Research

My research interests are at the intersection of Behavioral and Development Economics, with a focus on social networks. In particular, I'm interested in how people's outcomes, behaviors, and beliefs are a function of interaction with others. Focusing on resource-scarce settings, my research aims to clarify how and when social behaviors can improve or worsen well-being.

Applying structural methods to experimental data, I seek to identify the underlying mechanisms that determine behavior, quantify welfare impacts, and conduct counterfactual analyses.

Works In Progress

Incentives In Networks with Redistributive Pressures and Endogenous Incomes by A. Jahić

In developing countries, lack of access to formal credit markets leads many social networks to engage in informal borrowing. This study investigages how risk sharing impacts risk taking and labor supply when information is imperfect.

Complexity Aversion in Asset Choice by A. Jahić

I investigate how complexity aversion in the allocation of capital to assets impacts investment behavior.

Network Formation and Social Norms Under Complentarities: Statics and Dynamics by A. Jahić

This study examines how local complementarities—where individuals benefit from aligning their actions with their neighbors—shape network formation and the emergence of social norms. I analyze both pairwise stability and efficiency within static and dynamic models of network formation.

Policy Briefs

Building to Last: Impacts of a Philadelphia Energy-Efficiency Housing Rehabilitation Program for Low-Income Households by S. Berkouwer and A. Jahić
Kleiman Center for Energy Policy, 2024

Philadelphia’s Built to Last program helps low-income homeowners navigate the complexities of home improvement assistance programs. This brief examines the early outcomes of Built to Last, three years later.