Osama Nawab to defend his PhD
On Tuesday, May 26, Osama Nawab will hold a trial lecture on a prescribed topic and defend his thesis for the PhD degree at NHH.
Title of thesis:
“Institutions, Behavior, and Economic Outcomes in Developing Countries”
In his dissertation, Osama Nawab studies how institutions and incentives shape economic behavior in developing countries. Combining field experiments, administrative data, and online experiments, the three papers explore how firms and individuals respond to policies, economic shocks, and political institutions, with a particular focus on Tanzania.
The first paper examines tax compliance through a receipt-lottery intervention developed in collaboration with the Tanzania Revenue Authority. While the policy increases VAT compliance by encouraging consumers to request official receipts, the findings show that firms also adapt strategically by issuing unofficial receipts and reducing voluntary compliance when possible, revealing limitations of third-party enforcement in low-capacity tax systems.
The second paper analyzes firm resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic using population-wide electronic fiscal data from Tanzania. The study finds that although large firms experienced steeper initial declines in sales, they were significantly more resilient over time than smaller firms, both in terms of survival and recovery. The results highlight the importance of firm size and access to capital during periods of economic crisis.
The third paper investigates whether democratic participation influences moral behavior. Using a controlled online experiment, the research shows that participation in a fair referendum increases generosity toward strangers, while exposure to a corrupt voting process increases honesty. The findings suggest that even limited interaction with democratic institutions can shape how individuals behave toward others.
Taken together, the dissertation provides new insight into how fiscal, economic, and political institutions influence behavior and economic outcomes in developing economies.
Prescribed topic for the trial lecture:
“Firms, Institutions, and the Behavioral Foundations of Economic Development”
Trial lecture:
10:15, Aud. Karl Borch, NHH
Defense:
12:15, Aud. Karl Borch, NHH
Members of the evaluation committee:
Professor Bertil Tungodden (chair of the committee), Department of Economics, NHH
Associate Professor Fenella Carpena, OsloMet
Professor Andreas Madestam, Stockholm University
Supervisors:
Professor Kjetil Bjorvatn (main supervisor), Department of Economics, NHH
Professor Vincent Somville, Department of Economics, NHH