Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

UC San Diego

Episodes 49
Avg. Duration 26m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 5.0 (1)
Since Oct 2023
Latest Episode May 2026

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Schedule
Every 2 Weeks
Format
Episodic
Consistency
10%
Hosting
anchor.fm

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About This Podcast

Tune into the Backstory Podcast with hosts Riccardo Di Cato, Aakash Bhalothia, Santiago Cantillo, and Maddison Erbabian for a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes process of economic research. Each episode unpacks the hidden journey from a paper's conception to its publication, sharing the challenges and triumphs scholars face along the way. Conceptualized by Paul Niehaus and brought to life by UCSD grad students, Backstory gives voice to the stories that academia often leaves untold.

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Recent Episodes

Backstory: Gautam Rao on Democracy, Diffusion, and and the Long Game of Research

May 28, 2026 29m

In this episode, Maddison speaks with Gautam Rao, Associate Professor at the Haas School of Business and the Department of Economics at UC Berkeley, about his paper titled, "Laboratories of…

Backstory: Claudia Allende on School Choice and Competition in Chile

May 26, 2026 28m

Maddison speaks with Claudia Allende, Assistant Professor of Economics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  Claudia shares the backstory behind her paper with Francisco Gallego and Chris…

Backstory: Manaswini Rao on Dispute Resolution in India

Apr 20, 2026 31m

Mikey speaks to Manaswini Rao, an assistant professor of economics at the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware. Manaswini discusses the challenges faced by…

Backstory: Claudio Ferraz on When Democracy Refuses to Die

Apr 08, 2026 29m

Santiago speaks with Claudio Ferraz about the research behind "When Democracy Refuses to Die: Evaluating a Training Program for New Politicians", a paper on RenovaBR, one of the world’s largest…

Andre Gray on Density and Diversity in African Cities

Apr 07, 2026 21m

In this episode, Precious interviews Andre Gray (UC San Diego) about his job-market paper, "Density and Diversity in African Cities." Andre discusses how migration size and migrant composition shape…

Backstory: Fulvia Budillon on Facility Birth and Early-Life Mortality in Malawi

Dec 02, 2025 28m

Riccardo talks to Fulvia Budillon, a PhD candidate in Economics at UC San Diego currently on the job market. Fulvia discusses the backstory of her job market paper, “Beyond Access: Facility Birth,…

Backstory: Ariel Zucker Bergquist on Price Incentives for Conservation

Nov 11, 2025 24m

Riccardo speaks with Ariel Zucker, Assistant Professor of Economics at UC Santa Cruz, about her paper “Price Incentives for Conservation: Experimental Evidence from Groundwater Irrigation.”The…

Backstory: Lauren Falcao Bergquist on High-quality Coffee Farmers in Uganda

Nov 05, 2025 33m

Mikey speaks with Lauren Falcao Bergquist, an assistant professor of economics and global affairs at Yale. Lauren talks about how and why she studies agriculture in developing countries, the…

Backstory: Paul Christian on Balancing Equity and Efficiency in Agricultural Subsidies

Oct 22, 2025 20m

Precious speaks with Paul Christian, an Economist in the Development Impact (DIME) Department at the World Bank, whose research explores how agricultural and food security programs can better target…

Backstory: Dean Spears on After the Spike: Population, Progress and the Case for People

Oct 14, 2025 22m

Santiago speaks with Dean Spears, a Professor at University of Texas at Austin. Dean shares the backstory of his new book with Michael Geruso. He tells us how he bridges working across economics,…

Backstory: Maddie McKelway on Household Communication and Women's Employment

Oct 09, 2025 27m

Join Maddison as she speaks with Madeline McKelway, an Assistant Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College. Maddie shares the backstory behind her paper with Namrata Kala, "The Power of Persuasion:…

Backstory: Yasir Khan on Credit Policy for Minorities

Aug 28, 2025 23m

In this episode, Maddison interviews Yasir Khan, an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh, about the backstory behind his paper coauthored with S.K. Ritadhi, “Economic and…

Backstory: Oeindrila Dube on Conflict and Contact Theory

Aug 07, 2025 22m

In this episode, Santiago interviews Oeindrila Dube about her work in progress "Can Contact Reduce Conflict? Experimental Evidence from Nigeria", coauthored with Soeren Henn and James Robinson.…

Backstory: Loren Brandt on Labor Force Participation and Structural Change

Apr 28, 2025 33m

In this episode, Riccardo interviews Loren Brandt about the paper “Labor Force Participation and Structural Change,” coauthored with Chaoran Chen and Xiaoyun Wei. Loren reflects on his journey into…

Backstory: Nathan Nunn on Zero-Sum Environments, the Evolution of Beliefs, and Development

Apr 24, 2025 23m

Join Riccardo as he talks to Nathan Nunn about his paper “Zero‑Sum Environments, the Evolution of Effort‑Suppressing Beliefs, and Economic Development.” They explore how Nathan’s idea‑generation…

Backstory: Raúl Sánchez de la Sierra on Unbundling Social Preferences At the Heart of a Major Armed Group in Congo

Apr 21, 2025 37m

Riccardo talks to Raúl Sánchez de la Sierra about the backstory of his paper “Moral Violence: Unbundling Social Preferences at the Heart of a Major Armed Group in Congo” (with Louis Dunia and Hilary…

Backstory: Natalie Bau on Long-Term Effects of School Quality in a Low-Income Country

Apr 14, 2025 36m

In this episdode, Maddison interviews Natalie Bau, Professor of Economics at UCLA, about the backstory behind her paper, "The Long-Term Effects of School Quality in a Low-Income Country: Evidence…

Backstory: David McKenzie on Problem Selection and Public Goods Creation

Apr 07, 2025 29m

In this episode, Aakash speaks with David McKenzie about how he identifies research problems across his various agendas. David also discusses the differences between working as a researcher at the…

Backstory: Francis Annan on the Economic Impacts of Financial Firms

Apr 01, 2025 27m

In this episode, Aakash speaks to Francis Annan (UC Berkeley) about his paper titled "Randomized Entry", exploring how the entry of financial services firms impacts local economies. Francis shares…

Backstory: Gani Aldashev on How Institutions Affect the Governance of Firms

Mar 20, 2025 18m

In this episode Santiago talks with Gani Aldashev, professor of Economics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, about the backstory of his paper, "Relationships in the Wild: How Institutions Affect…

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Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made has published 49 episodes since October 2023, covering topics in Science, Social Sciences.

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Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 26m.

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