Ronak Jain
Assistant Professor of Economics
University of Zurich
ronak.jain@econ.uzh.ch
I am an Assistant Professor of Economic Development and Child Welfare at the University of Zurich. I study topics at the intersection of development and behavioral economics. My work leverages field experimentation and observational data. I received my PhD in Economics from Harvard University, MPhil in Economics from the University of Oxford and BA in Economics from the University of Cambridge.
Click here for my CVWorking Papers
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How Prosocial Motives Shape Market Exchange: Experimental Evidence from Street Vending
Abstract
Markets are often seen as impersonal mechanisms of exchange, yet many real-world transactions are deeply social. This paper examines how prosocial motives interact with economic exchange and how this affects market outcomes. I study these questions in the context of street vending—a ubiquitous informal market in developing countries—combining multiple experiments with detailed observational data and surveys. Partnering with vendors in a field experiment, I show that buyers are twice as likely to purchase from children as from adults selling identical goods. Sellers, including children, anticipate these preferences, adjusting prices and whom they target. I develop and test a simple model that rationalizes these behaviors: buyers derive utility not only from consumption but also from altruism toward sellers and from avoiding the discomfort of refusal when solicited to buy. Experimental evidence supports both mechanisms and shows that sellers strategically leverage this to extract rents, creating an advantage for children in this market. More broadly, the findings show how social preferences influence market exchange, granting socioeconomically vulnerable sellers a form of market power in competitive environments. -
3G Internet and Human Capital Development
Abstract
We study the impact of mobile internet expansion on student outcomes by exploiting the staggered global rollout of 3G between 2000 and 2018. We link geospatial data on 3G coverage to 2.5 million test scores from 82 countries and find that access to 3G substantially increased smartphone ownership and internet use among adolescents, yet reduced test scores in math, reading, and science by the equivalent of one-quarter of a year of learning. Negative effects are driven by exposure during adolescence and are concentrated among lower-achieving students. Mechanisms include increased passive online activities, reduced study efficiency, and weaker social connectedness. -
Silent Networks: The Role of Inaccurate Beliefs in Reducing Useful Social Interactions
Abstract
Can pessimistic beliefs about social norms create "silent" networks, where individuals rarely seek support despite benefits? A field experiment with informal workers shows that belief correction increases demand for social support by reducing perceived reputational costs. We use a network model to explain how misperceptions can arise and trap communities in a low-interaction equilibrium. Structural estimation predicts that the induced shift is too small to escape this equilibrium. Accordingly, two years later, those exposed to the treatment hold more optimistic beliefs, but below the true level conveyed. Counterfactuals show that stronger policies are required for persistence, though belief correction can increase the demand and funding to support them. -
Personalized Teacher Attention and Student Achievement
Abstract
We study how personalized teacher attention affects student achievement by randomizing whether students receive messages on behalf of their teacher containing either information on past performance, information with teacher-set performance expectations, additional peer pairing for encouragement, or no message. We find that messages containing information or expectations improve math achievement by 0.18–0.21σ, with students interpreting both as signals of teacher attention. Effects are largest among low-performing students and those randomized to receive more ambitious expectations. Peer pairing only improves outcomes when students are similar. Our findings show that signaling teacher attention is a cost-effective input in the education production function.Coverage: VoxDev
Publications
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The Effects of Classroom-Level Incentives: Experimental Evidence from Kenya
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The Labor Market and Poverty Impacts of COVID-19 on South Africa
Coverage: The Economist
Current Teaching
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Behavioral Development (PhD)
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Intermediate Econometrics