The Social Penalty of Underemployment
Nicolas Polasek
Welcome! I am a PhD student at the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Berkeley.
I am on the 2026-2027 job market.
My research is in development and labor economics, with a focus on how households and communities respond to shocks, labor market frictions, and social protection programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Methodologically, I use experimental and quasi-experimental methods to study how markets, social networks, and policy interventions shape economic well-being.
Email: nicolas_polasek[at]berkeley.edu
Research
Job Market Paper
Market integration and the effect of internal displacement on host communities
Abstract
Abstract coming soon.
Work in Progress
The Effect of Cash Transfers and Village Savings Groups on Youth in Rural Settings: Evidence from the DRC
Natural Disasters and Social Policy: Evidence from Goma's Youths
Teaching
Applied Statistics I, Masters in Computational Social Sciences
Introduction to Applied Econometrics, Undergraduate
Development Economics, Undergraduate