Simeon Alder

Assistant Professor
Department of Economics and Econometrics

Degrees

lic.rel.int., Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, Switzerland; M.I.A., Columbia University; Ph.D., UCLA

Research Profile

Professor Alder's current research explores the effect of frictions in markets for executive talent on output and productivity, both at the level of individual firms and in the aggregate. He shows that mismatch between intrinsic attributes of firms and the executives that manage them explains significant gaps in aggregate productivity across countries. His results imply that ‘crony capitalism,’ where positions are allocated on the basis of political connections rather than talent, imposes a substantial burden on economic welfare.