Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

About 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.

Publisher

UC San Diego

Category

science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Oct 2023

Latest episode

15 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

54 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Sept 2026

   Backstory: Solène Delecourt on The Effect of AI Interviewers on Gender Gaps in Hiring

   Santiago speaks with Solène about her work titled "The Effect of AI Interviewers on Gender Gaps in Hiring: A field experiment in the Philippines" and co-authored with Brian Jabarian and Luca Henkel. Solène shares how the project began after reaching out to another economist whose presentation she had seen months earlier, leading to a fast-moving collaboration with results in just a few weeks. She reflects on how AI and online surveys have changed the way we conduct experiments, the barriers faced, as well as the questions we ask. She also shares her view on how she studies AI in the context of economics and management, so tune in to learn more!

2. 

   9 Sept 2026

   Backstory: Jonathan Weigel on Whether Progressivity Raises Tax Capacity

   Riccardo speaks with Jonathan Weigel about his paper, coauthored with Augustin Bergeron, Arthur Laroche, Joana Naritomi, Gabriel Tourek, and Marina Ngoma, titled: “Does Progressivity Raise Tax Capacity? Experimental Evidence from the D.R. Congo.” Join us to hear how Jonathan got started on his research agenda in the DRC and what it takes to set up a research organization in the field, manage enumerators, and build relationships with government and tax officials. In the middle of a great conversation, there are also some hidden gems about challenges encountered in the field. Tune in to hear more!

3. 

   18 Aug 2026

   Backstory: Ebehi Iyoha on How Subsidies Flow through Networks

   Mikey speaks with Ebehi Iyoha of Harvard Business School about her working paper with Melko Dragojević and Stejpan Srhoj on spillover effects — the effect on firms when large grants were awarded to other firms in their supply chain — in Croatia. Ebehi goes into detail about they borrowed techniques from the study of networks and applied it to this setting in order to answer a novel question about how grant spending progogates through a network of firms.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

12 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 31 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

38

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60

Contact Backstory: How Research Papers in Economics Get Made

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