CURRENT 2011-2012 FACULTY RESEARCH PROJECTS

CURRENT 2011-2012 VISITORS

Pascal Michaillat (August 2011-July 2012)

Alex Gelber (August 2011)

Stefanie Stantcheva (September 2011)

Christoph Lakner (August 2011-December 2011)

Michael Best (August 2011-May 2012)

Xiaoxia Wang (August 2011-August 2012)

CURRENT 2011-2012 STUDENT FELLOWS

Francois Gerard
Proposed Project: Optimal Unemployment Insurance in Developing Countries, Theory and Evidence from Brazil

Mauricio Larrain
Completed Paper: Financial Liberalization, Capital-skill Complementarity, and Wage Inequality

Alex Rothenberg
Completed Paper: Transport Infrastructure and Firm Location Choice in Equilibrium: Evidence from Indonesia's Highways

CURRENT 2011-2012 FUNDED STUDENT RESEARCH

Gautam Rao
Proposed Project: Poor kids in rich schools: The effects of school quality and social interactions in Delhi, India

Mitchell Hoffman and Gianmarco Leon
Proposed Project: Social Learning in Politics

Alex Solis
Completed Paper: Credit Access and College Enrollment

RESEARCH AGENDA FOR THE CENTER

The Center for Equitable Growth funds Berkeley Faculty and graduate student research on topics of equitable growth. It also hosts and supports visiting faculty and post-docs to come to Berkeley and pursue research projects in areas of equitable growth.

The scope for equitable growth research is broad. The concept of growth, in addition to measures of GDP growth, can also incorporate education, health, and environmental sustainability aspects. Equitable growth research includes research on economic inequality and the determinants of economic growth. The Center is particularly interested in research on the links between inequality and economic growth, the effects of government policies on both the distribution of economic well-being and economic growth, as well as how the public views on equity and fairness affects policy making. Research based on other countries’ experiences is also welcome, particularly when it can inform US domestic policies and US international aid policy.

Policies that are of highest relevance to the problem of equitable growth include (but are not limited to):

Tax Policy
Transfer Programs for Low Income Families
Social Insurance Programs such as Unemployment and Disability Insurance
Labor Market Regulations such as the Minimum and Living Wages
Local Economic Development Programs
Institutional Reforms
Education Policies
Environmental Policies
Health Policies.

RESEARCH GOALS

The central goals of the Center are to encourage research in equitable growth and to help develop policy ideas that can simultaneously improve the distribution of economic well-being and economic growth.

Therefore, the Center is primarily interested in research that can inform policy decisions in promoting equitable growth. The Center will disseminate its work through traditional academic means and, when appropriate, to institutions that can translate the Center’s applied research to policymakers in Washington DC and elsewhere. The ultimate goal is to use this research to develop innovative policy proposals that could produce strong, sustainable growth that is fairly shared.

APPLYING FOR RESEARCH SUPPORT

Berkeley Faculty Grants have an annual funding cycle with an application deadline of late spring. An email will be sent each spring to the Berkeley community with the application announcement and the due date.

The application for funding includes the following:

1) Summary: One (or at most two) page summary proposal describing the research project and how the research can have policy implications. This summary should not be technical and will be publicly posted on the Center's website for funded faculty. Preliminary draft or results, or a more detailed technical proposal, can also be attached but are not necessary.
2) Budget: Provide a short budget justification. Maximum funding is generally $50K per proposal. Priority will be given to research expenses and junior faculty.

Send application to ceg@econ.berkeley.edu in pdf electronic format.

Research papers funded by those grants should acknowledge funding from the "Center for Equitable Growth at Berkeley" and will be posted on the Center's website with updates as papers are revised and eventually published. An update of the 1-2 page initial summary will be also be posted online when the research papers are completed.

Contact Center Director Emmanuel Saez if you would like to discuss proposals, subject fit, or any other issue before submitting an application.

The Center will also fund fellowships for advanced PhD students. Professors are welcome to encourage their PhD students working in areas of equitable growth to apply for CEG fellowships.

Esben Schultz, CEG visitor Summer 2010