Irrigation and Inequality

What explains the rise of sustained inequality, and what role does technology play in it? We address this question by examining a large-scale natural experiment: the construction of the world’s largest geographically contiguous irrigation infrastructure in British-era Punjab. Between 1880 and 1940, the British colonial administration established an extensive network of perennial canals across the Punjab plains, transforming vast tracts of previously agriculturally insecure or barren land into fertile, irrigated farmland.

Migration Policy Backlash, Identity and Integration of Second-generation Migrants in France

Do integration policies that require migrants to demonstrate allegiance lead to more or less integration into the host society? In this paper, we study the effects of a symbolic change in birthright citizenship rules in France on the integration of second-generation immigrants. We exploit an exogenous reform that required second-generation immigrants to declare their willingness to become French as a condition to naturalize.

A Cognitive Theory of Reasoning and Choice

We offer a theory of decisions in which attention to the features of choice options is determined by the DM's categorization of the current choice problem in a set of problems she solved in the past. Categorization depends on goal-relevant as well as contextual problem-level features. The model yields systematic heterogeneity in attention and choice in a given problem based on dierent past experiences, rigidity of choices when categorization does not change despite new data, and discontinuous shifts when changes in bottom-up salient features cause re-categorization.

A Political Disconnect? Evidence From Votes on EU Trade Agreements?

The European Union (EU) has long been accused of suffering from a “democratic deficit.” The European Parliament (EP), the only EU institution directly elected by citizens, is seen as having limited powers. Moreover, its members (MEPs) are often portrayed as unresponsive to the interests of their constituents due to the second-order nature of European elections: instead of being shaped by EU policies, they are driven by domestic politics. In this paper, we provide evidence against these Eurosceptic arguments using data on a key policy choice made by MEPs: the approval of free trade agreements.

Nachiket Midha

Nachiket Midha is an MSc in Politics candidate at the University of Oxford (St Antony's College). He recently graduated with distinction from Ashoka University with a PGDipASR (Summa Cum Laude) and BA (Hons) in Political Science (Magna Cum Laude). His research spans political dynasties, democratisation, and the intersections of gender and governance, with a focus on India and global political trends.

Franc Tireur

Elena Sofia Massacesi

I am a first year MPhil student in European Politics and Society and part of St Antony's College. Prior to studying at Oxford, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Politics and International Relations from University College London (UCL), graduating with First Class Honours and as a member of the Dean's List. My primary research interests are environmental policy, business-government relations, and the European Green Deal.

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