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Gabriel Tourek
Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Pittsburgh
Gabriel Tourek is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests focus on taxation and redistribution in developing countries and market and behavioral frictions that constrain firms' decision-making and growth in emerging markets. His research agenda explores how fiscal capacity develops and impacts the equity of taxes and transfers in low-income countries. A related agenda examines how firms navigate regulation, market failures, and behavioral biases. His fieldwork is based in the D.R. Congo, Rwanda, and India. He completed a Ph.D. in Public Policy at Harvard in 2019.
Recent work by Gabriel Tourek
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Does low state capacity set a ceiling on tax rates? Evidence from the DRC
Reducing tax rates increases tax revenues when enforcement capacity is low. However, low-capacity states can invest in tax enforcement to shift up the revenue-maximising tax rate.
Published 11.01.24
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How can online job portals help firms find workers? Evidence from India
Providing firms with advertising and identity verification tools increases their hiring through a job portal, improving their ability to fill vacancies
Published 05.05.23
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Improving state effectiveness through bureaucrat assignment: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Optimising the assignment of tax collectors significantly increases tax revenue and compliance at little or no added cost
Published 20.08.21
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Can low-capacity governments work with local leaders to increase tax revenues? Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo
City chiefs collecting taxes in Kananga, DRC, outperformed state agents thanks to their superior local information about potential taxpayers
Published 19.10.20