Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

May 17 2024 1
Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made Podcast artwork

Tune into the Backstory Podcast with hosts Riccardo Di Cato, Aakash Bhalothia, and Santiago Cantillo for a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes process of economic research. Each episode unpacks the hidden journey from a paper's conception to its publication, sharing the challenges and triumphs scholars face along the way. Conceptualized by Paul Niehaus and brought to life by UCSD grad students, Backstory gives voice to the stories that academia often leaves untold.

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Backstory: Duncan Thomas on Long-term Impacts of Exposure to a Natural Disaster

May 17 2024 26 mins  
In this episode, Duncan Thomas shared insights from his paper on the aftermath of large-scale disasters. Duncan and Aakash discussed the significance of collecting high-quality data, highlighting the importance of teamwork and collaboration. The paper is titled: " Longer-term impacts of exposure to a large-scale natural disaster on health, cognition and well-being."

Backstory: Francesco Amodio on Labor Market Power, Self-employment, and Development

May 06 2024 27 mins  
In this episode, Riccardo speaks with Francesco Amodio, Associate Professor of Economics at McGill University, about his paper titled "Labor Market Power, Self-employment, and Development." We explore the process of generating ideas for projects and identification strategies. Additionally, we discuss structural modeling and what initially sparked Francesco's interest

Girija Borker on Perceived Risk of Street Harassment and Educational Choices of Women

Apr 23 2024 24 mins  
In this episode, Aakash talks to Girija Borker, an Economist at DIME, World Bank. They discuss her paper titled "Safety First: Perceived Risk of Street Harassment and Educational Choices of Women". Dive in to learn how Girija went about identifying important problems related to gender, and her perspectives on learning the best tools to answer questions, risk mitigation st

Backstory: Martin Mattsson on Formalizing Dispute Resolution Mechanisms

Apr 19 2024 22 mins  
Join Santiago as he delves into conversation with Martin Mattsson from the National University of Singapore about his working paper titled "Formalizing Dispute Resolution: Effects of Village Courts in Bangladesh". Martin tells us the backstory of a large-scale RCT covering 6 million people, the value of trust in overcoming challenges when dealing with multiple government

Backstory: Doug Gollin on High-Frequency Human Mobility in Three African Countries

Apr 02 2024 22 mins  
In this episode, join Riccardo as he engages with Doug Gollin, a Professor at Tufts University, discussing his paper “High-Frequency Human Mobility in Three African Countries”. This conversation uncovers the intricacies of approaching data-driven projects, maximizing the potential of research ideas, and the complexities involved in managing large datasets. Doug also shares val

Backstory: Vincent Pons on Strategic Platform Adjustments during U.S. and French Elections

Feb 21 2024 30 mins  
Santiago talks to Vincent Pons, Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, about his paper: 'Keep your Enemies Closer: Strategic Platform Adjustments during U.S. and French Elections'. Vincent shares his thoughts on deciding to make upfront investments in data collection, how his political curiosity took him to be a national field coordinator for a presidential campaig

Backstory: Teresa Molina on Intergenerational Mobility in the Philippines

Dec 09 2023 22 mins  
In this episode, Santiago sits down with Teresa Molina, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and current visitor at UCSD. They delve into her paper, 'An Examination of Intergenerational Mobility in the Philippines.' The discussion highlights the paper's origins, the crucial role of having the right collaborators, and the valuable contri

Backstory: Bryce Steinberg on Family Planning, Infertility Fear and Contraception Take-Up

Nov 14 2023 30 mins  
Join us in conversation with Bryce Steinberg, Assistant Professor of Economics at Brown University, as we delve into her paper, "Family Planning, Now and Later: Infertility Fear and Contraception Take-Up." This discussion offers a comprehensive look into the fieldwork process from start to finish. Along the way, we uncover intriguing research questions that surfaced durin

Bakckstory: Pauline Rossi on the Drivers of Fertility in Burkina Faso

Nov 08 2023 22 mins  
In this episode, Associate Professor Pauline Rossi from Ecole Polytechnique-CREST discusses her paper, "Drivers of Fertility: Experimental Evidence from Burkina Faso." She shares practical insights from conducting field research, including managing the challenges of data collection and responding to unexpected hurdles. We also explore the process behind developing resear

Backstory: Diana Martinez on How Immigration Affect Incumbent Students

Oct 25 2023 21 mins  
In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Diana Martinez, a job market candidate at UC San Diego. Diana shares the backstory of her job market paper, "How Does Immigration Affect Incumbent Students? The Case of the Venezuelan Migration to Peru." She provides valuable insights into the process of developing a paper during a Ph.D. program, detailing the highs