The Oliver E. Williamson Seminar on Institutional Analysis, named after our esteemed colleague who founded the seminar, features current research by faculty, from UCB and elsewhere, and by advanced doctoral students. The research investigates governance and its links with economic and political forces. Markets, hierarchies, hybrids, and the supporting institutions of law and politics all come under scrutiny in the seminar. Over the years, the seminar has contributed to pushing the frontier of knowledge on governance, and on the norms and institutions that lead to societal success or failure.
The OEW Seminar meets on Thursdays from 12:30 to 2:00 PM in 220 Cheit Hall and is open to all members of the UC Berkeley community. If you are interested in being added to the seminar mailing list please contact Kristie Dinh.
To see past OEW Seminars, go to the archive.
To see the current OEW Seminar schedule click here.
Spring 2023 Schedule
| February 23 | Julieta Caunedo (Toronto) | “Mechanizing Agriculture” |
| March 9 | Miguel Ortiz (Berkeley Ph.D. Student)
Lukas Leucht (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“Spite, Fear and Intergroup Conflict: Evidence from Christians and Muslims in Nigeria”
“One Job, One Vote? The Electoral Returns to Patronage” |
| March 16 | Matt Shum (Caltech) | “The Impacts of Privacy Regulations on Online Advertising Markets” |
| March 23 | Romain Wacziarg (UCLA) | “Endogenous Partitions” |
| April 6 | Vittorio Bassi (USC) | “Self-Employment Within the Firm” |
| April 13 | Pavel Bacherikov (Berkeley Ph.D. Student)
Morgan Foy (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“Serfs into Citizens: Enfranchisement, Local Public Goods, and Nation-Building in Congress Poland”
“Do Unions Affect Student Achievement?” |
| April 17 (Monday) | Daria Bakhareva (Berkeley Ph.D. Student)
Sebastián Arechaga (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“Exit, Voice, and Charity: Evidence from the Response to the Invasion of Ukraine”
“Selection of Directors in the Central Government and Procurement” |
| April 20 | Chiara Motta (Berkeley Ph.D. Student)
Silvia Barbareschi (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“The Impact of TV on Education: Evidence from Italy”
“Perception of Safety and Gender Economic Distortions: a Technology-based Solution” |
| April 27 | Petra Moser (NYU) | “Inequality in Science Who Becomes a Scientist and Who Becomes a Star?” |
| May 4 | Eva Davoine (Berkeley Ph.D. Student)
Nathaniel Ver Steeg (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“Business or Public Policy? Top Bureaucrats’ Selection and the Value of Prestige”
“The Winner’s Curse in Selection Markets” |
| May 8 (Monday) | Ming-yen Ho (Berkeley Ph.D. Student)
Gabriel Granato (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“Protest Participation with Dispersed Beliefs”
“Reborn Faith: Structural Changes in Christianity and the Drivers of Congregational Demand” |
| May 11 | Zia Mehmood (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) | “Texting to Train Microentrepreneurs: Experimental Evidence from Kenya” |
Fall 2022 Schedule
| Date | Speaker | Title of Talk/Paper |
|
September 1
|
Daria Bakhareva (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“Strategic Behavior in Charitable Giving: Evidence from the Invasion of Ukraine” |
|
September 8
|
Shaoda Wang (U Chicago) |
“Judicial Independence, Local Protectionism, and Economic Integration: Evidence from China” |
|
September 15
|
Leander Heldring (Northwestern)
|
“Bureaucracy as a Tool for Politicians: Evidence from Germany” |
|
September 22
|
Miguel Ortiz (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“Spite, Fear and Intergroup Conflict: Evidence from Christians and Muslims in Nigeria” |
|
September 29
|
Carolyn Stein (Berkeley)
|
“The Wandering Scholars: Understanding the Heterogeneity of University Commercialization” |
| October 6 |
James Robinson (U Chicago) |
“Fear and Dreams: The Social Origins of Paramilitary State Behavior in Colombia” |
| October 13 |
Bard Harstad (U Oslo)
|
“Trade and Trees” |
| October 27 |
Nick Ryan (Yale) |
“Can Pollution Markets Work in Developing Countries? Experimental Evidence from India” |
| November 3 |
Panle Barwick (Cornell) |
“Efficiency and Equity Impacts of Urban Transportation Policies with Equilibrium Sorting” |
| November 10 |
Pavel Bacherikov (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) Morgan Foy (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“Kinship, Economic Transition and Ethnic Violence: Evidence from Russian Colonization of Central Asia”
“Do Unions Affect Student Achievement?” |
| November 17 |
Gabriel Granato (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) Silvia Barbareschi (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“Competing Over Prophecies: A Dynamic Reputation-building Model of Religious Markets”
“Perception of Safety in Developing Countries: A Closer Look to the Possible Solutions” |
| November 28 (Monday) |
Lukas Leucht (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) Zia Mehmood (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“One Job, One Vote? The Electoral Multiplier of Patronage”
“SMS Trainings for Small Businesses: Evidence from Kenya” |
| December 1 |
Alessandro Lizzeri (Princeton) |
“Disentangling Exploration from Exploitation” |
| December 8 |
Sebastián Arechaga (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) Chiara Motta (Berkeley Ph.D. Student) |
“Bureaucrat Selection and Public Procurement” “Monopsony, Competition, and Colonization” |