Sasha Petrov

Welcome! I’m a PhD Candidate in Economics at the University of Chicago.

My primary fields are International Trade and Political Economy, with secondary interests in Computational Economics and Development Economics.

My recent research has focused on jurisdictional border design, using tools from spatial economics and mixed-integer optimization.

I’m on the 2024/25 academic job market.

Reach me at [email protected]

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References:

Job Market Paper

A Framework for Evaluating Border Configurations: Applications to Africa
Abstract
National border configurations significantly affect welfare: they govern trading opportunities and eligibility for public services. Empirical evidence suggests that postcolonial border design has harmed African long-term development through these two channels. This paper offers a spatial model of borders that evaluates welfare consequences through trade and public goods provision. This model features four key forces: the benefits of economic and fiscal integration, the costs of preference heterogeneity, and span of control. To evaluate the inefficiencies of border configurations, I set up an optimal borders problem to balance the trade-off between these forces and develop a strategy to make it tractable. I calibrate the parameters and fundamentals of the spatial model and use the proposed method to solve the optimal borders problem in the African context. With optimal borders, Africa could gain at least 28% in welfare. The primary shortcoming of current borders is their geographic position, not the number of countries.

Work in Progress

Design of Jurisdictional Borders and Trade Costs: The Case of Russian Imperial Colonies
[Data collection in progress]

Teaching Experience (TA)

University of Chicago

Empirical Analysis II • PhD
Winter 2024 • Prof. Stéphane Bonhomme
Introduction to International Trade • Undergraduate
Fall 2023 • Jordan Rosenthal-Kay
Empirical Analysis II • PhD
Winter 2023 • Prof. Harald Uhlig
Econometrics • Undergraduate
Fall 2022 • Sidharth Sah
Computational Modeling for Economics • Master's
Spring 2022 • Christopher Dobronyi

New Economic School

Econometrics I • Master's
Winter 2019 • Prof. Konstantin Styrin
Mathematics for Economics • Master's
Fall 2018 • Prof. Ozgur Evren
Last updated: November 16, 2024