices were determined by the demand for slaves and distance to slave markets. Larger territories faced labor shortages and were further from slave markets. With compiled colonial data, I use population den- sity as an instrument for compensation and find that compensation significantly reduces 2019 GDP per capita levels. Mediation analysis suggests that roughly a third of this effect is working through institutional development.

Abolishing the Color Line: W. E. B. Du Bois on Dynamic Social Equilibrium. (with Guy Numa). Under Review. PDF

This article proposes a quantitative approach to W. E. B. Du Bois’s work that focuses on his conceptualization of the interdependence between the social condition of a marginalized group and public opinion. We argue that Du Bois put forward a dynamic model of social equilibrium that sheds brighter light on the factors that have impacted the advancement of Black Americans. We develop a Du Boisian model that distinguishes between four regimes. A shock to education improves the social condition of the Black community. This will then impact public opinion, which in turn will retroact on social conditions, and the process will continue until a new steady state is reached at a higher value of education. A shock to integration will create a similar process. Du Bois’s framework is then compared with Gunnar Myrdal’s model of dynamic causation. Du Bois should be recognized as a major theorist of social dynamics.

Arthur Bloomfield and the West Indian Federation. (with Guy Numa). Under Review. Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University Working Paper Series, No. 2024-07, September 2024.Link

Money-doctors played a crucial role in establishing and advising central banks in underdeveloped countries in the 20th century. However, the Bretton Woods order transformed the doctors’ prescriptions after the second world war. Arthur Bloomfield was a part of this “new generation” who attempted to equip central banks with wide-ranging policy tools in contrast to the rigid instruments proposed by the previous generation of experts. Bloomfield’s assignment to the British West Indies in 1960-1961 is an example of the change in vision of US foreign monetary policy. A significant characteristic of the new tradition was to let the environment of the country or region determine the exact approach of central banking. Therefore, the political and economic conditions of the West Indies, and the efforts to achieve regional integration and gain independence, were a principal consideration for Bloomfield and his advice for the region.

Works in Progress

Uneven Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labor.PDF

To explain uneven development, balance of payment constrained growth (BPCG) models emphasize external demand conditions in the spirit of Thirlwall’s Law. However, economists such as Arthur Lewis and Ragnar Nurkse have argued that productivity of the internal economy is an important variable determining the gap between the South and North because it improves terms of trade and allows for the integration of exporting and domestic sectors. The internal economy is comprised of the sectors which produce for domestic consumption. This paper combines BPCG modeling framework with the theories of Lewis and Nukse to produce a North-South model where internal productivity determines income elasticities, and thus affects terms of trade and long-run growth. I also show that elasticity ratios are vital for North-South convergence using estimations for 1985-2019.

Building on Synergies between SDGs: WASH and Women’s Empowerment in Haiti. Under Review. (with Alexandra Bernasek, Niroj Bhattarai, Wisnu Nugroho, and Arisa Thongngam)

As we approach 2030, the deadline for achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), many countries are far from meeting their goals. In this paper we explore potential synergies between SDG 5 Gender equality and SDG6 Clean water and sanitation. We are interested in how improved WASH conditions may also contribute to women’s empowerment. Using data on Haiti - one of the the poorest countries in the world and a country that has struggled with making progress on both goals - we find that access to improved water sources, less time to collect water and improved sanitation facilities are all positively associated with two measures of women’s empowerment; decision making in the household and attitudes towards violence against women in the household. The results support a gender transformative approach to WASH policies to capitalize on the synergies between improved WASH and women’s empowerment.

Exchange Rate Devaluations and Caribbean Development.