Successful thesis defense for Iacopo Bianchi

His thesis explores how structural, informational, and historical forces shape development outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Iacopo Bianchi at his defense.

On Thursday 23 October IIES graduate student, Iacopo Bianchi, successfully defended his doctoral thesis, "Productivity, Career Choice, and Colonial Legacies: Essays in Development Economics".

In the thesis, Iacopo explores how structural, informational, and historical forces shape development outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through field experiments and surveys, he finds that gendered productivity gaps in Ugandan agriculture stem from subtle social frictions rather than wage differences; digital finance boosts women’s business potential only when paired with training; young Ugandans’ career choices are driven more by family approval and social norms than by wages; and colonial legacies influence attitudes toward homosexuality in complex, context-specific ways. Together, his studies show that development depends not on single factors but on the interplay of skills, norms, information, and history.

Vincent Somville, NHH - Norwegian School of Economics, kindly acted as opponent.

Iacopo will next join the World Bank.

Read more about Iacopo's thesis.

Theme

Last updated: October 24, 2025

Source: Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES)

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