Thiago Scarelli
@tscarelli.bsky.social
Lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Oxford | PhD from the Paris School of Economics | Labor, Development, Stats
thiagoscarelli.github.io
thiagoscarelli.github.io
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
"Humans aren’t very efficient movers—until you put us on a bicycle, when we become some of the most energy-efficient land travelers in the animal kingdom."
www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
October 14, 2025 at 11:22 PM
"Humans aren’t very efficient movers—until you put us on a bicycle, when we become some of the most energy-efficient land travelers in the animal kingdom."
www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
What does a Nobel Prize on ‘innovation-driven economic growth’ actually reward?
A historian’s perspective on how to deal with the Nobel frenzy
beatricecherrier.wordpress.com/2025/10/13/w...
A historian’s perspective on how to deal with the Nobel frenzy
beatricecherrier.wordpress.com/2025/10/13/w...
October 14, 2025 at 12:00 AM
What does a Nobel Prize on ‘innovation-driven economic growth’ actually reward?
A historian’s perspective on how to deal with the Nobel frenzy
beatricecherrier.wordpress.com/2025/10/13/w...
A historian’s perspective on how to deal with the Nobel frenzy
beatricecherrier.wordpress.com/2025/10/13/w...
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
Or, "no one wanted to look at this thing because it's a hot, hot mess, and finally I did, and guess what? It's a hot, hot mess."
"Significant contribution to the field" often translates to "first person to care about this very specific thing"
September 26, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Or, "no one wanted to look at this thing because it's a hot, hot mess, and finally I did, and guess what? It's a hot, hot mess."
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
Reading rec:
"Challenges in Statistics: A Dozen Challenges in Causality and Causal Inference"
arxiv.org/abs/2508.17099
Great overview of both the state of the art and open question in causal inference!
"Challenges in Statistics: A Dozen Challenges in Causality and Causal Inference"
arxiv.org/abs/2508.17099
Great overview of both the state of the art and open question in causal inference!
Challenges in Statistics: A Dozen Challenges in Causality and Causal Inference
Causality and causal inference have emerged as core research areas at the interface of modern statistics and domains including biomedical sciences, social sciences, computer science, and beyond. The…
arxiv.org
September 25, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reading rec:
"Challenges in Statistics: A Dozen Challenges in Causality and Causal Inference"
arxiv.org/abs/2508.17099
Great overview of both the state of the art and open question in causal inference!
"Challenges in Statistics: A Dozen Challenges in Causality and Causal Inference"
arxiv.org/abs/2508.17099
Great overview of both the state of the art and open question in causal inference!
I recommended a rejection of a paper because a key reference, mentioned 7 times as a closely related work with a similar methodology, simply does not exist. It was supposedly written by some plausible authors, with a plausible title, in a plausible journal, but it does not exist. Weird feeling...
September 17, 2025 at 5:34 PM
I recommended a rejection of a paper because a key reference, mentioned 7 times as a closely related work with a similar methodology, simply does not exist. It was supposedly written by some plausible authors, with a plausible title, in a plausible journal, but it does not exist. Weird feeling...
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
My opinion about the historic verdict coming out of Brazil, with @stevelevitsky.bsky.social, is in the @nytimes.com today.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/o...
Opinion | Brazil Just Succeeded Where the U.S. Failed
www.nytimes.com
September 12, 2025 at 10:18 AM
My opinion about the historic verdict coming out of Brazil, with @stevelevitsky.bsky.social, is in the @nytimes.com today.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/o...
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
1. The philosophy of science sometimes gets an unearned reputation as a purely academic exercise that offers little by way of concrete tools for advancing research.
This is wrong.
And today, as we grapple with how AI is changing the nature of scientific activity, it's desperately wrong.
This is wrong.
And today, as we grapple with how AI is changing the nature of scientific activity, it's desperately wrong.
August 19, 2025 at 4:59 AM
1. The philosophy of science sometimes gets an unearned reputation as a purely academic exercise that offers little by way of concrete tools for advancing research.
This is wrong.
And today, as we grapple with how AI is changing the nature of scientific activity, it's desperately wrong.
This is wrong.
And today, as we grapple with how AI is changing the nature of scientific activity, it's desperately wrong.
Our research was featured on @voxdev.bsky.social!
@olihanney.bsky.social, @emaansiddique.bsky.social and the stellar editorial board do a fantastic job in offering curated, accessible materials to the development research community.
As a devoted reader, I am very happy to have contributed to it :)
@olihanney.bsky.social, @emaansiddique.bsky.social and the stellar editorial board do a fantastic job in offering curated, accessible materials to the development research community.
As a devoted reader, I am very happy to have contributed to it :)
🆕 Understanding self-employment in Brazil: Can people afford to search for jobs?
Today on VoxDev, @tscarelli.bsky.social and David Margolis show that material scarcity and financial constraints appear to be the main drivers of self-employment in Brazil: voxdev.org/topic/labour...
Today on VoxDev, @tscarelli.bsky.social and David Margolis show that material scarcity and financial constraints appear to be the main drivers of self-employment in Brazil: voxdev.org/topic/labour...
Understanding self-employment in Brazil: Can people afford to search for jobs?
Material scarcity and financial constraints appear to be the main drivers of self-employment for approximately two-thirds of urban own-account workers in Brazil.
voxdev.org
August 4, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Our research was featured on @voxdev.bsky.social!
@olihanney.bsky.social, @emaansiddique.bsky.social and the stellar editorial board do a fantastic job in offering curated, accessible materials to the development research community.
As a devoted reader, I am very happy to have contributed to it :)
@olihanney.bsky.social, @emaansiddique.bsky.social and the stellar editorial board do a fantastic job in offering curated, accessible materials to the development research community.
As a devoted reader, I am very happy to have contributed to it :)
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
📢Applications are open for two Nuffield Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Economics, starting Sept 2026. A unique chance to pursue independent research at Oxford in a supportive, well-resourced environment.
Deadline: 30 Sept 2025
Find out more: bit.ly/4mcMxSR
#AcademicJobs #OxfordEconomics
Deadline: 30 Sept 2025
Find out more: bit.ly/4mcMxSR
#AcademicJobs #OxfordEconomics
July 29, 2025 at 9:25 AM
📢Applications are open for two Nuffield Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Economics, starting Sept 2026. A unique chance to pursue independent research at Oxford in a supportive, well-resourced environment.
Deadline: 30 Sept 2025
Find out more: bit.ly/4mcMxSR
#AcademicJobs #OxfordEconomics
Deadline: 30 Sept 2025
Find out more: bit.ly/4mcMxSR
#AcademicJobs #OxfordEconomics
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
Teaching or studying economics? This blog is for you...
@emaansiddique.bsky.social and I have updated @voxdev.bsky.social's series of blogs showcasing how economists use different econometric techniques to answer interesting and important policy questions.
Read here: voxdev.org/topic/exampl...
@emaansiddique.bsky.social and I have updated @voxdev.bsky.social's series of blogs showcasing how economists use different econometric techniques to answer interesting and important policy questions.
Read here: voxdev.org/topic/exampl...
Examples from development economics for your introduction to econometrics course
Economists employ a wide range of econometric methods when conducting research. Here are some examples of how these techniques are used to generate interesting and useful policy insights in developmen...
voxdev.org
July 17, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Teaching or studying economics? This blog is for you...
@emaansiddique.bsky.social and I have updated @voxdev.bsky.social's series of blogs showcasing how economists use different econometric techniques to answer interesting and important policy questions.
Read here: voxdev.org/topic/exampl...
@emaansiddique.bsky.social and I have updated @voxdev.bsky.social's series of blogs showcasing how economists use different econometric techniques to answer interesting and important policy questions.
Read here: voxdev.org/topic/exampl...
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
The new PSE Alumni platform is online!
Connect with 3,500+ graduates of Paris School of Economics, explore job offers, attend exclusive events, and stay up to date with alumni insights.
Join the network 👇 www.pse-alumni.org/en/
Connect with 3,500+ graduates of Paris School of Economics, explore job offers, attend exclusive events, and stay up to date with alumni insights.
Join the network 👇 www.pse-alumni.org/en/
PSE Alumni
PSE Alumni, the online community of members of Paris School of Economics
www.pse-alumni.org
June 6, 2025 at 8:00 AM
The new PSE Alumni platform is online!
Connect with 3,500+ graduates of Paris School of Economics, explore job offers, attend exclusive events, and stay up to date with alumni insights.
Join the network 👇 www.pse-alumni.org/en/
Connect with 3,500+ graduates of Paris School of Economics, explore job offers, attend exclusive events, and stay up to date with alumni insights.
Join the network 👇 www.pse-alumni.org/en/
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
Looking to work at the intersection of research and policy in development?
Friends of VoxDev are hiring for 4 important roles in the evidence-to-policy ecosystem.
Check them out below 🧵1/5
Friends of VoxDev are hiring for 4 important roles in the evidence-to-policy ecosystem.
Check them out below 🧵1/5
June 3, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Looking to work at the intersection of research and policy in development?
Friends of VoxDev are hiring for 4 important roles in the evidence-to-policy ecosystem.
Check them out below 🧵1/5
Friends of VoxDev are hiring for 4 important roles in the evidence-to-policy ecosystem.
Check them out below 🧵1/5
About 2/3 of all own-account workers in Brazil appear to have taken this occupation as a result of a financial constraint, as opposed to their first-best economic choice.
This is the key finding of a paper I co-authored with David Margolis, now in EDCC: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
This is the key finding of a paper I co-authored with David Margolis, now in EDCC: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
June 2, 2025 at 11:04 PM
About 2/3 of all own-account workers in Brazil appear to have taken this occupation as a result of a financial constraint, as opposed to their first-best economic choice.
This is the key finding of a paper I co-authored with David Margolis, now in EDCC: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
This is the key finding of a paper I co-authored with David Margolis, now in EDCC: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
Yeah, I don't think you can ask reviewers to go through the code/replicate results, unless you pay them appropriately. I think a better equilibrium than the status quo would be: people write fewer papers & receive fewer papers to review, are paid to do so, and spend more time on it, including code.
May 2, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Yeah, I don't think you can ask reviewers to go through the code/replicate results, unless you pay them appropriately. I think a better equilibrium than the status quo would be: people write fewer papers & receive fewer papers to review, are paid to do so, and spend more time on it, including code.
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
Very happy to see this out! This is a major revision relative to the previous issue. We have included important topics such as minimum wages, migration, and market power. Plus, it now also covers housing informality! Check it out!
What have we learned about the informal sector?
Issue 2 of our #VoxDevLit on Informality by @GUlyssea, Matteo Bobba, @lgadenne.bsky.social & Mariaflavia Harari is out now! ➡️ voxdev.org/voxdevlit/in...
Today's podcast covers the update ➡️ voxdev.org/topic/labour...
Issue 2 of our #VoxDevLit on Informality by @GUlyssea, Matteo Bobba, @lgadenne.bsky.social & Mariaflavia Harari is out now! ➡️ voxdev.org/voxdevlit/in...
Today's podcast covers the update ➡️ voxdev.org/topic/labour...
April 24, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Very happy to see this out! This is a major revision relative to the previous issue. We have included important topics such as minimum wages, migration, and market power. Plus, it now also covers housing informality! Check it out!
Important insight from Stefan Dercon (@gamblingondev.bsky.social): "design interventions that maximise the policy makers’ objective function given their constraints". Economics meets Political Science.
🆕 Best buys meet political realities: The political economy of education research
Stefan Dercon (@gamblingondev.bsky.social @blavatnikschool.bsky.social @oxfordcsae.bsky.social) explores why policymakers choose education reforms that aren’t supported by evidence: voxdev.org/topic/educat...
Stefan Dercon (@gamblingondev.bsky.social @blavatnikschool.bsky.social @oxfordcsae.bsky.social) explores why policymakers choose education reforms that aren’t supported by evidence: voxdev.org/topic/educat...
Best buys meet political realities: The political economy of education research
Why do policymakers choose education reforms that aren’t supported by evidence? And how can researchers work with them to implement interventions with better outcomes? These are thorny questions often...
voxdev.org
April 22, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Important insight from Stefan Dercon (@gamblingondev.bsky.social): "design interventions that maximise the policy makers’ objective function given their constraints". Economics meets Political Science.
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
Just posted updated version of our DID textbook! We now have drafts of all chapters, including the one on general designs! Now you can tell your friends still on X that they are DID-outdated :-) Happy easter for those of you that celebrate it. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Credible Answers to Hard Questions: Differences-in-Differences for Natural Experiments
This book introduces applied researchers to modern Differences-in-Differences (DID) methods, that they can use to obtain credible answers to hard causal inferen
papers.ssrn.com
April 18, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Just posted updated version of our DID textbook! We now have drafts of all chapters, including the one on general designs! Now you can tell your friends still on X that they are DID-outdated :-) Happy easter for those of you that celebrate it. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
We have just opened the 2026 CSAE Fellowship scheme. We host and support rising African scholars for 3 months at Oxford. This year we had five scholars visiting. See the application process here www.csae.ox.ac.uk/visiting-fel....
CSAE VISITING FELLOWSHIPS
CSAE Visiting Fellowships
www.csae.ox.ac.uk
March 25, 2025 at 5:57 PM
We have just opened the 2026 CSAE Fellowship scheme. We host and support rising African scholars for 3 months at Oxford. This year we had five scholars visiting. See the application process here www.csae.ox.ac.uk/visiting-fel....
How do you distinguish a good theory from a not-so-good one?
February 18, 2025 at 2:41 PM
How do you distinguish a good theory from a not-so-good one?
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
After extensively studying the strategies implemented by Bolsonaro's government to undermine public administration, I can confidently assert that these tactics follow a tested playbook. This approach has been employed by various governments globally and is now being adopted by the Trump admin. +
February 9, 2025 at 11:39 AM
After extensively studying the strategies implemented by Bolsonaro's government to undermine public administration, I can confidently assert that these tactics follow a tested playbook. This approach has been employed by various governments globally and is now being adopted by the Trump admin. +
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
We can now easily access over 18,000 geospatial datasets instantly, for free.
Here's everything you need to know about the Geospatial Data Catalog:
Here's everything you need to know about the Geospatial Data Catalog:
February 6, 2025 at 12:17 PM
We can now easily access over 18,000 geospatial datasets instantly, for free.
Here's everything you need to know about the Geospatial Data Catalog:
Here's everything you need to know about the Geospatial Data Catalog:
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
Less than 1 week until the 2025 deadline to apply for MPhil & DPhil courses in economics at the @oxfordecondept.bsky.social.
The CSAE has 2 new scholarships for African postgrad candidates. Find out more & apply by 28 January.
www.csae.ox.ac.uk/scholarships
#funding #econsky #researchopportunity
The CSAE has 2 new scholarships for African postgrad candidates. Find out more & apply by 28 January.
www.csae.ox.ac.uk/scholarships
#funding #econsky #researchopportunity
January 22, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Less than 1 week until the 2025 deadline to apply for MPhil & DPhil courses in economics at the @oxfordecondept.bsky.social.
The CSAE has 2 new scholarships for African postgrad candidates. Find out more & apply by 28 January.
www.csae.ox.ac.uk/scholarships
#funding #econsky #researchopportunity
The CSAE has 2 new scholarships for African postgrad candidates. Find out more & apply by 28 January.
www.csae.ox.ac.uk/scholarships
#funding #econsky #researchopportunity
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
I just scribed a summary of how I view policymakers in developing countries generating evidence that they can be confident will lead to successful scaling of their ideas. The wonderful @voxdev.bsky.social was kind enough to publish the piece.
🆕 Scaling policy ideas in developing countries
Today on VoxDev, @johnlist.bsky.social explains how to identify effective policies that can scale, and why adding a third option to traditional A/B tests creates better evidence: voxdev.org/topic/method...
Today on VoxDev, @johnlist.bsky.social explains how to identify effective policies that can scale, and why adding a third option to traditional A/B tests creates better evidence: voxdev.org/topic/method...
Scaling policy ideas in developing countries
To identify effective policies that can scale, a third option should be added to traditional A/B tests, that accounts for the realities of a programme implemented at scale. By flipping the traditional...
voxdev.org
January 14, 2025 at 4:33 PM
I just scribed a summary of how I view policymakers in developing countries generating evidence that they can be confident will lead to successful scaling of their ideas. The wonderful @voxdev.bsky.social was kind enough to publish the piece.
I'm brainstorming for a new course on applied economics and compiling a list of interventions/reforms that had unintended consequences. For example, when Colombia adopted a merit-based hiring system for teachers, student scores declined (Busso et al. 2024). What other cases would you include?
December 9, 2024 at 4:23 PM
I'm brainstorming for a new course on applied economics and compiling a list of interventions/reforms that had unintended consequences. For example, when Colombia adopted a merit-based hiring system for teachers, student scores declined (Busso et al. 2024). What other cases would you include?
Reposted by Thiago Scarelli
We have put together some of our favourite sources of research, newsletters, articles, blogs, podcasts & videos on development economics, including economists who have written for VoxDev, in this starter pack.
VoxDev has had ~2000 authors so let us know if we missed you! go.bsky.app/4rsxm7G
VoxDev has had ~2000 authors so let us know if we missed you! go.bsky.app/4rsxm7G
November 20, 2024 at 11:09 AM
We have put together some of our favourite sources of research, newsletters, articles, blogs, podcasts & videos on development economics, including economists who have written for VoxDev, in this starter pack.
VoxDev has had ~2000 authors so let us know if we missed you! go.bsky.app/4rsxm7G
VoxDev has had ~2000 authors so let us know if we missed you! go.bsky.app/4rsxm7G