Applied Microeconomics
Applied Microeconomics
The Applied Microeconomics research group unites researchers working on a broad array of topics within such areas as labour economics, economics of education, health economics, family economics, urban economics, environmental economics, and the economics of science and innovation. The group operates in close collaboration with the CAGE Research Centre.
The group participates in the CAGE seminar on Applied Economics, which runs weekly on Tuesdays at 2:15pm. Students and faculty members of the group present their ongoing work in two brown bag seminars, held weekly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 1pm. Students, in collaboration with faculty members, also organise a bi-weekly reading group in applied econometrics on Thursdays at 1pm. The group organises numerous events throughout the year, including the Research Away Day and several thematic workshops.
Our activities
Work in Progress seminars
Tuesdays and Wednesdays 1-2pm
Students and faculty members of the group present their work in progress in two brown bag seminars. See below for a detailed scheduled of speakers.
Applied Econometrics reading group
Thursdays (bi-weekly) 1-2pm
Organised by students in collaboration with faculty members. See the Events calendar below for further details
People
Academics
Academics associated with the Applied Microeconomics Group are:
Research Students
Events
Economic History Workshop - Sriya Iyer (Cambridge)
Workshop organiser: Yannick Dupraz
The title is 'Economic Shocks and Temple Desecrations in Medieval India'.
Abstract :
Economic downturns can create conditions for mass uprisings that threaten an authoritarian
ruler. Religious authority can provide the ideological force needed to solve the collective
action problem that hinders a revolution. When co-option is infeasible, the ruler can respond
to economic shocks by suppressing the religious authority of the popular religion. In this paper
we provide empirical evidence of this response in medieval India. Using centuries of
geo-referenced data we document a positive relationship between weather fluctuations and
the destruction of Hindu temples under Muslim rule. Specifically, during periods of large
weather fluctuations the likelihood of a Muslim State desecrating a Hindu temple increases
by about 1 percentage point (relative to the baseline of 0.7%). We explore various mechanisms
that could drive the ruler鈥檚 response and show that regime stability is the likely explanation
for this relationship. The paper contributes to our understanding of the behaviour of
authoritarian regimes in diverse societies.