Prof. David Yanagizawa-Drott

Professor of Development and Emerging Markets, Affiliated Professor at the UBS Center

Mehr zu Prof. David Yanagizawa-Drott auf

David Yanagizawa-Drott received his PhD from IIES at Stockholm University in 2010. At that point, he was hired as Assistant Professor at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He was then promoted to Associate Professor in 2014. In 2016, he was hired as a full professor at University of Zürich. His research has shown that propaganda can cause violent conflict, studying the impact of hate media during the Rwanda Genocide. David has also examined the role of political protests in shaping policy outcomes and elections, establishing evidence that they can be highly effective in moving public opinion. In developing countries, a lot of his work focuses on the how to improve health outcomes and economic outcomes for poor households. In this line of work, for example, David implemented a randomized field experiment that showed that a simple Community Health Worker intervention in Uganda, based on a social entrepreneurship model, reduced child mortality by more than twenty percent. David is a member of several research networks, such as Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), The Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD), European Development Research Network (EUDN) and Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). His work has been highlighted in various international media outlets, such as the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, The Economist and various national TV news broadcasts in the U.S.

Interessen

Development Economics, Political Economy

Professor of Development and Emerging Markets, Affiliated Professor at the UBS Center

Prof. David Yanagizawa-Drott

Mehr zu Prof. David Yanagizawa-Drott auf

David Yanagizawa-Drott received his PhD from IIES at Stockholm University in 2010. At that point, he was hired as Assistant Professor at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He was then promoted to Associate Professor in 2014. In 2016, he was hired as a full professor at University of Zürich. His research has shown that propaganda can cause violent conflict, studying the impact of hate media during the Rwanda Genocide. David has also examined the role of political protests in shaping policy outcomes and elections, establishing evidence that they can be highly effective in moving public opinion. In developing countries, a lot of his work focuses on the how to improve health outcomes and economic outcomes for poor households. In this line of work, for example, David implemented a randomized field experiment that showed that a simple Community Health Worker intervention in Uganda, based on a social entrepreneurship model, reduced child mortality by more than twenty percent. David is a member of several research networks, such as Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), The Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD), European Development Research Network (EUDN) and Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). His work has been highlighted in various international media outlets, such as the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, The Economist and various national TV news broadcasts in the U.S.

Interessen

Development Economics, Political Economy

Research and publications

  • Bursztyn, Leonardo, Alessandra L. González, and David Yanagizawa-Drott. 2020. Misperceived Social Norms: Women Working Outside the Home in Saudi Arabia. American Economic Review, 110 (10): 2997–3029. download

  • Misinformation During a Pandemic Working Paper with Leonardo Bursztyn, Aakaash Rao, and Christopher Roth; First version April 19, 2020 download

  • Trapped by misperceptions UBS Center Policy Brief 2019 download

  • Reducing Child Mortality in the Last Mile: A Randomized Social Entrepreneurship Intervention in Uganda with M. Bjorkman-Nyqvist, A. Guariso and J. Svensson American Economic Journal: Applied, Vol. 11(3), 2019 download

  • Long-Range Growth: Economic Development in the Global Network of Air Links with Filipe Campante, Quarterly Journal of Economics Vol. 133(3), 2018 appendix download

  • Propaganda and Conflict: Evidence from the Rwandan Genocide Quarterly Journal of Economics Vol. 129(4), 2014 download

Research

David Yanagizawa-Drott’s research has shown that propaganda can cause ethnic conflict, studying the impact of hate media during the Rwanda Genocide. David has also examined the role of political demonstrations in shaping policy outcomes and elections, establishing evidence that they can be highly effective in moving public opinion, even when radical elements such as Nazi party supporters are out on the streets. From a policy perspective, both lines of research are important as they highlight the potential costs of allowing citizens to freely express radical opinions publicly; opinions that are fundamentally in contrast with basic human rights and democratic principles.

In developing countries, a lot of his work focuses on the how to improve health and economic outcomes for poor households. In this line of work, for example, Yanagizawa-Drott implemented a randomized field experiment that showed that a simple Community Health Worker intervention in Uganda, based on a social entrepreneurship model, dramatically reduced child mortality. This research suggests that NGO-delivered community-based health care can be a powerful way to address child mortality in developing countries.

Most recently, Yanagizawa-Drott has explored the role of social norms in explaining female labor market participation. Using a field experiment in Saudi Arabia, he has shown that married women are held back because most men overestimate how conservative society is, but when provided with correct information that most men are in favor of women working, labor supply of married women increases. This research point to the role of misperceptions about social norms in explaining sub-optimal outcomes in society.

David Yanagizawa-Drott’s research has shown that propaganda can cause ethnic conflict, studying the impact of hate media during the Rwanda Genocide. David has also examined the role of political demonstrations in shaping policy outcomes and elections, establishing evidence that they can be highly effective in moving public opinion, even when radical elements such as Nazi party supporters are out on the streets. From a policy perspective, both lines of research are important as they highlight the potential costs of allowing citizens to freely express radical opinions publicly; opinions that are fundamentally in contrast with basic human rights and democratic principles.

In developing countries, a lot of his work focuses on the how to improve health and economic outcomes for poor households. In this line of work, for example, Yanagizawa-Drott implemented a randomized field experiment that showed that a simple Community Health Worker intervention in Uganda, based on a social entrepreneurship model, dramatically reduced child mortality. This research suggests that NGO-delivered community-based health care can be a powerful way to address child mortality in developing countries.

David Yanagizawa-Drott on Google Scholarbrowse

Videos

In the media

  • Sean Hannity sehen und sterben The Market by NZZ vom 22.4.2020 lesen

  • Coronavirus deaths greater where Fox News viewers watched ‘Hannity’ more than Tucker Carlson, says U. of C. study Chicago Tribune 20.4.2020 read

  • Moving the needle on social norms Worldbank blogs of May 30, 2019 read

  • How Ramadan can make you poorer yet happier Washington Examiner of June 3, 2018 read

  • The costs of Ramadan need to be counted The Guardian of July 3, 2015 read

  • Watery tea The Economicst of December 18th 2013 read

Quotes

Does the information matter early on in a pandemic like this for health outcomes and behavior?
Chicago Tribune, 20.4.2020
If media induces violence, can media induce peace?

Interviews and features

2017

Images

Kontakt

Persönlich

Supportpersonal

Name:

Michèle Himmelrich

Bürozeiten:

Monday - Thursday

Addresse

University of Zurich

Department of Economics, Schönberggasse 1, 8001 Zürich
(Google Maps)