I am a Full Professor of Economics at the University of São Paulo, where I study how political institutions, labor markets, and religious organizations shape economic outcomes. My research has been featured in The Economist, Folha de São Paulo, and VoxEU, and awarded the Haralambos Simeonidis prize for best paper in Economics by a Brazilian scholar. I received my Ph.D. from the London Business School in 2014.
Finance and development · Labor economics · Economics of culture and religion · Political economy
Publications
Featured in VoxEU.org, May/2019 · 2020 Haralambos Simeonidis prize for best paper in Economics by a Brazilian scholar
Church Tax Exemption and Structure of Religious Markets: a Dynamic Structural Analysis
American Economic Journal: MicroeconomicsFeatured in AEA Research Highlights · The Economist · Nexo Jornal · O Estado de São Paulo · Jornal USP
Best paper at the 43rd Meeting of the Brazilian Econometric Society
Income Shocks and Mortality of Low-Wage Workers: Evidence from Wage Allowances in Brazil
Journal of Development Economics — ForthcomingInternal Migration and Labor Market Adjustments in the Presence of Nonwage Compensation
Journal of Development Economics — ForthcomingEdited Democracy: Media Manipulation and the News Coverage of Presidential Debates
Comparative Political Studies — ForthcomingNatural Disasters and Preferences for the Environment: Evidence from the Impressionable Years
Economics LettersFemale Judges and In-Group Bias in Labor Courts
Economics BulletinWorking Papers
Did the Watt Engine Save Coal? A Multi-Channel Decomposition of the Canonical Jevons Rebound
SubmittedThe Industrial Organization of Belief: Market Size, Church Expansion, and Religious Change
SubmittedLabor Courts, Job Search and Employment: Evidence from a Labor Reform in Brazil
SubmittedFeatured in CNN Brasil · Valor Econômico · Crusoé
Payroll Tax, Employment and Labor Market Concentration
Labour Economics — Revise & ResubmitIn Progress
The Gospel According to Media: Religious Radio and the Rise of Pentecostalism in Brazil
Size of Legislature, Public Spending and Political Budget Cycle
Supply-side Secularization: Evidence from Religious Entrepreneurs in Brazil
Other Publications
The Components of Economic Freedom, Income and Growth: an Empirical Analysis
Estudos EconômicosThe Empirical Determinants of Happiness in Brazil
Revista de Economia PolíticaOp-Eds & Media
Teaching
Consulting & Policy Work
Alongside academic research, I advise organizations on applied economic questions — bringing rigorous empirical methods to real-world decisions in policy, regulation, litigation, and strategy.
Evidence-based guidance on labor markets, taxation, public spending, and religious economy regulation for governments and policy bodies.
Economic analysis and expert testimony for legal proceedings involving labor, market structure, and public finance disputes.
Data-driven economic analysis for firms and banks on market dynamics, demand estimation, and regulatory impact assessment.
Program evaluation, impact assessment, and research design for development and social policy initiatives in Brazil and Latin America.
I have worked with clients across the public and private sectors in Brazil and internationally, including government agencies, multilateral institutions, law firms, and financial organizations. Engagements have covered labor market reform, religious economy regulation, municipal finance, and program evaluation.