Saumitra Jha
Assistant Professor of Political Economy
Assistant Professor of Economics and of Political Science (by courtesy), School of Humanities and Sciences
Welcome. I'm an economist in the political economy group at the Stanford GSB. My research uses a combination of economic theory and empirical analysis to investigate the processes by which cultural and political institutions have developed historically, and to draw new strategies for contemporary development policy. I am particularly interested in formal and informal mechanisms that have been successful in fostering tolerance and cooperation among members of different social and ethnic groups.
Research Fields
- Primary: political economics, economic history, development economics.
- Secondary: theory (contracts, decisions and incentives), industrial organization.
Specific Research Interests
- Ethnic and religious tolerance
- Financial incentives and political development
- Trade and innovation
- Institutions and economic growth
Courses
- POLECON 683 Political Economy of Developing Societies (PhD)
- POLECON 230 Non-Market Strategy (MBA)
- GSBGEN 203 Global Management (MBA)
