Research Assistants
Aritra Basu
Aritra is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He works with Professor Nancy Folbre on empirical projects involving time use data. Aritra is broadly interested in issues related to labor and development economics, with a particular focus on applied work around gender inequality and public policy. He is also interested in stratification economics, economic history, and political economy.
Hanae Bouazza
Hanae is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is a research assistant for Professor Robert Pollin and Professor Michael Ash. She is updating the graduate econometrics class material, as well as assisting Professor Pollin on a project that aims to explain the current increasing inflation and explore developments in the relationship between inflation and growth.
Debamanyu Das
Debamanyu Das is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He works with Professor Jayati Ghosh on projects related to climate mitigation and impact of digitalization on informal labor in the Global South. His general research interests are in international finance, sustainability, development, and macroeconomics.
Bridget Diana
Bridget Diana is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. At PERI, she is working with Professor Michael Ash on projects related to the political economy of health, education, and the environment. Bridget is interested in the fields of industrial organization and the political economy of health and the environment.
Bilen Gurara
Bilen is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She works with Professor Léonce Ndikumana. Her interests include the political economy of development and health.
Caitlin Kline
Caitlin Kline is a Ph.D. student in the Economics Department at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. At PERI, she works with Professor Robert Pollin on issues related to decarbonization and regional transitions. Caitlin's primary areas of interest are in political ecology, the political economy of disasters, and maritime economies.
Chirag Lala
Chirag Lala is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He works with Professors Robert Pollin, Gregor Semieniuk, Jeannette Wicks-Lim, and Shouvik Chakraborty conducting input-output analysis on decarbonization and industrial policy programs. This research details policy frameworks for states or countries to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions through public and private investment in zero emission power generation, storage and energy efficiency solutions, building retrofits, public transit, and clean manufacturing. Their analysis also assesses the employment and labor income outcomes of those investments as well as of accompanying just transition frameworks. Chirag's research interests are in macroeconomics, finance, industrial policy, and political economy with particular emphasis on building state capacity for long-term strategic public investment in the United States.
Aaron Medlin
Aaron Medlin is a Ph.D. student in the Economics Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research focuses on international central bank cooperation and inter-central bank borrowing through the mechanism of currency swap lines. At PERI, he works with Professor and PERI Co-Director Gerald Epstein on projects related to the political economy of central banking and the effects of central bank policy on income and wealth inequality.
Shih-Yen Pan
Shih-Yen Pan is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He works with Professor Lawrence King on projects related to the political economy of health. He is interested in the political economy of health and the history of public health.
Thomas Walter
Thomas Walter is a Ph.D. student in the Economics Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is a research assistant for James Boyce, working on projects relating to climate policy. His research areas include urban political economy, automobiles, and housing.
Evan Wasser
Evan Wasser is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. At PERI, he works with Professor Isabella Weber on the sectoral nature of inflation and the relationship between inflation and corporate profits. His general interests are in macroeconomics, political economy, industrial policy, and economic planning.
