I am an Associate Professor at the Department of Economics at Southern Methodist University, a Research Fellow at IZA, a Fellow at the Global Labor Organization, and an Associate Editor at the Journal of Population Economics and at the Journal of Comparative Economics.

My research explores the deep historical origins and long-run consequences of some of the most fundamental cultural, human, and economic characteristics that are at the roots of contemporary comparative economic development across countries, regions, and ethnic groups. In particular, I study how the interaction of bio-geographical, cultural, institutional, and technological factors has determined the evolution of societies in the course of human history. This interdisciplinary research agenda lies at the intersection of comparative development, economic growth, political economy, cultural economics, and evolutionary economics, and it further contributes to the fields of cultural and human evolution, and cultural anthropology.

Here you can find information about me, my research, data, and code of various open-source projects, as well as studying and teaching materials for my students. From time to time, I will post reading lists or opinions, as well as some of the pictures I have taken since I have been living in the US. The picture above is my “Escher at the Louvre”.