Welcome!

I am a PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Exeter.

Research area: I am an applied microeconomist working on topics in labour, gender and development economics.

My job market paper studies how social networks and information advantages in labour market shape access to economic opportunities.

My research draws on both observational datasets and original data, which I collect through lab-in-the-field experiments.

PhD supervisors: Sonia Oreffice, Mahreen Mahmud, Vatsal Khandelwal

Job Market Paper

The Withholding Edge: Strategic Sharing of Labour-Market Information

(Draft coming soon)

Abstract (AEA Registry)
People freely share that a job exists but strategically withhold the process information that determines who wins it because the peers they would help are also their rivals. In a lab-in-the-field experiment with young job-seekers in Pakistan, access to performance-enhancing information raised applicants’ test scores without changing whether they applied, yet it led participants to share the vacancy itself less widely. Process information was withheld even more tightly, reaching fewer than one in twelve possible ties. The two motives were mirror images; making sharing visible raises sharing only where it was competitively cheap (the vacancy, among those with no information advantage), while making competition salient suppressed it only where it was costly (the process information). And targeting was sharply selective; the vacancy travelled along friendship ties, but the process information was guarded even from friends and flowed instead to the most central but away from more able peers. Networks transmit valuable information selectively, deepening inequality and steering the competitive edge toward the well connected rather than the most able.

Presented at: Annual Minority in Economics Mentoring Workshop, Bristol; Symposium on Economic Experiments in Developing Countries (SEEDEC), Durham; Third Annual Workshop on Behavioural Economics, Sheffield; Second South West Economics PhD Conference, Exeter; 3rd Annual Behavioural and Experimental Economics (BEE) UK Conference, Exeter (Poster); Twelfth Network Science & Economics (NSE) Conference 2026, Luxembourg

Selected work in progress

Women and Corporate Boards: Network Centrality and Gender Quotas

Abstract Draft
This study examines the influence of network centrality on first-time board appointments in France, focusing on the impact of the gender quota reform of 2010. Using BoardEx data on executives from publicly listed French firms (2001-2019), I construct professional network measures (degree and betweenness) of executives using their employment history. The findings show that while network centrality does not predict board appointments, it plays a greater role for women post-reform, suggesting that increased visibility may help overcome gender barriers. This study contributes to research on networks, corporate governance, and gender quotas by highlighting how legislative changes shape career advancement in leadership.

Stereotypes and Effort Provision in Teams

with H. Ahmed, J. Lamb and A. McCrea – (Data collection ongoing)

Abstract
Effort provision in teamwork can be influenced by stereotypes, particularly in remote work settings where individuals collaborate across locations. Stereotypesmay affect effort based on perceptions of a teammate’s capability or beliefs about how capable teammates perceive them. This study explores the impact of stereotypes and beliefs about stereotypes on teamwork effort using an online experiment based on real effort task.

Other work

Fiscal deficit and inflation: New evidence from Pakistan using a bounds testing approach

with A. Jalil and N. Bibi – Economic Modelling, 2014

Abstract Link
Leeper (1991), Sims (1994) and Woodford (2001) point out that price level is not independently determined by monetary policy rather it is the result of inter dependence of fiscal and monetary policies. This article aims to test the fiscal theory of price level for Pakistan using an autoregressive distributed lag model framework over the period of 1972–2012. The article finds that fiscal deficit is a major determinant of the price level along with other variables like interest rates, government sector borrowing and private borrowing. On the basis of our findings, the present article suggests that the economy of Pakistan requires an immediate correction of fiscal imbalances.

The State of Education during the Covid-19 Crisis

Chapter 10: The state of Pakistan’s Economy: During the Pandemic and Beyond.

with F. Sadik – IBA Press, 2021

Abstract Link
It examines how Covid-19 deepened Pakistan's education crisis, where 22.8 million children were already out of school pre-pandemic. School closures and income losses pushed households into lower income brackets, driving dropouts (16% cited unpaid fees). Poor internet, computer, and TV access, especially in rural areas, undermined the shift to online learning and the "TeleSchool" initiative, worsening educational inequality. Simulations project learning losses of 0.4–0.7 years (LAYS), building on evidence that past disruptions caused lasting setbacks. Returns to education fell across most levels during lockdown, with women and girls facing disproportionate risks. The chapter calls for remediation programs and protected education financing.

Teaching

Tutorials in Development Economics (2022–2025)

University of Exeter

Tutorials in Economic Principles (2024–2025)

University of Exeter

Tutorials in Futures and Options (2022–2023)

University of Exeter

Lectures in Microeconomic Theory, Principles of Microeconomics, Principles of Macroeconomics (2020–2022)

Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Pakistan

Lectures in Monetary Theory, Intermediate Microeconomics, Economics of Competition and Regulation, Principles of Microeconomics, Principles of Macroeconomics (2016–2019)

National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan