Refereed Journals:
10. Misclassification in Linear-in-Means Models: Theory and Application to Peer Effects Estimation (2026) Labour Economics, accepted (with Simone Balestra and Fanny Valli-Puljic)
This paper investigates how misclassification affects the estimation of peer effects in linear-in-means (LIM) models. We formally show that the peer effect estimate is biased by an "own effect" due to error in the group average and a smearing effect due to misclassification is distributed across groups. We develop a simple heuristic based on the ratio of the estimated peer effect to the estimated individual effect to help researchers identify the likely direction of the total bias. We verify the theoretical predictions in the setting of peer effects of students with learning disabilities on other students' performance.
9. Ethnic Clustering in Schools and Early Career Outcomes (2025) Economics of Education Review, 106 (with Caroline Chuard, Annatina Aerne, and Roland Hodler)
This study examines the impact of ethnic clustering during compulsory schooling on the career paths of ethnic minority students. We observe whether students upon completing compulsory school join an academic track, and field vocational education, a transition year or no further education. We show that the effect of foreign language peers depends on whether or not they speak the same foreign language as the observed student. A higher overall share of foreign language peers in a cohort increases the probability of these students entering vocational education at the expense of academic education. It also leads to lower projected earnings. Peers speaking the same foreign language as the student observed also increase the student's chances of joining vocational education, but at the expense of a transition year. Looking at mechanisms, we provide evidence that foreign language peers affect language acquisition negatively, but can provide positive network effects.
8. Peers with Special Needs: Effects and Policies (2022) Review of Economics and Statistics, 104(3), 602-618 (with Simone Balestra and Helge Liebert)
In light of the debate over inclusive education, this paper evaluates the impact of exposure to special needs (SN) peers. More classroom peers with SN lower performance, the probability of entering post-compulsory education, and income at ages 17-25. SN students and students at the lower end of the achievement distribution suffer most from higher inclusion. We analyze the effects of reallocation policies to alleviate negative externalities, and demonstrate that inclusion is preferable to segregation in terms of maximizing average test scores.
7. Summer-Born Struggle: The Effect of School Starting Age on Health, Education, and work (2020) Health Economics, 29, 591-607 (with Simone Balestra and Helge Liebert)
6. Disability, Gender and Race: Does Educational Attainment Reduce Earnings Disparity for All or Just Some? (2019) Personell Assessment and Decisions, 5(2), 91-99 (with David Baldridge, Mukta Kulkarni, and Richard Dirmyer)
5. Culture and Taxes (2019) Journal of Political Economy, 127(1), 296-337 (with Raphaël Parchet)
4. Income and substitution effects of a disability insurance reform (2019) Journal of Public Economics, 170, 1-14 (with Eva Deuchert)
3. Culture, Work attitudes, and job search: Evidence from the Swiss language border (2017) Journal of the European Economic Association, 15 (5), 1056-1100 (with Rafael Lalive, Andreas Steinhauer, and Josef Zweimüller)
2. Effects of a higher replacement rate on unemployment durations, employment, and earnings (2015) Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, 151 (1), 1-25
1. The Demand for Social Insurance. Does Culture Matter? (2011) Economic Journal, 121, F413-F448 (with Rafael Lalive, Andreas Steinhauer, and Josef Zweimüller)
Working Papers:
Work in Progress / Preparation: