Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

Tune into the Backstory Podcast with hosts Riccardo Di Cato, Aakash Bhalothia, Santiago Cantillo, and Maddison Erbabian for a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes process of economic research. Each episode unpacks the hidden journey from a paper's conception to its publication, sharing the challenges and triumphs scholars face along the way. Conceptualized by Paul Niehaus and brought to life by UCSD grad students, Backstory gives voice to the stories that academia often leaves untold.

Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made is a science podcast hosted by UC San Diego, with 51 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

UC San Diego hosts Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made, a science show with 51 episodes published.

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  Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

  Backstory: Matt Lowe on Psychedelics and Well-Being

  Aug 11, 202625 min

  Santiago speaks with Matt Lowe about “Psychedelics and Well-Being: An Experiment in Brazil,” coauthored with Patrick Francois and Ieda Matavelli. Matt takes us behind the scenes of the project: how the idea began, what it meant to study psychedelics as economists, and how the team navigated a topic that is making waves in other fields. He also reflects on the importance of building trust with an ayahuasca center, and how that relationship opened the door to a richer research design than the team initially imagined. Join us for the backstory behind this project! The working paper version is available at: https://mattjlowe.github.io/files/Francois%20Lowe%20Matavelli%20(18dec25)%20Psychedelics.pdf

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  Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

  Backstory: Patrick Agte on Understaffing in Public Health Care

  Aug 6, 202625 min

  Maddison speaks with Patrick Agte of the Stockholm School of Economics about his working paper on the understaffing of India's public healthcare system, and how performance was dramatically improved by the adding a second healthcare worker to village clinics. They also discuss the benefits — and costs — of building relationships with government officials for conducting important research. The paper is available here: https://patrickagte.github.io/patrickagte/agte_jmp.pdf

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  Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

  Backstory: Gautam Rao on Democracy, Diffusion, and and the Long Game of Research

  May 28, 202630 minS0

  <p>In this episode, Maddison speaks with Gautam Rao, Associate Professor at the Haas School of Business and the Department of Economics at UC Berkeley, about his paper titled, "Laboratories of Democracy? Experimental Evidence on Policy Diffusion between Municipalities in Brazil,” joint with Ines Badin, Jonas Hjort, Diana Moreira, Juan Santini.  He also discusses how this project built on an earlier project, “How Research Affects Policy: Experimental Evidence from 2,150 Brazilian Municipalities,” and talks about the process of forming collaborations with field partners and coauthors. Gautam also shares about his experience of developing his job market paper, “Familiarity Does Not Breed Contempt...

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  Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

  Backstory: Claudia Allende on School Choice and Competition in Chile

  May 26, 202629 minS0

  <p>Maddison speaks with Claudia Allende, Assistant Professor of Economics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  Claudia shares the backstory behind her paper with Francisco Gallego and Chris Neilson, titled “Approximating the Equilibrium Effects of Informed School Choice,” along with the story behind her related research including her job market paper, “Competition Under Social Interactions and the Design of Education Policies.”  She also shares how she developed the skills to do research combining structural and empirical methods.</p><p><br></p>

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  Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

  Backstory: Manaswini Rao on Dispute Resolution in India

  Apr 20, 202632 minS0

  <p>Mikey speaks to Manaswini Rao, an assistant professor of economics at the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware. Manaswini discusses the challenges faced by the judicial system in India, the promise of mediation address some of those challanges, and her new working paper that measures whether mediation lives up to that promise.</p><p><br></p><p>Read the working paper here!</p>

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