ALESSANDRA CASELLA December 2020
Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Ma, Ph.D in Economics, 1988. Thesis: “Hyperinflations”.
Universita’ L. Bocconi, Milano, Laurea in Discipline Economiche e Sociali, March 1983 (summa cum laude). Thesis: “Tassi di Cambio Reali e Shocks di Offerta” (Real Exchange Rates and Supply Shocks).
Professional Appointments
Academic
Columbia University, New York: Professor of Economics, 1997 –
Professor of Political Science, 2017 –
Associate Professor of Economics, 1993 ‑ 1997.
Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris,
Directeur d’Etudes (temps partiel), 1996 – 2010.
University of California at Berkeley, Assistant Professor, 1987 – 1993.
Others
Columbia Experimental Laboratory for the Social Sciences, Director, 2012 –
National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA: Research Associate, 1997 –
Faculty Research Fellow, 1988 – 1997.
Center for Economic Policy Research, London, Research Fellow, 1988 –
Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory, Economic Theory Fellow, 2019-
AXA Research Fund, Scientific Board member, 2013 – 2016.
National Science Foundation, Economics Panel member, 2004 – 2006.
Economic Policy, Panel member, 1994 and 1995.
Journals
American Economic Review, Associate Editor, 2016 –
Journal of Experimental Political Science, Editorial Board, 2013 -2017.
Journal of Public Economic Theory, Associate Editor, 2004 – 2009.
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, invited editor, special issue in honor of Alan Kirman, 2007, vol.64, 3 and 4.
European Economic Review, invited editor, special issue on the domain of the state, 1996.
Fellowships
Alliance Visiting Professorship, Paris School of Economics (PSE), Spring 2020.
Straus Institute Fellow, NYU Law School, 2012-13.
John Simon Guggenheim Fellow, 2006-07.
Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, N.J., Member 2004-05.
Russell Sage Foundation, New York, N.Y., Fellow, 1997‑98.
German Marshall Fund of the United States Fellowship, 1993.
Institute for Policy Reform, Washington, D.C., Junior Research Fellow, 1992‑93.
Hoover Institution, Stanford University, National Fellow, 1990‑91.
National Bureau of Economic Research, Ford Foundation Fellowship, Fall 1989.
Selected Grants
Most recent grant
ISERP (Columbia University). Seed grant on “Strategic Focus in Games: An Experiment”. March 2018-December 2019.
Major grants
National Science Foundation, Grant No. SES-0617934, “Storable Votes. Part II”, 2006-2012 (Supplement, 2013-2015).
National Science Foundation, Grant No. SES-0214013, “Storable Votes”, 2002-2005.
National Science Foundation, Grant No SBR-9709237, “Anonymous Market and Coethnic Ties in International Trade” (Co-PI, with James Rauch), 1997‑2001.
Publications
Journals
“Does Vote-Trading Improve Welfare?” (with Antonin Macé), forthcoming, Annual Review of Economics, vol. 13.
“Democracy and Intensity of Preferences. A Test of Storable Votes and Quadratic Voting on Four California Propositions” (with Luis Sanchez), forthcoming, Journal of Politics.
“Trading Votes for Votes. A Laboratory Study” (with Thomas Palfrey), 2021, Games and Economic Behavior, 125, 1-26.
“Trading Votes for Votes. A Dynamic Theory” (with Thomas Palfrey), 2019, Econometrica, 87: 631-652.
“A Property Rights Approach to Temporary Work Visas” (with Adam Cox), 2018, Journal of Legal Studies, 47 (S1): S195-S227.
“Communication in Context: Interpreting Promises in an Experiment on Competition and Trust” (with Navin Kartik, Luis Sanchez, and Sébastien Turban), 2018, PNAS, 115 (5): 933-938.
“Democracy for Polarized Committees. The Tale of Blotto’s Lieutenants” (with Jean-Francois Laslier and Antonin Macé), 2017, Games and Economic Behavior, 106: 239-259.
“Storable Votes and Judicial Nominations in the U.S. Senate” (with Sébastien Turban and Gregory Wawro), 2017, Journal of Theoretical Politics, 29: 243-272.
“Democracy Undone. Systematic Minority Advantage in Competitive Markets for Votes” (with Sébastien Turban), 2014, Games and Economic Behavior, 88: 47-70.
“Vote Trading with and without Party Leaders” (with Thomas Palfrey and Sébastien Turban), 2014, Journal of Public Economics, 112: 115-128.
“Competitive Equilibrium in Markets for Votes” (with Aniol Llorente-Saguer and Thomas Palfrey), 2012, Journal of Political Economy, 120: 593-658.
“Agenda Control as a Cheap Talk Game. Theory and Experiments with Storable Votes”, 2011, Games and Economic Behavior, 72: 46-76.
“Protecting Minorities in Large Binary Elections. A Test of Storable Votes Using Field Data.” (with Shuky Ehrenberg, Andrew Gelman, and Jie Shen), 2010, The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy (Advances), Vol. 10: Iss. 1.
“Minorities and Storable Votes” (with Thomas Palfrey and Raymond Riezman), 2008, Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 3: 165-200.
“A Simple Scheme to Improve the Efficiency of Referenda” (with Andrew Gelman), 2008, Journal of Public Economics, 92: 2240-2261.
“Information Channels in Labor Markets. On the Resilience of Referral Hiring” (with Nobuyuki Hanaki), 2008, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 66: 492-513.
“Storable Votes: Protecting Minorities without Sacrificing Efficiency” (with Thomas Palfrey and Raymond Riezman), 2007, CESifo DICE Report, 5, 3: 17-22.
“An Experimental Study of Storable Votes” (with Andrew Gelman and Thomas Palfrey), 2006, Games and Economic Behavior, 57: 123-154.
“Why Personal Ties Cannot Be Bought”, (with Nobuyuki Hanaki), 2006, American Economic Review, Papers and Proceedings, 96, 2: 261-264.
“Redistribution Policy: A European Model”, 2005, Journal of Public Economics, 89: 1305-1331.
“Storable Votes”, 2005, Games and Economic Behavior, 51: 391-419.
“Overcoming Informational Barriers in International Resource Allocations: Prices and Ties” (with James Rauch), 2003, The Economic Journal, 113: 21-42.
“Anonymous Market and Group Ties in International Trade” (with James Rauch), 2002, Journal of International Economics, 58: 19-47. (Reprinted in Falvey, R. E. and U. Kreickemeier, (eds.), 2005, Recent Developments in International Trade Theory, Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, U.K.)
“Public Goods in Trade: On the Formation of Markets and Jurisdictions” (with Jonathan Feinstein), 2002, International Economic Review, 43: 437-462.
“Market Mechanisms for Policy Decisions. Tools for the European Union”, 2001, European Economic Review, Papers and Proceedings, 45: 995-1006.
“The Role of Market Size in the Formation of Jurisdictions”, 2001, The Review of Economic Studies, 68: 83-108.
“Product Standards and International Trade. Harmonization through Private Coalitions?”, 2001, Kyklos, 54: 243-264. (Reprinted in Henson, S. and J.S. Wilson (eds.), 2005, The WTO and Technical Barriers to Trade, Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, U.K., 494-515.)
“Tradable Deficit Permits. Efficient Implementation of the Stability Pact in the European Monetary Union”, 1999, Economic Policy, 29: 323-361. (Reprinted in Brunila, A., Buti, M. and D. Franco (eds.), 2001, The Stability and Growth Pact, Palgrave: London, 394-413.).
“Can Foreign Aid Accelerate Stabilization?”, (with Barry Eichengreen), 1996, The Economic Journal, 106: 605‑619.
“Large Countries, Small Countries and the Enlargement of Trade Blocs”, 1996, European Economic Review, 40: 389‑415.
“On Market Integration and the Development of Institutions. The Case of International Commercial Arbitration”, 1996, European Economic Review, 40, 155‑186. (Reprinted in O. C. Ashenfelter and R. K. Iyengar (eds.), 2009, Economics of Commercial Arbitration and Dispute Resolution, Edward Elgar Publishing).
“Trade as Engine of Political Change. A Parable”, 1994, Economica, 61: 267‑284.
“Participation in a Currency Union”, 1992, American Economic Review, 82: 847‑863.
“On Markets and Clubs. Economic and Political Integration of Regions with Unequal Productivity”, 1992, American Economic Review, Papers and Proceedings, 82: 115‑121.
“A Note on Bargaining and Inflation” (with Jonathan Feinstein), 1992, Economic Letters, 38: 393‑398.
“Federalism and Clubs. Towards an Economic Theory of Overlapping Political Jurisdictions” (with Bruno Frey), 1992, European Economic Review, Papers and Proceedings, 36: 639‑646.
“Economic Exchange during Hyperinflation” (with Jonathan Feinstein), 1990, Journal of Political Economy, 98: 1‑27.
“Testing for Rational Bubbles with Exogenous or Endogenous Fundamentals: the German Hyperinflation Once More”, 1989, Journal of Monetary Economics, 24: 109‑122.
“Integracion Monetaria Europea y la Economia de la Sostitucion de Monedas”, 1989, Informacion Comercial Espanola, November, 47‑50.
“Elasticita’ di Sostituzione tra Energia, Capitale e Lavoro nel Settore Manifatturiero Italiano 1960‑1978”, 1984, Giornale degli Economisti, XLIII: 491‑505.
Books
Storable Votes: Protecting the Minority Voice. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.
James Rauch and Alessandra Casella, eds, 2001, Networks and Markets. Contributions from Economics and Sociology, Russell Sage Foundation: New York.
Chapters in books
“Games for Central Bankers. Markets vs Politics in Public Policy Decisions”, in Wyplosz, C. (ed.), 2001, The Impact of EMU on Europe and the Developing Countries, Oxford University Press: Oxford, 11-27.
“Concluding Remarks. Questions for Policy”, in Rauch and Casella (eds.), 2001, Networks and Markets, 328-337.
“Policy Coordination and National Sovereignty in a Monetary Union. Two Easy Recipes”, in Gabriel J. and M. Neugart (eds.), 2001, Ökonomie als Grundlage politischer Entscheidungen, Leske plus Budrich: Opladen, 199-217.
“Free Trade and Evolving Standards” in Bhagwati, J. and R. Hudec (eds.), 1996, Harmonization and Fair Trade, MIT Press: Cambridge, Ma, 119‑156. (Reprinted in Henson, S. and J.S. Wilson (eds.), 2005, The WTO and Technical Barriers to Trade, Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, U.K., 3-40).
“Elements for a Theory of Jurisdictional Change” (with Barry Weingast), in Eichengreen, B., J. Frieden and J. von Hagen (eds.), 1995, Politics and Institutions in an Integrated Europe, Springer: New York and Heidelberg, 11‑41.
“Halting Inflation in Italy and France after World War II” (with Barry Eichengreen), in M. Bordo and F. Capie (eds.), 1994, Monetary Regimes in Transition, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 312‑345.
“Voting on the Adoption of a Common Currency”, in M. Canzoneri, V. Grilli and P. Masson (eds.), 1992, Establishing a Central Bank, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 164‑184.
“Management of a Common Currency” (with Jonathan Feinstein), in A. Giovannini e M. De Cecco (eds.), 1989, A European Central Bank?, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 131‑156.
Comments
Discussion of: Alan Kirman “Market Organization and Individual Behavior. Evidence from Fish Markets” in Rauch and Casella (eds.), 2001, Networks and Markets, op.cit., 196-210.
Discussion of: C. Keuschnigg and W. Kohler, “Austria in the European Union”, 1996, Economic Policy, 11, No. 22.
Discussion of: P. Krugman, “Lessons of Massachusetts for Economic and Monetary Union”, in Giavazzi, F. and F. Torres, eds., 1993, Transition to Economic and Monetary Union in Europe, CUP: Cambridge, U.K..
Working papers
“Mediating Conflict in the Lab” (with Evan Friedman and Manuel Perez), 2020, NBER WP No. 28137, November.
Teaching (partial list)
Second year PhD course: “Experimental Methods in Political Economy”, Department of Economics, Columbia University, Fall 2013, 2014, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Fall 2018, Fall 2019.
Second year Ph.D course: “Special Topics in Political Economics”, Department of Economics, Columbia University, Fall 2005, Spring 2008-2011, Fall 2011.
Undergraduate lecture class: “Political Economy”, Departments of Economics and Political Science, Columbia University, Fall 2005-2006, Spring 2008-2011, Fall 2011-2020 (with a few gaps).
“Politics in the Lab”, seminar on lab experiments for Master and PhD students in Political Science, Spring 2019, Fall 2019.
“Experimental methods for Political Economy”, 2nd year class, Master in Analysis and Policy in Economics, Paris School of Economics (PSE), Paris, France, Spring 2020.
“Experimental Economics”, senior seminar, Department of Economics, Columbia University, Spring 2014-16
“Political Economy in the Lab”, senior seminar, Department of Economics, Columbia University, Spring 2017-18.
Graduate macroeconomics (first year and second year Ph.D. courses), Department of Economics, Columbia University, Spring 1994 – Spring 2004.
Referee (partial list)
American Economic Review, AER Insight, AEJ: Microeconomics, American Political Science Review, Econometrica, Economic Journal, Games and Economic Behavior, International Economic Review, Journal of Economic Theory, Journal of the European Economic Association, Journal of International Economics, Journal of Law, Economics and Organizations, Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Politics, Journal of Public Economics, Public Choice, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Quarterly Journal of Political Science, Review of Economic Studies, Social Theory and Practice, Theoretical Economics, National Science Foundation, Association Nationale de le Recherche (France), Canada Excellence Research Chairs Program, European Research Council, Guggenheim Foundation.