Rohit Ticku wins 2023 Geneva Graduate Institute Prize for best thesis

The dissertation, titled ‘Empirical essays on conflict and corruption’, focuses on ethno-religious conflict and corruption in medieval and modern India. It comprises four papers that combine innovative data collection and causal inference methods to study problems of conflict and corruption. The first two papers identify the strategic motivations that underline religious conflicts in both pre-modern and contemporary India. The third paper focuses on the potential for private wealth accumulation for elected politicians in competitive electoral environments. Finally, the concluding paper studies the moderating effect of streamlining border procedures on corruption in international trade.

Rohit Ticku’s research is at the intersection of political economy, trade, and development. Recently, he has also published papers on the financial gains derived from holding public office for independent legislators in India and on global livestock trade and infectious diseases.