How do different development policies come to exist across countries and over time? To address this question, this article develops a politico-economy theory of dynamic Ramsey policies. The different policy dynamics provide a political rationale for the differences in development policies pursued by developing and developed countries.

This article develops a theory that explains the political origins of size-contingent Employment Protection Legislation (EPL), which imposes stricter rules on firms whose number of employees exceeds a certain threshold.

Employment protection laws (EPLs) are aimed to protect workers. However, if firms cannot easily adjust to EPLs, then their workers may not benefit from higher protection at all. I address this concern from both a theoretical and empirical perspective.

Joint with Ronald Fischer. Journal of Public Economics, 204, 2021, 104553.

Joint with Ronald Fischer and Patricio Valenzuela. Journal of International Money and Finance, 91, 2019, pp. 105-125