Research Expertise and Interest

economics of mental health, developing countries

Research Description

Gautam Rao is an associate professor at the Haas School of Business and the Department of Economics. His research brings insights from psychology to bear on topics in economics, particularly topics relevant to developing countries. His current research agenda is centered on the economics of mental health in developing countries. Past projects include studying how improving sleep affects the economic outcomes of workers in India, how the endowment effect influences consumer demand for collateralized loans in Kenya, how research findings affect the beliefs and policy choices of mayors in Brazil, and how mixing rich and poor students in schools in India affects social preferences and behaviors.

Together with Frank Schilbach and Heather Schofield, Rao helps run the Behavioral Development Lab(opens in a new tab) in India. He is a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), and a faculty affiliate at the The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (JPAL). From 2018 to 2020, he served as an Associate Editor at the Journal of Political Economy.