His research examines the role of political factors in shaping public policy, especially in developing countries. It seeks to understand why elected officials fail to provide adequate services and how the design of the electoral process can influence policymaking. For example, improved political participation by disadvantaged citizens affected access to health care services and infant health in Brazil. He has also studied voter behavior more broadly, including the role of strategic coordination by voters in elections, the role of habit in voter turnout, and how voters respond to campaign messages in field experiments in Benin and the Philippines. His more recent research studies how social norms counteract other economic incentives, with applications to legislative bargaining and women’s human capital investments. B.A. and M.A., Economics, University of São Paulo. Ph.D., Economics, University of British Columbia.